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Search Results for: observer corp

LWVN Observer Corps

Observers: the Eyes and Ears of the League

Effective League activity in a community relies an understanding of how local government works.  A League Observer is the eyes and ears of the League, learning how government works and about issues that are, or may become, items for local study and action.  Consistent League presence at these meetings also adds to the League’s visibility and credibility.

The Open Meeting Law ensures “the right of all citizens to have advance notice of and to attend all meeting of public bodies at which any business affecting the public is discussed or acted upon, with certain limited exceptions to protect the public interest and preserve personal privacy.”  Consistent with this purpose, the general requirement of the law is that “all meetings of public bodies shall be open to the public at all times.”

As an Observer, you are exercising that recognized right to be present at any public meeting.

OBJECTIVES: To monitor governmental bodies for information of importance to the League and the community/state.

Functions/Advantages of the Observer Corps:

  • Enables greater coverage, information gathering
  • Can provide early warning of upcoming issues of concern
  • Trains future leaders
  • Increases the League’s visibility
  • Assists with networking with other groups

Responsibilities of Observer:

  • Awareness of LWV positions and areas of concern
  • Attend assigned meetings, arriving promptly
  • Take notes/fill out observer report form
  • Report to the board
  • Advise the board of opportunities for action based on League positions

If you are interested in becoming an Observer, or would like more information about our Observer Corps, please email LWVN at info@lwvnewton.org.

Recent Observer Notes

Newton Police Reform Task Force Open Community Meeting – August 19, 2020

Previous Observer Notes

Charter Commission Observer Notes

List of 2012 Observer Notes.

Charter Commission Observer Notes 5-18-16

May 30, 2016

Charter Commission Meeting

May 18, 2016

Attending: Josh Krintzman (Chair), Rhanna Kidwell (Vice-Chair), Jane Frantz, Anne Larner, Brooke Lipsitt, Karen Manning, Chris Steele

Absent: Bryan Barash, Howard Haywood (illness)

NOTE: Howard was in the hospital and is recovering.

Approval of May 4th minutes: approved unanimously

Public Comments:

Shaul Berechtman: talked about an ombudsman for School Committee at other CC meetings. Reiterate his comments. At SC meeting, Judy Levin-Charns made a comment about 35 students who have gone through legal process with the School Department. No mechanism to resolve dispute within the school system—need to give up or have a legal battle. Bad for all involved; can put an ombudsman to resolve many of these issues instead of other ways. Keep in mind that School Committee members do not work on specific constituent issues.

Article III Discussion:

City Manager v. Mayor: Concern expressed in past about not looking more deeply at City Manager v. Mayor. Will do that now. Thanks to consultant for research; be sure to look at two chapters from book on the topic. While City Manager might provide better administrative capacity, the Mayor provides a “moral” leader perspective. Table created to show strength and weaknesses of each option.

Better define the role of Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) so can specify a role for these administrative functions. Set of models that we could adopt here, all from out of state.

AL: am proponent of City Manager form of government. Thinks that somewhere Newton is a place that might engage a city manager—would need to go outside MA to get good examples and testimony. Main positive is that it strengthens a council because it has a sharing of some executive powers when done well. Believes that council always feels the “underdog” until it has a better balance with the “implementer.” This form of government has a lot of potential. Wouldn’t support it right now because the City isn’t in a place to accept it. Would take 4-5 years of community conversations to do research and engage people. Important to downsize the City Council first, but this is unlikely to pass. A “non starter” right now. Many ways that cities try to deal with “moral leadership” role.

JF: Why did those communities change from the City Manager form of government? [Marilyn: They wanted the relationship with the Mayor. ] The Mayor form with the CAO is most intriguing to her. Important of the Mayor speaking to the values in the community.

BL: Intrigued by Council Manager form. It totally upends the system we have—makes a council that is “all powerful.” But no chance that this would be voted in. Wasn’t a reason to put forward, but agree about the “moral leadership” role for a Mayor (stated by Ruth Balser at earlier hearing.) Am disinclined to mandate a CAO-COO role in the charter. It is possible in the future that an elected Mayor may have an administrative background. That person might want to hire a strong policy person instead of a strong administrator—hesitant to put more instruction into how the Mayor’s office is run. Can be different for different Mayors. Would like to give more support to the Council for a better balance—things like allowing them to hire outside counsel.

