Mayor Ruthanne Fuller gave the annual State of the City address this evening via Zoom and NewTV.
Here’s a link to the video (Note, it doesn’t start until 13 minutes in).
Here’s the full text courtesy of the Newton Patch
State of the City
by Jerry Reilly | Feb 10, 2021 | Newton | 26 comments
The Mayor’s comment
…”I am actively committed to combating racism and hate. I ask for your help as we strive for deeper, more systemic racial justice and equity.”
The solution is not just “words” but to encourage and support more POC to be on the city council. It currently not very racially diverse
Unfortunately, the Mayor’s comments left me cold.
It’s easy to make claims and drop names so as to associate yourself with them.
I’m glad that she’s committed to having our schools fully open in the fall, but the track record here isn’t good. When the NTA proves challenging (and it will) and the School Administration squanders the next Summer (like the last one) will the Mayor prove more forceful than she has been to date?
We talk about the roads. When Setti Warren was Mayor he made similar claims. Many of the roads repaved then were not done with City funds. That seemed to be why main streets received attention but our heavily traveled side streets didn’t. I don’t know if this is the case now. In the Mayor’s own Ward 7, so many streets are in unacceptable condition (Park, Ward, etc.). I’ve also never understood our propensity to allow utilities to so quickly dig into freshly paved roads like Waverly (also in Ward 7)?
Sure, the Pandemic threw us many unexpected curve balls. But I don’t see a tendency to learn from what goes wrong and to improve. It concerns me. I’m certain that being Mayor is really hard. It’s easy to criticize like this. However, it just seems that despite everything that there are many many areas where our City could be in a better place.
I think Mayor Fuller has made our city a worse place to live in, for several reasons:
1. Unreasonable NTA demands prioritized over our children’s future. Currently our city officials celebrate the “hybrid” model with maybe 6 hour per week for in person learning.
2. Pot shops opening up to make drugs easily accessible to our youth.
3. Large apartment building developments.
I hope many fellow City of Newton families will agree that we can do much better than this for our families future.
Here is a copy of my emailed response to the Mayor’s State of the City address.
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Subject: What is the recipe for reopening schools full-time?
Dear Mayor Fuller,
Thank you for the recent update to the State of the City. As a parent of 2 high school students, I have attended every school committee meeting since this past spring as well as many City Council meetings with HHS, Facilities and Finance. I have closely followed all the school opening plans, testing plans and ventilation updates. Much progress has been made but Newton must do more for our children.
In your recent State of the City email, you state: “For me, reopening our schools full-time is an urgent priority. I will do everything I can from City Hall to not just open fully in September but also to help students this spring who want to be in person more. As weekly surveillance testing rolls out in a few weeks, our ventilation upgrades in school buildings finish up, and our educators and staff get vaccinated, we will have all the key ingredients in place for more in-person teaching and learning.”
I implore you to be a leader to make this priority a reality. Having ingredients is one thing, but in order to put them together and make the proverbial recipe, you need to set deadlines based on science metrics. What % of testing results will be sufficient to bring in more kids? If a teacher is vaccinated, will they still have a remote accommodation? If students are tested and ventilation is good, can the 6ft distancing be relaxed and more students can go to school more often?
Instead, it seems that the ingredients list for getting all of our kids back to school full-time is ever-changing. Last summer it was equity of offerings so remote was the result, then it was ventilation, then it was surveillance testing, now it is vaccines – when will the ingredient list be complete?
In order to have a sense of urgency, it needs to be communicated regularly and in partnership with Superintendent Fleishman and whomever is ready to be a real leader in school openings from Health and Human Services. I have been dismayed that HHS Commissioner Youngblood has only attended one School Committee meeting, September 10, 2020, since the school year began and is arguably defensive and evasive at City Council meetings. In the #1 public health crisis in a generation, her absence from both school committee meetings and lack of regular communication to the parent community is inexcusable. The new Schools Health Advisory Committee is a good start but, in the end, who will own the health decision to get more kids back in school?
So much of the recipe for back to school in Newton is going well but no one is telling the science facts to the public. I heard the METCO Director Lisa Gilbert-Smith at the School Committee meeting on Monday say that there have been zero cases from transmission on the buses, that’s amazing! Last week NPS tested 622 teachers and had 0 positives, that too is amazing! These results need to be shared so people can understand that in-school rates are dramatically lower or non-existent compared to the community. Where is this level of communication from the City?
