It has been almost 4 years since I was first elected to the city council. These four years have been both immensely challenging as well as immensely rewarding. I have worked hard to be an advocate for both Ward 1 and the City as a whole, to be available and accessible to constituents, and to make decisions based on good data and a thorough vetting among all stakeholders.
A Newton native with two children in the Schools, I have been deeply involved in my community for the last 12 years, including serving as a board member and vice president of the Newton Conservators, and on the Board of the League of Women Voters -Newton. I co-chaired the Environmental Committee for the Newton LWV for several years.
Some of my accomplishments include;
Public Safety
Improved pedestrian safety and accessibility, especially along walk to school routes. This includes adding 4 way stop signs, increasing spot police patrols along walk to school routes, advocating for street redesign that prioritizes safety for all users and working with the Commission on Disability to ensure that curb cuts meet accessibility codes. I also voted to lower the default speed limit city wide to 25 MPH.
Worked with city staff and local activists to advocate for improving pedestrian safety and access at Newton Corner. The $750,000 project is ongoing and scheduled to be completed later this year.
Environmental Protection and Sustainability
Docketed the Solid Waste and Recycling budget resolution which unanimously passed the full city council in last May. Developed a list of action items that moves the City forward on a holistic, cost effective path for managing trash and recycling, including reducing consumption, improving recycling rates, and encouraging re-use and re-purposing of materials and products.
http://newton.wickedlocal.com/opinion/20160519/commentary-newton-should-set-bar-higher-for-recycling.
Recognized as the “2015 Environmentalist of the Year” by the Newton Conservators for work as a dedicated educator and advocate for environmental issues.
Honored by Green Newton for my efforts to phase out thin, single-use plastic bags and encourage reusable bag use.
Co-sponsored an item on municipal aggregation designed both to save rate payers money on electricity rates and encourage the purchase electricity from renewable sources.
Effective Advocacy;
When new toll rates were announced by Mass DOT Newton was the only toll location that showed an increase. In fact, the new electronic toll gantries would have resulted in a fifty percent toll increase (from $1.00 to $1.50) to travel between Newton Corner and Downtown Boston. I testified and sent comments to Mass DOT asking them to reconsider, and the rate was reduced to $1.35.
I advocate for and support our public Schools, and this included voicing my opposition to Question 2 regarding Charter Schools.
http://newton.wickedlocal.com/news/20161026/leary-why-im-voting-no-on-question-2
Public Health -TCE (trichloroethylene) Contamination in Nonantum
Organized three community meetings to date to keep residents updated and informed on the TCE contamination of groundwater in parts of Nonantum. I filed a Public Involvement Plan (PIP) with DEP which requires that the responsible party provide information about the nature and extent of contamination, respond to questions from the community and explain how response actions will be implemented. This issue is ongoing.
Housing and Development;
As a member of the Zoning & Planning Committee I helped craft and voted for the Accessory Apartment ordinance which allows homeowners more flexibility to make changes as needed to stay in their homes.
Going forward my priorities include;
Schools & Public Places
Work closely with the School Committee in support of our excellent schools. Improve and maintain our schools and city buildings, parks and open space, sidewalks and roads, and water, sewer and stormwater utilities.
Zoning, Development & Land Use:
Encourage policies and programs that reduces the dependence on local property taxes and evaluate locations of the city that lend themselves to appropriate commercial and mixed use development.
Encourage diverse housing types that appeal to persons and households from a wide range of economic levels, cultures and age groups.
Optimize land use in village centers with a lively mix of uses, including housing, businesses and shops, civic and open spaces that invite walking, biking and reduce the reliance on auto use.
Foster a strong sense of place: Consider the history, micro-environment and character of communities when planning new development.
Include strategies for maximizing green infrastructure that mimic natural systems in our zoning code. This includes increasing tree and vegetative cover, green roofs, permeable surfaces and utilizing cool pavements. This not only reduces the urban heat island effect, but also reduces storm water runoff and provides public health and economic benefits.
Sustainability, Transportation & Green Infrastructure
Promote regional land use planning and transportation options. Regionalize the responsibilities of growth by coordinating and communicating with neighboring communities.
Connect and expand walk- bike corridors (research has demonstrated that increasing a neighborhood’s “walkability by just 5% is correlated with driving 6.4 % fewer miles per capita). A study by the Urban Land Institute in Cambridge projected that “maximum deployment” strategies to increase walking and biking could reduce CO2 emissions by millions of tons by 2050.
Engage in long and short term transportation planning strategies that prioritize public transit and designs roads for all users. Work with all stakeholders to leverage funding for significant infrastructure improvements that improve access and reliability.
Review and expand current solid waste and Recycling goals annually. Set a goal of a 50% diversion rate curbside by 2022.
