The Newton Highlands Neighborhood Area Council (NHNAC) posts detailed minutes of its monthly meetings on the City’s website. I should know, because I’m the Council’s Secretary and I’ve been drafting these minutes in excruciating detail for the past five years. It’s one example of how truly open and accessible we are and I will have more to say about that later.
One reason I’m posting this is because I think people should know what we do and why it is so beneficial for the Highlands and the entire City that area councils prosper in the years ahead. Our area council spends almost all its time attracting people who need our help rather than promoting what we do.
The second reason I’m posting is because the Charter Commission is currently considering our future status in a revised City Charter. I’m not going to dwell on Jerry Reilly’s recent post suffice it to say that we are all a bit guy shy about the Commission’s intent after their unanimous straw vote to eliminate the 8 Ward Councilors. This cuts close to the bone because of the very close and productive working relationship we have with Ward 5 Councilor John Rice and with Ward 6 Councilor Dick Blazar who are both ex-officio members of our Area Council.
Formal requirements for openness, responsiveness, accountability, inclusiveness and transparency are some of the things that distinguish area councils from other neighborhood groups and village associations who, often have deeper roots in their communities than we do and who do many great things that we do not do We are chartered by the City of Newton and must adhere to all of its open meeting laws and regulations. We can’t and don’t want to do anything in secret or with a restricted membership. We must hold all our group deliberations in public and to be as responsive as we can to any homeowner or resident in our service area that approaches us on any public matter related to Newton Highlands. We are elected every two years by the voters or Newton Highlands and can be replaced anytime the voters are in a mood to do so.
Everyone knows about the festive Highlands Village Day we hold each June; but we do so much more that isn’t nearly as visible to the general public, and we do it responsibly and inclusively. The three other area councils could just as readily write about their equally productive and successful programs I also don’t want to minimize or discount the contribution that others outside our Council have made to these projects. I only stress that our Area Council provides an accessible and trusted focal point for advancing a range of Newton Highland issues because it is open and accountable to everyone in the Highlands regardless of where they stand on a particular issue.
If the following stories make you like what we do, if you enjoy our Village Day, or if you have ever done good things with us in the past, please take a few minutes to write the Newton Charter Commission at [email protected] and let them know you want to keep area councils alive and well in Newton’s future.
1. Campaign to Make Newton Highlands MBTA Station Fully Accessible: Area Council member Robert Solomon has been a one man catalyst for advancing this, but we have all spent time on it. Robert and other Council members spent many hours over many weeks and months working to advance this with the MBTA, other State transportation officials, a range of officials at City Hall, Representative Ruth Balser, and members of the Newton City Council . Robert detailed just how bad the current station is for people in wheelchairs, walkers or crutches. He used the auspices and manpower of the Newton Highlands Area Council to organize community meetings and forums. The result was a concerted push that ended with the State approving $7,000,000 for this critically important project. This simply would not have come as far as it has without Robert’s determination to make it happen, his willingness to organize support from a lot of different quarters and to involve the full Newton Highlands Area Council in moving it forward.
2. Zervas Traffic Plan: We held multiple joint community meetings with the Waban Neighborbood Area Council in response to concerns by residents of the streets that surround Zervas School about traffic and student safety when the new and enlarged school finally opens. The school consultants initially wanted to widen Beethoven Avenue to 3 full lanes and they wanted to add a turning lane that residents and the two area councils felt certain would be a serous safety hazard for kids crossing the street. Because of the efforts of the two area councils, the latest version of the plan is much more neighborhood friendly and includes modifications that have been endorsed by Ward 5 City Councilor John Rice. This will eliminate both the 3 lane roadway and the turning lane and will cost less to build than the original plan. The money that’s saved will allow the City to add a set of new pathways in Cold Springs Park and enable more students to walk safely to the School on an auto free pathway.
3. Cold Springs Dog Fence: We helped resolve a five year conflict at the old Cold Springs Park involving dog owners who exercise their dogs at the park and neighbors in homes surrounding the park who continually complained about off-leash pooches roaming through their yards. Meetings and shouting matches between the two sides consumed several of our monthly meetings, but we gradually worked with both sides and the City’s Park and Recreation Department to hammer out an acceptable solution. The result was a compromise that resulted in the construction of a huge oval fenced in area. This prevents almost all of the dogs from straying outside the fenced area while allowing them to exercise freely in a large space. I walk to Cold Springs on a regular basis and always make it a point to ask dog owners what they think of the fenced in area. I have yet to find one dog owner that doesn’t think it’s a big improvement.
