I am voting for Lisa Gordon for Ward 6 Councilor. I admire her clear thinking on the key zoning issues that will impact our community for generations into the future. She untangles the MBTA Communities Act, which has a state imposed deadline of the end of this year, from the…
Posts published in “Elections”
Deb Crossley is running for her eighth term as one of two At-Large City Councilors from Ward 5. Her involvement in guiding Newton’s direction began when then Mayor David Cohen appointed her to work on a Comprehensive Plan for the City. Councilor Crossley wrote the Energy and Natural Resources portion…
Andreae Downs is running for her fourth term as one of two At-Large members of Newton’s City Council from Ward 5. Chair of the Public Safety and Transportation (PS&T) Committee, Councilor Downs said her focus in running for office is on building community. In her view, local government is the…
During nearly a decade as a member of the Waban Area Council, Rena Getz, who is currently President of the Council, believes she has been an effective advocate for her neighborhood and the broader Newton community. She is running to be one of two Ward 5 At-Large Councilors, challenging the…
Eight candidates for City Council have written a detailed letter raising concerns about the upcoming debates organized and hosted by Newton’s four Neighborhood Area Councils. The writers – Martha Bixby, Alicia Bowman, Deb Crossley, Vicki Danberg, Andreae Downs, Dan Gaynor, Holly Ryan and Doris Ann Sweet — said that the…
The table above summarizes Newton’s municipal electoral races for this fall. This PDF copy of the table has links to the candidates’ campaign websites. Some observations: Fig City News will publish profiles of candidates, with priority on those in the contested elections. Early voting is available at City Hall, first floor lobby,…
After a long career in child welfare administration, Randy Block is running to be Ward Councilor for Ward 4. (That seat, which is elected by the voters of Ward 4, is currently held by Chris Markiewicz, who is not running for reelection.) While Mr. Block has lived in Newton for…
Doris Ann Sweet, a retired academic research librarian, is running to be Ward Councilor for Ward 4. (That seat, which is elected by the voters of Ward 4, is currently held by Chris Markiewicz, who is not running for reelection.) She has lived in Newton for forty-five years. Ten years ago,…
I strongly disagree with a recent letter from Ms Morrison that, in my opinion, undervalues the importance of community service/interaction as a qualification for serving public office. While the other qualifications listed in her letter are certainly equally important, the importance and significance of someone having coached kids’ soccer, especially over multiple…
Newton just had a preliminary election that could have been avoided had the city been using Ranked Choice Voting (“RCV”, a.k.a. “Instant Runoff Voting”). In 2020, 66% of Newton residents voted for Question 2, to use Ranked Choice Voting statewide. While that initiative unfortunately failed, Newton can ask the Commonwealth…