A few years ago, Newton’s voters defeated an effort to change our City Charter and to reduce the size of our City Council. Personally, it was never really clear to me why the proposed changes were needed. A lot of it seemed focused on the desire to streamline decision making, especially with respect to new commercial development. However, since then Newton has seemed to move ahead with many major development decisions despite not having made any structural changes to our government.
Now we’re facing a Pandemic (hopefully we’re at the beginning of the end) that’s placed our world in crisis, and in Newton as with the rest of the world this has especially affected our public schools and our children who attend them. We’ve faced controversy after controversy and we’re likely not done. Regardless of your personal views, I’d submit that Newton’s Government hasn’t been nimble. We didn’t adapt quickly. Other communities, often smaller ones, seemed to be more flexible and entrepreneurial. Also, I’m not sure that it’s just the schools. This also applies to supports to our restaurants and other businesses. If you read Greg Reibman’s Chamber of Commerce Newsletter through time these issues have been a constant thread since the pandemic started. It’s not that Newton hasn’t tried, but is there something about how our government is organized, and/or the levels of support available, that has prevented better and faster outcomes?
It’s probably unfair to blame everything on our City Government. We’ve lacked a coherent national policy on many areas related to the pandemic. Despite this, I do think Newton came up lacking, and has been slow to rebound from mistakes. Our City Council said that money shouldn’t be an issue, yet our School Leadership seemed overwhelmed in many areas where tapping the resources of our community, and bringing on more support of all kinds might have helped. We still could do these things, but our elected leaders and School Administration seem entrenched in how things have been done in the past versus trying new and bold approaches to everything. Some HUGE issues have yet to be raised. Do we continue the school year into the Summer to make up for lost learning, etc? How else will we make up for everything lost and return our children to where they need to be? No doubt our School Administration is focused on working through the moment, but we need vision and planning that extends beyond the current moment.
So, my question is, what are the lessons learned? How do we ensure that we are better prepared for the next crisis? Should we reconsider the structure of our City Government to be more effective? Should we be benchmarking against other communities we compare to not just for government structure, but for spending and headcount on support to key areas like Planning and IT?
To me, not taking the time to learn from this experience would be the definition of stupidity. How do you feel our City Government has done? What changes (if any) to our Government structure might make sense? Can you cite other communities our size where the government is especially effective and how it differs from ours? Or, are we fine, and we just need to use the next City election in ~10 months to make major changes to our leadership?
I believe Newton leaders have access to a surplus of revenues.
They are not versatile in their thinking when solving problems.
They think they can throw money easily to solve most challenges. Lately Maureen Lemieux and RuthAnne simply raise taxes when ever there is a revenue shortfall. This is poor financial management. With this lack of innovative problem solving our schools lost much time dealing with how to get the students back to school more quickly and effectively.
True leadership is often shown during times of crisis.
The perception is that it failed in areas of business and schools. Either the city didnt communicate its successful actions well or they simply ‘deferred’
Not impressed.
I’m not sure if the failures that have occurred in this situation are reflective of the structure of our government but rather are as a result of the lack of effective leadership and not demanding accountability. Mayor Fuller has failed to take an all hands on deck approach to this crisis in particular to the schools. She seemed to say that she was only one member of the School Committee rather than being a leader in solving the problem. She may be only one voting member but in her other role within the City she has the ability to advocate for and deploy resources capable of expediting a resolution. She sat back and let things happen. This led to division within the school community and the City as a whole. She did not create a medical advisory committee to guide her decisions even though there are world class experts in Newton who were willing to help. She could have let the experts guide decisions which would have instilled confidence that those decisions were backed by science. They could have directed decisions to make things safer in our schools. Instead her inaction led to fear and delays.
Newton lost a lot of time with the schools because NPS was ineffective in planning and engaging stakeholders over the summer. Good planning is determining what are the road blocks to our intended plan and how do we compensate for those so that we can proceed but instead we got a hybrid plan that was unimplementable. NPS should have had 3 implementable plans that allowed the schools to seamlessly shift between models as Heath conditions dictated, Superintendent works for the School Committee and they should have been holding him accountable asking tough questions but instead they tend to defer to him. In this situation it left Newton behind the eight ball. At this point they need to get kids back in school much as possible and focus on removing any road blocks for the Fall. I would not even consider summer learning a possibility..,the NTA would never go for it and frankly many teachers are working very hard right now so you would probably high degree of burnout if they don’t have some time to re-charge. Ideally the Fall is figured out as much as possible before the summer so that the Teachers can use time over the summer to make any adjustments they need to make,
The one group that has stepped up in this crisis has been the City Council. They have asked for accountability as much as possible and have offered resources. The facilities review would not have happened without their pressure. The buildings are going to be in good shape when that project is soon completed. This another area where the initial inaction led to concerns. Addressing those concerns should have been a major part of planning in reopening the schools.
