The group of finance and management professionals I organized to take a fresh look at the City of Newton budget completed its report on creative ideas to address the crisis in June, 2005. Please CLICK HERE to download a copy of the report or call me at (617) 965-3723 or email me.

May 4, 2008
There have been a great many important issues under discussion at City Hall recently. I'll offer a few updates here and more information in the May, 2008 issue of my Aldermanic Update email newsletter, which you can subscribe to by emailing me at ken@kenparker.org. with the word "subscribe" in the subject line. Now for the updates (in no particular order):

1) WiFi Initiative — the ordinance allowing a Citywide mesh network was recommended out of the Zoning & Planning Committee at last week's meeting. It is scheduled for discussion before the full Board of Aldermen tomorrow night.

2) Crystal Lake Beach Acquisition — the compromise proposal for the acquisition of part of the 230 Lake Ave. property (described below) passed the Board of Aldermen last month and a private party who is interested in purchasing the house has been identified. Hopefully, there will be a closing within a month or so.

3) Newton South Field Improvements — The NEWTURF proposal for the construction of new fields and the renovation of the track continues to be controversial, but there have been recent signs of progress at addressing outstanding concerns. The latest version of the proposal will be considered by a joint meeting of the Public Facilities and Programs & Services Committees on Wednesday, May 7. One concern I have is that there seems to be an effort afoot to remove some of the proposed baseball field improvements from the plan.

4) Fiscal Year 2009 City Budget — The Mayor is scheduled to offer his proposed Fiscal Year 2009 Budget at tomorrow evening's meeting. I'll include an update on the budget proposal in my next email newsletter.

5) Maintenance of City Buildings — My proposal to develop preventive maintenance plans for all municipal and school buildings was discussed before the Programs and Services Committee on April 9. I will believe that we will be able to reduce repair and replacement costs and lower energy consumption by improving our maintenance practices.

6) New Water Meters — I have been working with Public Works Commissioner Tom Daley in an effort to reduce the costs associated with the purchase of new water meters for the City. My motion to reconsider the previous vote of the Board of Aldermen on the matter is scheduled for a vote at tomorrow night's meeting.

7) Noise Ordinance Revisions — Proposed changes to the City's noise ordinance are also scheduled for discussion at tomorrow's Board of Aldermen meeting. It may be a long night.

8) Leaf-Blower Restrictions — The proposal to limit the use of leaf blowers in Newton was sent back to committee for work on a compromise version. I do not believe it is been scheduled for discussion yet.

9) Proposed Charter Revisions — The package of City Charter revisions I proposed two years ago will likely be voted down by the Board of Aldermen tomorrow night, not because the ideas do not have support, but because many colleagues believe that these changes should be considered by a Charter Commission, not the Board of Aldermen.

10) Ken Parker for Newton Mayor 2009 Exploratory Committee— We have had a busy schedule of events with strong support from large numbers of Newton residents. Thanks very much to everyone who has gotten involved in this exciting effort. For more information, please visit the Exploratory Committee Web Site or call me at (617) 965-3723.

My efforts on the Board of Aldermen center around the idea that we need to make the most of our limited resources to improve the quality of services in Newton and the quality of life for Newton residents. Please call me at (617) 965-3723 or email me with your thoughts on how we can achieve these goals.

February 13, 2008
Here are a few updates on some of the big issues I have been working on recently:

1) Taxes and Newton North— the Mayor filed his proposal to override Proposition 2 1/2 by $23.9 million, which would mean a property tax increase of about $800 for the median household (in addition to the usual annual 2 1/2% increase). A group of us on the Board of Aldermen are advocating a smaller "maintenance of effort" override that would be calculated to be the minimum amount needed to avoid layoffs and reductions in service. The "maintenance of effort" override would be about a third the size of the Mayors proposed override and could be couple with a separate debt exclusion question to pay for the construction of Newton North High School to avoid the diversion of operating funds to pay for the new school. For more discussion of the NNHS issue, please see my recent Newton TAB column on the topic.