RK: Concur with idea of this giving more power to the Council. Since giving a new format to the Council, feels that this would be too much. Wouldn’t vote for a charter that changed both at the same time. Want to take a serious look at in the future.

KM: Now more than ever alternatives to how a moral leader can emerge from a group. Important for voters to elect a Mayor. Community is not educated to this model very well. Agree with not proposing too much change.

BL: Motion that stick with strong Mayor form of government. CS seconded.

JK recommended staying with strong Mayor form previously. Like having a person directly accountable to the people.

Vote: unanimous 7-0-0

Discussion of CAO: potential language for CAO role: sheet with three options, though there are also others.

AL: Likes option 2; fine with “shall” rather than “may”. Board description gives a lot of flexibility to Mayor. Thinks CAO should be at the pleasure of the Mayor and not be up to the Council. Option 1 is far too prescriptive.

BL: Option 2 is the best of the three. But does it need to be there? Is it up to the Mayor to organize the function of the executive office or not? Having trouble describing any function within the Mayor’s office. Would say “may” if anything.

[Bryan Barash joined the meeting.]

KM: Big fan of guiding values in the charter—statement of direction or encouragement. Maybe more general statement about hiring to effectively support the role of ….

JF: Like that idea. Takes away title, which will become dated.

JK: Under Article 3.2a—working?

RK; Likes option 2 and the word “shall.” Safeguard that we do get people in appropriate qualifications. Have a strong Mayor, but need support for staff. Follows a corporate model with the CEO having responsibility with visibility, constituent work, etc. A mayor with a managerial background will still need support administratively with all the other roles he/she must take.

BB:   Concern that structure is flexible so that Mayor can choose to have one person report to him or many.

BL: proposed a more general statement with wider roles—not so specific. Wants maximum flexibility and leave room for mayoral discretion.

RK: Current language doesn’t have any teeth is not a fan.

[Discussion continues on whether to specify role, whether it is a values statement, whether it has “teeth” and some proposed wordsmithing.]

KM: Instead of CAO, how about using the work “professional” so that the term doesn’t become outdated and stresses the qualifications of the person.

BL: proposed option 2 but: take out advice and consent of council and changed CAO to professional staff.

BB: isn’t this then a fuzzy line with Council needing to approve department heads?

[Collins Center: this is Article III, only deals with Mayor}

RK: What is the value of having this in the charter at all? Not adding any value this way if “may” hire staff. Wants to see “shall”

AL Motion: insert option 2 into Article III-2 as a new subsection (b), with a “shall.” RK seconded. Discussion: sort of unenforceable, problem to hire “solely”—take it out? Friendly amendment: on the basis of strong administrative and executive qualifications. Vote: 6-2-0

RK Motion to strike the last sentence of Article III-2a. JF seconded. Withdrawn.

BB: Change last line of Article II-2a: Mayor may appoint staff….CS seconded. Vote 8-0-0.

BL: Section 3-3: separate department heads from heads of Boards and Commissions. Add that City employee may not be chair of commission. Should City Councilors allowed to be on B & C? [That’s in Article II.]

Proposal to limit city employees to not more than 1/3 of B & C unless other mandated by ordinance or statute.  Sense of group to make changes in the draft version.

AL: Defining Treasurer: should it be in there? Did the CC propose to take out too much? [Collins Center: this appointment was the only one that required an affirmative vote of the Council.]

–after much discussion, decided to leave it out. Maybe discuss again during the finance discussion.

BB: organization of Article III-3: way it reads feels awkward. Should start with how to hire all staff, then go into special staff—switch a and b now.

AL: this goes in a hierarchy—first section is about Mayor, then the rest is about the department head hires.

BL: separate Boards and Commissions from the other part.

JK: Temporary appointments: Council has been approving them each time.

AL: Section III-7 (a) 3: remove requirement? Is this petty?

BB: But have problem with empty seats on Boards and Commissions.

KM: Maybe move to transition section?

BL: Is too proscriptive. Need to deal with this as part of recommendations and not in charter.

