In a municipal election with only seven of 25 races contested and five first-time candidates running unopposed, Newton’s voters elected a new Mayor, 24 City Councilors (6 of whom are new), and 8 School Committee members (6 new). In a binding ballot question, voters narrowly rejected the repeal of the Winter Overnight Parking Ban.
See below for results for Mayor, City Council, School Committee, and the ballot question on Repealing the Parking Ban.
This report is based on the City’s published election results, which will remain unofficial until certified by the Election Commission. UPDATE: The City’s official election results have been posted.
Mayor
Surprising no one, City Council President Marc Laredo won a landslide victory as Newton’s next mayor, defeating third-time mayoral candidate Al Cecchinelli (17,494 to 3,044) to succeed Mayor Ruthanne Fuller.
Mr. Laredo has been the presumptive winner since Mayor Fuller announced last December that she would not be seeking a third term. Long before his official entrance into the race, Mr. Laredo talked about planning to run as a natural progression from serving as chair of the Newton School Committee and more recently, as City Council president.
In the aftermath of community bitterness resulting from the Newton Teachers strike and budget fights, he has committed to reducing factionalism by expanding opportunities for people to be heard. He told Fig City News that the City will face budgetary challenges and he is prepared to restructure the City’s Economic Development Department to emphasize more commercial development, which offers greater tax revenue.
Surrounded by family and enthusiastic supporters, including candidates he had endorsed for City Council and School Committee, Mr. Laredo remarked on how much people love Newton, and he made four pledges for his administration to:
- Take a team approach to everything
- Work ethically and with integrity – being honest, clear, and transparent
- Listen
- Provide customer-focused service, with prompt response and follow-up
In a statement, Mr. Laredo thanked Mr. Cecchinelli and the many people who helped his own campaign. He congratulated newly elected members of the City Council and School Committee – and thanked all who ran but did not prevail. He said in the next few weeks he will announce his leadership team and new initiatives.
Al Cecchinelli told NewTV that his campaign was delayed by 2½ months for health reasons and that he “faced some hate” as a Republican. He expressed continued concern about Newton’s schools and the restriction of road infrastructure. He thanked Mr. Laredo for “running a clean race,” noting that the two “have differences but a lot in common.” He thanked all those who have supported him.
City Council
Only three of the sixteen City Council races were contested this year (in Ward 1, J.J. Kazakoff-Eigen withdrew after ballots were set):
- Ward 4 At-Large: Re-elected Councilor Josh Krintzman led the balloting with 11,602 votes and said he was “honored to be returning to the Council,” and added, “A lot of new candidates worked really hard and the results reflected those efforts.” First-time candidate Cyrus Dahmubed edged John Chaimanis (9,127 to 8,390). At 32, Dahmubed will be the youngest member of the Council. He said, “I’m really proud to be elected in the city I grew up in. I would like to show Newton the same care it has shown me throughout my life. …That care should be grounded in a very expansive idea of what empathy can be.”
- Ward 5 Ward Councilor: Julie Irish was elected by the voters of Ward 5 over Garry Miller (1,533 to 1,014).
- Ward 6 At-Large: Lisa Gordon (10,729) and Sean Roche (8,515) were elected over Ted Gross (4,799). Lisa Gordon said, “I’m so honored by the trust Newton voters have placed in me. It’s been such a privilege to hear from our community over the course of this race, and I’m excited to be their advocate at City Hall.” Upon his election, Sean Roche said, “The results in the City Council races indicate that city voters want action regarding climate change, housing, and transparency and accountability.”
All of the City Council candidates endorsed by Mayor-elect Laredo won, except for John Chaimanis in Ward 4.
Next year’s City Council will consist of the following (new members are in bold):
- Ward 1: At-Large: Allison Leary and John Oliver. Ward Councilor: Maria S. Greenberg.
- Ward 2: At-Large: Susan Albright and Tarik Lucas. Ward Councilor: David Micley.
- Ward 3: At-Large: Andrea Kelley and Pamela Wright. Ward Councilor: Julia Malakie.
- Ward 4: At-Large: Josh Krintzman and Cyrus Dahmubed. Ward Councilor: Randy Block.
- Ward 5: At-Large: Brittany Hume Charm and Rena Getz. Ward Councilor: Julie Irish.
- Ward 6: At-Large: Lisa Gordon and Sean Roche. Ward Councilor: Martha Bixby.
- Ward 7: At-Large: Brian Golden and Becky Grossman. Ward Councilor Lisle Baker.
- Ward 8: At-Large; David Kalis and Jacob Silber. Ward Councilor Stephen Farrell.
School Committee
Four of the eight School Committee races were contested this year (in Ward 1, Christie Lee Gibson withdrew after ballots were set):
- Ward 2: Linda Swain won over Christine Fisher (9,265 to 6,153).
- Ward 5: Ben Schlesinger won over Jenna Miara (9,396 to 7,407).
- Ward 6: Jonathan Greene won over Mali Brodt (9,514 to 6,769).
- Ward 8: Victor Lee won over Jim Murphy (11,186 to 5,257).
All of the School Committee candidates endorsed by Mayor-elect Laredo and current School Committee Chair Chris Brezski were elected. Mr. Brezksi told Fig City News: “The election results tonight demonstrate that voters endorse the current actions NPS is taking under Superintendent Anna Nolin’s leadership.” Mr. Brezski decided not to run for a third term as the Ward 2 School Committee representative, with that seat now taken by his endorsed candidate, Linda Swain.
Next year’s School Committee, which includes the Mayor, will consist of the following (new members in bold):
- Ward 1: Arrianna Proia
- Ward 2: Linda Swain
- Ward 3: Jason Bhardwaj
- Ward 4: Tamika Olszewski (incumbent)
- Ward 5: Ben Schlesinger
- Ward 6: Jonathan Greene
- Ward 7: Alicia Piedalue (incumbent)
- Ward 8: Victor Lee
- Mayor: Marc Laredo
Repeal of Winter Overnight Parking Ban narrowly rejected
The binding ballot question on whether or not to repeal Newton’s Winter Overnight Parking Ban was narrowly rejected by 71 votes, with 10,823 YES votes to 10,894 NO votes.
Dan Cohen from the Vote No: Keep the Ban campaign said they were happy with the outcome and will be releasing a statement on Wednesday.
Jeremy Freudberg and Peter Klapes, co-founders of the Repeal Overnight Parking campaign, said they are waiting on more information from the City before making a statement on next steps. They noted that turnout was significantly higher in this local election, 37.6% compared to 28% in 2023, and that their campaign, ‘funded on a shoe-string,’ received virtually half the votes. They believe the winter parking ballot question brought people to the polls because it is a quality-of-life problem for many in Newton. Proposals to repeal the winter parking ban have been before the City Council multiple times and defeated each time, most recently in 2023 with a 21 to 3 vote. Freudberg and Klapes noted that Councilors who are opposed to their campaign have been promising to deliver an improved parking plan for over two years.
Area Councils
In each of the four Area Council elections, there were not more candidates than available seats, so all candidates were elected.
Adam Bernstein, Alan Spatrick, Bruce Henderson, Charlie Johnson, Lucia Dolan, Martina Jackson, and NewTV contributed to this article.
Ed. Note: We updated this article to include a quote from Lisa Gordon.