PILOTS; payments in lieu of taxes & Tax Policy
The amount of the PILOT should reflect the cost of providing services to a non-profit. Especially the cost of core public services like police and fire protection, snow removal and street cleaning. I would pursue a more formal PILOT agreement similar to what the City of Boston has done, which is to call for voluntary payments based on an institutions tax exempt property value.
Opioid Crises
Like many communities in Massachusetts we are facing an opioid crisis. We had a 140% increase in opioid fatalities – from 7 opioid deaths in 2015 to 17 opioid deaths in 2016. We need to continue to build on the work of the PATH Program (Prevention, Awareness, Treatment and Hope), including prevention programs, outreach and education and addiction recovery services. We moved in the right direction by requiring that all first responders, including the Fire Department and school nurses carry Narcan. Our efforts must be ongoing.
For a more information please visit my website; http://www.alisonleary.com/ or contact me directly at [email protected].
I look forward to serving another term on the city council and I ask for your vote on November 7th.
I find myself thinking of Councilor Leary far too often. No, I’m not an obsessed stalker. I just think of her every time my paper bag from Tedeschi’s rips and dumps the contents of my purchase all over the parking lot or back seat of my car. I also think of her every time I see a check-out clerk at Walgreens waste a large paper bag on one or two small items. In my opinion, the plastic bag ban [sponsored by Leary] remains the classic example of a local elected official valuing their own pet project ahead of the interests of their constituents.
There is a simple solution – reusable bags. Throw a couple in the car and you’re always prepared.
Take your own, reusable bag! I keep several in the back of my car and you can have one of those, if you’re that hard-up. Plastic bags are a worldwide disaster. I’ve seen thousands and thousands from the U.S. littering the shore as far away as Uruguay and they can take hundreds of years to decompose. And, for that matter, paper bags destroy forests. Councilor Leary is an absolutely splendid councilor! She represents and cares about all of us in Newton, and she represents all of us who care about our impact on the livability of our planet for our children, their children and their children, etc., etc., not just about themselves.
It’s just my opinion, but I believe that local officials are elected to deal with local issues. And unless someone is going to make the claim that a plastic bag ban somehow reduced litter on Newton streets, I don’t believe it was an appropriate issue to address on a local level, in much the same way people questioned the appropriateness of the City Council vote on Trump a couple of weeks ago. Can anyone tell me how the plastic bag ban helped Newton specifically?
I believe that the plastic bag ban has reduced local litter. I have no hard core evidence but as someone who volunteers for the annual Hemlock Gorge cleanup, I know I found many fewer bags this spring.
If Greg is correct, then I’ve leveled my last volley of criticism at Newton’s plastic bag ban. I totally support reducing litter throughout the city. However, I believe Greg’s observation may be accurate, but his conclusion mistaken. I’d invite [even encourage] anyone to offer a statistic or fact that proves the plastic bag ban reduced litter in Newton. I stand by my opinion that plastic bags were an issue best addressed at the State level, and that local elected officials should focus on local issues.
Mr. Reibman,
Thank you.
Alex Blumenstiel
Interesting article on the subject here:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/05/02/saving-america-from-plastic-bags
Friends,
Alison Leary is a fantastic Councilor. We’re lucky she wants to continue to serve. Personally, I’m a strong supporter and thank her for everything she has done for Newton thus far. And the paper bags work just fine. “Two more years”! And also hopefully she’ll be serving alongside Nicole Castillo starting in 2018.
Shawn
@Mike Striar, there is evidence that plastic bag restrictions and fees reduce litter. One example is the Anacostia River in Washington D.C . The Anacostia Riverkeepers, an organization that protects and advocates for the Anacostia River documented a large reduction in plastic bag litter after they added a fee on plastic bags. They have traps along the River tributaries that capture trash. After the bag fee passed they rarely found plastic bags in the traps anymore.
This type of regulation also encourages consumers to re-use rather than rely single use products. It’s part of a larger process of consumer change. It’s also only one step in a overall solid waste and recycling plan that focuses on reuse and waste reduction. I have more information about this on my website.
Anecdotally, I have noticed less plastic bag litter. I used to frequently see plastic bags caught in trees, blowing around in parking lots and entwined in vegetation along the Charles River. I rarely see this anymore. However, you asked about hard evidence specific to Newton. It may be possible to get some data from the Annual Charles River Clean Up. They sometimes do an audit of the collected trash. I can see what I can find out from them. In the meantime I would encourage you to give re-usable bags a try.
Your point about addressing the issue at the State level is well taken. Unfortunately, despite multiple efforts no legislation has been successful. Meanwhile, local action has been very effective. When Newton passed the prohibition on plastic bags in Jan 2015 we were only the 7th community to do so. Since that then, at least 45 cities and towns across the Commonwealth have enacted plastic bag bans. It makes for a stronger argument to take Statewide action which I hope will happen soon.