JK: Twice a year might be too much, but once a year would be good. It would highlight the issue and maybe encourage people to join.

BL: It’s in the wrong place. Should be with the five-year report of Boards and Commissions.

JK: Is a duty of the Mayor, so likes it here.

[Collins Center: how about putting it in the earlier paragraph about B&C?]

Motion: AL: remove Section III-7 (a) 3, JF seconded. 4-4-0 Motion fails.

BB: Motion that change language to be annual and that consider placing it somewhere else. BL seconded. Passed 7-1-0.

Article III-10: should the CC specify a number of days?

AL: remembering Mayor Cohen’s comments about this in the past, need to keep some flexibility. If something happens over summer, don’t want election at that point.

Discussion: possibility for pressure by acting Mayor, etc. to find date for election most beneficial to them. So add in a limited number of days, no preliminaries, etc. 120 days? 90 days seems too short. Seem to land on 120 days.

Article III-8: some wordsmithing.

Article IV: Revisit Term Limits for School Committee

AL did research—hopes to be finished by Friday. Since data is almost ready for everyone, maybe revisit after June 1st public hearing. Already have a straw vote on term limits—instead of revising several times, wait and hear from others. After discussion and a vote, decided to discuss after June 1st public hearing.

Article II:

Made two changes:

Filling of vacancies: change made for councilor at large vacancies

Legal Counsel to the Council: specifies money available for legal advice it feels it needs

Straw Vote: 8-0-0

Number of Wards: does anyone want to revisit the number of wards in the city? Useful issue but don’t have any data. Worthy of study…

Issues: related to configuration of City Council…have fewer wards. People aren’t necessarily attached to their wards. Has been very constraining in discussions. Open to ideas, but too many changes could increase the likelihood that the charter vote will go down. Put off for now…maybe get comments on June 1st.

Article 1:

Straw Vote (preamble and Article 1, not the definitions): 8-0-0

Public Comment:

Lisle Baker: public hearing will have a lot of comment about the big questions. 1. Small technical issues still worthy. Example: what happens when vacancy in Mayor’s office…some value in a general provision that City Council can provide for those gaps by ordinance. 2. Reporting function built into the charter—difference between reporting and docketing an item for discussion by the City Council. Stuff that needs to be in the charter v. stuff that ordinances can do. 3. District model has some benefits that may be elusive in the discussion—somewhat distanced from a problem in their voting since may not affect their constituents directly. There is a division of labor between ward aldermen and at large, as well. 4. Independent advice for City Council is useful, but problem in trying to specify a value. Look at charter maintenance. It’s a local constitution rather than a document to solve all problems.

Categories: Charter Commission, Local Action Log, Observer Notes

Charter Commission Meeting Observer Notes 12-9-15

December 14, 2015

Charter Commission Meeting Observer Notes December 9, 2015 Read more →

Categories: Charter Commission, Observer Notes

LWVN Observer Notes

  • Charter Commission Meeting: April 26, 3017
  • Charter Commission Meeting 4-12-17
  • CC Meeting 3-30-17
  • Charter Commission Public Hearing: 3-15-17
  • Charter Commission Meeting 2-15-17
  • Charter Commission Meeting 2-1-17
  • Charter Commission Meeting 1-25-17
  • Charter Commission Meeting 1-11-17
  • Charter Commission Meeting 11-30-16
  • Charter Commission Meeting Observer Notes 11-16-16

2012 Observer Notes

  • Newton CPC Meeting February 27, 2012
  • Presentation of Strategic Plan for Water/Sewer Infrastructure to Board of Aldermen, February 29, 2012

LWVN Newsletter, Winter 2020-21

February 6, 2021

LWVN Newsletter, Vol 26 Issue 3


Table of Contents

  • President’s letter
  • What’s Happening on the Board…
  • Advocacy
  • Voter Service/Elections
  • Citizen Education – The League Presents
  • Citizen Education – Topic Meetings
  • Membership
  • CONGRATULATIONS, BONNIE!!!!
  • Zoning Redesign
  • Mayoral Commendation for David Olson and the Newton Election Staff

President’s letter, Feb. 2021

Dear LWVN Members,

Here I sit on a dreary rainy day in January and think it is hard to believe that almost one year ago, we began on the pandemic journey.  I do not think that any of us expected, at this point in time in 2020, to still be on this insufferable and sometimes chaotic journey in 2021.  But here we are, and I have to say my work with the LWVN Board of Directors has really kept me going.  I hope that you have enjoyed the events and the information on our website and Facebook  page that we enjoy bringing to you.

