I’d like to try something we’ve never tried before…
This thread is open to candidates for mayor, city council and school committee only. Candidates, go to the comments section and make your pitch. Tell us why we should vote for you on Nov. 7. And please limit your comments to you, no mentions of your opponent or other contests.
Note: Only candidates can post on this thread. Any other comments, no matter how brilliant, will be removed. But, of course, everyone is welcome to be brilliant elsewhere.
This next term of the School Committee will bring exceptional challenges. I will be one of only four returning members. There will be five new members, including a new mayor.
There is a big learning curve, yet a new committee must immediately plunge into decisions about a $219 million budget, the next three school building projects and negotiating a new teachers’ contract. This is a time when experience truly matters. I ask for your vote on November 7.
Do you know what a ‘Dab Pen’ is?
Or a ‘Dabber’?
I have become convinced that things like those mentioned above are the #1 threat the NPS, or at the very least a blatant symptom of an underlying problem. There is a reason why 30% (roughly 1,200) of high school students self-reported, on the YRBS, that they are CURRENTLY abusing alcohol. We would not have knocked on 3,000 doors, attended numerous forms or secured the endorsements of numerous teachers if we did not believe that a plethora of social issues impacting many NPS students were not being adequately discussed.
I am the only SC candidate with more than a decade of experience in the schools. I will be there so that every student, not just those going to elite colleges, will have someone they feel comfortable talking to. I’m with Albert Einstein, who famously said, “We can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” Find out more at http://www.cyrusvaghar.com.
If you found yourself having to Google the terms mentioned in my questions above, I ask, and hope to earn, your vote!
As a “thoughtful, independent voice on the City Council” (Newton TAB), I will continue to drive the city towards:
(1) tripling investment in road repair &
(2) developing walkable, affordable villages
And as a Newton Public Schools graduate, you can count on me to support our schools through thick and thin.
Watch my 30-second video: https://tinyurl.com/yb5zealo
Sign up for my monthly newsletter: https://jakeauchincloss.com/join-jake-newton/
I’m running for reelection to a final term on the Newton School Committee. Thank you for your support these past six years, and I hope you feel I’ve represented you well. Serving you and our students has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done. But, I’m not finished quite yet.
Here are some of what I and the School Committee will be focusing on these next two years:
1. Only four of nine school committee members are running for reelection. This means we have to orient at least five new members, including a new mayor.
2. The School Committee has authorized the formation of a working group to develop a plan to bring full-day kindergarten into Newton. I’d like to see this happen quickly — Newton currently has a hybrid model that technically meets the state’s definition of full-day, but we hope to introduce a longer, more supportive kindergarten day that will be better for our students and better for our working families.
3. Although it’s taken too long to get to this point, we are modifying our two high school schedules as a foundation to implementing a later high school start time. In an ideal world we might move start to 45 minutes later, to around 8:30, which is the target time identified by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
4. We are developing a “walkers and riders” policy, and with it we hope to improve student safety, student health, and to reduce street congestion associated with driving our students to and from school. It’s been estimated that 40% of city traffic is tied to student transportation. We have to cut this down! We want to encourage more walking, biking, busing, and carpooling, and to do this we will need to coordinate with many city departments outside of Newton Public Schools.
5. We will finish Cabot for a 2019 opening, and then we want to continue a long list of school upgrades including Lincoln-Eliot, Franklin, Countryside, Ward, and other schools. As exciting as it is to be overseeing the creation of great new educational spaces, I frankly don’t see us getting down the list without another override. That will be a long conversation, and we won’t succeed unless we can make a strong case to taxpayers. Tax increases can be very difficult for many in Newton to afford and I don’t take asking for an override lightly.
6. We are in the middle of contract negotiations with our custodians, and at the end of this school year our current teachers contract expires. Here is our challenge: Do everything we can to maintain an excellent school system, prioritize spending so our budget’s sustainable, and provide our staff with the best combination of compensation and great working conditions. This is a difficult juggling act to do well yet we have to keep doing it.
Please let me know what you’re thinking, and I ask for your vote on November 7th. You can reach me at 617-901-4959, and by email at [email protected].
Thank you! — Steve
In my first term I put the City on a path towards “zero waste” goal with my budget resolution unanimously passed by the City Council in May,2016. It requests that the DPW develop a long-range plan to improve the City’s recycling rate and reduce trash tonnage. This included a strategy that aims at reducing consumption, encouraging re-use of materials and maximizing recycling. It was followed up with specific action items for implementation. I re-convened the solid waste Commission to ensure that there was community participation and accountability.
