Some City Councilors are pushing to separate the Village Center zoning and the MBTA Communities Act zoning with the goal of changing zoning only to meet the minimum theoretical number of housing units allowed under the new rules. By confining the zoning process to just the MBTA Communities Act requirements,…
Posts published in “Letters to the Editor”
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 [email protected].
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.
I am writing with deep concern about the effect the Village Center Overlay District discussion has had on civic life in Newton. In my opinion, it is simply sucking the oxygen out of the city and the current City Council. My greatest concern is the growing anger that is now…
It seems like a waste of taxpayer money to put so much effort into the Levingston Cove project when the apparent design goals — preventing access to Crystal Lake — are met so perfectly by the chain-link fence around the project. Eric Bender Newton Centre
I have lived on Elmwood Park for over 30 years. For 9 of those years, the park has been used as a dumping ground for various huge pieces of machinery or mounds of snow piled so high I couldn’t see the house across the street. I’ve made complaints to City…
Last week, I had the honor of representing Massachusetts on Capitol Hill. Along with roughly 600 of my fellow American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) volunteers from across the country, I traveled from Newton to Washington, D.C., to urge lawmakers to make cancer a national priority. Together, we called on…
I strongly disagree with a recent letter from Ms Morrison that, in my opinion, undervalues the importance of community service/interaction as a qualification for serving public office. While the other qualifications listed in her letter are certainly equally important, the importance and significance of someone having coached kids’ soccer, especially over multiple…
My comment pertains to the new sidewalks that were installed along the section of Needham Street under the Route 9 bridge and continuing to National Lumber. Redoing these sidewalks was such an opportunity to beautify an otherwise unattractive area. Instead of the new, all black hard top that now covers…
I spent some time gathering information about the candidates in the preliminary election just held. A recurring, and exasperating question surfaced yet again: How in heavens name does coaching children’s soccer games qualify anybody to run for any office? I can see that such activities enlarge ones community, which is necessary for…
Newton just had a preliminary election that could have been avoided had the city been using Ranked Choice Voting (“RCV”, a.k.a. “Instant Runoff Voting”). In 2020, 66% of Newton residents voted for Question 2, to use Ranked Choice Voting statewide. While that initiative unfortunately failed, Newton can ask the Commonwealth…
I am deeply concerned that the City of Newton has installed artificial turf at Newton South High School and plans to do so at Newton North and Albemarle field. The major reasons given for doing this are that it will allow more playing time for student athletes and it will…
The Newton Gun Violence Prevention Collaborative is pleased to endorse Danny Gaynor for Ward 2 and Martha Bixby for Ward 6 in the upcoming Preliminary Municipal elections for City Council. Our endorsements reflect the candidates whose visions for gun violence prevention most closely align with ours: that is, a comprehensive approach that implements effective…
Dr. Peter Bruce is my choice for Ward 2 City Councilor. As past President of the Newtonville Area Council he has experience dealing with Ward 2 municipal problems. He has a balanced approach to the rezoning and reconstruction of our villages. He is a strong supporter of providing housing for families at the…