Early in June, Marcia Johnson had the pleasure of speaking with Ms. Carol Moore about her role as Newton’s City Clerk & Clerk of the City Council. Ms. Moore is a career public servant with over twenty years in public administration and management. The last six years she has held the role of City Clerk and is a certified Municipal Clerk. She is the first woman to be selected as City Clerk/Clerk of the Council for Newton. After David Olson left in early 2020, there were a number of months while these roles were vacant before Newton was lucky enough to find her. Ms. Moore has a steep learning curve and big job running the offices of the City Clerk, Elections and Clerk of the Council. Please listen to the program and learn about Ms. Moore who has demonstrated that she is up to the task and doing a wonderful job.
The League Presents...
The League Presents: Zoning Redesign, part 1
In August 2020, I had the pleasure of having a conversation with Councilor Crossley, Chair of the Zoning & Planning Committee of the City Council (ZAP). As a follow-up, this evening, to that program, I spoke with Deb about the City’s progress on zoning redesign, with a focus on:
- A brief refresher on zoning principles
- Actions taken to-date, since August 2020
- Village Redesign, Phase I; citizen engagement/outcomes
- Village Redesign Phase II; zoning to achieve public policy objectives
Please watch for an upcoming program on the MBTA Communities legislation and what it might mean for Newton.
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The League Presents: Newton’s Citizens Commission on Energy
Marcia Johnson had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Halina Brown, Chair of Newton’s Citizens Commission on Energy. In this program, Halina helps us to learn about the Commission, and the important work it does on behalf of the city and the overall sustainability of our community and world. During our conversation we learned about:
- The Energy Commission: its creation, mission, members, and how it operates
- It’s greatest (recent) accomplishments
- The greatest challenge for Newton in terms of climate protection
- What the Commission is doing to help tackle this challenge
- How LWVN can contribute to the Commission’s work
Halina is a retired professor of Environmental Science and Policy at Clark University and Newton resident for 39 years. Since her retirement from Clark University she has been actively involved in the development and implementation of Newton’s Climate Action Plan. She also is a longtime League member.
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The League Presents: What it means to be a League of Women Voters member
The heart and soul of the League is its members, who inspire me every day through their contributions to and participation in our programs and advocacy. So I am pleased to introduce you to two members who spoke to me about what the League means to them: Linda Green, who has been a League member for 10 years and is our most recent Jane Leighton award winner; and Jack Lovett, who has been a League member for 2 years. I hope that our conversation will help people learn more about how they can become more involved in the League and what we do for democracy and Newton.
Marcia Johnson
President, LWVN
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The League Presents: A Conversation with Three New School Committee Members
In the November 2021 municipal election, there were three School Committee candidates who were unopposed, Rajeev Parlikar (Ward 1), Chris Brezski (Ward 2), and Cove Davis (Ward 8).
According to League policies, unopposed candidates are not permitted to participate in our candidate forums. Therefore, the LWVN thought it important to invite these new School Committee members to The League Presents so that Newton can begin to get to know them, their thoughts, and priorities relative to the Newton Public School System.
Our conversation focused on the following three areas:
- Their highest priority for the 2022-23 term of office
- Their thoughts on how the NPS is and should be addressing the social-emotional health of students, at all grade levels.
- Given the strains that Covid-19 is putting on students, families, educators, and all staff, their thoughts as the changes should be done to mitigate/alleviate these strains?
Please join me in wishing them great success in the 2022-23 term.
Marcia Johnson