In a February 5 memo to the City Council, President Marc Laredo announced the formation of a five-member Community Dialogue Working Group “to examine how the City Council can contribute to the recovery after the [Newton Teachers Association (NTA)] strike. The working group will be charged with developing a set of specific recommendations as to how the City Council can help our community better understand city finances, procedures, roles and responsibilities and working with city leaders, engage in efforts to create greater trust and civility in the city.” Ward 1 Councilor John Oliver leads the group, which includes newly elected members David Micley (Ward 2), and Martha Bixby and Alan Lobovits (Ward 6). Josh Krintzman (Ward 4 and Chair of the Programs and Services Committee) is also a member of the Working Group.
Chairman Oliver said, “The NTA strike was the impetus behind this work, but the work will be broader in scope …. As we continue our study of the responses, we will certainly be looking for additional concerns that the City Council can take up, challenges we can solve.”
As a way to determine residents’ responses to the strike and their access to accurate information about negotiations, the Working Group developed a survey asking about the strike’s impact on them and their families, their information sources, and if they trusted the information they were getting. It also asked for suggestions. In addition, the group held a Public Comment Session on February 29th to allow for in-person participation.
At its March meeting (see NewTV video), the Working Group reviewed the more than 300 survey responses and Public Hearing comments, as well as the recommendations they want to share with the City Council. Councilor Oliver noted sixteen themes, among them that “the City Council needs to be more proactive when it comes to the budget.” Many of the questions and comments underscored general confusion about the budget process, terms like “free cash” and the inter-relationship of the School Committee, the Newton Public Schools, the City Council and the Mayor. Some residents voiced discomfort with Newton’s “strong-mayoral” form of government. Councilor Lobovits asked who controlled the electronic system the Mayor uses for her newsletters. He suggested looking for a way to send out objective information. Councilor Krintzman reported that when the City Council met with PTO Councils, it was clear that there was confusion about who was sending out what message. He said it was important to properly identify sources before emails went out.
Committee members agreed that they needed to highlight themes about what residents want to know and to be sure there is some way to relay information. Councilor Micley suggested that there should be opportunities for people to meet in person to discuss issues as a way to facilitate dialogue. Councilor Bixby asked, “How do we repair trust? How can we repair communications?” Councilor Oliver offered the use of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals. They agreed that they needed to define themes first, then the solutions.
In speaking with Fig City News after the meeting, Councilor Bixby, who has two children in elementary school and is the past Co-President of their school PTO Council, said that the challenge is how can people stay engaged? How do we sustain the ability to be engaged?” She noted that there was so much disinformation via social media. At the same time, it is hard to convey information about complicated questions. “We all want the best and for the best, but how do we work for that and how do we get a set of common facts” to arrive at mutually agreed solutions?
The Committee will meet again this week to finalize a report to the City Council including all the themes and recommendations it has received thus far. There is a scheduled meeting of the Committee of the Whole on March 27.
Residents and other community stakeholders may l submit comments by filling out the Working Group’s questionnaire.
