Jill Mercurio will leave her position as Director of the Newton Free Library to take on the same position at the Brookline Free Library. She started in the Newton Free Library in 2011 as Supervisor of Youth Services and became Assistant Director in 2014 and Director in 2019. As Director, she oversaw the creation of the teen/tween area, the complete renovation and expansion of the Children’s Room, the introduction of new ways to borrow and return books, the development of a five-year strategic plan, the expansion of training for staff, the Library’s 150th anniversary celebration, and capital projects for HVAC systems, information technology, and solar panels.
Jini Fairley is retiring from her role as Newton’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator, which she has held since 2015. Before that, she had served on Newton’s Commission on Disability. Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said, “Jini approached her work with a generous heart and a clear moral compass. She consistently centered the needs of those who are most vulnerable, lifting up their voices so they were heard. Her advocacy, guidance, and humanity have left a lasting and positive mark on the City of Newton.”
Police Chief George McMains, who is retiring at the end of December, has received the Ken Berkowitz Interfaith Leadership Award from Combined Jewish Philanthropies, which noted that the Newton Police Department’s “prioritization of community engagement has been highly beneficial to its Jewish and interfaith communities” and its “proactive, well-rounded approach to community relations has been imperative in responding both in day-to-day inquiries and emergent incidents.”
Doug Haslam is now a three-time winner of the New Yorker magazine’s weekly Cartoon Caption Contest. Having won twice before, he was named a finalist two weeks ago for his suggested caption for this cartoon: “I’m sure you will find this is plenty.” As he told Fig City News, “I enter this contest primarily to amuse myself, but if others get a laugh, all the better.”
A Day Middle School 7th grader in Ms Alegbeleye’s social studies class is one of the 12 winners of this year’s Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) “Name a Snowplow” contest. For this fourth year of the contest, a selection panel of MassDOT employees chose two winners — one in grades K-4 and one in grades 5-8 — from each of its six Highway Division districts. Ms Alegbeleye is currently awaiting details on when MassDOT will visit the school with the snowplow and its special nameplate, which will read Jon Bon Snowvi.
Ashley Aubuchon has been elected chapter clerk of the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (MassNAELA).