I just read the NY Times Magazine article (2/14/21) about the Rhode Island Schools staying open. This article talks of Governor Raimondo and her clear leadership that opening the schools is a chief priority. “Every day that a child is out of school,” she (Raimondo) said, “is a problem for that child.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/10/magazine/school-reopenings-rhode-island.html
Although you wrote that reopening schools is an urgent priority in your newsletter, the message was buried in a very long email. Schools do not appear to be front and center, there has not been one stand-alone email from your office about getting our kids back in school. Perhaps the perspective is changing but, on every turn since last summer, from hybrid planning and ventilation to testing or medical advisory board, there has never appeared to be any sense of urgency from the Newton Mayor’s office or from Health and Human Services. I hope this is now changing.
The NY Times article continues to speak of the clear, regular partnership among the RI schools, their governor and health department, “Raimondo …. made it clear, in almost every public appearance she made, that opening the schools was one of her chief priorities as governor. Starting in July, she had the state’s education commissioner, Angélica Infante-Green, join her at her Covid briefings. Also in attendance: Nicole Alexander-Scott, the health commissioner, who had spoken at those briefings since March. At most of the appearances, those three women — all of them mothers of children under 15, two of them women of color — reiterated their commitment to open the schools and their belief that they could open them with adequate safety precautions. “The people leading my response are all mothers,” Raimondo said. “I know that’s affected me.” Working mothers, she said, often urged her to stay strong on schools.”
As an outside observer, I do not see this level of communication, partnership and coordination in Newton among the Mayor’s Office, NPS and the Health and Human Services that Raimondo demonstrated. But it can be done with leadership. I truly hope that Newton will do better and sooner with a return to full-time schooling and get more kids back in school this spring. As you say, the ingredients are ready to go. Please make this “urgent priority” a reality baked with science and deadlines.
Sincerely,
Liz Padula, Auburndale, MA
Parent of Newton South students, 10th & 12th grade
Former Brown Middle School PTO Co-President and 8 years Creative Arts & Sciences Chair, Williams School
I just want to applaud Liz Padula’s note to the Mayor. I agree totally. It captures everything.
I’m still startled that there are no announced opponents to the Mayor’s reelection. She remains popular (although probably far less so than 4 years ago) and on a personal level is hard not to like. Yet, as Liz points out the City would benefit from a healthy debate. There’s a lack of candor and directness on almost anything school related. We need this and haven’t been getting this for a year. A healthy election debate/campaign would help add the clarity that many of us have asked for but not received.
It’s understandable that the Mayor wants to paint a rosy picture of the city. But this all seems a little tone deaf in the face of grief and loss that many of us are dealing with, a loss of income, spending extra money on childcare since schools are barely operating in person, and the mental health crises of Newton’s youth due to social distancing.
Ditto what Michael said above. I’m baffled by the lack of opponents here. Anecdotally, nobody I know is happy with Fuller at all. I live in a neighborhood that leaned pretty strongly toward Lennon and even friends that voted for Fuller have since been disappointed. Plus, just having an incumbent stroll into the mayoral office unopposed is not good for the city. I’m hopeful that someone will throw their hat into the ring and soon!
Several clarifying comments:
In September Newton teachers voted in overwhelming numbers (98% and 99%) for the NTA leadership to focus on two issues: upgrading/remediating the ventilation systems and establishing a surveillance testing program. One issue is resolved and the other will be in a few weeks. The school buildings are as safe as the aged facilities can be.
Unvaccinated teachers are teaching in person at all three levels, so that is not a gating item in Newton. However, two obstacles to full in-person school remain:
1. The need to limit the number of students in a classroom so that they’re physically distanced. I don’t know where that space is to be found in the school facilities to resolve this issue.
2. Staffing: I’ve stated elsewhere that (IMO) if teachers who are medically unable to teach in person due to conditions that put them at high risk for serious disease were placed higher on the vaccine distribution list (like right now), the city could increase in-person staff significantly, Unfortunately, this is a state level decision.
My last comment: Angélica Infante-Green was a finalist for the Commissioner of Education in Mass. in 2018. I listened to her interview and read her resume. She’s fabulous. MA instead chose the old boy network route. Rhode Island is very lucky to have Ms. Infante-Green.
Michael and MMQC, take a look at the Office of Campaign & Political Finance website and do a search under Mayor Fuller’s name and see how many hundreds of thousands of dollars she’s raised and then ask yourself how many people in the city would be capable of entering that race.
Paul, if you ran, you would win. Many parents feel foresaken. Campaign funding will not change this.
