As the process to possibly replace the existing Newton city seal moves forward, a few City Councilors have expressed concerns about the current survey on the three proposed designs for a new seal. (The survey closes on August 21.)
In the July 10 meeting of the Programs and Services Committee (see NewTV video), the City’s Director of Community Engagement and Inclusion, Hattie Kerwin Derrick, spoke about the alternate images and the survey, and a few City Councilors on the committee questioned why there was not a specific checkbox on the survey that allowed people to choose “no change” to the city seal.
“I think that was a significant mistake,” said Councilor-at-Large John Oliver. “I think that was a whiff.”
Councilor Bill Humphrey, a member of the City Seal Working Group, addressed the sometimes-heated questions and comments and reminded colleagues that work on analyzing and considering the future of the image started back in 2020. The decision to move forward with having graphic designer Sebastian Ebarb create three proposals had already been approved by the City Council.
As Fig City News previously reported, the City Seal Working Group stated in its 2021 report that the 1865 image “depicts a scene of Reverend John Eliot proselytizing to Native people, specifically the Massachusett, in 1646” and needed to change. After months of work — listening to feedback from the community and Eastern Massachusetts Native groups — members of the Working Group concluded that a change was needed because “the seal does not sufficiently or accurately depict historical events … the design is outdated, unnecessarily complicated, and has degraded over time.”
Since the process began, people have been expressing their thoughts to City officials about changing the seal or keeping it as it is. Although the purpose of the survey is to get input on the three proposed designs, Kerwin Derrick said the feedback section is open-ended and therefore people who prefer that the seal remain unchanged can express that in comments there.
“It’s certainly not my intention, nor is it the intention of the rest of the Working Group, to attempt to ram something through that is unpopular,” said Humphrey.
He said the Working Group’s mandate is to submit a new seal proposal to the full City Council, possibly this fall, so that the City Council can then vote on whether to accept the design or retain the existing seal.
“We’re soliciting feedback about the [three] designs, not soliciting feedback about the process,” said Humphrey, explaining why there was not a specific option for “none of the above.” He added that the efforts to find a new image for the city seal has been a “multiyear process. … The preponderance of communications have been in support of changing it.”
Councilor-at-Large Tarik Lucas and Councilor Maria Scibelli Greenberg also wanted to hear from more residents about their thoughts and whether they prefer keeping the seal the same.
“Some folks may think that not enough of the city was asked about it,” said Greenberg.
Lucas asked Kerwin Derrick and Humphrey why there were already different-looking seals on City documents.
Humphrey said they may have been for “unofficial uses … that’s a decision of the Mayor’s Office. I don’t know.”
“It’s on City letters, it’s on City documents,” said Lucas. “That is something that is questionable” since the City Council never authorized any changes. He said that he would be asking Mayor Ruthanne Fuller in writing about why the seals looked different.
Kerwin Derrick encouraged more people to take the survey, provide feedback, and vote for which proposal they preferred.
Programs and Services Chairman Josh Krintzman held the item until the seal Working Group comes back to the committee.