Graphic urging "Every vote must be counted"Voter Service directly serves the major aim of the League of Women Voters to promote political responsibility through informed and active participation in government.  We provided information on How to Vote by Mail, Planning Your Vote, and Emergency Absentee Ballots. During the sometimes-contentious vote counting process, we took a very public position that every eligible voter should have their voice heard and their vote counted. When we take the time to count and verify every ballot, it is a sign that our democracy is working. Democracy is worth waiting for!

Photo of Jake AuchinclossAfter the November general election, we partnered with other Leagues from Congressional District 4 to have a virtual meet and greet with Congressman-elect Jake Auchincloss.  We hope to continue our dialogue with Jake by offering additional opportunities to meet with Congressman Auchincloss to express our issues and priorities and to hear his.

As part of our ongoing advocacy for affordable housing and the environment, we joined….

The Newton Free Library and Families Organizing for Racial Justice (FORJ) presented a virtual session with Richard Rothstein, author of The Color of Law, A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America.  This session is part of our ongoing effort to explore issues of racial inequality and racial justice.  More information about this session can be found below under our topic meetings update.

We joined with other civic organizations to sign on to Transitisessential.org, which is urging the MBTA to make the following commitments:

  1. Make no permanent or long-term decisions regarding service, especially potential cuts, before the legislature concludes its current session.
  2. Advance affordability for all transit riders.
  3. Ensure critical transformative capital investments, climate justice, and air quality improvements move forward in 2020 and 2021.
  4. Sustainably fund transit in the short-term and long-term.

Lastly, but no less importantly:

  • In November, following the leads of LWVUS and LWVMA, the LWVN Board updated and adopted a new Diversity Policy.
  • On December 13, 2020,  the LWV of Massachusetts celebrated its 100th birthday with a gala attended by over 250 people. At that celebration, LWVMA honored the “formidable women” from local leagues.  LWVN’s very own Bonnie Carter was recognized as one such “formidable woman” for her over 50 years of work with the League.
  • On a special note, I want to highlight the letter from LWVUS Board President Deborah Ann Turner on impeachment and removal of President Trump.

What to look forward to …

  • Scholarship applications (see our update on the scholarship program below) due March 1st
  • An incredibly special and interesting Topic Meeting on March 9: Representing the 4th: A Conversation with Barney Frank, Joe Kennedy III, and Jake Auchincloss.
  • Candidate forums for the Ward 1 and Ward 2 Councilor at-Large positions, and special election voter information
  • A special League Presents with retiring City Clerk, David Olson

Sincerely,

Marcia Johnson
President, LWVN


What’s Happening on the Board…

LWVN Scholarship Program

by the Scholarship Committee Team:  Nikki Dawes, Theresa Fitzpatrick, Ellen Grody, Andrea Kozinetz, and Josephine McNeil 

The Scholarship Committee is very excited to announce the launch of the inaugural LWVN scholarship program.  The LWVN will be awarding  two scholarships of $1000 to graduating seniors who have plans to continue their education after graduation (college, vocational education, etc.).  Criteria, being considered, are as follows:

  • The student lives in/goes to school in Newton.  This would include public and private school students, METCO students, and students who are home-schooled
  • In his/her life and school work, holds core values that are in alignment with those of the League
  • The student has been actively involved in Newton’s civic life.

The application process opened on January 1, 2021.  The timeline, as currently planned is:

  • Applications are due on March 1, 2021
  • During March and April, evaluation teams will review applications and make a final decision
  • Awards will be made on May 1, 2021.

The program is being publicized through the high schools, PTO Council, NTA, and other recommended community groups.