4. Walnut Street Parking ,Trees and Bridge: Responding to intense public concern, we helped focus an effort that ultimately banned parking on a dangerous stretch of Walnut Street between 4 Corners and the Village center. We also helped citizens reverse an initial plan by the City that would have removed several large and healthy trees along the same stretch of road as part of a road widening scheme. Both efforts helped preserve the physical character of Newton Highlands along one of the most bucolic roadways leading to the village center. We have also been deeply involved in a multi year project to improve the safety, appearance, utility and public access on the Walnut Street MBTA bridge.
5. 20/20 Vision Meeting for the Crystal House Bathhouse: The 80 year old Crystal Bathhouse has been a decrepit eyesore for several years. There is a lot of public support for putting something better in its place. It is only open a few months in the summer for swimming despite its location on one of the most placid settings in the entire City. Several members of our Area Council worked with the Crystal Lake Conservancy and other area councils to organize and promote a community forum in September that involved intense media outreach and door-to-door canvassing throughout the Highlands and Newton Center. This brought together a wide range of speakers including Mayor Warren, our State Representatives and State Senator, many City Councilors, City Department heads and staff, members of all 4 area councils, community activists and residents from all parts of Newton. We devoted several monthly meetings to organizing this project. We focused on building a new and enlarged bathhouse with steps to make certain that the swimming program is fully preserved, that full public access is guaranteed, and that concerns of nearby residents about noise, traffic congestion and parking are fully considered. Things are off to a strong start.
6. Safe and Accessible Crosswalks and Sidewalks: I haven’t been to even one Area Council meeting during the last 5 years where the subject of safe and accessible crosswalks and sidewalks hasn’t been a topic of debate and concern. Citizens come regularly to identify problem areas and we have been able to work closely with the City to prioritize, research, monitor and fix the most glaring problems. I can count at least a dozen sidewalk and crosswalk areas where we have made a real contribution to moving projects forward.
7. The Proposed Newton Highlands Local Historic District (LHD): With volunteer help, we have almost finished researching reams of regulations, City and State ordinances, historical and architectural inventories of individual houses, related technical data and supplementary documentation needed to begin a village wide discussion on whether to create a local historic district (LHD) in Newton Highlands. We are proposing that discussion of a possible LHD center around approximately 240 dwellings on streets with a large number of historically significant homes. We have already held two well attended community meetings and a very successful fundraiser that focused on the architectural treasures of the Highlands and a range of benefits and requirements associated with community approval of a new district. We will have much more to say about this in the very near future suffice it to say that the main part of our outreach will be door-to-door canvassing or other forms of direct contact with the owners and residents of all the 240 dwellings in the proposed district. It’s obvious we wouldn’t be doing any of this if there wasn’t strong support for a local historic district within our area council and beyond, but we also know that we can’t fulfill our obligations to the people of Newton Highlands without making certain that all affected homeowners have input into whatever decision is reached on this. This is the way area councils are supposed to operate.
Again, I apologize (kind of) for the length of this post, but as I noted at the outset, we don’t often toot our own horn. And again, if you would like to help save area councils in Newton, drop a line to the Newton Charter Commission at [email protected].
All the best,
Bob Burke, Secretary, Newton Highlands Neighborhood Area Council
Thank you, Bob! and thank you, NHAC!
A fabulous post, Bob. Thank you for taking the time.
The cut-through traffic problem alone which caused several Chester Street residents to approach me two weeks ago is one very good example of why a group consisting of Newton Highlands residents must be there to represent the people of Newton Highlands.
It seems drivers who are attempting to avoid the traffic light at Walnut and Lincoln are cutting through at Forest Street and then getting back to Lincoln Street via Columbus, Chester, or Bowdoin. The problem is, these drivers are cruising at Walnut Street speeds on these back streets, endangering neighborhoods filled with young children.
It was reported to me that a few weeks before, a 4 year old was nearly hit on Chester. I was told many calls were made about this dangerous, life-threatening situation to the Newton police – with no response. I asked the neighbors, as a former Council member myself whose sole responsibility was pedestrian safety and accessibility, and who is now acting as liaison between the Council and the MBTA on the Green Line station project, to spread the word I would speak to Chief MacDonald on their behalf to find a resolution to this problem.