Too me it seemed like the Mayor was not portraying things accurately. I think her state of the city is creating a story for those who may not have paid attention to what has gone on or her perceptions are off. She did not show any urgency getting the kids back to school this year, She also talks about Dr. Walesnky like she consulted her regularly rather than the fact that Dr, Walensky offered her help in July and the Mayor blew her off,
I will be incredibly disappointed if someone does not step up and run against her. I voted for her and regret it. She has failed our kids this year,
I don’t think that Fuller’s funding advantage is that important. What is she going to run ads on NewTV? Pay volunteers…well yeh she would probably do that but paid canvassers just aren’t as effective. She a pretty unimpressive record to defend
I doubt any of us who didn’t vote for her in 2017 have changed our minds and many who were on the fence or in the camp of “all things being equal I will vote for the woman” ( I started there) who voted for her regret it.
It’s not exceptionally difficult for a serious contender to raise funds in a mayoral race. In the 2005 campaign I returned more than $100K in unsolicited contributions, because I was determined to fund my own campaign. If I had actively solicited contributions, I could have raised $250K-$300K, and that was 15 years ago. I would guess a strong mayoral candidate today could raise $500K–$750K. The issue with serious mayoral campaigns is not raising money. The tough part is remaining uninfluenced by the money you raise.
Reiterating Jeffrey’s comment.
Paul– you would win if you ran. Understand that being Mayor may not make sense for you. But Fuller has not led this city well in the past year– COVID is no doubt difficult, but compared to other peer towns we’re doing much worse. Parents are extremely upset and are obviously a major voting bloc.
We need new leadership. We need experience and a big name with credibility. You have that. If you’re open, please consider it.
If we look at Stacey Abrams’ success in GA during the 2020 election as an example, it isn’t the money raised that wins elections but the on the ground voter registration and get out the vote work that does.
Yeah, I don’t buy that nobody is stepping up because Fuller has successfully fundraised. People are mobilized right now to get involved in local politics. I think it’s fully feasible to fundraise well and engage in grassroots organization.
I am one of those “foresaken parents.” To be totally honest, I didn’t pay much attention to municipal politics before COVID. In fact, during the last election, I asked my neighbor who to vote for because she’s well informed and I quite candidly wasn’t.
But now? Well, friends, the schools have been a total fiasco and we need new leadership. If a credible mayoral challenger emerges, not only am I going to vote, but I will also host lawn signs and make the case to my neighbors and friends. Minor things, I know, but I suspect you are going to see a lot of formerly apathetic parents pay very close attention to the upcoming municipal elections. To borrow that phrase from the Obama campaign – we’re fired up and ready to go!!
I don’t have insider information, but I’d guess there are enough unhappy people in this town and enough ambitious people – and civic minded ones – that there’s a challenger waiting to announce. But that challenger is also waiting for the special election to come to a conclusion. Maybe they want to see how the town votes and it will help them confirm the decision. Or maybe it will help them form the final plan. It might just be a smart strategy to wait it out and it could help them save money needed to mount a successful campaign. To MMQC’s point, people are interested and they’ve realized how local politics affects their every day lives. They’re mobilized to get involved. A challenge in a shorter amount of time with less money would work in our pandemic times.
Casey, I hope your are right. A short sprint campaign could be very effective. I have been impressed with Paul, but he seems reluctant. I respect that as it may not be the right thing for him at this point.
I still hope Scott Lennon might jump in, but he too seems a reluctant. But perhaps he has assessed there is no need to jump in too early as he has so much residual affection and good will.
Alternatively I could 100% get behind Marc Laredo. He is the antithesis of Fuller. Straight talking, no concern about being PC, and clearly looking to serve his constituents, not any hidden agenda. Does he ruffle some feathers? Yup. Bring that on.
I agree with Paul, and I also would point out that there is a lot of time between now and November. If school is back in September full time and things are largely back to normal, I would say that it would be a very difficult road for a challenger. Incumbent mayors tend to have a huge advantage.
And I say this as a parent who is so incredibly disappointed in the Newton School system and the City that I could scream it out loud on a daily basis. The idea that our youngest are not in school 5 days a week yet is insane. I’ve heard it is coming for April… for 1st thru 3rd graders.
But I don’t think everyone will view that as the failure of the Mayor, and I don’t think everyone will have the long memory folks on the forum think they will have, and I don’t think folks will forget that Covid was a challenging time. The Mayor isn’t Mayor Cohen and there doesn’t seem to be a massive movement to replace her for an election 8 months, 2 weeks away.
