by village14 | Jun 20, 2018 | City Council |
Jenna Fisher at Newton Patch has had the most extensive reporting on concerns about the treatment of female Newton City Councilors, including this from a new article posted tonight…
Multiple councilors told Patch of stories where a woman would hold their hand up to speak but the person leading that particular meeting would ignore her or be dismissive. Another incident mentioned was where a city councilor called two women councilors “lightweights.” There were reports of a city councilor calling colleagues after hours and cursing them out, or snapping at them or talking over them in public meetings where members of the public were present. During one meeting a councilor asking a town employee about why something was not going the way it was supposed to in that department was interrupted by another councilor to tell her he didn’t like her tone, Patch was told.
and Fisher ends with this..
Patch is in the process of listening to recordings of meetings from the past six months and will
by Greg Reibman | Jun 20, 2018 | City Council |
A story by Julie Cohen in today’s TAB quotes six female city councilors confirming concerns about a “disrespectful work environment” as well as that anonymous Open Meeting Law complaint. by Greg Reibman | Jun 14, 2018 | City Council |
City Council President Marc Laredo released this memo today regarding an anonymous complaint filed following a May 20 gathering of 11 female Newton City Councilors who say they met to discuss the speak about “the appropriateness of the way women were being treated” by their colleagues.
At my request, the Law Department looked into the anonymous complaint the City
Clerk received on Thursday, June 7, 2018 alleging that
by village14 | Jun 14, 2018 | City Council |
Thanks goodness for Jenna Fisher at Patch who continues to explore the meeting of eleven female Newton City Councilors that attendees say was “a back yard wine and cheese conversation” about the “appropriateness of the way women were being treated” but is the subject of an anonymous Open Meeting Law complaint, now being investigated by the city solicitor.
In the complaint to the Attorney General’s office, someone alleged all of the women on the Newton City Council who went to a May 20 event violated Open Meeting Law by holding a meeting to talk about council business. But a number of people at the event, described as a back yard wine and cheese conversation, said they did not talk about any
by village14 | Jun 11, 2018 | City Council, Newton |
Jenna Fisher at Newton Patch has just posted a story about the anonymous open meeting law complaint against 11 female Newton City Councilors, including this explanation from Councilor Maria Greenberg
“The purpose of the get together was just to speak about the appropriateness of the way women were being treated [in the Chamber],” said Councilor Maria Scibelli Greenberg. “We didn’t know what the protocol was there. We wanted to get together with the experienced councilors and ask them how we could handle it in the future.”
She described the event as social gathering to vent and commiserate. “I guess
by Greg Reibman | Apr 4, 2018 | City Council, parking |
There’s been a lot of discussion on this thread here and this thread here about proposed changes to Newton’s overtime parking rules.
Here’s the minutes and the audio from the City Council’s March 23rd Public Safety and Transportation meeting* where this proposal was approved to be sent to the full city council for a vote. (Deliberation of the proposed parking rule changes came nearly two hours into the meeting)
After listening to it, I can’t help but get the impression that the discussion was rushed and the committee was tired and anxious to pass the proposal without a lot of debate. I’d be interested in hearing if others reach the same conclusion.
Particularly rushed is the deliberation over the proposal’s mos
by Greg Reibman | Mar 29, 2018 | City Council, parking |
The Newton City Council will consider new parking rules when it meets Monday night that –if I understand them correctly — would not allow you to park at the same meter, the same block or even the same city parking lot — twice in the same day. So, for...
by Greg Reibman | Mar 19, 2018 | Affordable housing, Austin Street, City Council, Environment, Newton, Washington Street Corridor |
In my role as president of the Newton-Needham Regional Chamber, I’m often asked, both on Village 14 and elsewhere, if the opinions I express on this (independent) blog and elsewhere, represent my personal values or the interests of the businesses and nonprofits... by Greg Reibman | Mar 8, 2018 | City Council, medical marijuana, recreational marijuana |
The Newton City Council has approved a moratorium on the retail sale of marijuana until the end of this year. The council did exempt Garden Remedies, which currently operates as a medical marijuana clinic on Washington Street, from the moratorium. by Greg Reibman | Feb 8, 2018 | City Council |
The Zoning and Planning Committee of the City Council will hold a public hearing on a proposed temporary moratorium on recreational marijuana establishments in Newton on Monday, Feb. 12, at 7:00 p.m. in Room 205. If the City Council passes the temporary moratorium... by Chuck Tanowitz | Jan 23, 2018 | City Council, Newton, Newton Police, parking, Public safety, traffic |
Automated vehicles are coming. This is not something we can stop. People want them, companies are developing them and most agree that at some point in the next 10 to 20 years, they will become the dominant vehicles on the road. What form they ultimately take is still...
by Greg Reibman | Jan 16, 2018 | City Council, Newton |
Newton’s new city council holds its first regular meeting tonight (Tuesday Jan. 16).
In addition to a new president (Marc Laredo), vice president (David Kalis) and seven new members, it will be interesting to see this council without