I then approached Srdj Nedeljkovic to find out if the Council could invite Chief MacDonald to a future meeting to discuss with the neighborhood these and other issues. When he approved and suggested the Chief could come for the November Council meeting, I contacted Chief MacDonald and discussed a possible appearance with him, which he agreed to. I then met with the Chief at an event at Newton North High School a few days later, and he indicated to me how important it is for him to hear from the Newton Highlands community.
If you have a concern about cut-through traffic in your neighborhood, please attend the Council’s November 3rd meeting. If you have any other issues you would like the Chief to address, I ask you here to please email me with the one most important issue you have. Chief MacDonald and I will be meeting again a few days before the Council meeting, so I need to have this list prepared for him by then. Please email me at [email protected]. Srdj and I will be touching base before I meet with the Chief to review the issues and to make sure there are no duplications so that we don’t waste the Chief’s time on November 3rd.
One more thing, if you submit an issue to me, I do hope you will attend the Council meeting so you can hear first hand how the Chief plans to respond.
I’m not on the Newton Highlands Council anymore. Yet the neighborhood knows I care enough about our community that I will channel their concerns to the Council. There are so many more of me out there in the Highlands who care about our community just as much, and would respond in the same way.
Someone from the outside can never serve our community in this way. This is why we need to keep our Community Councils.
@Bob: An excellent and compelling argument. Well done!
As a former Highlands Councilor, I’ve also seen first hand the benefits of area councils.
But I’m wondering if you, or others, can help justify the fairness of having area councils representing some neighborhoods/villages while others don’t have this voice? Doesn’t that give some districts more power/clout/influence/representation than others, while still paying the same tax rates?
Isn’t that taxation without representation?
Is it even legal?
Should it be?
Now before someone suggests that any village can organize a council that wants one, I’m not sure that makes it any fairer for those residents who live in an area that fails to create one or approve one. And let’s remember that we have residents who live in corners of our city that really aren’t part of any village.
Bob – Excellent article
Greg – You raise important points.
@Greg, the consensus among the people I have spoken to, many of whom are on area councils, is that the process of creating an area council should be made as simple and easy as possible. As it stands in the current charter, residents define their own size, boundaries and powers, then must obtain the signatures of 20% of voters in their area. The City Council, which currently has the power to set area council boundaries without petition, could, e.g. establish a map of area council districts as they see fit and essentially create/define dormant area councils in each part of the city. It would still be up to residents to find a minimum number of candidates to serve on the council. As is currently possible, borders could be altered based on petition or by the City Council. But ultimately, enough residents in an area have to be willing and able to run for office, which I guess is no different than any other elected office in the city.
So to answer your question, I don’t see the current situation as taxation without representation. First of all area councilors are not paid, we don’t get a dollar form the city budget (not allowed in the current charter, a restriction I think should be removed), and we are not voting on legislation or making any policy decisions. We communicate with the city on the neighborhood’s behalf, we lobby to get things done in the neighborhood, we organize meetings and support improvement/beautification projects, organize events, etc. Second, as you said, any group of residents can start an area council. So I can’t see anything illegal or unfair. Nothing is holding people back from creating new area councils other than the will to do so and the ability to work out the details.
But the city should ease that process by pre-establishing the ACs so that they essentially get activated by enough candidates pulling papers. They should also remove restrictions on funding sources e.g. in the event the city would care to provide funding for a particular function.
Great post, Bob!
I’ve never liked the argument that if not everyone can have something, then no one should have it. If you think it’s unfair that only some parts of Newton have area councils, the answer is to help the rest of Newton get them – not take them away.
As much as I admire and am thrilled to have the Highlands Area Council looking out for my interests, its unfair and undemocratic that all Newton residents don’t have the same benefit.
Now as a city we may decide we don’t care. We may decide that, for example, Newton Corner’s or West Newton’s decision not to form this government body is Newton Corner’s or West Newton’s responsibility.
But let’s not pretend that it’s democratic.
Also, as I asked before, what about the folks who live in parts of our city that really aren’t part of any village? Where’s their access to this level of representation?
Finally, @Steven I don’t think being paid to serve on an elected body should be the litmus test for whether its fair that only some citizens are represented by this government body or not.
@mgwa. You stole my thunder with your response and I think you have answered the very legitimate points raised by Greg and Jane. Implied in their questions is the obvious fact that those villages with area councils have a democratic and dynamic forum for elevating issues to high visibility within their service areas and perhaps within the City as a whole. I’m hoping this exercise with the Charter Commission will allow people in other villages or other parts of Newton to want a piece of this action. The more people outside the existing 4 area council districts learn about what area councils can do, the more they may want this arrangement for their areas. The main downside to area councils is that they require a lot of work by a dedicated set of volunteers. Nothing is ever easy or totally one sided in the village or city except for obvious things like safe crosswalks or the MBTA accessible effort.
