Julie Irish, President of the Newton Upper Falls Area Council and longtime community activist, is running for Ward Councilor in Ward 5, which also includes Waban and some of Newton Highlands. As an Area Council member and now its president, Ms. Irish has been involved in the Needham Street Northland development debate, Needham Street traffic problems, and the Pettee Square Improvement Project, in addition to advocating for the Eliot Street traffic calming and repair schedule. From her involvement in a range of community projects, she knows who to reach in City departments: the Department of Public Works, the Transportation Department, and the Tree Warden.
As a former Newton schools’ parent — both of her children are now graduated — she reports that as she goes door-to-door in the Ward, most residents raise concerns about the impact of Covid, the Newton teachers strike, and budget fight. While most people say they are happy living in Newton, they worry about school funding and educational standards, which many feel have suffered because of the pandemic and the strike. She notes that people who do not have children in the school system worry about an override to pay for an anticipated budget crunch.
Having been engaged in the first Northland Development plan, which included residential, commercial, and office space, she has watched the evolution of the project, which now calls for only residential development and a guaranteed shuttle to convey residents to the Green Line. All the work on the project has been at ground or underground level and has not contributed to heavier traffic on Needham or Oak Street. But people have raised concerns about the need for more public transportation in the area. Ms. Irish suggests that having shuttle buses from village to village, taking people where they need to go, might prove worthwhile. An advocate for pilot programs, she believes Newton should consider offering a pilot shuttle project.
Noting that traffic on Needham Street is heavy only in the late afternoon, Ms. Irish attributes the slack at other times to the number of empty storefronts along the road. She is outspoken in her belief that Newton needs to place much greater emphasis on commercial development, which yields twice the tax revenue as residential development. “Who is going to occupy the Waban space just vacated by Starbucks?,” she asked. In her view, that is an ideal commercial space, next to the Green Line and in Waban Center. Pointing to Watertown and Needham, she says Newton would be in a better financial situation if there were a coordinated plan to attract businesses.
Ms. Irish, a social scientist/medical health services researcher, puts communicating and informing residents high on her priority list. She believes the City website needs a dashboard to help people find whatever they are looking for. “There are good examples of local, user-friendly city websites, and in a city of this size and knowledge base you would think it would be easy to find information.” Newton has many resources, she said, but it is difficult to find them. She recommended that the City “test-drive” a new system.
Ms. Irish believes that cuts in state and federal spending will have a negative impact on Newton – and increase the need for communication and transparency. The unknown makes planning difficult, she said.
Door knocking has been her preferred way to connect with voters and learn about their priorities. While she is committed to office hours and a regular news letter, Ms. Irish told Fig City News that if elected, she will continue to go door-to-door to talk with residents.
What prompted Ms, Irish to run for Newton City Council? She responded that her work in the Upper Falls Area Council offered her experience and skill sets for City Council service, and people had been encouraging her to run. At the same time, Donald Trump’s election prompted additional impetus for her candidacy, as it has with the other two Ward 5 candidates. Ms. Irish said she felt the need to do something, at least locally, to help mitigate negative impacts on the community. She explained, “My priorities are resident concerns, and I am going to make sure that constituent voices are heard.”
To learn more about Ms. Irish and her campaign, visit www.irish4newton.org .
