Voters Guide: Newton Municipal Election, November 7, 2023

Welcome to the LWV Newton 2023 Municipal Election Voters Guide

The LWVN publishes Voters Guides before each election to help voters learn more about candidates. For this Voters Guide guide, we invited all candidates to answer the following questions.  Once a candidate has submitted answers, their name below will become a link to a page displaying their basic information and their answers.

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City Councilor Questions

1. Was your motivation to run for office prompted by an issue which impacts the community that is not being adequately addressed? (“Motivation”)
2. Housing affordability and its role in increasing racial diversity in Newton has been a stated goal. What measures would you take and support in order to meet this goal? (“Housing”)
3. Small businesses are the heart of our economy and they are struggling. How can you help the city support these businesses? (“Small businesses”)
4. Buildings are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Newton. Residential and commercial buildings need to be weatherized and electrified. Relying on voluntary action produces extremely slow progress. What incentives or mandates would you put in place to motivate home owners to weatherize their houses? (“Weatherization”)

School Committee Questions

1. What policies would you like to see put in place to improve the mental health of our students? (“Mental Health”)
2. How do you feel about the importance of DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) in our schools and how should DEI concerns determine the way in which we teach our students? (“DEI”)
3. There is evidence that students are still struggling to return to their pre-pandemic levels of learning. MCAS scores are still much lower than before 2019. How do you think Newton Public Schools should address this loss of learning? (“Learning”)
4. About half of our schools have been or will be renovated in the last ten years. What do you think should be the plan for bringing the remaining schools up to par? (“Renovations”)

For more information, including poll locations and sample ballots, visit the Newton Election Department.

Candidates by Ward

^*Awaiting response from candidate.

Ward 1 Councilor at Large Alison Leary John Oliver* Ward Councilor Maria Scibelli Greenberg* School Committee Rajeev Parlikar

Ward 2 Councilor at Large Susan Albright Tarik Lucas Ward Councilor Dan Gaynor* David Micley* School Committee Chris Brezski*

Ward 3 Councilor at Large Andrea Kelley Pam Wright* Ward Councilor Julia Malakie* School Committee Anping Shen*

Ward 4 Councilor at Large Lenny Gentile* Josh Krintzman* Ward Councilor Randy Block Doris Ann Sweet School Committee Tamika Olszewski*

Ward 5 Councilor at Large Deb Crossley Andreae Downs Rena Getz* Ward Councilor Bill Humphrey School Committee Emily Prenner*

Ward 6 Councilor at Large Alicia Bowman Vicki Danberg Alan Lobovits* Ward Councilor Martha Bixby Lisa Gordon School Committee Paul Levy*

Ward 7 Councilor at Large Becky Grossman* Marc Laredo* Ward Councilor Lisle Baker School Committee Amy Davenport*

Ward 8 Councilor at Large David Kalis* Rick Lipof Ward Councilor Stephen Farrell Holly Ryan School Committee Barry Greenstein*

^*No response from candidate.