Finally, our role in city government is advisory only. We need a strong consensus not just within the village, but with the City Council, Mayor Warren and applicable City department heads to make anything we want happen.
And Steve, I’ve come around to your thinking that the City Council should set the borders.
Bob, great post. Greg, great points.
I understand being gun shy after the unanimous Ward Councilor straw vote, me too. (I assume that was meant instead of “guy shy.” ) Even so, I will again be shocked if the vote eliminates Area Councils. There is no doubt they are valuable to most residents of their communities.
My thoughts are the article needs to be amended, because of the above comments and others, but understand their difficulties particularly since the Area Councils themselves want different things and all residents of Newton are not covered by one. (I disagree that mgwa answered Greg’s points.) The latter is the reason I still have problems with NAC’s having voting rights or receiving public funds.
Karen Manning said it well, “The objective is to assess what is appropriate for the charter and what should be designated by ordinance and/or within area council bylaws.”
Is publishing minutes required now? If not, it should be part of the amendment.
At this point the Charter Commission revisions have crossed so many voters line drawn reasons not to approve the new Charter, (elimination of Ward Councilors, City Council term limits, etc.) that it is coming dangerously close to having been a waste of time.
So I’m a big fan of NHNAC, especially Robert’s work on MBTA accessibility. The list goes far beyond what Bob listed. Area council run activities like Village Day and ties with local businesses have kept the Highlands vibrant, despite setbacks like losing the Hyde.
However, there are limits, especially when the council tries to represent individual causes (whether squeaky wheels or deservedly so) or duplicate services provided by the city, sometimes without the right experts. Traffic is one of them. Handpicking problems and solutions has led to sub-optimal solutions or wasted opportunities in several cases in the Highlands (Allerton/Centre and Lincoln/Walnut come to mind). If the city-wide process isn’t working, the area council should focus on fixing it, not by-passing it. The problems described on Chester are hardly unique, even in the Highlands. The police are typically not the right ones to address traffic calming. Anyone who has dealt with this problem knows that enforcement is not the answer.
Successful area councils have focused on village centers and business districts. Some residents associate strongly with one village more than others, some with multiple villages. There’s no evidence to suggest that the area council model scales everywhere in the city or works well when applied to individual representation (see local traffic issues above) Just as it’s a myth that the city is divisible into 13 villages, it would be disenfranchising for some to have strong villages with strong area councils and others with weak ones. While I don’t advocate for the elimination of area councils, I hope the city never tries to use them as direct representation.
Bob Burke, Bob Solomon and the NHAC thanks for all you do.
Bob Solomon, maybe speed bumps would cutback on that speeding problem (just a thought, I’m sure you thought of it)
Greg, well maybe they should redistrict the villages and make it easier to become an Area Council instead of eliminating them. To me eliminating them and giving people less of a voice to be heard would be a crime.
I agree, that should not be a litmus test. I was listing differences between area councils and the city council to make the point that the former are not representatives in the same sense as the latter. There is no taxpayer money flowing to area councils, either for stipends or to fund projects or events. We are not writing or voting on legislation. We also do not levy taxes or fees. My point was in response to the suggestion that area councils constitute taxation without representation. Neighborhoods that don’t have area councils can still affect decisions made by our representatives by contacting their elected officials.
@Adam, there is no stipulation that area councils have to be defined based on any particular neighborhood boundary or any particular size. Those areas of the city that feel they would benefit from an official entity should be able to have one. Those that don’t see the need can opt out. But for those who do want one, the process of setting one up should be easy and supported by the city. (e.g. notifying residents that a NAC is starting in their area and how to participate).
So then why should Area Councils be an official government entity rather than just have neighborhood associations?
And yes, I understand Bob’s very cogent argument about Area Councils being subject to open meeting laws. But as Steven describes the AC’s role above, why do they need to be subject to open meeting rules if they don’t levy taxes or fees, pass legislation, etc?
Or better yet, why couldn’t neighborhood associations take it upon themselves to insert transparency requirements into their by-laws?
@Tom: I’m not specifically arguing to eliminate area councils. But I am trying to raise questions which I believe deserve deliberation as part of the charter review process.
