After a long career in child welfare administration, Randy Block 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.) While Mr. Block has lived in Newton for…
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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,…
The City Council voted on October 2 to approve the proposed amendments that would allow craft breweries as an allowable use under the City’s zoning ordinance. The vote on the proposal had been delayed (chartered) by its lead sponsor and Vice President of the Council, Rick Lipof. Several Councilors at…
The September 27 School Committee meeting began with several public commenters, including current students and Newton Public Schools (NPS) employees, advocating passionately for higher compensation for educators. One commenter, Jo-Louise Allen, whose LinkedIn profile states her profession as a Newton-focused special education services advocate, called for higher spending on student…
Greg Reibman, President of the Charles River Regional Chamber, endorses the Newton’s proposed Village Center Zoning Redesign and its Village Center Overlay Districts (VCOD). He says the proposed changes in village center zoning allowing development “by right,” rather than by special permit, will gradually increase the supply of homes for…
Not so very long ago, playing music, exercising in gym class, and learning side-by-side with children from different racial backgrounds were revolutionary ideas in education. But at one trailblazing Newton school, those concepts were put into practice more than 160 years ago. “We do now take a lot of these…
The Charles River Regional Chamber has launched a 3-minute video — Get to Know Newton — highlighting many niche opportunities to shop in all parts of Newton. The video is featured in the Chamber’s Get to know Newton web page, which has a searchable directory of local shops, restaurants, and…
Zoning and Planning Committee hears public comments on Village Zoning Overlay Districts, Version 3.0
Zoning and Planning Committee hears public comments on Village Zoning Overlay Districts, Version 3.0
On September 26, the Zoning and Planning Committee heard comments about the most recent proposed Village Zoning Overlay District proposal, Version 3.0. (See NewTV video.) At one point, there were 290 people on the Zoom call, and at least 50 people had signed up to speak in person in the…
NTA Convocation Boycott Constitutes Illegal Strike, but Silent Meetings Are Permitted. On September 26, the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board (“CERB”) issued a ruling in response to the School Committee’s September 5 petition to the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations regarding recent actions by the Newton Teachers Association. The 45-page ruling…
Newton’s Comptroller, Stephen Curley, has reported that on September 25 the Massachusetts Department of Revenue certified the amount of the City of Newton’s Free Cash — the amount of unrestricted funds available from operations in the previous year – to be $27,912,423. In late August, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller had announced that the…