LWVN Board Policies

by the Policy Committee Team:  Frieda Dweck, Judy Jaffe, Marcia Johnson, and Andrea Kozinetz 

On November 11, 2020, the Board of Directors approved the following policies that govern the operations of the Board:  Board Approval Policy (the process for approving actions that need to be taken in between board meetings); Coalitions Policy (outlining the requirements under which LWVN will join with other organizations in a coalition for a particular purpose); Distribution of Literature Policy; Diversity Policy; Donations and Sponsorships Policy; Expenses Policy; Membership Dues Policy; Membership List Privacy Policy; Nominations Policy; Speak-with-One-Voice Policy (who is authorized to speak on behalf of LWVN); and Write-In Candidates Policy (the criteria under which write-in candidates will be permitted to participate in candidate forums).

A Non-Partisan Policy was previously approved by the Board at its September 9, 2020 board meeting.

The development and adoption of these policies follows the work that the LWVN completed last year with the revision to its bylaws.  In the course of discussing the bylaws, it was determined that certain operational policies that did not belong in the bylaws nevertheless needed to be flushed out and deliberated, so that the Board had a clear set of standards with which to guide certain of its actions and decisions.

A policy subcommittee was established to review any existing policies of the LWVN and to discuss any additional policies we believed should be adopted.  Over the course of approximately three months, the subcommittee reviewed existing policies of the LWVN, policies adopted by the LWVUS and LWVMA, and asked for input from other Massachusetts leagues.  The subcommittee is especially grateful to the Amherst LWV and the Needham LWV for sharing their thoughts and work on policies used by them.

The subcommittee presented its recommendations to the Board at a special meeting of the Board held on October 29, 2020, and followed up with a subsequent discussion at its regular meeting on November 11.  A robust discussion was held on each of the proposed policies, and suggestions of the board members were incorporated into the text of the policies, as needed.

The Board unanimously adopted the policies listed at its November 11 board meeting.

The Board is committed to periodically evaluating its policies to ensure that it is acting in the best interests of its members and is adhering to the standards set forth by the national LWV.


Advocacy

Observer Corps

The LWVN has had a long history of having Observers of Newton City Government.   We are always in need of observers for all aspects of the City’s activities.  Please contact us if you are interested in becoming a part of our Observer Corps

Currently, we have regular Observers at Newton’s Community Preservation Committee (CPC).  This year our CPC committee is being led by Linda Morrison, and includes members Judy Jaffe, Jack Lovett, and alternate member Marcia Johnson.  Though we continue to observe the CPC meetings, we have taken no positions during this period.  As the City Council begins its deliberations on the establishment of a Housing Trust Fund, there will be much for the League to learn and consider during 2021.

Local Action

We sent a letter to State Representative John Lawn, Chair of the Joint Committee on Election Laws, in support of Governor Baker’s request (House Bill H511), on the City’s behalf, to allow Newton to use mail-in and early in-person voting for Newton’s upcoming special election on March 16, 2021 to fill the empty seats for Wards 1 and 2 City Councilors-at-Large.


Voter Service/Elections

by the Voters Service Team:  Jen Abbott, Bonnie Carter, Theresa Fitzpatrick, Marcia Johnson, Karen Manning, and Sharyn Roberts

We have reason to celebrate this past November 3, 2020’s election with the following stats:

  • 50,571 Newton voters cast ballots representing 80% of Newton’s registered voters, which is a 10% increase from 2016;
  • of those 50,000 approximately 35,000 were vote-by-mail and 10,000 ballots were cast by early in-person voting at the library, and the rest of the ballots were cast in-person on Election Day;
  • despite the large number of ballots cast with the majority being vote-by-mail, Newton was able to report results in a timely way.

Newton successfully managed three major voting streams: early voting, vote-by-mail and in-person voting.  All this happened in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.   This could not have happened without the many dedicated Newton poll workers who labored tirelessly in the months leading up to November 3rd.  We thank Newton’s poll workers for their professionalism and dedication and stepping up to help when they were most needed.

Since we could not thank the poll workers in person at our usual thank you supper at City Hall, we partnered with City Counselors Alicia Bowman, Deb Crossley, Andreae Downs, Andrea Kelley, and Alison Leary and created a Letter of Commendation for Newton Poll Workers, which was read out loud at a full session of the Newton City Council on Monday, December 7, 2020, with the blessing of City Council President Susan Albright.