@Greg. The point I was making in my post was that the current arrangement has resulted in several successful initiatives that have benefited not just Newton Highlands but other parts of the City as well . I offered real life, down to earth, tangible and empirical examples to show the positive things the current arrangement has produced. I also offered the observation that this current arrangement requires that we do what we do with openness, accountability and transparency. Hence my obsession with minutes and other record keeping. All of this adds to the legitimacy of what we do and how we do it. And no, I don’t believe that being anything other than what we are could have produced this list of diverse accomplishments. Some of them yes, but all of them; hardly. What we have with our area council, and I believe the other 3 councils, is something that works. And I don’t think our successes have taken projects or financing away from other parts of the City. Everyone with a disability will get to use the Highlands MBTA station, every Newton dogowner is able to use Cold Springs dog park, everyone in Newton and beyond can walk the streets of our proposed historic district if it is approved, everyone can enjoy all the improvements we’ve helped advance along Walnut Street, everyone can enjoy our Village Day, everyone in Newton will get to enjoy a new 4 seasons facility at Crystal Lake and every parent whether they live in the Highlands or elsewhere will know their kids can walk safely to Zervas without getting hit by a bus or car. This is what our Area Council has done in the Highlands and adjacent villages andwhat any area council should be capable of. And again, the existing arrangements we have with the City and the people of Newton Highlands have helped make so much of this possible.
We haven’t always been on target with our proposals, but the good far far outweighs any shortcomings.
@Bob: I’m with you every step of the way my friend when it comes to the benefits of an area council as exemplified by the Highlands Area Council’s long history of achievements. Totally agree.
But I wonder where you are with the concerns I’ve expressed about fairness and equal representation for those Newton residennts not fortunate enough to be represented by an AC? I’d value your perspective.
I’m just cautioning the Charter Commission not to be like the guy in one of Adlai Stevenson’s quips who separated the wheat from the chaff and wound up burning the wheat.
Newtonville Area Council does not post minutes, in a clear violation of open meeting laws, so continuously generalizing that Area Councils follow open meeting laws is incorrect.
All Newton taxpayers and other residents are not represented equally under this system. If the answer to that is any resident can contact their City Councilor, then why are they needed at all? This answer illuminates a clear distinction between those represented by this additional governmental layer and those who are not. Public funds are used for elections, city council discussions prompted by Area Councils and this Charter review – taxation without representation.
Area Councils do affect legislation by presenting additional proposals that are required to be part of the legislative process.
Distinctions that need to be a part of the discussions.
One of the main reasons for abandoning the neighborhood area councils is for the best practices set forth in keeping with GASB standards. Although the AC’s are in the city charter, their fiduciary responsibility is in question. The City Council’s finance sub committee on post audit review commented in previous reports that certain organizations or agency’s do not fall under the integrated component standard of government, and such are not required by federal law to conduct self audits (many of which do not but should). This failure to submit audits potentially could jeopardize the city’s bond rating and capacitance. AC’s come under the affiliated heading. Interestingly the dollar a year people https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-dollar_salary allows for just that. As it is not in keeping with federal law to hire volunteers for free, Steve Grossman’s grandfather Max was one notable standout http://www.grossmanmarketing.com/company/historytimeline.pdf finding a way to make it work.
@Adam @Greg @Bob I have the utmost respect for both Greg and Adam and the hard work and support they provide to the Newton community. But I argue that, in fact, the Newton Highlands Area Council, for one – and perhaps as a model for how other village councils should operate – DOES respond to the needs of individuals in the community. My earlier comment about the Chester Street neighbors, and the Council’s response, as an example. The $7.4 million for the reconstruction of the MBTA station for another.
Let’s take that example specifically. City Hall does not have the resources in their one very fine ADA coordinator, with whom I am in constant contact, to follow on this project on a regular basis. This project is not in any way just so I can get my wheelchair onto the trolley in less time. It goes much further. This is a project to make the station accessible to anyone with a mobility issue – elders on walkers, someone with a leg injury, anyone who attempts to navigate a ramp that’s so far in excess of ADA specs that the chances are increased for injury in a slipping accident in the winter.
And it’s not even just for Newton Highland residents. This is to make the station safer for all those Newton residents who don’t want to climb a hundred stairs to get the commuter train, and all those Needham residents who are bused in to this station every morning and bused out every evening. This station is now the busiest Newton MBTA station of all 6 Newton stations – and perhaps equally as busy as Reservoir for that matter.