Michael, an interesting thread. Instead of looking back, though, I’d rather look forward to see if we might have learned some things that can make city government work better in the post-Covid era.
What’s the managerial lesson here? Have our municipal officials used the “time out” provided by COVID-19 to rethink our administrative processes? I would frame it this way: “Think about the things you miss least about the old ways of doing business? How could we keep them from coming back when this is all over?”
I would ask them to be creative, to think about new ways of getting their work done. Here are just a few categories that might arise:
–Now that we’ve noticed that our meetings on Zoom tend to be better organized and shorter than the ones we used to have, how many meetings do we really need once we get back to business as usual? Can a simple huddle once a day, focusing on that day’s priorities, help us get through the day better than numerous (and tedious) sessions? Who really needs to be there? What should the agenda be? How long should the meeting be?
–How many of our processes depend on the transmittal of physical paper, stuck on desks awaiting approval at each step? How might we automate those processes?
–How can we improve the transparency of our organization? We’ve been receiving up-to-date status reports during our COVID-19 isolation. Which of those, or others, should be maintained for the future to help us all have a better assessment of how things are going?
But the creative process, while open-ended, needs to have some analytical rigor. We should think about what you need to measure to know if there is a net gain from a change. Dr. Richard Shannon, Chief Quality Officer at Duke Health, explained in a Twitter post:
“Learning is the key to improvement. Amidst the pandemic, there is transformation underway. By necessity, we are connecting to our patients virtually without exam rooms, images or blood tests. OMG! Will clinical outcomes suffer? What do our patients think? Let’s measure & learn!”
Malcolm X said, in another context, “The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.” Let’s take this opportunity to bootstrap measures of efficiency, quality, safety, and worker satisfaction–all to be more responsive to the citizenry.
Hi Paul, I agree with what you’re suggesting. My concern has to do with whether or not our current leaders (elected and otherwise) see the need/have the desire to improve, or not? Do they see the problem? I’m not sure that our current leaders do. I haven’t sensed a desire for continuous improvement, what David Fleishman used to call a “growth mindset.” In my view we haven’t been learning quickly enough from our mistakes.
If they don’t see the problem, then what do we do? Newton Highlands Mom from above may be right that summer sessions aren’t practical. Yet, how do we get our kids back to where they need to be from a learning perspective? We need to be talking about these things and we’re not. Newton’s thought leaders shouldn’t only be on Village 14! : ) There are other examples as well… Everyone understands that the volume and complexity of issues our senior leaders have needed to deal with during Covid have grown, but has anyone asked for help, more support, used consulting firms as a supplement? I’m not aware of any of these things happening.
Paul, you’ve successfully led a very large and complex organization (several times). I’ve led much smaller teams and processes. But I think what’s in common is knowing when to ask for help, and not to be intimidated by doing so. It’s not weakness to ask for help, it can be a strength. I do think that many of our problems come down to the people. But well designed organizations facilitate the best outcomes. I don’t think Newton is working as well as it could. Some of it is the people, but I also think that there’s more to it.
I have ideas, but am not close enough to know if I’m right. We rely on our City Councillors to do a lot of work leading committees vs. professionals/experts that may be more experienced and effective. We have an elected Mayor…she has a COO, but no “City Manager”. Now, in saying this it’s absolutely not my intent to criticize our Councillors or even the Mayor…they work hard. My point is, might there be a better and more effective way?
Michael
I definitely hope that the city hangs on to Zoom, at least as an option, for public meetings.
In the past I have occasionally gone to public meetings at City Hall for some specific issue that I had an interest in. Nearly always whatever issue I’m interested in is mixed in to an agenda with lots of other items. You basically write off a whole night between coming and going to City Hall and waiting around, sometimes for hours, for your item to come up.
