Lisa Gordon is one of the three candidates seeking one of two at-large City Council positions from Ward 6. Gordon believes her varied volunteer and leadership roles in Newton demonstrate her abilities and dedication to Newton. She has run for City Council previously, including a tight 2023 Ward Council race, in which Martha Bixby defeated Gordon by a fifteen-vote margin after a recount.
Gordon was raised in Newton, attended Newton Public Schools, and sent her two children to Newton South High School. She is an active member of the civic community in Newton, having co-founded Friends of Newton Centre, co-founded Signs of Gratitude, was a member of the Newton Centre Task Force, and during the pandemic oversaw the acquisition and care of the Artful Piano on the Newton Centre Green. Gordon is Executive Director of the Acton Food Pantry, serving 400+ households.
Gordon responded to a question about the strengths of Newton by first praising the City’s schools, then describing what she called Newton’s balance between nature and the built environment. For nature, she highlighted the importance of Webster Woods, Crystal Lake, Bullough’s Pond, and “all sorts of little pockets all over Newton.” She considers Newton’s MBTA access to be a major benefit. Finally, she likes the mix of small, independent businesses and wants the City to provide more support to them.
Looking at areas that the City Council could improve, Gordon favors reviewing the Special Permit process to see if there are ways to make it less burdensome. She would like the City to better encourage adaptable reuse of buildings, to reduce the number of demolished houses.
Addressing Newton’s housing, Gordon said Newton has approved 3,700 new housing units since 2020, which she said would represent an 11% increase in the City’s housing stock. She described as excellent the recently opened Opus project (senior housing) and said it was a model for Newton.
Continuing on the subject of development, Gordon said it is a mistake that the City is allowing some commercial (properties) to either not be built or to be removed. She believes it was a mistake to allow the changes to the Northland project that reduced commercial space.
Asked about balancing the City’s many budget needs – encompassing areas such as schools, roads, police, fire, roads, and senior services – with limited resources, Gordon said, “The schools are crucial to our whole community. Making sure we can fund the schools appropriately and keeping the education system excellent is a benefit to the whole community.”
Lisa Gordon seeks to use her experience and local knowledge to be an effective advocate for residents as a Councilor at large. Her campaign website is www.lisagordonfornewton.com.
