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Work for Newton
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We are writing to express our deepest gratitude for your leadership and work on the “Welcoming City Ordinance” on February 21st. The passage of the ordinance has been a critical step in providing sanctuary for all immigrants who call Newton home, or work in Newton. |
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Newton 2018 and beyond...
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I want to use sound planning to:
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Create Diverse Housing Options
- Support policies and ordinances that allow the creation of housing for all income groups that preserves our neighborhoods and strengthens village centers
- Support opportunities for millennials and seniors to live/stay in Newton
- Encourage business development in Newton supporting middle income workforce housing
- Support transit oriented projects in village centers which bring mixed income housing opportunities near transportation and shops. In addition to housing these projects bring a critical mass of people to buy from village shops to enhance their commercial viability
- Explain to my constituents why new housing is essential for the future of Newton and our region to spread the tax burden on the growing percentage of Newton seniors with newcomers, provide homes for young workers to replace retiring seniors, provide homes near work for millennials, provide options for seniors who want to remain in Newton, preserve the diminishing diversity of Newton though affordable housing
Support Strong Village Centers
- Advocate for policies and projects that create walkable communities
- Support local businesses
- Vote for traffic controls that reduce congestion all over the city
- Encourage road/sidewalk infrastructure that supports pedestrians
- Work for a healthy mix of uses in the village centers
- Plan for the Newtonville and Washington St. Corridor redesign
Create and Maintain Sound Infrastructure and Protect the Environment
- Maintain and repair roads and sidewalks
- Continue to renovate and maintain city and school buildings
- Insist on undergrounding our ugly wires at all major developments to enhance our environment
- Continue our plans and implementation processes for water/sewer/storm water work
- Create additional off-leash dog areas
- Create a sustainable method for all-city composting to remove organic materials from the solid waste stream
- Support policies and budgets to prioritize the use of renewable energy for city buildings
Make Transit work for Newton
- Fix the Train Stations so that they are accessible. Public/private partnership needed
- Work with Rep. Khan and MassDOT to create a two track solution for all three train stations in Newton to enhance service
- Enhance accessibility on the Green line stations
Encourage Policies for Strong Commercial Base
- Commercial growth in appropriate areas under sound planning principles
- Work with the Chamber to identify areas where city policy can support a strong business community - Give my docket item to abolish meter payment in certain village centers before the holidays a try!
With smart technology we can:
- Smart Technology for Newton's workers and citizens:
- Link all departments together providing access to important data across departments
- Support workers in the field with mobile technology linked to the central repository
- Enhance citizen engagement with city government
Examine pros/cons of upgrading to newer technology systems
Strong Schools
- Vote for sufficient funds to recruit and maintain a high quality staff
- Support a physical infrastructure that supports a high quality education
- Explain to the public that our support for our schools is evidence of the social contract at work only 27% of Newton’s households have school age children – the rest of us are helping to keep the future for Newton strong by supporting our schools