City Clerk David Olson
City Clerk David Olson

We also partnered with Mayor Ruthanne Fuller’s office assisting in creating a proclamation from the Mayor’s Office thanking David Olson, our City Clerk, and his election staff for their outstanding work in overcoming all kinds of obstacles to give us a fair and free election.  This was presented to David by the Mayor and read out to his whole staff on Wednesday, December 16, 2020.  This date was important to the League because we wanted it to be close to the time when the Electoral College would certify the national vote on December 14th.

 

Photo of LWV mask "Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy."A big thank you to the LWVN Marketing Committee of Jen Abbott, Frieda Dweck, Theresa Fitzpatrick,  and Karen Manning who have created a second LWV mask fundraiser before the Special Election on Tuesday, March 16, 2021.  The design of this mask really “pops” and was the hands-down favorite from the other options created.   Purchase your mask now!   The ordering deadline is Friday, February 19th.

And speaking of the Special Election on March 16th, Newton must hold this election to fill two Councilor-at-Large vacancies; from Ward 1, left open by the sudden death of Allan (Jay) Ciccone, Jr; and from Ward 2 with the resignation of Jake Auchincloss, who is now our Congressman from District Four.  The League is working with NewTV to present two candidates forums, held remotely, that will be recorded and broadcast frequently on the NewTV Government Channel  until March 16th.  We are confirming candidate forum dates as this newsletter “goes to press.”

Our President, Marcia Johnson, sent a letter to Representative John Lawn, in his capacity as the Chairman of the Joint Committee on Election Laws, to support House Bill H5111 that would extend the mail-in and early in-person voting for our Special Election.  This would ensure that Newton voters would feel safe voting in this upcoming election and possibly increase our voter turnout.

We have been asked by several of our city councilors to endorse City Council docket item #494-20 which requests a Home Rule petition providing legal voting rights in municipal elections to 16 and 17 year old residents under the EMPOWER Bill HD1132/SD1949.  Our Board is discussing whether to support this action.


Citizen Education – The League Presents

Despite COVID-19 restrictions, we have been able to work with LWVN member, Maureen Reilly Meagher, and New TV to produce five League Presents  shows on topics important to Newton residents:

  • Vote 16 Newton, a discussion with Newton North High School junior Olivia Pozen and Newton North High School senior Coral Lin, co-chairs of Vote16 Newton, a non-partisan, student run campaign dedicated to lowering the voting age in Newton to 16 years.
  • Fun and Entertainment During the Pandemic, with Newton’s “Instigator of Fun”, Jerry Reilly
  • Voting in Newton During the Pandemic – a conversation with David Olson, Newton’s City Clerk
  • A Conversation with City Council President, Susan Albright
  • Ranked Choice Voting, with Susan Millinger, LWVMA Board Member

We also continue to provide information interesting to our members on our website and Facebook.

Citizen Education – Topic Meetings

Despite the difficulties of our current pandemic lives, the LWVN has continued to provide exciting, albeit virtual, topic meetings for our members.  We have held 4 topic meetings to date, with two more exciting topic meetings coming up:

February 22 at 7:00pm

Crystal LakeA Roundtable Discussion on the Use and Preservation of Crystal Lake

March 9 at 7:00pm

Map of the Massachusetts Fourth Congressional DistrrictRepresenting the 4th: A Conversation with Barney Frank, Joe Kennedy III and Jake Auchincloss

We hope to see you there!

Here is a brief description of the topic meetings we have held so far, and where to get more information on those topics.

Voting is Voice: Women’s Suffrage and Beyond

October 20, 2020 (Tuesday, 7:00-8:30pm). Together with Project Citizenship, The Philanthropy Connection, The Wellesley Centers for Women, and League of Women Voters of Massachusetts (LWVMA), LWVN co-sponsored this virtual forum. A panel of accomplished women reflected on why elections, voting and civic engagement matter so much, considering both the success and shortcomings of the suffrage movement; the empowerment of new voters today; and what future work remains to ensure all citizens can and do exercise their voting rights.

