Tarik Lucas

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?

Over the past 10 years, the city has failed to grow its commercial tax base. And we are paying for this mistake. The city put a priority on a laudable goal of building more housing, but they have let our peer communities (Waltham and Watertown) go laughing all the way to the bank. The city needs to be proactive and not reactive within Economic Development. We need to be welcoming to the business community. Which means speed up approvals for small businesses and restaurants. And we need to identify new businesses and industries that we want to attract to Newton.

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?

Let’s give credit where credit is due. The city has been proactive within this arena on developing smaller and more affordable homes. We adopted a new ADU ordinance that goes above and beyond what the state requires. We also adopted the MBTA zoning that allows for smaller apartment buildings to be constructed by right (no Special Permit required). And we have created the Affordable Housing Trust, which allows for the spending and acquisition of affordable housing in a more efficient manner. Before we do anything greater, we must first examine how these new policies and programs work. Then if necessary make the proper adjustments.

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

Newton is doing what it does best—it is a leader in the Commonwealth when it comes to green policies and initiatives. But Newton can expand on protecting its tree canopy. We can make adjustments in our Zoning Ordinances to increase open space in our residential neighborhoods to allow for pollinator gardens, trees, and to reduce heat islands.

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?

As a City Councilor, I have had a hard time looking for information on the city’s website. Some information, like crash reports, require someone to file a public records request. It shouldn’t have to be like this. But as a City Councilor, I don’t wait to be told to do something, I take the lead. That’s why every month, I publish a newsletter. My newsletter is available on my website and on social media. In my newsletter, I include clickable links to the city’s website, and I display images and charts that would normally require a lot of work to find on the city’s website. I have also started hosting office hours.