Policies
Constituent Services
Navigating municipal bureaucracy and city services can be complicated and even intimidating. On the City Council I will:
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Send out a monthly newsletter about events in Newton and what is going on in City Hall
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Host monthly public office hours where residents can come talk to me about whatever is on their mind
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Release an annual report about votes I’ve taken on the council where I invite feedback from residents
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Be accessible through my email and personal cell (617-413-6330) where residents can contact me with feedback, suggestions, or requests for help
Strong Schools
The success of our schools is a personal priority - I am a former teacher and my wife worked as a social worker at Bigelow. On the City Council I will:
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Advocate for a budget that fully funds our schools to support reasonable class sizes, adequate mental health resources, and an academically rigorous environment for our students
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Demand fair salaries for our teachers so we can continue to attract the best and brightest educational talent
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Work to ensure NPS is a desired place of learning for all students
Better Streets and Infrastructure
Our streets are in terrible condition due to long term underfunding. Well-paved roads and better-designed intersections are a quality of life and safety issue for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. On the City Council I will:
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Support raising the annual funding of our Department of Public Works to ensure they are fully staffed and can more thoroughly and rapidly address potholes and road repair
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Support the expansion of pedestrian safety elements such as painted crosswalks
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Prioritize the construction of flood-mitigation infrastructure to confront the reality that climate change brings
Responsible Zoning
I want us to to use our special permit oversight for larger scale projects to demand more from developers including more affordability, more ownership opportunities, more protections for our small businesses, and for growth to be spread more evenly across the City.
On the Council I will work to:
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Advocate for new developments to be spread evenly across the city as opposed to concentrating in Newtonville
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Retain the City Council’s “Special Permit” power over developers for larger scale projects (15,000+ sq. ft) to ensure these projects take into account the views of local residents and preserve what we love about Newton, including green space and the village feel.
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Demand clearer and more quantifiable goals and benchmarking in line with this August 11th Zoning memo.
Climate Change
Climate change is an existential crisis and Newton must build on the steps taken by leaders such as former Ward 2 Councilor Emily Norton to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and reach net-zero emissions. We must:
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Preserve and expand Newton’s green space and tree canopy
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Require new construction to be heated and cooled with electricity rather than fossil fuels
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Increase the penalty for private developers to cut down old-growth trees
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Lobby Beacon Hill to provide more consistent Green Line and commuter rail service
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Demand developers include shuttles to public transportation in projects far away from the T or commuter rail
Fiscal Responsibility
As a graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Management, I will utilize my background in finance to:
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Scrutinize the budget to make sure every cent of our tax dollars are spent responsibly
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Promote a reasonable balance between commercial and residential development to build out a strong and diversified tax base
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Proactively build relationships and attract regional businesses to Newton akin to New Balance in Allston and TripAdvisor in Needham