But – it was the Newton Highlands Council – specifically the work of Srdj and myself – and then with the wonderful support of Ruth Balser – that this even happened. City Hall – through one of its committees – had even written off this project a couple of years ago.
Please don’t tell me that Area Councils, if operated the way they should – like Newton Highlands Area Council, for example, don’t represent a village’s needs.
And I agreed, in my earlier comments, that those who aren’t within a village, or are within a village that decides not to have a council, should be provided an opportunity for a different type of elected representation they can rely on to respond to their individual needs.
Furthermore – if one representative is paid, then every representative should be paid – even if it’s just token. This validates the work being done for the community.
I’ve said my piece. Have a great weekend everyone! Don’t forget the benefit performance of Newton Nomadic Theater’s “Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me” at Gregorian Rugs tonight at 7:30! http://village14.com/2016/10/10/lets-get-that-man-a-van/#axzz4MjkFCGJU It’s for a great cause! Thank you!!!
@Robert: I’m going to keep repeating this so no one will misunderstand: I like area councils and it was an honor to have served on one.
@Sallee: This is not the same as saying: If the guy or gal next door chooses not to vote then it’s their own individual decision.
That’s because it literally takes a village to form an area council. One voter can’t start one on his/her own.
So, for example, there were people who wanted to form an area council in Newton Center a few years back. For various reasons, misguided or not, it didn’t happen. But those people who wanted one were still denied the right to this form of representational government the exists in Waban, the Highlands, Upper Falls and Newtonville.
Is that fair?
Really, is it?
Greg: In a democracy we strive to enfranchise all sentient (read adult 🙂 ) beings. One person, one vote. BUT…while we can cajole, encourage and facilitate the registered voter to use that most important weapon of democracy, the vote, we cannot force him/her to do so. Does that mean that the rest of the electorate shouldn’t have the right to vote because it is unequal for them to have greater sway than the stay-away potential voter?
Having said that, I am disappointed that the City leadership has not taken as its mission the establishment of Area Councils throughout the City.
Greg, Is redistricting the villages to include people who aren’t in a village out of the realm of possibility??? Just curious.
@Marti Bowen, I see your point about Newtonville not posting meeting minutes from June 2016 to now. All NACs are subject to Open Meeting Laws and need to make minutes available. Have you asked to see the minutes from the meetings since May?
Groot, I may be confused but I don’t see any minutes posted on the NewtonMa website. http://www.newtonma.gov/gov/neighborhood/newtonville/agendas_and_minutes.asp
Asked but never received answer.
@Marti Bowen, If you scroll down to about mid page you can the minutes with starting at 5-12-16. Open Meeting Law does not cover how to post to web sites, the order of documents could be improved 🙂
Thanks Groot. I see them now before June, 2016.
You’re preaching to the choir, Greg. We need an Area Council overlay..with each AC delineated comparable in population to others. They could be determined by the Mayor, approved by City Council with public hearings before the map is accepted. Then the problem that arose in Newton Ctr. couldn’t happen. Looking casually at a map of Newton, I think 2-2and1/2 Precincts per A C would do it, preserving Village identity pretty well.
Interesting conversation that I’m just now reading on Friday evening.
We’ve been working on this article for 3 and a half months now, seeking models in other charters, input from residents/staff/area councilors, and attending AC meetings. What we’ve found is the following:
-a good number of people want area councils to remain in the charter
-a good number of people want the article related to area councils removed from the charter.
-there’s a lot of gray in between.
-a lot of people want to include issues that don’t belong in a charter. A charter sets up the structure of the local government. The specific issues related to the structure of the government are better resolved by ordinance because ordinances can be updated/amended to suit the times (I’m channeling Councilor Baker at this very moment!) .
To review the process:
After gathering data from other communities and from Newton, the leaders of EACH article present the documentation and ALL options that reflect everything we have reviewed. In this particular case, that meant the options should reflect the perspectives of those who want an article related to area councils in the charter, as well as those who want the article removed.
In addition, in fairness to all, the Commission gives each option its due in the discussion. In my experience, a careful study of all sides of an issue has made for some really thoughtful revisions in the proposed charter. From my perspective, this is not the up or down vote as some area council members have suggested. The question is this: how do we take an article that’s confusing and do what’s best for the various neighborhoods and, in the end, the city? I know where I stand on this issue, but I’ve no idea where others on the Commission stand because we have great respect for the Open Meeting Law. We don’t communicate with one another in between meetings except when we’re working together on the documentation, etc. of an article.