The Color of Law, A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America

Cover: The Color of LawNovember 17, 2020 (Tuesday, 6:30-8:00pm). LWVN joined with the Newton Free Library and Families Organizing for Racial Justice (FORJ) for a presentation by author Richard Rothstein who argued with exacting precision and fascinating insight how segregation in America is the byproduct of explicit government policies at the local, state and federal levels, and offered several concrete suggestions for how to address the housing and economic inequities caused by these policies.

Attendees also heard a conversation between library director, Ellen Meyers, and community activist, Richard Evans, who told his family’s story of encountering discrimination in the 1960’s during the state’s eminent domain taking of land for the construction of the Mass Pike bypass through Newton.

To wrap up the session, Newton City Councilor Deb Crossley introduced attendees to the efforts being made by the City Council to address housing inequities in Newton by engaging in a comprehensive review of Newton’s zoning codes.

View the recording of the session.

Newton’s Zoning Reform

November 19, 2020 (Thursday, 7:30-9:00pm). Newton resident and experienced local architect, Jay Walter, delivered an informed and comprehensive presentation on how the City Council is proposing to change Newton’s Zoning Ordinance, how those changes differ from current zoning, and what effect those changes will have on our community.

View the recording of the presentation.

Community Book Group Discussion of the book Factfulness

Cover: FactfulnessJanuary 10, 2021 (Sunday, 3:00-4:30pm). An intimate group of LWVN members and members of the community participated in an interesting and lively discussion of the book Factfulness.  Factfulness explains how our worldview has been distorted with the rise of new media, how ten common human instincts can prevent us from seeing the world factfully, and how we can learn to overcome these innate biases to help separate fact from fiction when forming our opinions and to see the world more positively.

If you are interested in the topic, here are some additional resources to explore.


Membership

Welcome, new members!

We welcome new members to the LWV!

  • Kara Brewton
  • Nora Lester Murad

CONGRATULATIONS, BONNIE!!!!

Bonnie Carter, Formidable Woman
Linda Morrison and Bonnie Carter celebrate 100 years of woman suffrage

On December 13, 2020, the LWV of Massachusetts celebrated its 100th birthday with a birthday gala attended by over 250 people.

At that celebration, LWVMA honored the “formidable women” from local leagues.  LWVN’s very own Bonnie Carter was recognized as one such “formidable woman” for her over 50 years of work with the League.

We are so proud of you, Bonnie!!


Zoning Redesign

by Linda Morrison and Marcia Johnson

Newton zoning mapAs part of its 2020-2021 program planning, LWVN members identified Newton’s Zoning Redesign project as a critical issue for us to follow.   Zoning ordinance (laws) govern the size and shape of buildings, additions and renovations, and the types of activities that can take place in which buildings.  The City of Newton has been engaged in the redesign/reform of the Zoning Ordinances for several years, and that process has been escalating more recently.

The League has not taken a position on any of the changes being discussed by the City Council.  However, the primary goals of the redesign project – creating a zoning code that is more responsive to a demand for housing that serves a range of incomes, promoting environmentally sustainable development patterns, and preserving and protecting community and neighborhoods – are considered important enough by the LWVN to provide educational opportunities for our members and the community at large.

Zoning redesign/reform is an ongoing effort going back to the early 2010s and has had multiple phases.

  • Phase I – was the establishment of the Zoning Reform Group (ZRG) which produced its final report in 2012. This phase also included the re-draft of Chapter 30 Zoning Ordinances to make the document easier to read and comprehend.
  • Phase II – involves the effort to comprehensively rewrite the Zoning Ordinance and revise the Zoning Map to address the themes within the ZRG report and to better implement the Comprehensive Plan. To stay in touch with the work being done, you can use this community engagement link.
  • Phase III – will require the review the new Zoning Ordinance after one year to consider how well it has worked and make coordinated adjustments leading to an ongoing process of regularly scheduled zoning maintenance.

To learn the basics about the city’s zoning redesign project, we suggest you review the following materials available on the LWVN website:

  1. Read our issue statement on Newton’s Zoning Redesign project
  2. Watch The League Presents, a conversation with City Council Deb Crossley, on the Zoning Redesign Project
  3. Watch Newton resident and experienced architect, Jay Walter, presenting a Newton Zoning Redesign Primer at our November topic meeting and read the Questions & Answers resulting from that presentation.

