News

Dear friend,

Much of my campaign is devoted to speaking with residents all across our city and listening to their concerns and priorities. 

What I’m hearing

Two issues I am consistently hearing about are education, and the condition of our streets and sidewalks. 

While there is great praise for our superintendent, Dr. Anna Nolin, there is concern about the lasting effects of the pandemic, especially in terms of learning loss, and students’ mental health.  Regarding streets and sidewalks, there is frustration about their condition, especially when compared to our neighboring communities.

I share these concerns and frustration. That is why these two issues – education and streets and sidewalks – are at the top of my list of priorities. I am confident that, as your Mayor, we will address these issues successfully.

Campaign Updates

• We posted our first list of public endorsers! We have 25 current and former elected officials and 181 residents of Newton who have endorsed me.  Please let us know if we can add your name here!

• We now have Facebook and Instagram pages. 

• Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly published an article on my campaign and the transition of leadership at my law firm. 

• Fig City News wrote about the campaign, check it out here.

• I am honored to have been named one of the Top 100 attorneys in Massachusetts in the 2024 edition of Massachusetts Super Lawyers.

• Since the beginning of May, we have raised almost $70,000.  Donations are critical to the success of a campaign.  If you have not done so, please donate.
  

Attend a Coffee

As we move into the fall, I will continue to meet with Newton residents, both at public events and in one-on-one communications, and I will be setting up coffees and other small group settings. Please let us know if you would like to host or attend one.

Police Chief Search Committee Appointments

As City Council President, I make appointments to certain boards, commissions, and working groups (the Mayor makes many more such appointments – an important function of the position).  As a result of the recent resignation of Police Chief John Carmichael, I have appointed two of the nine members of the search committee for a new chief – one a current City Councilor and the second a resident of Newton. The Newton Police Association has appointed one member to the search committee and the Mayor has appointed the remaining six members: a business executive; an attorney; an active or retired judge; a member of the Massachusetts Police Chiefs Association; and two Newton residents. The appointments (except for the Police Association designee) must be approved by the City Council.  The search committee recommends five to seven candidates to the Mayor, who then appoints a new police chief (if none of the candidates is successful, the process begins again).

Working in close consultation with City Council Vice President David Kalis, I have appointed Tarik Lucas as the City Councilor and Dr. Lauren Solotar as the Newton resident.

Councilor Lucas has been a Councilor at-Large from Ward 2 since 2021, and serves on the Public Safety and Transportation Committee. He is a former vice president of the Newtonville Area Council and the Newtonville Historic District Commission and for 20 years has been a youth soccer and basketball referee. He works in book publishing for Harvard University Press.

Dr. Solotar is a licensed clinical psychologist and the President and CEO of the May Institute, a national non-profit organization with 1,800 employees that serves individuals across the life span with special needs, including autism, developmental disabilities and brain injury. As part of her work, she has designed and led training programs for police departments about how to interact with autistic individuals and individuals with mental illness. She also served as the Chief Psychologist at Tufts New England Medical Center for ten years. Dr. Solotar and her husband, Dr. David Gansler, have lived in Newton for 32 years and have two grown children.

Voting for the November 2024 election

Election Day is Tuesday, November 5, 2024, and you can vote by mail, vote early from October 19 - November 1, or vote in-person on November 5.

The City Clerk has provided information about how to vote by mail: find it here. For early voting hours and locations, please click here. Find out where to vote in-person here and a map of the polling places in Newton here.

A New Arrival

We are grandparents! Our granddaughter, Dahlia Glenn Laredo, was born on September 26. Although she is too young to vote, she has strong ties to Newton! Her parents, our son Matt, and his wife, Joanna Yelen, are 2011 graduates of Newton North High School and Joanna’s parents, Charlie Yelen and Barbara Newman, live in Newton. Needless to say, we are all thrilled.

As always, I welcome your thoughts, questions, comments, and criticisms!

Thanks,

Marc