The Newton Villages Alliance is Newton's community preservation organization, and we believe this year's municipal election is critically important. At present, Newton's City Council has a solid majority that will rubber stamp over-sized developments at Riverside, Northland and elsewhere. This group will vote for the Fuller administration's planned re-zoning of the entire city for much higher-density, gentrification, displacement and higher housing prices and taxes. Many people are unhappy about the teardowns, high-density-high-priced developments, school overcrowding, increasing traffic and parking demand, and declining quality of life. Many are concerned about the override that will be coming very soon. The only way to change the trajectory Newton is on from the one that profits the property speculators, to the one that preserves our community for all, is to vote for the best candidates on November 5 and again in two years. This year, as in most years, only some of the seats are contested races. In this year's contested races, these are the candidates we support:
Ward 1 Ward Councilor: Allan Ciccone, Sr.
Ward 2 Ward Councilor: Emily Norton
Ward 2 Councilor at Large: Tarik Lucas and Jennifer Bentley (You can vote for two.)
Ward 3 Ward Councilor: Julia Malakie
Ward 3 Councilor at Large: Pamela Wright
Ward 5 Ward Councilor: Rena Getz (Write In Candidate)
Ward 5 Councilor at Large: Paul Coletti
Ward 6 Ward Councilor: Lisa Gordon
Ward 6 Councilor at Large: Greg Schwartz
Ward 1 Ward Councilor: Allan Ciccone, Sr.
Ward 2 Ward Councilor: Emily Norton
Ward 2 Councilor at Large: Tarik Lucas and Jennifer Bentley (You can vote for two.)
Ward 3 Ward Councilor: Julia Malakie
Ward 3 Councilor at Large: Pamela Wright
Ward 5 Ward Councilor: Rena Getz (Write In Candidate)
Ward 5 Councilor at Large: Paul Coletti
Ward 6 Ward Councilor: Lisa Gordon
Ward 6 Councilor at Large: Greg Schwartz
Click on the images below, which are linked to candidates' websites and videos in most cases...
Ward 1 Ward Councilor: Allan Ciccone, Sr
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Ward 2 Ward Councilor: Emily Norton
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Ward 2 Councilor at Large: Tarik Lucas and Jennifer Bentley (You can vote for two.)
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Ward 3 Ward Councilor: Julia Malakie
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Ward 3 Councilor at Large: Pamela Wright
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Ward 5 Ward Councilor: Rena Getz (Write In Candidate)
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Ward 5 Councilor at Large: Paul Coletti
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Ward 6 Ward Councilor: Lisa Gordon
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Ward 6 Councilor at Large: Greg Schwartz
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Newtonville Area Council Race
If you live in Ward 2, when you go to vote, please ask for a ballot for the Newtonville Area Council. If you are a constituent in the Newtonville Area Council's boundaries, the poll workers will give you a ballot. In this race we support the following candidates:
Kirill Alshewski
Peter Bruce
Dana D'Agostino
Carolyn Gabbay
Martina Jackson
Susan Reisler
Pam Shufro
Katikey Trivedi
You can learn more about these great candidates at their website here.
If you live in Ward 2, when you go to vote, please ask for a ballot for the Newtonville Area Council. If you are a constituent in the Newtonville Area Council's boundaries, the poll workers will give you a ballot. In this race we support the following candidates:
Kirill Alshewski
Peter Bruce
Dana D'Agostino
Carolyn Gabbay
Martina Jackson
Susan Reisler
Pam Shufro
Katikey Trivedi
You can learn more about these great candidates at their website here.
About the Newton Villages Alliance
The Newton Villages Alliance is Newton's community preservation organization. We are committed to:
Our priorities are very much aligned with those of the Community Preservation Act of Massachusetts. In addition, we are committed to local representation in the form of ward councilors and area councils, to genuine resident-led planning about the future of our villages and neighborhoods, and to greater transparency in our local government. We oppose privatization of public assets, building on public open space, and the influence of property speculators, developers and their attorneys and consultants on our planning department and local government. We oppose the efforts of unelected state and federal bureaucrats to usurp elected local government authority over local land use policy. We believe Chapter 40B is the worst way to create affordable housing, has failed to improve housing affordability in the Commonwealth and should be repealed. We believe the Fuller administration made a terrible error in judgment when they abandoned Newton's assertion of 40B 1.5% safe harbor, thus re-opening the door to unwanted, over-sized 40B developments.
The Newton Villages Alliance is Newton's community preservation organization. We are committed to:
- the preservation and expansion of open space, trees and green space in our Garden City
- the preservation of historic assets including buildings, streetscapes and natural places for future generations
- the preservation of natural and subsidized affordable housing; to small-scale, non-profit, 100% affordable-in-perpetuity affordable housing projects; and to the socio-economic diversity Newton struggles to maintain
- the preservation and improvement of parks and recreational facilities essential to the health and well-being of our residents of all ages.