If you have any questions, you can contact the city at Newton’s Zoning Redesign project or send an email to info@lwvnewton.org.


Commendation:

David Olson

City of Newton Election Staff

In recognition of and with deep gratitude for Newton City Clerk David Olson and the City of Newton Election Staff for your innovative, tireless and effective efforts in creating and implementing new processes in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic for accessible, safe and secure voting during the September 2020 State Primary election and the November 2020 General Election.

All of you reinvented the way our elections were held with your associated workload increasing dramatically. On Election Day in November 2016, 63% of Newton voters voted in person.  Fast forward to four years later in November 2020, 66% of Newton voted by mail. An additional 20% voted early and 14% voted on Election Day. A staggering 33, 571 voters chose to utilize mail-in ballots, some to stay healthy and others with a keen eye on ballot security and ensuring their vote would be counted.

The Newton City Clerk and Election staff spent thousands of hours fulfilling the requests for mail-in ballots, answered countless questions about the process by phone and in person, assured ballot security, reassured voters, and tracked down potentially missing ballots.  David Olson and Newton’s Election staff were calm and responsive, even when voter temperatures ran high.

Moreover, with COVID-19 exposure concerns impacting every human interaction, David Olson and the Election staff ensured the health and safety of City staff, workers and voters at the polls with vigilant physical distancing, mask wearing, barriers and other mitigating protocols.

For their grit, creativity and excellence in preserving the American ideal of one person, one vote and for providing safe, secure access to all Newton voters, it is only fitting and proper that I, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, on behalf of the residents of Newton, express my deep gratitude to and respect for City Clerk David Olson and the Election staff of the City of Newton for their dedication and professionalism in providing fair and free elections.

December 15, 2020

Ruthanne Fuller
Mayor

Categories: Newsletter, no-front-page

Learn

Through its actions and activities, LWVN members strive to learn more about our community and the issues that we care about, to educate and inform the citizens of Newton on issues of political interest to them and to the community, to energize an informed citizenry to participate actively in the political process, and to work to ensure transparency and good government.

The LWVN achieves the goal of educating and informing citizens by engaging them through public conversations on timely and important issues.  We are proud to sponsor and co-sponsor events, sometimes referred to as Topic Meetings, that bring together experts in their fields to share research, analysis, and recommendations with members of LWVN and the Newton community.

More recently, the LWVN sponsored its inaugural Civic Challenge as a fun way to educate our community about federal, state and, most particularly, local government; prepare Newton citizens (both young and old) for their roles as voters; and build community on a non-partisan basis.

To ensure transparency and good government, the LWVN monitors governmental bodies for information of importance to the League and the community/state by using its Observer Corps to attend public meetings subject to the Open Meeting Law.

The LWVN also works to develop positions on particular policies in the public interest and to advocate for that position.  Those positions, at the national, state and local levels, are developed through member study and consensus.

To develop positions on policies, the LWVN engages in member study and consensus, at times on a local level and at other times in coordination with other local leagues, the state league, and the national league.  The League makes decisions carefully, following procedures established over many decades on the national, state, and local levels. While this means that the League can take longer than other organizations to come to a decision, most League members believe that this approach ensures thoughtful and meaningful action.

Topics to be discussed, and/or issues for study and action usually come through one of our committees, although we welcome individual members (or groups that aren’t formal committees) to propose topics for discussion and/or issues for study.

 

 

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March 4th, 5:00 pm

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March 4th, 10:39 am

Barney Frank, Joe Kennedy And Jake Auchincloss To Talk In Newton

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The League of Women Voters in Newton are hosting an online discussion with the three latest Newton Congressmen to represent the district.
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March 2nd, 1:49 pm

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February 26th, 11:16 am

JOIN US! A Discussion with Barney Frank, Joe Kennedy III, and Jake Auchincloss

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For almost 50 years, our Congressional representative from the MA 4th District has been a Newton resident. Join us to hear from the three most recent, whose collective time in Congress dates back to 1...
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