What Are Topic Meetings
Topic meetings are opportunities to learn about or discuss a particular topic of interest to our members and our community. Topic meetings are held throughout the year, at different times and venues. Information about upcoming topic meetings are included in the LWVN weekly news updates and on our Facebook page. You can also find information about our upcoming topic meetings by consulting the homepage of this website, and checking the calendar.
LWVN members with ideas for topic meeting topics or other issues of concern that they would like to hear addressed, should contact us.
Members of the public are welcome to attend!
Upcoming Events
Stayed Tuned for information on upcoming topic meetings!
Recent Topic Meetings
In this virtual topic meeting, Ruth Bourquin, Senior & Managing Attorney for the ACLU Massachusetts, reviews anti-LGBTQIA+ activities happening today both in Massachusetts and across the country, and offers talking points, action tips, and other ways to push back against this growing tide. She is introduced by Newton City Councilor Holly Ryan, who also moderates Q & A from the audience. Ms. Bourquin’s presentation is posted below the video.
View or download the presentation
On Monday, March 6, 2023, the League of Women Voters of Newton hosted the four members of Newton’s state legislative delegation – Sen. Cynthia Creem, Rep. Kay Khan, Rep. Ruth Balser, and Rep. John Lawn – to discuss their roles and responsibilities in the state legislature. Each official made an opening statement, sharing about legislation they are supporting, followed by a Q & A session with the audience.
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On February 15, the League of Women Voters of Brookline, Newton, Needham, Sharon-Stoughton, and Wellesley hosted a Q & A conversation with Congressman Jake Auchincloss, of the Massachusetts 4th District. After brief introductory remarks, Congressman Auchincloss answered a question from each of the sponsoring Leagues, followed by questions from the audience.
Members who attended the February 7th member meeting on the 2023 override proposal voted unanimously in favor of supporting the 3 ballot question package.
Members heard from Christine Dutt, co-chair of Vote Yes for Newton, about the history of Prop 2 ½, how overrides are used in other municipalities and have been used in Newton in the past, and what the current proposal offers Newton residents. Leaders of No Override Newton were also invited to present, but the group did not participate. The address for the No Override Newton website, which had launched earlier in the day, was shared with the group, and some Newton Taxpayer Association videos expressing the “vote no” position had been shared prior to the meeting.
Following the Vote Yes for Newton presentation, LWVN president, Marcia Johnson, shared slides containing information compiled by LWVN member Jane Harper that outlined how each provision of the override package aligns with LWVN positions in the areas of Land Use, Human Services, Environmental Quality, and Transportation.
Debbie Winnick, of the LWV of Cape Cod, facilitated a question and answer period before the question of whether LWVN should “support the passage of Newton’s 2023 override proposal” was put to a vote. Attendance at the meeting exceeded the requirements for a quorum, and all 26 members attending voted in favor.
On Wednesday, February 16, 2022, LWVN, and its co-sponsor the Charles River Regional Chamber (CRRC), gathered for a virtual presentation by the Leadership Now Project (LNP) on the state of our democracy nationally and in Massachusetts, followed by a robust conversation on the state of our democracy and the role business and associations can play in helping to uphold it.
We thank Sarah Rahman (LWVN, CRRC, and LNP member), and Zak Smith (Strategy and Program Manager for LNP) for a wonderful meeting.
Thank you to Karen Slote and Sunwoo Kahng of the Newton Sustainable Materials Management Commission for their impactful presentation on February 3, 2022. Karen and Sunwoo shared recommendations being made by the Commission to set Newton on the path towards zero waste (including measurable goals, variable size carts, ‘less cost for less trash’ programs, and citywide organics collection), and then answered over 20 questions posed by webinar attendees.
We encourage our members and the community to look over the Commission’s Report (Fall, 2021). Questions can be sent to: newtonsmmc@gmail.com.
Sunday, January 9, 2022 3-4:30pm. Community Book Group, Where Do we Go From Here: Chaos or Community, by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We had an interesting discussion of Dr. King’s views on racial and social justice, and how the views expressed by him in 1967 have changed or stayed the same.
December 9, 2021 (Thursday, 7:00-8:00pm) – An Educational Forum on the American Rescue Plan Act and Its Impact on Newton. LWVN co-sponsored an educational forum, together with U-CHAN, regarding the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
December 6, 2021 (Monday, 7:30-8:30pm) – A Conversation with Congressman Jake Auchincloss. LWVN, together with Brookline, Needham, Sharon-Stoughton, and Wellesley Leagues of Women Voters, hosted a conversation on Zoom with Congressman Jake Auchincloss, in which we heard about the Congressman’s legislative accomplishments from the past year and discussed the upcoming congressional session and redistricting of the 4th district.
September 13, 2021 (Monday, 7:00-8:00pm) – Reimaging our Village Centers. As part of the City’s community engagement efforts related to the redesign of the City’s Zoning Code, LWVN invited community members to get together to share their experiences of, and their future visions for, their village centers.
Previous Topic Meetings
For information about previous topic meetings and related resources, see Previous Topic Meetings.