2) Crystal Lake Beachfront Property Acquisition— In response to concerns about the proposed 230 Lake Ave. CPA acquisition raised by my colleauges on the Board of Aldermen, the three Ward 6 Aldermen (George Mansfield, Vicki Danberg, and I) have worked with other interested parties, including members of the Community Preservation Committee and Crystal Lake Conservancy, as well as City staff, to come up with a revised plan that does not rely on any City funds and preserves the existing house through a historic restriction. The plan is essentially to purchase the entire site with CPA funds (at the new price of $1.9 million), then to divide the site into two lots, one which will be added to the public park and one which will have three restrictions (conservation, historic preservation, and pedestrian passage easement) added to it, then sold on the open market to replensh some of the CPA funds expended. You can read the plan here (pdf) and see a picture of how the site will be divided by clicking here. Last night (Tuesday, February 12), the Community Preservation Committee unanimously passed this proposal and it will be in the hands of the Board of Aldermen soon.

3) Citywide WiFi Network— Galaxy Internet Services, the provider for our WiFi network, requested a minor modification to our telecommunications ordinance (relating to public notification procedures) before they proceed with the project. There will be a public hearing on the proposed change before the Zoning & Planning Committee of the Board of Aldermen on Monday, February 25. If the amendment passes in the next month or so, Galaxy will implement WiFi in two pilot neighborhoods this Spring.

I have also spent a lot of time recently at neighborhood gatherings throughout the City discussing the future of Newton. For a schedule of these gatherings or for more information on how you can get involved in this effort, please visit the Ken Parker for Newton Mayor 2009 Exploratory Committee web site. On the site, there are links to share your ideas and get involved.

January 15, 2008
Happy New Year! Here are a couple quick updates:

1) Last night the Finance Committee voted against the proposed Crystal Lake beach and park expansion (the acquisition of 230 Lake Ave.). The proposal is not dead, but it will need a great deal of public support in the next few days if it is to be recessitated by the full Board of Aldermen. Please call me at (617) 965-3723 if you would like to discuss this issue.

2) Tomorrow evening, the Board of Aldermen will be meeting with the Mayor to ask him questions about the costs and financing of the new Newton North High School. We were asked to submit our questions in advance of the meeting. You can read my questions and those of my colleagues in this document.

I'll provide some updated information on the other important issues pending before the Board of Aldermen (and recently acted upon items) soon.

December 2, 2007
The Board of Aldermen has been busy recently. On November 19, we passed the Comprehensive Plan and have a number of other important items scheduled for discussion soon. Tomorrow night (Monday, December 3), the Board of Aldermen is scheduled to vote on three important matters that have broad implications for the quality of life in Newton:
1) The Planned Multi-Use Business District (PMBD) Zoning Amendment, which would allow the construction of 14-story buildings in Newton at a high level of density (Floor Area Ration of 3.0) with a low level of beneficial open space (20%). I believe that passage of this item as currently drafted would cause serious negative consequences for the quality of life in Newton, including increased traffic and pollution from car exhaust. A package of amendments under consideration would lower the allowable height to 8 stories and the density to an FAR of 2.0 and would increase the required beneficial open space to 30%.
2) A fundamental change to the way we make traffic rules (speed limits, stop signs, etc.), that would change them from being ordinance amendments voted on by the Board of Aldermen to being regulations voted on by an appointed Traffic Council.
3) A change to our leash law that would allow dogs to be off-leash in designated City parks. The current draft of the ordinance would not require that the off-leash areas be fenced. I plan to offer an amendment that would require that these areas be fenced.

Tomorrow night, the Board of Aldermen is also scheduled to discuss some of the recent problems associated with the Newton North High School construction project, which is facing delays and cost overruns. The Mayor will be coming before us to address questions such as when the final price for the project will be set and how much blasting of ledge will be necessary. I'll post some of the information I learn as it becomes available.

The Board of Aldermen is also considering the possibility of acquiring the property at 230 Lake Ave. with CPA funds, which I initiated last June with a request to the Community Preservation Committee to allocate administrative funds to conduct an appraisal of the site. This proposal is scheduled before the Finance Committee of the Board of Aldermen at our December 10 meeting. To learn more about this initiative, please contact me or visit the Better Lake web site.

