Jacob Silber, a candidate for Newton City Council at-large, told the council he is running for an at-large seat and described his priorities for the city.

"Hello. My name is Jacob Silber, and I'm running for Newton City Council at Large," Silber said. He said he has lived in Ward 8 for nine years and moved to Newton with his wife and two children, who are now in eighth grade and attend the Newton Public School system.

Silber summarized his background and reasons for running, saying he is a small business owner with experience in engineering, finance, technology and leadership and holds degrees from Harvard College, a master's in civil and environmental engineering and an MBA from MIT Sloan. He said his initial civic involvement began when neighbors opposed a proposed apartment building near his home because of concerns about traffic, parking and flood risk tied to a nearby residential flood plain. (The transcript indicates the housing project's described size was unclear.)

On priorities, Silber said his top concerns include ensuring "fiscal stability," finding ways to properly fund schools and city government without a tax override, encouraging commercial enterprise to broaden the tax base and create jobs, focusing on maintaining and building affordable housing, planning for moderate growth that does not overwhelm roads and municipal infrastructure, improving traffic management and safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, and improving the city's climate resilience to handle more intense storms and protect natural habitats.

Silber thanked the council for listening and said he looks forward to working on keeping Newton "a great place to live." The remarks, as recorded in the meeting transcript, were made to the council; the transcript does not record any formal council action in response to the comments.