Across the United States, affordable housing has become a defining crisis of our time. Rising costs, limited supply, and growing economic segregation are reshaping where people can live, work, and raise families. The consequences are no longer abstract: they show up in workforce shortages, longer commutes, declining school enrollments, and,…
Posts published in “Guest Columns (Op-Eds)”
We publish here guest columns (op-eds) with the intent to reflect a broad range of opinions and insights of those who live and/or work in Newton. Please note our submission guidelines and send submissions to [email protected].
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As I write this, it’s been eight weeks since the world lost Setti Warren at the appallingly unfair age of 55. To me, he was a friend, mentor, boss, and big brother. Right until the day he passed, I spoke with Setti just about every day for the 20 years…
A December 9 article on the recent Newton School Committee decision to align NPS’s graduation requirement with state guidance referenced an interim report from the Chair of the Massachusetts K-12 Graduation Council, Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler, that offered an important insight: “Based on information issued by the state last…
Mayor Fuller’s address introducing the City’s Long-Range Financial Plan to the City Council on October 6 (also transmitted in her newsletter) contained the same contradiction that we hear from this Mayor in every fiscal address: The City’s financial health is very strong and yet doomed at the same time. Setting…
This year, Newton voters will finally have the opportunity to repeal Newton’s Overnight Parking Ban, which prohibits overnight parking on every street in Newton from December through March. Dating back to 1936, this outdated and nonsensical law is a burden to many Newton residents. Despite decades of concerns from residents,…
I am writing as a long-time Newton resident, not as a Newtonville Area Councilor. Initially, I was ready to support the repeal of the winter overnight parking ban. I even signed the petition outside the Star Market, believing that asking the people was the best way to handle City policy.…
Trying to beat the heat, on Wednesday, June 24, I took my four-year-old grandson to the newly opened Upper Falls Greenway Water Park. The air temperature was well into the 90s and we were ready to play. I was surprised to see that the part of the park that is a…
Ed. Note: The author is the Ward 8 representative on the School Committee. Fig City News previously reported that he will not be seeking re-election in this November’s election. Background All too often when a doctor sees a patient with high cholesterol or blood pressure, the result is prescribing something…
In her budget address to the City, Mayor Fuller outlined nine levers the City can pull to address our budget challenges, especially those related to funding schools. Of her nine points, only two were truly long-term solutions aimed at increasing revenue: a tax increase for everyone in the form of…
The School Committee has statutory authority for determining the allocation of funds provided to it. Given the recent public consternation about the FY26 Newton Public Schools (“NPS“) budget (for year ended June 30, 2026), with a $3.4 million unfunded balance, you might have sighed relief at Mayor Ruthanne Fuller’s announcement…