Cyrus Dahmubed

Questions and Answers

Question 1: After 40+ years of Prop 2 ½, a very limited ability to pass overrides, steep increases in expenses such as employee benefits and utilities, and a relatively small commercial tax base, Newton faces fiscal challenges not encountered by our peer communities, making it increasingly difficult to adequately fund our schools and other city services. What are your ideas for raising revenues or otherwise addressing Newton’s fiscal challenges?

We can encourage new revenue growth where we have zoned for it, around transportation and commercial areas, by reducing continued limitations and streamlining permitting and approvals. We can create new areas for residential, mixed-use, and commercial growth and revenue with by-right zoning in our underused/unused industrial/manufacturing areas. We can readjust the schedule and rate of our repayment of the pension board so that we are still meeting our obligations, while also ensuring that we have more funds available for our schools and shared resources. These are ways we may decrease and delay the need for an override in the coming years.

Question 2: What, specifically, can the City Council do to ensure that lower income residents, young families, and long-term residents looking to downsize, can afford housing in Newton?

The Council can facilitate the creation of more varied, accessible, and affordable housing options in several ways, including: understanding and addressing gaps in our existing zoning that are preventing or discouraging the creation of sustainable, transit-oriented multifamily housing, similarly reviewing our accessory dwelling unit (ADU) ordinance to decrease barriers to production, designing policies to encourage the preservation of smaller and less expensive homes in scenarios that would not result in net new housing, and creating by-right zoning for housing and mixed-use growth in our underused/unused industrial/manufacturing districts.

Question 3: What is Newton doing to address climate change, how effective are these efforts, and what else could/should we be doing?

Guided by our CAP, Newton is aiming for net-zero by 2050; we are electrifying municipal buildings, using their property and rooftops for solar panels, renaturalizing our open spaces and waterways, enhancing tree canopy protections, and increasing and improving safety of multimodal transit options. Our BERDO and Power Choice programs mean existing buildings will become more sustainable, and tying BERDO to historic preservation could expand impact and align goals. Encouraging higher performance standards for new buildings, transitioning away from natural gas, and encouraging EV’s through parking policies can help further reduce our emissions.

Question 4: Government transparency refers to the obligation of a government to proactively share information related to the management of public resources and decision-making; it’s indispensable to accountability and to an informed electorate. A recent initiative conducted by Newton’s LWV identified significant deficiencies in Newton’s local government transparency and specifically with respect to the City’s website. How do you think improved transparency could benefit our city? What improvements would you advocate for to the City website or transparency in general?

Our City website isn’t working for many residents, which means it’s time for an update that creates a more intuitive and accessible platform for people to access the information they need without frustration. Many newsletters that land in our inboxes are helpful, but only to those signed up for them. We need more open and innovative platforms for explaining and communicating the operations of City government, from better use of social media as a communication tool to tried-and-true solutions like community listening hours, walking tours, and office hours. We also need to prioritize greater and earlier communication about our budget.