I thought Amy Sangiolo, Scott Lennon, Paul Levy or Marc Laredo might run. Paul is running for school committee. If Amy/Scott/Marc were thinking of running, I’d think there would be rumors about it. Maybe if the special election results swing hard one way or the other…
@Claire, I like that too. Straight talking is what we need. I can barely read her emails. They’re almost in code.
@fig, This is not what I want for us, but I’m getting the feeling that school will not be in person full time come fall even though that’s the goal and that’s what the plan is. Our lives will not be what they once were in most respects. Last night, Biden himself cautiously said his goal was that “most families” will have a normal Christmas. I don’t know what that means for school and in general but that’s sure to mean that Covid will be front and center this summer and fall for Mayoral campaign season.
Thanks to those who’ve mentioned me. I appreciate the vote of confidence. But, no thanks. I’m fully committed to the betterment of the schools and therefore have chosen to run for School Committee. The schools serve as the fabric for the entire community, even for those families without children in the schools. I fear that a lot of people have lost confidence in the governance of the schools, as seen by large outflows of families to private schools. Those who remain (or want to come back some day) want to be sure that the children and the teachers have the best possible setting for learning. I’d like my little boy (entering kindergarten at Bowen in September) and the 12,000 other students to be part of a joyful and vibrant classroom environment, where the teachers get the same kind of institutional support that the parents wish for them.
P.S. Yes, it would be good for democracy and even for Ruthanne to have a contested race for mayor.
P.P.S. I’d be remiss if I didn’t post my campaign website here: https://www.paullevy.org/
P.P.P.S. Please be sure to vote by mail or in person in the March 16 special election! In many ways, it will set the stage for November and for some time thereafter.
@ Casey
I fear you are right. Although I do believe Mayor Fuller personally wants kids back in schools (the private schools her kids attended are of course open currently), she has been very susceptible to the pressure campaigns that were waged in Newton this fall. Having an opponent that will do whatever it takes to open schools fully may in fact be crucial to push her to do what’s right.
As a high school parent whose kids were out of the classroom for 10 months and as someone who has paid close attention since last August, the way this has been handled has illuminated poor decision making processes to me along with a lack of true accountability/ownership. I hope after the Special Election a candidate emerges to take on the Mayor. Regardless of whether the kids are back in school in September I feel the damage is done with many parents. They will be supporting any other viable candidates for Mayor and School Committee. I know those parents only make up @30% of the voting population but I expect many will be very vocal,
Craig, yes, the school the Mayor’s children went to is holding in person classes but, there are far fewer children in a class, they do and have been doing all year both individual PCR and pool testing, and after any breaks they test everyone and hold remote classes for several days following the break. They also have a 5 day quarantine following any trips outside of the state, as well as testing. When looking at many private schools and comparing the NPS it is basically apples to oranges.
Regardless of whether school is entirely back live in the fall, I see a potential disaster in the making. The NPS constantly uses the excuse of “equity” to diminish the education of 90% of the students to equate to that of 10%. Some students have learned virtually nothing over the last year. Will the SC send these kids to summer school to catch up? Probably not. Will they give their parents the ability to choose to let the kids repeat a year? Probably not. My fear is that the administration will put forward a 2021-2022 remediation curriculum, and thus, students will end up losing 2 years of education.
Our leaders could speak up and acknowledge that education of our children is our number one priority. I have been waiting for statement like this for a long time.
I agree with Jeffrey Pontiff. Even if school is in session for all students full time in September, I’d be amazed if that also came with a “catch up” plan to address the last year’s “learning gap”. We need out of the box, progressive thinking. Mayor Fuller has seemed to support the status quo and shown no tendency for Newton to lead in any of these areas. I think the reasons are complicated and a challenging NTA is a part of this. But that’s not an excuse.
All the developer campaign funding, and all of the talk we’ll hear of steady, crises tested leadership won’t make up for this gaping hole…at least attempting to address it. These are issues that should be under discussion with planning now. I’ve not seen any of this. Is it even on the radar screen? I doubt it. This is why an opponent may have a chance even if we return to normal schooling.
I’m personally uncomfortable when others raise where the Mayor’s, or anyone’s children attended school. Yet, it is relevant as our experiences form our views. I recently moved from Ward 7 (quiet, clean, upscale residential) to Newtonville (can be noisy, congested, accumulating dirt from all of the traffic). I think our experiences shape how we view key issues that affect us, not just with the schools, but with development. In Ward 7 you don’t hear the turnpike traffic, or need to wait 5 minutes to get out of your driveway in the morning. I think it makes a difference in how you view all of the issues that we discuss here. It may help to have a Mayoral candidate that more than cares (because I think that Mayor Fuller does), but also lives it.