Community leader and Ward 6 Councilor-Elect Martha Bixby, most notably known for her work with Newton Neighbors Helping Neighbors, is excited to join the City Council. She said she is “excited about making Newton work even better for everyone.” Her race was close, as she defeated Newton Centre community activist Lisa Gordon by 23 votes. It is unclear whether or not there will be a recount, and the deadline is 5PM on November 17 for Gordon to petition for a recount with at least 10 certified signatures from each precinct in Ward 6 is 5PM Friday November 17.
Bixby said it was really exciting during her campaign to see so many people get involved in municipal politics, become knowledgeable about the issues, and feel they could have a real voice, and she hopes that involvement will continue. She anticipates there will be a lot of important issues in front of the new City Council, and she looks forward to finding ways to bring people together.
Regarding the Village Center Overlay District (VCOD) proposal and the MBTA Communities Law, she said that both Newton Centre and Newton Highlands will be presented to comply with the MBTA Communities Law. She said it will be interesting to monitor how it will work over time, if the VCOD package does not pass. Bixby said in speaking to Ward 6 residents over the past six months, she found that there is great interest and desire for people to downsize and for people to move back to Newton and start their families here. She looks forward to creating those types of opportunities, and she will put priority on finding ways to work with, protect, and support small businesses.
As far as committee assignments go, she is interested in transportation and finding ways to make it safe for everyone to get around — particularly for pedestrians. In addition, she looks forward to amplifying the voices of the city’s most vulnerable residents and supporting our schools. She said that while she is not sure there is a particular way to advocate, she has watched, over the past years, Councilors who have been using their position to address COVID impacts, and tackling the financial issues in creative ways. “Funding for schools will be a big issue, and finding ways to make sure schools have what they need is something I will continue to work for.” She added that we need to make sure we can pay and retain our educators — especially Unit C employees [aides and behavior therapists], and she thinks that it is important to make sure the district is providing a COLA that reflects the needs.
Bixby “consolidated” her role with Newton Neighbors during the campaign and hopes that will continue. Her stint as PTO President is coming to an end, but she said she intends to remain very involved. She said that she has been involved with the Safe Routes to Schools Task Force and will likely continue with that “with maybe a different hat on.”
Bixby said she is very grateful and looks forward to working with everyone. “Sometimes local politics can get contentious — lots of different opinions put forward.” She said, “I will always be someone who will take the time to listen and talk things through and work together. I will work for our community and with our community.”
