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, Ms. Sweet was a founding member of Engine 6, a group of Newton residents promoting the repurposing of a former fire station as housing for nine homeless people. Located at the end of Beacon Street in Waban, the proposed project drew heated opposition from local residents, who expressed concerns about safety. Then Mayor, Setti Warren, withdrew funding for the project and it failed. Since then, Doris Ann Sweet and Engine 6 have been attending Zoning and Planning Committee and Land Use Committee meetings to advocate for more affordable housing, particularly for family-sized units. “We ask for more affordable units and lowering the threshold for income,” she explained.
When Chris Markiewicz announced his retirement, Ms. Sweet said she began to think about running. After talking with a lot of people, she decided, ‘It seemed like a good thing.” Since becoming a candidate, she has been campaigning door-to-door, meeting Ward 4 residents. She sees those contacts as preparation for her job as a City Councilor, where she will be responding to constituents’ concerns. Among her priorities, apart from constituent services and affordable housing, are a range of infrastructure concerns and climate-related initiatives.
Asked about the currently proposed Village Center Overlay Design, Ms. Sweet said she favored the option of turning two-family homes into four-family units because it would provide more housing. In her view, building more housing also means more people in the streets, noting that businesses depend on more walk-through traffic. “People like to be where other people are,” and that busy streets would be good for local businesses, she says. Ms. Sweet’s daughter Martha started Breadsong, a bakery in Auburndale, which she has since sold. Limited foot traffic in Auburndale’s commercial center challenges business viability there. However, Ms. Sweet concedes that there needs to be some way to protect existing local businesses during development and construction because small independent businesses have invested so much of themselves, and they are important to the customers who rely on them. “I hope the City would be involved in protecting businesses. It’s important to protect all businesses,” she said.
Among her priorities, Ms. Sweet wants to encourage more bicycle riders, rather than drivers, Ms. Sweet advocates more and safer bike lanes. She also urges lobbying the state to do more for the Green Line and to make the commuter rail “as robust as it can be.”
What would make housing more affordable, in her opinion?
“We don’t have to make every apartment luxury large,” she said. Smaller units would be good for people just out of college or for seniors who want to downsize. Smaller apartments would be less expensive. Larger projects have to follow Inclusionary Zoning requirements, allocating at least a specific percentage of units at below-market rents for people earning 50-80% of the Area Mean Income. Engine 6 advocates for more 3-bedroom apartments for families with children and at below-market rates.
As a research librarian. Ms. Sweet has great respect for facts and data. “If I don’t know about something I would research it,” she promised. And she would talk to people who have the information she’s looking for. In her professional life, Ms. Sweet assisted students and faculty in finding answers to a wide range of research questions. She believes her many years of experience in looking for and finding answers will be invaluable in her work as a City Councilor.
For more information, visit Doris Ann Sweet’s website at sweetward4.com.
