The Charles River Region Chamber of Commerce opposed the general override as a threat to Newton’s small businesses. It cited economic headwinds (inflation, high borrowing costs, a possible recession, etc.) to argue Newton’s small businesses face enough challenges and this is no time to increase their tax burden. The Chamber wrote: “Without…
Posts published in “Letters to the Editor”
=> Read about sending letters endorsing candidates. <=
We publish here Letters to the Editor with the intent to reflect a broad range of opinions and insights of Newton residents. Please note our submission guidelines and send letters (maximum of 300 words) to letters@figcitynews.com.
All views expressed in any signed article, letter, column, or post
on Fig City News are those of the writer and not Fig City News.
Hello. I am a student at Newton South high school and I am very concerned.There override vote happening on March 14. This override would allocate around $4.5 million to the Newton Public Schools and it is desperately needed. Without it the Newton Public Schools will be forced to cut certain…
Newton’s prevailing theory is that building a lot more inventory will lower the cost of housing. Then, please tell me why Manhattan is not affordable? They have greatly densified over the last few decades. Or Seattle? Or Washington DC? Surely there must be cities that you can cite where the cost of…
Engine 6 Newton Housing Advocated regrets that Mark Development has put on hold its plan to develop land around the Riverside MBTA station for laboratories and 550 units of much needed housing. We strongly support, however, its decision to negotiate with the state to use the shuttered Indigo Hotel on…
I’ve had the great fortune of teaching at Newton South for 23 years. Here in Newton, educators are committed to doing best for our students. However, teaching and learning have only gotten more challenging over the years — our students today have more opportunities, and more obstacles, than ever before.…
I am writing to express a point of view, which may be widely held but which I have not yet seen voiced, perhaps because those who have it may feel isolated. I care about our education, teachers, schools and infrastructure. I also know that this all takes money. I have…
I’ve seen some override misinformation on social media, so I’d like to encourage everyone to learn as much as they can and fact-check so we can make the best decision for Newton on March 14. Question #1 will let us avoid drastic cuts in teaching positions in our schools, giving…
Newton Mayor Fuller says if the property tax override is not passed, then students will suffer because teaching positions will be cut. This feels a lot like extortion being used against the parents of Newton. The mayor has spent money on pet projects such as the unusable “Hello Newtonville” study…
The Newtonville Area Council (NAC) has produced a 3D model that purports to illustrate what would be allowed by right in the first draft of the Village Center Zoning Proposal. The Building Professionals Zoning Working Group analyzed the NAC presentation. We found a number of inaccuracies and unrealistic assumptions. The…
The city of Newton has been criticized for its excessive spending. A few years ago I did my own analysis to try and quantify Newton’s spending versus a reasonable baseline. The baseline I chose was the Federal Reserve Bank [FRB] yearly inflation rate. It is a good measure of the yearly increase in the…