The same night as the Finance Committee will be discussing Crystal Lake beach expansion, we are also scheduled to discuss the proposed new trash collection contract, which would replace our current system of manual collection of whatever we leave out (in barrels or otherwise) with an automated system that would pick up one large container per household each week for free with the option of having a second smaller container for $125 per year. With the automated system, everything would need to be kept inside the container, so large items that do not fit (i.e. an old mop) would need to be picked up by appointment. The proposal is controversial and will likely be closely contested on the floor of the Board of Aldermen. Please contact me if you have questions or would like to share your views on the matter.

In January, the Board's Zoning & Planning Committee is expected to have a public hearing on an ordinance amendment needed to move forward with the Citywide WiFi Initiative (see below for more details).

The Newton South High School fields issue is on hold pending the results of an engineering study of the site.

And finally, I have some exciting news to report: on November 14, we formed the Ken Parker for Newton Mayor 2009 Exploratory Committee. Our goal is to engage in a discussion with people from throughout our community about how we can make our government better, improving services, management practices, financial planning, and the quality of life for all Newton residents. Please join this discussion by visiting the Exploratory Committee web site, Parker2009.org or by calling me at (617) 965-3723.

September 12, 2007
The past few months have been very busy ones for me and my family. This Spring, my brother Michael Parker was selected as a third-team collegiate All-American at shortstop, graduated from George Washington University, was drafted by the New York Mets, and was assigned to the Mets' rookie level affiliate in Kingsport, Tennessee, where he hit .298 for the season. In August, Michael was recognized as the Appalachian League Player of the Week and promoted to the Mets' A-ball affiliate in New York (the Brooklyn Cyclones), which is currently playing for the NY-Penn League Championship.

Kelly and I are busy with our now seven-month-old, Benjamin Daniel Parker, who has already probably attended more meetings at City Hall than most Newton residents do in a lifetime.

On the public policy front, I have been continuing work on some of my ongoing initiatives, such as developing a Citywide WiFi Network, acquiring additional beachfront property on Crystal Lake, and developing quality new playing fields at Newton South High School.

Earlier this summer, I requested that the Community Preservation Committee appropriate funds from its administrative budget to appraise the property at 230 Lake Ave. (between Levingston Cove and the recently-acquired 20 Rogers St.). Conducting an appraisal is a prerequisite for appropriating public funds for a land acquisition. I am pleased to report that CPC members were very supportive and the property is now under agreement for acquisition by the City for $1.95 million, $1.45 million of which will be CPA funds. The CPC will be discussing this acquisition at their September 26 meeting.

The focus of much of my energy on the Board of Aldermen continues to be the City's growing financial crisis and lack of maintenance of our buildings. I wrote a column on the capital planning issue for this week's Newton TAB. In that column, I mention that there is additional detail available on my web site, so here is a primer on Newton's budget and capital spending.

The attempt to undermine Newton's zoning protections (discussed below and in a previous Newton TAB column), waiving height and dimensional requirements has been renamed and re-filed, but it still contains many of the objectionable provisions of the original PBD item. The new and improved, "Planned Multi-Use Business Development" zoning amendment would allow 14-story buildings throughout Newton (and would waive many other density requirements). Its criteria are so vague that a good land use attorney could get virtually anything built anywhere in Newton using its provisions. The good news is that it has not passed yet and is scheduled for a public hearing on Monday, September 24 at 7:45 PM at Newton City Hall. Hopefully, enough Newton residents will speak out against this proposal that it will be voted down resoundingly.

April 18, 2007
There are so many things going on in Newton that I hardly know where to begin. The Board of Aldermen is considering a zoning amendment that would allow creation of "planned business districts" in which height and dimensional limitations do not apply. Click here to download a pdf with the full text of the proposal. I am opposed the proposed change and have written a column for this week's Newton TAB on the subject.

