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Newton Preliminary Election – Tuesday, September 12, 2023

August 7, 2023

Three candidates are running for the position of Ward Councilor in Wards 2 and 6. A preliminary election will be held on Tuesday, September 12 to narrow the selection of candidates to two for the general election in November. Please note that only Ward 2 residents can vote in the Ward 2 Ward Councilor election, and only Ward 6 residents can vote in the Ward 6 Ward Councilor election.

Who are the candidates and how can Newton voters learn more?

The Candidates

The three candidates for Ward 2 include:

The three candidates for Ward 6 include:

View the Candidate Forums and Review our 2023 Preliminary Voters’ Guide

LWVN held candidate forums on August 22 and August 23 at the offices of NewTV and recorded by NewTV. You can view those forums here:

Ward 2 Candidate Forum Ward 6 Candidate Forum

Read candidate responses to our questions in the Voters’ Guide for the 2023 Newton Preliminary Elections

Read below for more information about how to plan your vote.

LWVN Supports Northland Charlemont Project

July 28, 2023

On July 28, 2023, LWVN sent a letter to the Zoning Board of Appeals in support of Northland 160 Charlemont LLC’s request for a Comprehensive Permit for a project to feature 370 residential units comprising 465,654 gross square feet of area in two seven-story structures on 6.98 acres of land located at 160 Charlemont Street and 56 Christina Street in the Mixed Use 1 Zoning District (Northland Charlemont Project). The project includes 438 parking stalls and 93 affordable units.

The Northland Charlemont Project will help make Newton’s housing stock more diverse by providing an alternative to single-family homes. In addition, 25 percent of the units will be affordable, producing 93 new affordable units in the City of Newton. LWVN supports Zoning Board of Appeals Member Brooke Lipsitt’s request that the developer make affordable units available at a deeper level than the 80 percent of area median income required by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. We believe deeper affordability is necessary to meet community
needs, particularly given the shortage of affordable housing in the City. Furthermore, the developer has stated its goal to reduce the project’s energy consumption over its lifetime, include include shuttle service and a bike path, and provide access to electric vehicle charging to 20 percent of the parking spaces.

The Northland Charlemont Project will help meet goals common to the City of Newton and LWVN: increasing housing diversity; building sustainably; mitigating the use of cars; encouraging biking and walking; and increasing tax revenue for the City.

You can read the entirety of LWVN’s letter below:

Contact Your State Representatives Regarding HD4220, An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws

July 20, 2023

Please contact your State Representative in support of An Act to Modernize Firearm Laws, HD4220.

We are not immune to gun violence in Massachusetts. While the Commonwealth has the lowest rate of gun deaths nationwide, according to the Gun Violence Archive, 387 people have been killed and more than 1,000 injured in Massachusetts in 2023. In the first 18 days of July alone, eight people have been killed and 18 injured by firearms across the Commonwealth, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

The opposition to this bill is organized, loud and fierce. It is critical that legislators, even though they are pro-gun control, can count the number of constituents on the other side. Each of us needs to contact our state representative and state senator in support of this bill.

On Monday, July 17, Representative Michael Day of Stoneham, Chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, briefed LWVMA members on this new omnibus bill. View the recording here.

Read the LWVMA summary and press release here.

If you have access to the Boston Globe, check out their July 10 editorial on this bill: Why Massachusetts can’t wait for Congress to enact stronger gun safety laws (bostonglobe.com)

Monday, July 17 at 7pm: Zoom Informational Meeting on Proposed Gun Control Laws

July 14, 2023

Aren’t we safe from gun violence in Massachusetts? While the Commonwealth has the lowest rate of gun deaths nationwide, we are not immune. According to the Gun Violence Archive, 387 people have been killed and more than 1,000 injured in Massachusetts in 2023. It will take all of us to stem the rising tide of gun violence that claims the lives 130 Americans every day.

Representative Michael Day of Stoneham, Chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, will brief us on his brand new omnibus bill, An Act to Modernize Firearm Laws, HD4220, on Monday, July 17 at 7:00 PM via Zoom. Chair Day filed the 141 page bill–the most sweeping legislation since the gun reform bill of 2014. Conducting an 11 stop firearms listening tour throughout the Commonwealth, Rep. Day was charged with writing the bill following the US Supreme Court’s decision in the Bruen concealed carry case.

Read the LWVMA summary and press release here.

If you have access to the Boston Globe, check out their July 10 editorial on this bill: Why Massachusetts can’t wait for Congress to enact stronger gun safety laws (bostonglobe.com)

LWVN Supports Village Center Overlay District

June 26, 2023

On June 26, 2023, LWVN sent a letter to the City Council in support of the Village Center Overlay District (VCOD) in furtherance of the positions of LWVN and implementation of the Massachusetts Housing Choice Bill (MBTA Communities).

The VCOD is structured to promote safe and secure housing at a range of price points, while incentivizing increasing supply of smaller units. It concentrates the opportunity for compact development near transit and where key infrastructure exists, providing support to our local economy with minimal increase in car trips, while supporting walkable centers. It is in furtherance of the regional plan (MBTA Communities) enacted to address the critical housing shortage by increasing the housing supply statewide, particularly in connection with transportation hubs.