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This week’s newsletter includes campaign trail updates, early and mail-in voting info, updates on two new housing developments, D Line work updates, and an Indigenous Peoples’ Day reminder for the Monday holiday.
Yesterday was a beautiful afternoon to knock on my 1000th Ward 5 door for the year! It has been great to have the opportunity to hear from residents directly on problems they need help with and then to be able to use my power in office to get them help quickly.
I also had a great day in Newton Upper Falls last Sunday at my campaign booth at the Village Day, talking to Ward 5 constituents. Many similar events were canceled the past year and a half due to the pandemic, but fortunately we were able to hold this one safely and without too much difficulty due to the timing and location! It was great to be able to assist Upper Falls residents with questions they had for me.
New Endorsements
I am honored once again to receive the endorsement of the Sierra Club of Massachusetts in my campaign for re-election to Newton City Council! We’ve got a lot of work to do in Newton to halt and rein in the out-of-control gas leak negligence by private utility companies and to bring an end to fossil fuel dependence in transportation, commercial, and residential settings.
I'm also gratified to be endorsed once again this year by Engine 6, our local housing advocacy organization. I keep thinking about how many units of low-income, middle-income, senior housing and more we've approved this term without much fanfare. We're moving in the right direction. But on the other hand, overwhelmingly the newly approved units of housing have been for “non-controversial” affordable housing projects (e.g. senior housing) and tended to be on the geographic margins of Newton. So, that’s a good reminder that we need to do more.
Finally, I'm pleased to receive the endorsement of the Newton Gun Violence Prevention Collaborative this year. This is a new organization that grew out of the policy debate in the city earlier this year around a proposed gun store. The organization pushed for a strict zoning ordinance and special permit supermajority requirement for any would-be firearms industry businesses, but they did not favor an outright ban due to the judicial risks such a strategy was likely to pose to the nationwide gun safety movement. They sent questionnaires to candidates and evaluated where they stood during the debate earlier this year and only endorsed candidates who had agreed with this strategic choice, which I did.
I am almost out of lawn signs for this year, but you can still request one here.
Early and Mail-in Voting Information
We haven’t officially held a final full City Council vote yet on our new municipal early voting program, but the likely dates and times (as selected by the Programs & Services Committee, on which I serve) are as follows:
Early Voting is expected to be held at City Hall, Mon-Fri, October 25-29, from 8:30 AM to 5 PM, and also Sat October 30, from 8:30 to Noon. (Saturday voting has to end early because election staff need time to prepare final administrative paperwork for Tuesday.) The full City Council will officially be voting on these recommendations on Oct 18, but we don't anticipate changes.
You can also vote by mail and avoid any in-person voting at all by applying with this form. But don’t wait much longer to apply because with the current ongoing postal delays you will want to allow plenty of time to get your mail ballot sent in (unless you use a secure drop-box outside City Hall, which is available until polls close on November 2.)
New Housing
On September 27, I attended the official ceremony handing over the Massachusetts Army National Guard Armory in Newton to the City of Newton for $1 to convert it to permanent, 100% low-income housing. We heard a history of Newton guardsmen through the generations. Responses to our request for proposals for affordable housing redevelopment in the building have been received and are now being evaluated. More on that when we have more to announce!
On October 7, I attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Haywood House, a permanently deeply affordable housing development from the Newton Housing Authority named in honor of Rev. Howard Haywood of the Myrtle Baptist Church, the late civil rights and housing activist from our community. The project should be completed in December 2022.
Upcoming D Line Work Schedule
A reminder from the MBTA about more upcoming service disruptions related to finishing up their current improvement project on the D Line:
On the Green Line D Track and Signal Replacement Project, track inspections, trackwork items identified by those inspections, and cleanup activities will continue through the fall. Crews are also testing the new signals between Eliot and Brookline Hills stations. As a reminder, shuttle buses are scheduled to replace D Branch service between Riverside and Brookline Village on weeknights through October 21 beginning at 8:45 PM through the end of service. Visit the D Branch alerts page for the latest information about service changes.
Reminder of IPD Celebrations This Monday
Newton's first official Indigenous Peoples Day Ceremonial Celebration will be held on Monday. Here is the event information from the organizers:
Join your friends and neighbors on Monday, October 11 from 12-5pm at Albemarle Field in Newton for a family-oriented celebration of Indigenous culture, art, and history!
Indigenous Peoples Day Newton 2021 will spotlight and celebrate the music, dance, poetry, and the visual art of diverse Native artists that currently live in the Northeast. It will be an outdoor, daytime, family-oriented cultural and spiritual celebration that is open, accessible, and welcoming to all residents of Newton and neighboring towns.
The goal is to make concrete our city's recent recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day as an official city holiday. The intention is for this event to become a beloved annual event on our city's calendar.
Over 40 artists, performers, speakers, vendors, and community organizations will attend. Refreshments can be purchased from onsite food truck(s). Spend the afternoon in celebration, ceremony, and support of the rich Indigenous traditions that are an enduring and vibrant facet of our community!