Thanks to everyone who has shown support for our Newton firefighters in this difficult time by displaying a yard sign. On a related note, Fire Chief Joseph LaCroix recently provided me with information on the fire station repair options from the long-awaited fire station engineering study. You can download pdfs of those options here: Option 1 and Option 2.

At last night's Board meeting, we briefly discussed the acquisition of the Hannon property at 20 Rogers St. and the expansion of the Crystal Lake Beach using Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds, an issue that I have been working on for more than two years. Unfortunately, the discussion was delayed because the Mayor had failed to get agreement from the IRS to forgive liens against the property when we buy the property. Hopefully, the Mayor will have that agreement in place when we take up the item again on Wednesday, April 25.

We also be took up proposals to extend the current accessory apartment legalization program (which passed) and a zoning amendment to add environmental standards to our special permit process (which got sent back to committee for more work).

The most disturbing part of the evening was the Mayor's Fiscal Year 2008 budget presentation. Actually, the speech itself was pretty good, but the underlying budget is frightening. It cuts capital spending by 80 percent and relies heavily on one-time money to fund ongoing expenditures, forcing either massive budget cuts or a large override next year.

My campaign kick-off party will be taking place on Sunday, April 29 from 4-6 PM at the home of Rebecca Cohan, 1370 Beacon St. in Waban. Please come and bring friends. Please click here for more information on the party.

On a personal note, Kelly and I have been pretty busy with our new baby recently. Here's a photo of Benjamin Daniel Parker at almost six weeks old:

On the subject of my family, my brother Michael Parker is now leading not just his baseball team (the George Washington Colonials) but the entire Atlantic 10 Conference in a number of categories including hits, home runs, total bases and RBI and my sister Debby Parker recently had a new children's picture book, In the Garden, published.

February 20, 2007
As promised, I have posted the Newton Centre Task Force draft consensus summary and the five new docket items that colleagues and I have proposed to implement recommendations of the Finance & Management Working Group and the Blue Ribbon Commission. I'll have an update on the Crystal Lake situation soon.

February 6, 2007
Thank you toeveryone who has called and emailed to welcome our new baby, Benjamin Daniel Parker. Benjamin was born at Newton-Wellesley Hospital on Sunday, January 28 at 5:09 PM, weighing eight pounds and thirteen ounces. Also, thanks to everyone who has been patient with me regarding City of Newton policy issues.

I will be posting updates on the Crystal Lake situation, the Newton Ctr. Task Force, the Blue Ribbon Commission Report, and other important issues soon. But first, allow a proud new father to show off a baby picture. This photo was taken on Tuesday, January 30 when Benjamin was two days old, the day we came home from the hospital:

January 18, 2007
Great News About Crystal Lake:

The deal to add to the public beach on Crystal Lake may not be dead after all. Today, I received a letter from Pat Hannon offering to sell his lakefront property at 20 Rogers St. to the City for $3.9 million, $600 thousand less than his previous asking price of $4.5 million. Click here to read the entire letter.

How did this come about? Here’s the history:

After negotiations between Pat Hannon and Mayor Cohen regarding the possible sale of Mr. Hannon’s property broke down earlier this month, it looked like Newton would miss the opportunity to acquire this parcel of lakefront property next to the public swimming area. Since I have been working on the possible acquisition of this property by the City for more than three years, I was very disappointed by the breakdown in negotiations.

Then, last week, I received an email from Mr. Hannon in which he expressed a willingness to discuss the situation. Mr. Hannon told me that he would not sell his property to the City because of the way the Mayor had treated him. I asked him if he would be willing to sell it to the City if he did not have to deal directly with the Mayor. We agreed to meet to discuss the matter. Our meeting culminated in his letter offering his property for sale to the City for $3.9 million.

I immediately communicated his offer to Charlie McMillan, the Chair of the Community Preservation Committee. Mr. McMillan agreed to put the offer before the CPC at their next meeting, which will be taking place on Wednesday, January 24 at 7:00 PM in Rm. 209 of City Hall. The item is scheduled for discussion in the “Other Business” section of the meeting, which is estimated to start around 9:00 PM.

Please call met at (617) 965-3723 or email me at ken@kenparker.org if you would like more information on this matter.