Our priorities are very much aligned with those of the Community Preservation Act of Massachusetts. In addition, we are committed to local representation in the form of ward councilors and area councils, to genuine resident-led planning about the future of our villages and neighborhoods, and to greater transparency in our local government. We oppose privatization of public assets, building on public open space, and the influence of property speculators, developers and their attorneys and consultants on our planning department and local government. We oppose the efforts of unelected state and federal bureaucrats to usurp elected local government authority over local land use policy. We believe Chapter 40B is the worst way to create affordable housing, has failed to improve housing affordability in the Commonwealth and should be repealed. We believe the Fuller administration made a terrible error in judgment when they abandoned Newton's assertion of 40B 1.5% safe harbor, thus re-opening the door to unwanted, over-sized 40B developments.
Newton Villages Alliance Statement
Newton is the home we cherish. We value its architectural character, history, scale and socio-economic diversity. Newton residents are deeply invested in their community, both economically and emotionally. Whether they have been living here for decades or recently moved here, most residents chose Newton precisely for its suburban qualities, not because they hope to see it grow ever more urban. In recent years people from different villages, each interested in resolving a particular development-related problem, came to recognize that those from other villages shared similar concerns. Decisions were being made, it seemed, without residents having meaningful input. We don't wish to stand by as the leafy suburb of family neighborhoods that we know and love is lost to a dense urban environment. We understand that we all lose when any village falls victim to demolitions and over-development. So we formed an alliance - the Newton Villages Alliance. We invite you to accept our email updates about development issues affecting all of Newton's villages and neighborhoods.
One issue is density. The costs of density - overcrowded schools, traffic jams, parking shortages, tree and green space loss, overburdened City services and increasing taxes - fall on the existing residents of Newton. The current development patterns are eliminating Newton's existing affordable houses and replacing them with luxury condos and McMansions. Dense residential growth is damaging to Newton in terms of its negative impact on our quality of life, and because it drives our local government further into debt. We should demand housing sustainability, not growth. Peruse other parts of this website for more detail about the problems of excessive and inappropriate development.
Check this site frequently to see how your city councilors are voting, and how the people they appoint to commissions and advisory groups, are voting on land use, zoning, "surplusing" and other aspects of City Hall's high-density, urbanization agenda. And remember, at the next election, whether they voted to protect our villages or to help developers urbanize them.
The members of the Newton Villages Alliance believe that when people move to Newton they are becoming part of an established community. They value and expect stability in the character of our neighborhoods, the quality of our schools, the accessibility to public transportation, the village centers with their valuable cultural and commercial amenities, and the wide array of local government-supported services and programs. They expect their elected officials and public employees to value and protect that stability as well. We invite all Newton residents to help us in our efforts to preserve the character and the scale of our villages and neighborhoods...
The Members of the Newton Villages Alliance
Newton is the home we cherish. We value its architectural character, history, scale and socio-economic diversity. Newton residents are deeply invested in their community, both economically and emotionally. Whether they have been living here for decades or recently moved here, most residents chose Newton precisely for its suburban qualities, not because they hope to see it grow ever more urban. In recent years people from different villages, each interested in resolving a particular development-related problem, came to recognize that those from other villages shared similar concerns. Decisions were being made, it seemed, without residents having meaningful input. We don't wish to stand by as the leafy suburb of family neighborhoods that we know and love is lost to a dense urban environment. We understand that we all lose when any village falls victim to demolitions and over-development. So we formed an alliance - the Newton Villages Alliance. We invite you to accept our email updates about development issues affecting all of Newton's villages and neighborhoods.
One issue is density. The costs of density - overcrowded schools, traffic jams, parking shortages, tree and green space loss, overburdened City services and increasing taxes - fall on the existing residents of Newton. The current development patterns are eliminating Newton's existing affordable houses and replacing them with luxury condos and McMansions. Dense residential growth is damaging to Newton in terms of its negative impact on our quality of life, and because it drives our local government further into debt. We should demand housing sustainability, not growth. Peruse other parts of this website for more detail about the problems of excessive and inappropriate development.
Check this site frequently to see how your city councilors are voting, and how the people they appoint to commissions and advisory groups, are voting on land use, zoning, "surplusing" and other aspects of City Hall's high-density, urbanization agenda. And remember, at the next election, whether they voted to protect our villages or to help developers urbanize them.
The members of the Newton Villages Alliance believe that when people move to Newton they are becoming part of an established community. They value and expect stability in the character of our neighborhoods, the quality of our schools, the accessibility to public transportation, the village centers with their valuable cultural and commercial amenities, and the wide array of local government-supported services and programs. They expect their elected officials and public employees to value and protect that stability as well. We invite all Newton residents to help us in our efforts to preserve the character and the scale of our villages and neighborhoods...
The Members of the Newton Villages Alliance