I have been actively working with the MA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) which is investigating the source of TCE contamination in the groundwater in Nonantum. I organized community meetings to raise awareness about the potential for vapor intrusion into nearby homes. I filed a public involvement plan (PIP) which is a legally binding process to ensure resident’s questions get answered. As a direct result of my advocacy the Department of Public Health (DPH) will now review existing health data as part of a Community Assessment Program.
I am a strong supporter of increasing housing opportunities for all, including preserving existing smaller homes, cluster housing to maximize green space, transit oriented developments in village centers and multifamily housing. I voted for Austin Street and Washington Place and believe these are good projects based on sound planning that moves us closer to our housing goals. I also voted for the accessory apartment ordinance that gives more flexibility to homeowners to build another dwelling unit on their property.
I am an strong advocate for streets and sidewalks that prioritize safety for all users. I worked with the Commission on Disability to ensure that curb cuts meet accessibility codes. I Successfully advocated for pedestrian improvements in Newton Corner, which are currently under construction.
At my core, I am an environmentalist. I supported increasing our solar capacity, including maximizing roof top solar on municipal buildings. I 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.
For more visit my website: http://www.alisonleary.com/
I jumped into the Ward 4 race as a write-in candidate simply to offer a choice to voters, after a series of events left the ward seemingly without a say in choosing their next ward councilor. Two and a half months later, after knocking over a thousand doors in Ward 4, I’m fully convinced that I’m offering Ward 4 voters not just *a* choice, but *the right* choice.
Residents of Ward 4 want vision and creative ideas for setting Newton’s direction in the coming years, and aren’t content to simply carry out the status quo. They’re looking for a leader who can envision how Newton can become a more welcoming, affordable, diverse, and thriving community. And they’re looking for councilor who is smart, hard-working, collaborative and an excellent listener. I’m confident that I offer these qualities and more.
I’m proud to have earned the endorsements of both Progressive Newton and the Newton Tab. Learn more at http://www.allisonsharma.com or follow my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/AllisonForWard4 for frequent updates.
On November 7, please write me in for Ward Councilor Ward 4 on the back of the ballot!
Great idea V14!
Thanks for the opportunity and chance to share some final words during the last days of our campaign.
First, let me thank so many of you for opening your doors and welcoming me into your front porches, living rooms and kitchens. I’ve listened and learned so much about your hopes and dreams for Newton. One of the best things about this campaign season has been door knocking throughout the city. I have really enjoyed it and if I am elected as your mayor I pledge to continue to do it — not just during campaign season. There’s nothing like meeting people at their own doors–I am truly thankful for your time. I’ve heard your concerns about our schools, our roads and infrastructure, and our fiscal health. I share your vision for keeping the character of our villages and neighborhoods while working towards the goal of making our city more affordable and welcoming for everyone.
There is hard work ahead for those elected next Tuesday — the Mayor, councilors, school committee members, and all of Newton will need to come together and work toward our common goals of making Newton the best it can be. I have heard again and again that residents want a Mayor and a body of elected officials who will listen genuinely to citizen input, and I am committed to leading and engaging the community in a meaningful way.
I have the business, civic and political experience to get the job done and I look forward to working hard every day as your Mayor to bring you the services you want and deserve. If you give me the opportunity and elect me as your next Mayor–as you have opened your doors to me, the doors of City Hall will always be open to you, because the more I hear from you, the better I can do my job.
If you share my values– advocating for our schools, our seniors, and those with special challenges; improving our infrastructure and village centers; making Newton greener; and building a sustainable financial foundation for Newton, I would be honored to earn your vote on Tuesday.
I want to continue to serve on the Council because many of the issues I’ve been involved with as an Alderman/Councilor since 1987 are coming to decisive points. I want to bring the knowledge and insights I’ve developed as Councillor, Environmentalist, Neighborhood Activist, graduate of the Emerson, Meadowbrook, and Newton South High Schools and Boston College, the recipient of a Master of Urban Affairs degree from Boston University, and a participant for decades in the War on Poverty to bear on the redesign of Newton’s Zoning, the upgrading of the Needham Street Corridor, and the redevelopment of Northland Development ‘s property on Needham Street and Oak Street.
In working on these and other issues, I would remain committed to the Village Values I have served since my first day on the Board. I want to be re-elected as a Councilor at Large to Protect the Environment , Preserve our Villages and Prevent Overdevelopment. I also want to preserve and commemorate the History of our City and to improve transportation for all our residednts, particuularly seniors.
PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT
As Founding President of the Friends of Hemlock Gorge, I’ve work to preserve and enhance this beautiful park along the Charles River, As a member of the Advisory Board of the Newton Conservators, I have worked and will continue to work to remove invasive plant s from our parks and to acquire new open space particularly along our aqueducts. I helped update the city’s Open Space Plan to make Newton eligible forg rants to upgrade sites like the Newton Highlands Planground and to purchase open space like the Webster Woods. I helped to create the Upper Falls Greenway from an abandoned rail corridor and wil work to link it more closely to the Charles River Pathway.
I’ve removed invasive plants from the Quinobequin Road park in partnership with the Waban Neighborhood Area Council, the Newton Conservators. and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. I hope to work with the Friends of the Quinobequin to implement vibrant pathway along this section of the River.
I helped to begin the Echo B ridge Railings Committee and will continue to work to replace the Bridge’s badly rusted railings by getting this magnificant structure recognized as a National Historic Landmark where residents can enjoy the beauty of Hemlock Gorge and access the Green Line of the MBTA.
I sponsored the city;s original participation in the Million Solar Roofs program of the U.S. Department of Energy and have voted for the installation of solar energy devices on city properties and distribution of the proceeds of the Elliot Street site to the recipients of Fuel Assistance in the City.
If re-elected, I will work to have solar equipment installed on remaining city sites with ownership mixtures like the Emerson Community Center. I will also work to use the water that formerly flowed through the Mill Falls complex to generate electricity.
PRESERVE OUR VILLAGES
As a neighborhood activist, I fought against the closing of neighborhood schools and branch libraries in the heart of villages like Upper Falls, Newton Highlands, and Lower Falls.
When the Waban and Auburndale branch libraries were closed over my strong objections, I filed a budget item that kept the books in these two buildings and allowed activists from these neighborhoods to establish the very successful Waban Library Center and Auburndale Community Library. I’m very proud that these former branch libraries have become very sucessful village centers and in the case of the Waban LC a double voting precinct.
I have reached out to the Main Street Center seeking technical assistance from this national group and affliate of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that has revitalized hundreds of historic business districts in Massachusetts and across the country.
PREVENT OVERDEVELOPMENT
I;ve proposed numerous amendments to the Zoning Ordinance to discourage or prevent the demolition of existing naturally occurring affordable housing units and their replacement with monster homes out of scale with their surroundings and not affordable by working people or long time city residents.
I spoke out against illegal building permits granted by the city and filed a Friend of the Court brief with Councilor Lisle Baker to have these permits overturned and repitions prevented. We were successful in Court.
I successfully protested badly drawn neighborhood boundaries in the Pattern Book developed as part of the Zoning Redesign.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
I sponsored the inclusion of the Charleston Principles of Historic Preservation in the General Plan of the City and have worked to implement them.
I sponsored a resolution adopted by the City Council to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the the American particpation in World War I and have the Historic Newton Director, the Library Director and the Veterans Agent sponsor appropriate activities.
I championed the use of Community Preservation Act funds to restore the Civil War Veterans Monument in the Newton Cemetary and the three Historic Burying Grounds including South Burying Ground where my Great Great Great Grandfather, a veteran of the Battle of Lexington and Concord in the Revolutionary War is buried.
I worked with Barney Frank to have the Jacksoin Homestead included on the Underground Railroad National Network of Freedom.
TRANSPORTATION
As a member of the Public Safety and Transportation Committee, I won approval of a lower of the basis speed limit in the city under the provisions of the Muncipal Modernization Act.
I worked to have the Elliot Street bridge reconstruction finished as fast as possible and to relieve the impact on area businesses as much as possible.
I blocked a cut in MBTA bus service to Upper Falls and Newton Highlands.
I improved signage for the Quinobequin Road truck Exclusion.
If re-elected, I will propose access for Lower Falls and Auburndale residents and workers to buses from the west accessing MBTA service and Newton- Wellesley Hospital.
I hope the above record of some of my achievements and plans for the future will persuade voters that I deserve another term to work for them.
Councilor Brian Yates
Hi V14 readers-
My name is Brenda Noel and I would like your vote to serve as the next Ward 6 City Councilor.
I have knocked on over 3000 doors and listened to voters. I am a social worker by training so listening closely when people take the time to tell their story is an occupational trait. It is by far the most important campaign activity I have engaged in as I have learned first-hand the concerns and challenges our community faces. When I consider the character and skills needed to tackle those challenges, I think: courage and leadership.
