While a member of the Board of Aldermen (now City Council), I was one of the primary sponsors, in 2013-14, of increasing the overnight parking ban fine from $5 to $25. The rationale, at that time, was that a $5 fine was not an effective deterrent to overnight parking when it…
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].
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on Fig City News are those of the writer and not Fig City News.
Please accept my compliments on the excellent series of interviews of School Committee candidates that you have published. Competition for these important municipal positions is good for the city and also for the candidates themselves. You’ve done an important public service in helping us learn about their backgrounds, interests, and…
Thanks to Fig City News for the article, Impact of revisions to Newton’s Tree Preservation Ordinance (9/1/25). For the past year, Mothers Out Front Newton (MOFN) has studied the impact of Newton’s Tree Preservation Ordinance. MOFN knows that losing mature trees can reduce the quality of life, resilience, and livability of a whole…
I’d like to commend FCN for its excellent series of interviews with candidates for the Newton School Committee. The thoughtful, well-researched questions provide real depth, and the long-form approach gives voters a much richer understanding of the candidates. Your thoughtful coverage is a real public service, and I appreciate the…
Greg Reibman, President of the Charles River Chamber of Commerce, wrote in his July 11 newsletter that I “scolded” Newton residents who wrote to the City Council about last Wednesday’s Zoning & Planning Committee discussion about strategies to recruit new commercial office tenants. His statement is false. I would never…
I have been saddened by the conflict between the business community and the City Council over the format of the July 9 zoning meeting. Seeing all the back and forth about whether it was a discussion or a presentation, who would be allowed to speak vs. submit written comments, and…
Our children and grandchildren cannot wait until 2050 to break free from the gas pipeline system that is pumping out dirty methane gas. Based on the docket items in the June 18 Public Facilities Committee agenda, we expected the meeting to include “a discussion of The discussion was also supposed to…
A new splash park opened two weeks ago in Upper Falls just in time for the 100+ degree hot spell. It’s a wonderful new summertime amenity, especially if you have young kids. Stop by there any day that is not raining, and you’ll see lots of kids, laughing, splashing, grinning,…
Yesterday as I was walking back to my car after attending a wonderful City of Newton family Fourth of July celebration in the Newton Bowl park with my 7-year-old granddaughter and my dog, we passed an overgrown lot at 1181 Centre Street. I thought that it seemed a bit odd…
I am writing to express deep concern and disappointment over the recent repainting of Adams Street with a standard yellow line—effectively erasing, without notice or consultation, a decades-long tradition that honors the Italian-American heritage of Nonantum. For years, the green, white, and red striping ahead of the annual St. Mary…
As a long-time Newton resident who regularly visits Nonantum — and as the wife of an Italian-American — I was shocked and disappointed to see the traditional green, white, and red center lines on Adams Street erased by the DPW last Thursday night. This action is especially upsetting given the…
Amid all of the national and global tumult, I think parents of Newton Public school students can cheer for a delightful success: added transparency this academic year. I have multiple kids in the public school system and have really enjoyed receiving the test reports from this year’s STAR and iReady…