These days with Zoom meetings I’m much more likely to watch or participate in public meetings. The ability to have Zoom running in the background while you do other things means that the personal time to attend a public meeting goes way down. I think its a great way to promote and encourage civic engagement.
Michael Slater,
When you have a guaranteed source of income (property taxes) and a rock solid job security.. would you bother to find ways to improve efficiency?
Of course not, that would involve “work” and risk. I dont blame them, i would do the same in their shoes.
I agree with Newton Highlands Mom. The buck stops with the mayor. She is the chief executive of the city. Newton’s approach to school reopening has been very underwhelming and objectively worse than neighboring towns on a variety of metrics. The mayor is but one vote on the school committee, true, but she has the ‘bully pulpit’ of the mayor position. She should have been front and center, working closely with medical experts, the unions and parents to get the schools opened in the fall. Her regular newsletter rarely makes mention of the obstacles that remain to the full reopening of schools, or the path forward post teacher vaccines.
For the next few years, while the city digs out of the pandemic hole, we need leaders with proven executive experience. Folks who can lead and make tough decisions…and do so efficiently. And who have a track record of doing so in their professional lives.
So my hope is that we get change at the ballot box. We need a new mayor and new members of the SC. This town needs new management.
We are in the midst of a crisis. As such, I am willing to give our leadership some slack. Unfortunately, what transpired is much worse than our peer communities. Most disheartening, our leadership has yet to own up to it.
Here are the biggest 4 mistakes.
1) Newton Public Schools. I can’t say it better than Newton Highlands Mom. Whether you focus on elementary, middle, or high school, our peer communities did a better job delivering education.
2) Newton Health and Human Services. With no transparency or explanation, NHHS went against their own consulting physician’s advice regarding a recommendation for school reopening, and against the advice of the American Association of Pediatrics, the state’s advice, and the advice of WHO. During a health crisis we should be able to trust that HHS is making decisions based on science rather than backroom politics.
3) Zoning. City employees wheeled out scenarios that would drastically change zoning. The starting point should have been the citizens, the mayor, or the council.
4) Accommodations for local restaurants. Newton responded to the plight of or local restaurants too little and too late. Restaurants make Newton a better place to live. Our lack of response will have negative long-run effects.
There is a common theme that runs through all 4 mistakes. Elected officials did not articulate Newton’s priorities—whether it be getting kids as much in-person learning as possible, transparency, zoning, or supporting local businesses. We never heard the “buck stops here” speech. No one stepped up to take the ball to basket. Rather, in all 4 examples, our local officials sat in the back seat and ceded leadership to unelected municipal employees.
You people are asking too much from a mayor who has never ran a company or managed employees. Give the Mayor a break, this is what we voted for.
Michael, fantastic post!!
Here’s the problem as I see it. The city is big, it has conflicting objectives. On the one hand, elected officials goal are to keep their constituents safe and make sure Newton isn’t a hotspot…which I think they succeeded in doing. On the other hand, children are losing a year of education, etc. which sounds like they could have done better. BUT, when you do better with one, you lose something on the other. I stopped paying attention long time ago, so not sure what more they could have done. You’re 100% correct that the city needs to learn from this…in all probability this wont be the last pandemic that hits us.
Just because the charter didnt pass, doesnt mean we can’t make changes!!!
Great topic and great post!!!
Mixed bag. The district definitely botched the school reopening. I think they also should have moved quicker on allowing outdoor dining and making accommodations for that. The “Newton Al Fresco” was kind of weak and not used that much in what I’ve seen. I do read Greg’s newsletter and I think it’s dangerous and irresponsible for him and the Chamber to be repeatedly pushing indoor dining – but the city didn’t really do enough to help support our restaurants. They didn’t take advantage of the warm weather and close streets etc in the summer/fall which could have helped. They could have also done some other incentives, creative social media campaigns, and other forms of support even if they couldn’t budget for financial support.
What I fear is that we will lose our favorite restaurants and further we’ll end up with blighted village centers.
That said, Austin Street was smart to put out all of that seating. Each time I go there, even with temperatures in the 30s, there are people there drinking coffee, eating snacks, or even eating full on meals. It actually feels very fun and lively. Let’s have more of that.
Agree 100% with Newton Highlands Mom. Some highlights of the NPS failure:
1) Our return to HS plan was unveiled in December!! We lost the fall when rates were low, the weather nice for outdoor club meetings. Huge failure.