For the past five years I have served as Director of Fundraising for Newton Wellesley Weston Committee for Community Living, Inc. (nwwcommittee.org). This Newton-based organization provides housing and services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We have five homes in Newton and I often tell people, you may not have noticed our homes, because they look just like your home.
My husband Dean and I are first-generation college grads. My parents both have GEDs and my Dad is a 55-year proud union worker at Electric Boat in Groton Ct. Like our parents before us, Dean and I worked hard to give our twin daughters, (now 13) a better life, and more opportunities than we’d had. The home we found in Newton—a house with carpenter ants, asbestos and termites, and two failed agreements on record— was the perfect fit for our work ethic and scrappy nature. We got lucky.
Our city is at a defining moment as a community in responding to our current diverse housing shortage. Vice President Joe Biden once said, “Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” How the City Council responds to the needs of our community, our allocation of resources, and our courage, will illustrate who we truly are.
Seniors want to stay in the communities they love, where they raised their children, built memories and made lasting friendships, but their large freestanding homes can no longer accommodate their needs. They are overwhelmed by Newton’s lack of housing choices. Young families in search of a top school district either cannot afford Newton or have been lucky enough to find a rental. Deeply invested in the community, they aren’t sure how long they can stay, as they simply cannot afford to buy a home in Newton, with its 1.1 million dollars average housing cost .
Our housing challenges will require a thoughtful collaborative solution. We cannot simply build and develop our way to a solution, but must be thoughtful about the resources and opportunities we have to accommodate our community’s changing needs.
Housing is just one of our challenges. We must repair and replace our roads and fortify our infrastructure, confront a mounting opioid crisis, and meet our financial commitment to our retirees. The solutions to these challenges are within reach, but they require leadership, courage and a willingness to collaborate. I have honed those skills over the course of my career and would be grateful for the chance to apply them in the city I love,—to identify solutions, and put them in action.
My heart belongs to Newton, and I am committed to helping make us an even better city than we are today. Thank you for your time, and I ask for your vote on November 7th.
http://www.brendafornewton.com
Thank you for the opportunity to share a few reasons (beyond the issues I support) that I am asking for your vote on Nov. 7th.
1. My 10+ year professional experience in advocacy makes me an excellent listener, and someone adept in helping individuals to navigate complicated systems. As city councilor, I will work to help Newton residents understand the issues at stake and the routes they can take to have their voices heard. At the doors, I have always provided fair information on both sides of many issues, have taken individuals’ perspectives seriously, and have integrated them into my own positions. For me, policy should always begin with the experiences of everyday people.
2. I bring a fresh and diverse voice to the city council. As a young professional, a newcomer to Newton, home renter, self-identified person of color, and LGBTQ person, I believe that I offer a different perspective to the council. Newton is a diverse place, and we need representatives who reflect all members of our community. I want to build on and contribute to the leadership that is shaping Newton by offering my voice and experience.
3. I am diligent, hardworking, and persistent. Since announcing in May, my campaign has knocked over 6K doors. We have reached out to every part of the city, and we’re still on the phones right now breaking down the issues to voters. I will continue to work this hard for you as your city councilor.
4. I have experience working on state and federal issues. While many municipal issues do not overlap with what is happening at the state and federal level, my statewide experience working on housing and homelessness, supporting immigrants, young families, survivors of intimate partner violence, and reproductive justice enlarges my scope of understanding of the issues impacting our residents. Moreover, with issues such as climate change, it is an imperative that local officials step up when our federal government fails us.
To learn more about the issues I support, my personal background, endorsements, and to watch my campaign video, please visit my website. http://www.castilloforward1.com If you have any questions whatsoever, please call me 617-340-9114. Despite being a young person, I am one of those rare people who still enjoys talking on the phone!
Hello,
I am running for re-election for my fifth term as Ward 6 City Councilor, and I ask for your vote. I look forward to continuing to serve my constituents on a wide range of issues. As an attorney, I have been advocating for people for forty years, and I look forward to continuing to represent the interests of Ward 6.
My priorities:
• I strongly oppose the Charter Commission proposal which would eliminate the role of Ward Councilor. I see how important it is for you to have a voice on the City Council looking out for Ward 6.
• Helping my constituents has been and will continue to be the most important part of my job as City Councilor.
• I support community focused planning to ensure neighborhoods have input into development plans.
• I support village scale, not oversized development.
• I put people and neighborhoods first, not moneyed interests.