But my priorities include a wide range of topics. I would like to get your thoughts on other priorities as well.
“It’s just my opinion, but I believe that local officials are elected to deal with local issues.”
When I first read this, I was horrified.
I read it again. I was still horrified. But, I also realize that the comment is proof why we need a strong regulatory system. If localities feel like they can and should avoid addressing their contributions to regional, national, and global issues, then there ought to be strong regulations that do.
Plastic bags are a perfect example of market failure and the problem of not pricing externalities into a transaction. For the store owner, the cost of a plastic bag is very low. That low cost gets passed onto the consumer, who also enjoys the strength of the plastic bag and the convenience of not having to manage reusable bags. The transaction, though, imposes costs outside the transaction: externalities. In this case, the externalities not captured in the transaction are the costs locally, regionally, nationally, and globally of plastic-bag litter and disposal costs.
Alison’s plastic bag ordinance is one way of internalizing the externalities. If one is not in favor of local efforts to internalize the externalities of plastic bags, then one is either in favor of more state and national regulation or of ignoring the problem.
I’ll support Alison, but oof, advocating for lower tolls is almost never the right answer. The commonwealth needs a comprehensive tolling strategy. Tolls on the north south routes (128, 95, 495, 93, 3). Peak-priced tolls on all of them.
A $1.50 toll to use one of the most congested parts of the system doesn’t seem too much. If it’s an equity issue, the better answer is to raise tolls elsewhere.
This comment is addressed to Shaw Fitzgibbons. I am the chairperson of the Nonantum Neighborhood Association for the last 6 years. I have lived in Nonantum my entire life. Jay Ciccone has been an amazing Councilor at Large. To minimize what this man has done as a Councilor not only for Nonantum but Newton has a whole is disturbing to me. Everyone has the right to vote the way they want and evidently you have chosen your candidates. I have never seen or even met Nicole Costillo. I have never seen her at any of our 6 Village Days, not sure if she attended the Fiesta in July so maybe you know something that I don’t know. I don’t think she ever ran in a seat before in Newton. What I know is what I have read on her post. She reached out to me once, was suppose to volunteer at Bike De Tour which didn’t happen so to make a blanket statement in your post made me question who Nicole Costillo and why would I vote for someone who has not reached out to us in Nonantum.
Terry,
You make some interesting points, thanks. One question:
What are 2 or 3 specific things that Jay has done that you think has made a better Nonantum? A lot of what a councilor does is local and not visible to those of us outside the ward.
I appreciate Councilor Leary responding to my comments in such an articulate and well reasoned fashion. I’d simply like to point out that her post does not offer a single fact to support the conclusion that a plastic bag ban had any measurable impact on litter in Newton. I don’t believe her intention in sponsoring the bag ban had much [if anything] to do with litter in Newton. I believe it had everything to do with special interests groups who sought to eliminate plastic bags on a much larger scale. While I would personally prefer a plastic bag for most of my smaller purchases, I understand their wide use has negative environmental environmental consequences. I believe in this case that consumer education–not restrictive legislation, would have been a more appropriate solution. If legislation were necessary, it should have been brought at the State rather than local level. I also respect the fact that our local City Council members deal with scores of issues during their time in office. I seldom [if ever] measure their effectiveness by a single piece of legislation they sponsor or a single vote they cast. From most indications Alison Leary has done a fine job as a City Councilor, and I wish her well in her reelection campaign.
@Sean– Are you really “horrified” by my opinion that local elected officials should focus on local issues? Perhaps we can have a V-14 poll this Halloween to determine which is more horrifying… my opinion about local issues, or your opinion about expanding toll roads to include Routes 128, 95, 495, 93 and 3. While I’m not truly “horrified” by your position, I am genuinely baffled by how little regard you have for working people who depend on their cars to put food on the table for their families.
Thanks for the chance to comment further about Nicole Castillo. Personally, I am impressed with the campaign she is running. Nicole has helped women and Latin Americans across the state and nation seek elective office and her experience shows – she has been diligent in her efforts to talk with voters and community leaders alike across the city, including in her own neighborhood. She has great policy and political experience and I am very glad she’s running and proud to support her efforts. Go Nicole and Alison!
Sean,
As Mike Striar says, “I am genuinely baffled by how little regard you have for working people who depend on their cars to put food on the table for their families.” Once again, you seem to be caught in a transportation geek bubble. Sometimes it necessary to look outside and pay attention to the lives of those not fortunate enough to subsist inside a bubble of ideology – they struggle in the real world while you theorize.
Well said Marti!