We continue to work at it. A few suggestions:
-if you choose to write to the Charter Commission, please include a few specifics to illustrate your viewpoint. Specific examples that back up your position are more effective than a broad statement.
-Be respectful. If you demean the City Hall staff, express anger that another perspective is being discussed, express suppositions based on soft impressions – such as my body language (I just think you’re channeling my mother who harped on me to stop slouching) – you’re not making a strong case for your position.
Nothing much else to say for tonight.
@Jane Frantz – Sit up straight!
@Jane. I appreciate the fact that you and Chris Steele came to several NH Area Council meetings at the Brigham House to update us on Charter Commission business and to hear what we had to say. I sense that you are trying to maneuver through this quagmire to reach some consensus that doesn’t blow the lid off relationships in this City. But I also sense that there are at least some Charter Commission members who want to axe area councils altogether and as I said earlier we are somewhat gun shy about things because of the the earlier precipitous vote to eliminate ward councilors.
People may not agree with everything I said in my post, but I offered more than a “few specifics” (seven to be exact) to “express my viewpoint” on where I thought this should be heading.
One question that hasn’t been addressed is what happens to the effectiveness, inclusiveness and indeed the legitimacy of current and future area councils if Article 9 is removed and their future status defined and determined by ordinances.
No one has touched on indemnification either. I have spoken about it several times at cc meetiings and the issue has not been approached. As a person who was not yet an area council member, since WAC had not heen yet formed, i was one of three falsely accused of having Herculean powers to turn a Mayor around. As such we were called to testify before HUD. I believe that the city covers the City Council and all committees, etc., and mentions this in the Charter, to defend or represent them if needed. Area Councilors should also be included!
I believe what’s needed is a full-time, City-hired person to:
1. emmerse himself/herself into each village
2. help residents understand the reasons for forming a council
3. find the appropriate number of folks in that village to start a council
4. assist in launching the council
5.provide support services – not only to that council but to all councils.
I nominate myself for this position. I have 25 years of successful marketing consulting experience (will provide cv).
But only if it is a paid position.
Residents of every village have the democratic right to exercise the option of organizing a Neighborhood Advisory Council. Residents of four villages (including all three in Ward Five–Thank you Ward Councilor John Rice!) have exercised this democratic right. Others could do so at any time. It is spurious to cast this situation as undemocratic.
I agree that the restriction on the Councils not having direct access to Community Preservation Act funds (which did not exist at the time of the enactment of the Charter.)should be removed, but it is too small a matter to deserve the full process of a new Charter.
As to the determination in advance of Neighborhood Service Areas, I think this is inherently so difficult to do in some, not all, of the uncovered areas that it would tie up
one Council and perhaps the full Council for months if not years. The best way to add Neigthborhood Service Areas is the current one.
In short, I would say about Article 9 what I’ve said previously about the entire Charter.
“If it’s not broken, don’t fix it .” The Charter could benefit from some minor repairs, but it doesn’t need major “repairs” that would alter some of the qualities that helped make Newton one of the best places to live in the country according to Fortune Magazine and many others.
Brian Yates
Tie up one Council Committee.
Sorry for the omission.
You can check out Marjorie Arons-Barron’s blog about Area Councils at:
marjoriearonsbarron.com. She gets at some of the root causes of the present problems.
I just realized I never fully answered Greg’s question about the fairness and equity when some parts of the City have area councils and others do not. First, I take Greg’s question and comments as a tacit acknowledgement that area councils do a lot of good things to address many problems and challenges within the service area they represent. I’ve also pointed out that six of the 7 items I referenced as our Area Council’s success stories seem to benefit people who live inside our service area as well as those outside it’
What I’m hoping is that this debate bring to higher visibility the benefits of having an area council and that this produces a snowball effect throughout Newton for more of these successful and innovative arrangements. This would seriously reduce the inequities that some see in the current arrangement. A lot of us also feel it would be a worse transgression to undermine an arrangement that many folks involved with the 4 existing area councils have worked so diligently to establish and maintain.
And I mention doing away with an “arrangement” and not the area councils themselves which I don’t think is a serious proposition; but other tactics can be used to effectively bring them down. Taking us off charter would effectively destroy area councils as we now know them because it would eliminate the requirements for transparency, openness, inclusiveness and accountability that underscore how they must operate within their service areas and with the City as a whole. The current arrangement fosters both the strength and the legitimacy of everything an area council is supposed to do.
