On her second-to-last day in office, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller reflected on her eight years leading Newton through a global pandemic, political polarization across the country, and ongoing development in the city, ahead of Marc Laredo taking office Thursday.
In an interview with Fig City News, when asked what advice she would give to her younger self back on her first day in office, she said it would come down to listening – and taking the time to truly understand her constituents.
The first female Mayor of Newton said she would tell younger self, “It’s always about the people – the people that you are serving and the people that you are serving with. Stay close, stay accessible, and listen in an open-minded, empathetic way.”
Overlapping crises
Her tenure has coincided with a turbulent period in national politics.
“It’s been an unusual eight years in the United States,” Fuller said.
She pointed to a series of overlapping crises that defined her time in office – from the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd to labor unrest and financial pressures – all unfolding amid what she sees as a broader crisis of erosion of trust in institutions nationwide.
She has also witnessed an uptick in loneliness and other mental health issues in the community.
“It’s certainly been a challenging eight years for every single one of our residents, and often the issues understandably show up right here at City Hall,” Fuller said. “I’ve always tried to lead with both head and heart, understand the issues, and then bring a thoughtful, respectful, and heartfelt response to them.”
Wide-ranging responsibilities
Fuller described the Mayor’s job as a constant balancing act, juggling multiple responsibilities at the same time. She cautioned anyone against entering the role of Mayor with a narrow agenda, as the role demands attention to a wide range of issues such as housing, transportation, climate change, education, and public safety.
“All of it matters,” she said.
Fuller described City government as a web of daily responsibilities – from picking up trash to answering 911 calls – and said that effective leadership depends on people stepping up at every level.
Fuller credits residents for recognizing the broad scope of the Mayor’s role, even if their attention is naturally drawn to the issues that matter most to them personally.
“Often as humans, we have a single issue at a moment in time that we care most about, so that’s all fine and good. …They will understandably focus on that one,” she said.
She added that constituents also appreciate that no decision is a decision in of itself.
Working with her team
Fuller said that over the years, she has prioritized building a strong team to support her in the role.
“Hire based on ability plus positivity,” she said.
Fuller said she believes it is not enough to simply value different perspectives; it is essential to actively seek them out.
She added that Newton is large enough to require multiple department heads who are experts in overseeing different aspects of City government, alongside an active City Council that brings a wide range of perspectives representing communities across the city, including oversight of a school system serving about 11,000 students.
There is value, Fuller said, in returning to issues she had worked on months or even years earlier, noting that time can reveal areas for refinement. She said she has enjoyed constantly learning about the inner workings of the city she governs.
“I am a proud nerd,” Fuller said. “I like being surrounded by lots of analysis and statistics, and I read deeply.”
Newton’s “Strong Mayor” form of government
Fuller said Newton’s size and complexity make its “strong-mayor” form of government especially effective, allowing the City to respond quickly while keeping residents’ needs at the center of decision-making.
“We are a city of 90,000 people, 18+ square miles, with 13 villages that are really quite different from each other,” she said. “We are well served by the form of government that we have, where someone is elected by the entire city who can be a focal point for decision-making and policy-making – somebody who can be held accountable.”
When asked about times she recalls having had to make a decision that was unpopular, she said she has lost track of how many times that has happened.
“The straightforward decisions are made at lower levels,” she said. “The decisions that often go up to the Mayor are the ones that are in the gray zone.”
Zoning and development
Fuller said that zoning and development decisions often bring together a wide range of stakeholders, with residents holding differing priorities depending on age, neighborhood, and personal circumstances. She said the City Council plays a critical role in working through the details of those debates to address concerns across the community.
“The world keeps changing, and de facto Newton will keep changing,” Fuller said.
Fuller said Newton’s governing bodies are responsible for balancing housing, office space, and retail development in a way that reflects the city’s high cost of living, while also managing traffic congestion and housing affordability.
“It is incumbent upon the City Council and the Mayor to keep imagining a Newton that works really well for people of all ages,” she said. “It is never static, and we have to encourage Newton to continue to be a great place to raise a family, to retire, to live, and to work.”
Fuller said that City government plays a key role in navigating zoning decisions, supporting village centers, and strengthening neighborhood connections.
“Helping our villages thrive, helping our neighborhoods to be places where neighbors know each other – and having a city where you don’t have to be a multi-millionaire to live here – is all very important,” she said.
Newton’s future
“Newton is, I think, arguably the best place in the world to live,” Fuller said. She described the high-quality neighbors, neighborhoods, schools, public transit access, and a broad range of places to connect with each other.
“I have confidence in not just the Laredo administration, but the leaders in the next 10, 20, 30, and 50 years continuing to reinforce this community as a wonderful community,” she said.
She said there must be constant vigilance to support Newtonians who are marginalized, stigmatized, or financially insecure. She said the city has to maintain a strong Newton Public Schools system.
“We have to continue to press forward on diverse and affordable housing, support our police and fire personnel with their important work, reinvest in our village centers, and keep being on the vanguard of tackling the climate crisis,” she said.
She said that one of her overall goals has been to foster joy and inclusivity in the community, and she cited the Parks and Recreation activities at the Cooper Center and enrichment opportunities at the Newton Free Library as catalysts for this. She also highlighted goals of protecting open space and providing recreational activities.
Personal change
When asked about how she has changed personally since taking on the mantle of Mayor, Fuller replied, “I’m both a little softer and a little harder.” On the harder side, she referenced the turmoil that social media and the Internet age has brought about.
“There are such strong opinions, usually, conflicting with each other,” she said. “I’ve learned to keep looking for what’s best for the community, and taking arrows that [are aimed at] any mayor. It’s not me in particular, but any mayor.”
She said that some of the feedback that can be thrown at government officials can be surprising.
“I have a little bit of a harder shell, just to deflect some of the nastiness [aimed at] you in a personal way, that you can’t take personally,” she said.
On the softer side, she spoke of the beauty she has come into contact with as Mayor.
“Softer in the sense that there is both so much tragedy and so much joy [experienced by residents and City employees] …that as a mayor I’ve had such a close connection to. My empathy and compassion have expanded over time.”
See Fig City’s archive of photos of Mayor Fuller over the years.
