The Ward Councilor for Ward 2, David Micley, and his wife plan to move from Ward 2 to Ward 6 in mid-January to accommodate their growing family. Under the Newton City Charter, Micley is allowed to remain in office for his elected term (through 2027), and he says he intends to continue serving Ward 2 residents as usual during that time.
“This all happened unexpectedly and fast,” Micley told Fig City News. “We weren’t really looking for a new place. It’s just that a great opportunity came up, and it made sense.”
Micley said they made an offer in the fall prior to the election then finalized and settled the transaction in mid-December, after the election. He explained that in any real estate transaction there is always a chance the deal might not work out. A lawyer advised Micley that he had seen deals such as these blow up in the holding period before closing. As a result, Micley thought it best to refrain from making a declaration of moving until he was assured it was confirmed.
“In planning for my family, I didn’t want to count on anything until the deal was done,” he told Fig City News.
According to the Charter, a City Councilor who moves from one ward to another may continue serving through the remainder of their term, while a move out of Newton would automatically vacate the seat. Under the Charter’s residency rules, candidates for ward-based offices in School Committee or City Council must live in the ward from the time nomination papers become available through their swearing-in. A move to another ward after taking office does not require a Councilor to vacate their seat.
In his most recent newsletter, Micley acknowledged the emotional weight of leaving Ward 2, and he outlined how he plans to maintain contact with residents after the move. Micley told Fig City News that despite no longer living in the ward, he plans to continue prioritizing consistent communication with constituents through monthly office hours, regular newsletters, and accessibility by email and phone. He will hold his first office hour of the year on Monday, January 5 from 4PM to 5PM at Clover Food Lab (835 Washington Street, Newtonville).
“My approach since I started this work was really driven by resident input,” he said.
Micley told Fig City News that staying aligned with constituent concerns is an ongoing challenge for City Councilors, regardless of where they live.
Micley emphasized that his ties to Ward 2 remain strong, noting that he grew up in that ward and his parents still live there. He said his family will be moving out of his grandmother’s former home in Ward 2.
“This is where I spent my childhood,” he said.
Micley said he and his family attend weekly Shabbat services at Congregation Shaarei Tefillah and Congregation Beth El. He told Fig City News that they plan to continue walking to both synagogues after the move, as each remains within walking distance of their new home.
“But those things alone aren’t enough to stay connected to what residents care about,” Micley said.
He added that his time campaigning and serving on the City Council over the past two years has given him a deeper understanding of Ward 2 than he had during the previous 36 years he spent living in the ward.
“You develop a connection to the people, to the neighborhoods, to the different sides of Ward 2,” Micley said.
He pointed to places across the ward that have shaped that connection, including Edmands Park, where he said he often takes his children for walks, as well as Bulloughs Pond, Albemarle Park, the Gath Pool, Yogurt Beach, the Boys & Girls Club of Newton, the Newton Free Library, and the recently opened Cooper Center for Active Living.
“Ward 2 is really unique because it has a little bit of everything,” Micley said. “It’s quite socioeconomically diverse in ways people might not realize.”
He said the response to the move from residents has been supportive. He mentioned he has received kind notes from some residents congratulating him on the move.
“Residents have seen my commitment to communication, to engagement, to hear about their priorities and concerns, which ultimately is the most important thing in setting me up to serve effectively,” he said.
Under the City Charter, Micley would be ineligible to run again for the Ward 2 seat once his current term ends on January 1, 2028. To remain on the City Council, he would need to seek election as the Ward 6 Ward Councilor– currently held by Martha Bixby – or run for one of two Ward 6 At-Large seats, currently held by Sean Roche and Lisa Gordon, each newly elected in 2025. He said he has not yet decided whether he will seek a third term in the 2027 election.
Micley said he hopes to make the City Council more approachable for people at a similar stage of life – residents who are raising young children in Newton while balancing careers and public service.
“One of my goals for this year is to figure out a way to make this work better for people in this generation,” he said. “You shouldn’t have to compromise one thing or another to be able to have a voice at the table for how the city moves forward.”
Micley said he plans to continue focusing on substantive policy work once his move is complete.
“Ultimately, there’s a lot of elements of noise in the work of public service, and what I try to focus on is the maybe small but tangible ways that I can actually make a difference. Those are the things I have done before, and I plan to continue doing, even if I’m a mile down the road,” he said.