• I worked hard to ensure the Accessory Apartment Ordinance was approved. Accessory apartments provide a way for seniors to stay in their homes, and for the city to increase its moderately-priced housing stock
• I support increasing the city’s affordable housing supply by increasing the inclusionary housing ordinance to 20%, encouraging more proposals from non-profit developers and more city-sponsored projects like 70 Crescent Street.
• I have a strong environmental record. I have supported initiatives to add solar panels at NSHS and DPW, I support municipal aggregation to increase the city’s use of renewable energy, and I continue to work hard in Ward 6 to ensure our parks, trees, and Crystal Lake are well-maintained.
• As a member of the Finance Committee, I have helped increase Newton’s ‘Rainy Day Fund’ from zero to twenty million dollars, and I have voted to approve funding to keep our schools strong.
• I am committed to making sure we have sufficient funds for schools, fire stations, public safety, and local services. I will keep an open mind about the city’s potential need to raise revenue to provide these services.
• To learn more about my views, please read the TAB’s article about the Ward 6 Debate, visit my website and check out this video.
Please vote for me as your Ward 6 Councilor on November 7.
Thank you, Dick Blazar
Last November’s elections, followed by the Women’s March in January started me thinking about how to preserve civic institutions and the environment.
Local government can work to do both if we, to coin a phrase, “think globally” when considering solutions for local challenges.
I got involved in transportation, and stepped up to chair the Transportation Advisory Group seven years ago, because moving people and goods results in over 35% of the state’s emissions. We can and should do better.
The Transportation Strategy is a good tool–based on TAG’s plans for parking, biking, walkability. It needs someone to push it at the City Council level. I hope to be that person.
There are many other opportunities–from reducing how much we trash to building needed and diverse housing in walkable, bikable distance from transit and services. And Newton needs to be the counter example to the incivility and lack of respect for democratic institutions at the national level.
Please vote. And I ask for yours on Nov. 7.
I ask for your vote on November 7th to return me to the City Council for my 3rd term as an independent advocate for you, ensuring that everyone has a voice in City Hall.
Given the monumental turnover of positions, in what will be an historic election, you need a person that has been on the Council for the right amount of time to be effective.
My experience will provide leadership to my colleagues, keeping the focus on good government while allowing time for new members of the Council to grow in their roles.
The benefits that I bring to the Council are my abilities to see both sides of an issue, lack of fear of speaking out, and the savvy to know when something is right. I’m liable to appear almost anywhere on your behalf from community meetings, neighborhood groups, police/fire training, and even the waste management trucks.
My cooperative style, and ability negotiate allows for me to gain agreement, or concessions from both sides of an issue.
My list of accomplishments over my first 2 terms is lengthy, and these accomplishments address critical areas of our community that improve both the quality of life, and safety of our residents.
Check out the Ward 3 Debates and you decide!
I enjoy the challenges of local government and work everyday to do my best on your behalf.
I would actually first like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to both Susan and Jake, my opponents in this race. From my perspective, this election was filled with civility and a genuine discussion of our differences on the issues. Win or lose on Tuesday, I will have been proud to have been part of this race. I believe the three of us can hold this race up as an example to both national parties of what an election should look like.
The city faces a series of significant challenges both in the short and long terms. These include such things as development/affordable housing, aging infrastructure, substantial financial liabilities, maintaining our schools, environmental issues, the opioid crisis, an aging population, and the list goes on. I believe the best way to address these issues is with a balanced city council whose members have expertise in some issues and are willing to listen critically to their colleagues who have expertise in others. As many may know, professionally I develop large-scale renewable energy projects, which gives me significant expertise with three of our biggest issues, development, finance and the environment. When discussions center on these issues, I will be able to highlight practical solutions and clarify market realities to my colleagues as we work toward realistic solutions. On issues where I do not have the same degree of expertise, I will need to educate myself and listen to colleagues who do, in order to craft reasonable compromises, which I would look forward to doing.
As I close out this campaign, I would like to leave voters with these final thoughts – while opinions may differ, all the candidates I have met over the last 6 months genuinely want what is best for the City. Come November 8th, we will be back in the business of running the city, and no matter who wins each race, we should move forward with open minds in a spirit of compromise.
Thank you
Braden Houston
Link to my 3 minute NewTV candidate statement video https://vimeo.com/239515822
Link to website https://www.houston4newton.org/
I ask for your vote on Tuesday, November 7th because I have the experience and commitment to be an effective school committee member. At a time with so many new members, my track record of working for students and families in Newton will matter.
