At two recent community listening sessions, Mayor Marc Laredo fielded concerns ranging from federal actions affecting Newton to local issues such as schools and road maintenance. Across the exchanges, he repeatedly emphasized accountability while underscoring the limits of what falls within his control.
The sessions took place on February 11 at Bigelow Middle School and February 12 at Burr Elementary School. At the start of each meeting, Laredo outlined his key priorities: Schools, customer service, and building community. He said that he aims to “empower employees to fail,” which he said means “trying things new, and learning from mistakes.”
Building community
“It’s really important that as a community that we get out of our homes, we get off our screens, and we gather together in an array of different ways,” Laredo said.
He then opened the floor to questions. The session at Bigelow drew a little more than a dozen residents, whereas 36 residents attended the Burr meeting. In addition to residents, the Mayor’s staff and other public officials attended both meetings.
Several residents raised concerns about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions across the country and asked how those efforts might affect Newton. Laredo said his administration would use every legal means it can to defend its Welcoming City policies, while coordinating with Newton Police, school leaders, and the City Council.
Planning
Laredo spoke of the need for better planning with respect to projects like the Washington Street Pilot. He noted that while the project has resulted in a dramatic reduction in crashes, the temporary setup cost $2.5 million and there is “no plan or money to make it permanent.”He added, the City needs “robust public engagement …. and a plan for final implementation with a plan for funding” – otherwise, it’s a “poor use of money and staff time.”
“We don’t have $25 million,” he said, referring to the estimated cost of making the Washington Street Pilot project permanent.
Constraints
Laredo said his administration faces jurisdictional limits on certain issues. In response to questions and concerns about the Turtle Lane development in Auburndale, he said his administration will be more aggressive in enforcement of special permits, but at the moment the City cannot do much because the project is currently under the control of federal bankruptcy court.
At Burr, a resident asked about the possibility of more funding for Newton Public Schools (NPS). Laredo noted that the City’s spending is constrained by the challenge of funding the City’s unfunded pension obligation, which currently requires annual increases of about 6.5% to meet a funding target currently set for 2032. This target represents an accelerated timeline set under previous mayoral administrations. To relax this timeline closer to the state-mandated 2040 deadline would require approval by the Newton Retirement Board, which operates independently of the Mayor. Laredo mentioned some possible mechanisms, such as a pension bond, that could provide near-term funds by extending the debt further.
Costs for construction and roadwork, Laredo noted, have risen sharply in recent years, limiting the City’s ability to complete infrastructure projects at the pace residents might expect. He also referenced large developments such as Riverside, saying that while the project has received approvals, its future depends in part on the developer securing financing.
Laredo also acknowledged ongoing funding challenges facing the MBTA, expressing skepticism that significant service improvements beyond the Newtonville station renovation would come in the near term. He noted that transit funding challenges facing the MBTA have developed over many years and remain largely outside the City’s direct control.
Laredo repeatedly mentioned his focus on what his office can achieve. At the Bigelow meeting, one Newton Public Schools employee expressed concern about the direction of the district – and also urged Laredo to speak more forcefully about the release of the Epstein files, arguing that local officials should take a public stance on the issue.
“I’m not going to minimize the issue, but in my role as Mayor, I have to always be asking myself, because I have a finite amount of energy and a finite amount of things I can direct my attention to,” he said. “I’m trying to use my platform judiciously, and it’s really focused on what is directly affecting residents.”
Problems previously deferred
Laredo noted that many of the questions residents raised reflected long-running challenges that pre-dated his administration – from pension underfunding and stalled developments to aging infrastructure and lingering zoning tensions.
Several major capital projects – from school buildings to the police station – have been debated or deferred for years. For instance, Laredo said that the condition of the police station, last renovated in 1999, as it is “in desperate need of replacement” and will need significant capital investment approved by voters.
Moving forward
In keeping with his campaign messaging, Laredo said he hopes to stay true to the fundamentals. “Get the basics right,” he said, pointing to road maintenance, responsive City services, and timely communication with residents.
Laredo will hold additional community listening sessions as follows:
- Thursday February 26 at 7PM at Day Middle School
- Sunday March 1 at 1PM at The Cooper Center
- Sunday March 1 at 3PM at The Centre at 1294 Street
- Thursday March 12 at 7PM at Newton Community Stage at Lincoln Eliot Elementary School
- Thursday, March 26 at 7PM on Zoom (Register for Zoom link)