I take seriously Adam’s note that our incessant push for some specific traffic control and cross walk priorities within our service area may have complicated the City’s planning and priorities;
I respect Adam’s integrity and judgement a lot and would like to hear more from him on this because that certainly wasn’t our intent.
I do note,however, that the 3 major traffic problems we tackled came from pedestrians who reported vehicles hurtling through 4 crosswalks on a wide open stretch of Center Street at speeds way in excess of the speed limit. I, myself, acknowledged inadvertently hitting 55 MPH along this stretch. It was a disaster just waiting to happen.
@Bob: It could. But it doesn’t have to. If an area council transitioned into a different sort of neighborhood association it could incorporate as a non-profit, register with the state and establish a set of governing bylaws. Those bylaws could require that the association follow same sort of open meeting, transparency rules, etc.
There could be some advantages too. For example, individuals or businesses could donate goods and services to the association and potentially enjoy the tax benefits that area councils can’t offer as a city entity.
Greg: I’ve thought of this and see the benefits in going the non-profit route. But as several of us have tried to articulate, the unique arrangement we now have adds a degree of accountability and accessibility to all the people we represent. It might be great if area councils got some modest funding from the City, but again I think we would lose something very special if our primary focus became chasing money instead of listening to the concerns of people in Newton Highlands and acting within the orbit of our City Government to address them. This is special and readily transferable to other parts of Newton and beyond. Let’s save this now by keeping it in the Charter.
BTW. I’m not downplaying the benefits from funding, just that I wouldn’t want the tail to wag the dog. We initially applied for $22,000 in Community Preservation funding for the painstaking task of researching the historical and architectural data on about a third of the dwellings within the proposed Newton Highlands Local Historical District that have never been historically inventoried. We were also going to use part of the funds for a consultant to help us draft the very detailed preliminary and final reports needed to advance the project. We just didn’t think we could do all this on our own. We can’t apply for funds directly so the City’s Historical Commission agreed to sponsor it for us. Turned out we didn’t need the money thanks to the efforts of Newton Highlands residents Barbara Smiley whose working on the historical inventory, Bill Roesner and Carol Clark who are completing the architectural inventory and Area Council member Amy Wayne who has been the grand coordinator and photographer for the inventory. I’m taking a crack at the first draft of the preliminary and final reports. We are nothing if not resilient.
I would add that the Waban Area Council also exhibits frugality (as it should). To meet some very basic needs (e.g., website maintenance @ $10/month) we needed some money early on…So, we ran a Silent Auction at Waban’s Village Day and raised $3000 that we have been using (we are down by about half) for the last three years!
I haven’t actually considered the consequences of taking Area Councils out of the charter because I don’t believe it will happen – instead the Article will be amended in some way.
I do disagree with Bob that using public funds should be a part of that. I disagree with the reasoning that Area Councils should receive public funds to be used to hire consultants or architects or anyone – even to form a local Historical District that includes a large area and 70 something homes.
Area Councils are good at bringing attention to what is happening in their communities. Without which, some things would never get the attention they need.
I agree with Adam that taking action on things best handled by existing organizations with experts who specialize in solving those problems – traffic, among other things – causes more problems than they solve.
Safe Streets and other organizations are contributing to finding the best solution for drop off at Zervas.
The successful campaign to make the T station ADA compliant used the resources of our state reps and others, which is great. The same ADA compliance has been accomplished in Auburndale, without an area council.
Nonantum has a an active Neighborhood Association that is quite effective without being a governmental organization.
I don’t think the argument that Area Councils do things that benefit more than their neighborhood is an adequate response to all residents not having access to an additional layer of government access – particularly if public funds become involved. Not all areas of Newton have enough residents with the expertise or time to establish and do the work of an area council. Not all areas have Village Centers. Not all areas have the draw of a Village Day – without a center how would that happen?
These points have to be part of the discussion. These are complicated decisions and deserve to be handled by ordinances and by laws and not complex descriptions of Area Councils in the charter that would be much harder to change down the road.
Jane Frantz says that “a good number of people” both want the Charter reference to Neighborhood Area Council removed and retained. What are the relevative numbers and where did they come from?
@Marti. Both the Newton Historical Commission and the Community Preservation Committee told us that our request was totally proper under the guidelines for projects receiving Community Preservation funding. The only caveat was that we couldn’t request the funding directly. It had to go through the Historical Commission. Our request was on the way to being approved when we informed the Historical Commission that we could do the required work with our own volunteers.