2) Leadership at NPS completely excluded the main stakeholders in this process (besides taxpayer families) — the educators — experts in pedagogy and their workspaces. Demonizing and scapegoating teachers for the problems of the pandemic, lack of planning, lack of leadership and just the reality of having two megaplex high schools is immoral, unethical and sickening. This started a huge chasm which shows no sign of magically repairing itself.
For those of you who are experts in management, how do you fix this rift??
3) Very underwhelmed with the medical guidelines in place versus Brookline for example who has a medical team who meets EVERY Friday to update information and guidelines. I heard HHS said on a Zoom call that we don’t need surveillance testing because we are doing good. (Not a direct quote, not fact-checked, but look no real testing).
4) Achievement gap is widening as NPS cuts back HW and forbids too much reading — so families who can afford online learning and additional resources like RSM are supplementing to make up for it.
Summer school is not a possibility. Newton doesn’t have the budget for it and more importantly, the kids are going to need a mental break to be kid and to get freshair, exercise and sunshine away from their screens, which will be my #1 goal for my kids this summer. And to forget this mess.
Kim makes several really important points, and I’d like to follow up on two of them. Even if vaccines have been administered and the world gets back to normal, there will be a lasting effect of the pandemic on the children’s education. There is already research showing, for example, that populations that have traditionally had an educational achievement gap have seen a widening of that gap. But the disruption in education is pervasive through the vast diversity of student learners. This problem will demand thoughtful action.
And there is no doubt that the emotional impact on teachers has been substantial and needs to be addressed in an empathetic and positive manner. While I’ve not seen or heard evidence of demonizing or scapegoating of teachers (in fact, quite the contrary), if the teachers feel that such has been the case, community leaders and parents will need to think about how to ameliorate those feelings.
Jerry, I totally agree that Zoom must stay. The funny thing is Rick and I had a meeting scheduled with NewTV last March (planned way before the lockdown) to discuss putting cameras in our meeting rooms so we could carry every meeting to Newton citizens. After all – the work of the Council happens in Committee meetings not at the full Council meetings in the chamber (except when items are on second call and we debate an item in the Chamber).
We met with NewTV as planned via zoom and discussed the cameras. NewTV wasn’t sure there would be much viewership. They agreed to cover some meetings on zoom and in several months’ time we would have a look at viewership and see if ultimately cameras in the meeting rooms would be the right way to go.
Maybe it’s just the pandemic and people have nothing else to do but viewership has been very high with zoom. I think we’ve proved there is interest in these meetings. (I have to allow that one person who attends many meetings told me he was doing so because there were no sports on tv!).
Recently we met again with Newtv and confirmed that we must continue to cover Council meetings. Newtv hasn’t worked out the details yet but we are sure that we need both cameras in the rooms and we will need zoom. Through zoom we have been able to have public hearings so tv by itself isn’t enough. The combination is strong.
I need to alert everyone to a problem we are facing with public access TV. Newtv gets its revenue from a tax on cable providers. Many, many people are “cutting the cord” and getting their tv from youtube, sling, Netflix etc etc. This means that revenue for Newtv is going down.
Other states have created enabling legislation to charge the same tax to these other streaming services – which would provide continued support for public access television. After all – they deliver their streams over cables too. If you ask why they need these funds please remember that it takes money to outfit the committee rooms with cameras and run the services.
A bill was filed last year in our legislature but went nowhere except straight to a study committee. I’m working with Bob Kelly to revive this bill and perhaps model it after some states that have created legislation that has survived court challenges from the streaming services.
Please help get this bill passed in the next session – I’ll keep you informed of its progress.
Susan’s post above is excellent and helpful. Newton needs NEWTV, effective papers (online or print) and more to guarantee an informed citizenry and accountable government. I hope that Susan continues to use V14 for updates and to inform all of us of ways to support the important legislation that she describes.
Go Susan, you rock!!!
A suggestion for televised City Council, School Committee, and other meetings, whether Zoom or traditional: There should be some indication (using some sort of chyron, perhaps) of each speaker’s identity. And, an indication of the agenda item being discussed. (See, for example, how CSPAN does this.) Also, for the meetings that have been recorded, it would be really helpful to have some sort of index so a viewer can find a specific item on the agenda.