Some of my experiences include:
• Newton Public Schools Community Liaison for the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) department, coordinating parent/caregiver workshops on Responsive Classroom
• Director of The Newton Partnership overseeing grants and programs including a collaboration with the Calculus Project designed to help close the achievement gap
• Director of the Childcare Scholarship Fund, leading the effort to help families struggling to pay for after-school programs
• Youth Mental Health First Aid Trainer helping parents and community members to support a young person in an addiction or mental health crisis
• Advisor to the Newton Youth Commission
• Chair of the Newton Cares, Youth Sub-Committee
• Board Member of the Centre Street Food Pantry
• Board President of the Newton North Tiger Athletic Booster Club.
I am currently Director of Alumni Relations at MIT’s Sloan School of Management and serve on their Diversity and Community Matters Committee.
My priorities include Full Day Kindergarten, equitable and affordable access to after-school programs, and strong fiscal oversight. I will be an independent voice on the School Committee who will represent all of Newton.
Please visit http://www.KathyMarchi.com for more information and vote for me, Kathy Marchi for School Committee Ward 1.
I’ve lived in Newton for over 38 years and been involved in our community in a variety of ways: Newton Child Care Commission, Peirce School PTO President, PTO Council Political Action Co-Chair, Newton Housing Partnership, Newton’s Design Review Committee, League of Women Voters (past president and chair of Housing, Land Use and Zoning committees and other studies), Operations Council at FUSN.
Professionally I’m a landscape designer and site planner. I graduated from Bard College with a B.A. in literature and linguistics, and have a Masters of Landscape Architecture from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.
As the City’s first Open Space Coordinator I have a solid knowledge of our public open spaces, and the need to maintain them. I believe that zoning reform and master planning are tools that can help with concerns over tear-downs, inappropriate development, and contentious disagreement. Providing needed diverse housing options does not need to preclude historic preservation, enhancement of open space or increasing our street tree canopy; we can accomplish all these goals without sacrificing livability and quality of life.
Balancing often conflicting needs with limited funding is a main priority for the City Council. My professional and volunteer experiences with community participation lead me to value and embrace the importance of hearing all sides of an issue, listening with respect, doing my homework to obtain background information and the facts. My experience is multi-issue, and my approach is one of civil discourse.
Visit my website AndreaKelley.org.
After many weeks of door knocking Ward 1, this is what I believe the voters in Ward 1 want their Ward 1 councilor to be:
1. An advocate who will make the concerns and issues they face a priority.
2.A public servant who is approachable, accessible and responsive to their needs.
3.A collaborator and team player who can work with fellow Councilors, the Mayor, and City departments to solve the problems and challenges our city faces.
It is clear that I meet these qualifications as evident by:
1.My proven record of dedication to my community where the focus of my volunteer work has been to improve the quality of life of my neighbors.
2. The professional skills I possess as a cardiac sonographer to listen to a patient’s symptoms and cardiac history and together with the cardiologist incorporate the patient’s information and echo findings to make a cardiac diagnosis.
My life’s work and community service has provided me the skills and experience necessary to be an effective Ward 1 Councilor. I am grateful for this opportunity and ask for your vote on Nov. 7th
I suspect most readers of V14 are familiar enough with both me and the issues to know whether they want to vote for me or not, so I won’t repeat what I’ve said in multiple candidate statements or in the video version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=aq5ShZFsLuo
I’ve used up the last of my 2017 vacation days, and most of my waking hours (and getting by on about three hours sleep a night) trying to meet as many voters as possible who don’t already know me, including standing outside the Library after it was too dark to see house numbers, so I apologize for not commenting here sooner.
I’d just like to add this: with 2/3 of the current councilors already willing to vote for a developer-friendly “devil strip” on Washington Place that was designed to circumvent the abutters’ right to require a 3/4 vote for the rezoning, and a potential consolidation of power via the Charter, I feel that we are close to a tipping point where there will be no effective resistance to approving whatever developers with seemingly unlimited sources of funds want to build — whether it’s continued teardowns of modest homes, or whole blocks for large-scale projects.
You might think your neighborhood or village center is safe, but unless you’re in a local historic district, it really isn’t. If you haven’t watch the “up zoning” video already, you may not have the time or inclination to watch the whole thing before you vote, but please listen to my question at 1:05:36, and the several minutes that follow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jex02iV52pM
I want to be part of redirecting Newton to resident-based, bottom up planning, not developer-driven top down planning, and I hope that events of the last couple of years, and the debate over the size and structure of our City Council, have made even more people willing to get involved in that effort.