November 14, 2006
A few updates today (in no particular order):

1)Tomorrow evening at 7:00 PM the Board of Aldermen will be having our annual tax-rate setting meeting, which begins with a public hearing. If you have thoughts regarding Newton's property tax rate, please come to the meeting and offer your testimony.

2) In response to the internal contradictions, omissions, and other flaws in the Mayor's official report on the signature miscount situation, Alderman Paul Coletti launched an independent investigation, in accordance with the powers and duties of the Board of Aldermen. Hopefully, that investigation will find out just what really happened.

3) On Wednesday, the Programs & Services Committee of the Board of Aldermen unanimously endorsed the Citywide WiFi proposal that I have been working on for more than two years.

4) Speaking of projects I have been working on for more than two years, we have had some recent progress regarding the possible acquisition of additional beachfront property on Crystal Lake. On October 23, Newton Chief Administrative Officer Sandy Pooler sent a letter to property owner Pat Hannon expressing the City's interest in acquiring the property. Now, we need to secure a funding source to pay for an appraisal of the property, so that negotiations can begin. My hope is that the Newton Conservators will step forward, as they did with Angino Farm.

5) For everyone who has said they appreciate my responsiveness as a public official, there is now a way that you can help to support those efforts. On the left of this page is a donation link that allows you to make a secure on-line contribution to my campaign. Please give what you can (up to the legal limit of $500 per person per year). Thanks very much for your support!

6) I have been providing information to the City's Blue Ribbon Finance Commission. I plan to post some of that information to this site soon, including an updated analysis of Newton's capital spending.

7) Congratulations to Deval Patrick and Tim Murray and all of the new U.S. Senators and Representatives elected last Tuesday. We will all benefit from a change of course on Beacon Hill and Capital Hill.

October 31, 2006
Happy Halloween! Today, the Mayor released the investigator's report into the Election Department's missing signature situation. Click here to download the full report.

October 15, 2006
Members of the Board of Aldermen are interested in finding out what you think about our job performance, so we have put together a short survey regarding the subject. Please click here to take a short survey about the priorities and effectiveness of the Newton Board of Aldermen.

On Friday, several members of the Board of Aldermen sent a letter to the Mayor asking him to address some of our concerns about the proposed plan for Newton North High School, in hopes that a compromise might be worked out. The Newton TAB has posted the text of that letter on their web site.

Also, I am pleased to report that the proposal to acquire additional beachfront property on Crystal Lake using Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds has had made a huge step forward thanks to the work of Robert Fizek and his Better Lake group and also thanks to the willingess of the property's owner, Patrick Hannon, to offer the City an exclusive opportunity to buy the property before he places it on the open market. After years of work on this issue, I am very excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I hope that the Mayor acts quickly to take advantage of this historic opportunity.

October 3, 2006
Today, I am sending out the first edition of my Aldermanic Update email newsletter of the 2006-2007 term. The newsletter discusses the following ten issues:

1) Newton Needs Deval Patrick
2) Board Begins Discussion of NSHS Field Upgrades
3) WiFi Demonstration Tomorrow
4) Sudan Divestiture Ordinance To Be Discussed
5) Action Plan for Newton North High School
6) What Happened to the Signatures?
7) Bleak Fiscal Forecast Released
8) Kessler Woods Petition To Be Debated
9) Parking Meters on Your Street?
10) Crystal Lake Beach Expansion Proposed

If you are not already on my email newsletter list and would like to join, please send me an email with the words "Aldermanic Update" in the subject line and the word "subscribe" in the body of the message or click the Get Involved link to the left and sign my guest book.

September 30, 2006
At Wednesday's meeting of the Long-Range Planning Committee, we discussed the latest draft of the City's Five-Year Financial Forecast. The news is not good. The forecast predicts a $5.5 million budet deficit in Fiscal Year 2008 (which begins on July 1, 2007). That deficit assumes no change in state aid and no salary increases for City employees, including teachers (I mean no negotiated increase. . . they get steps based on seniority). For each 1% salary increase, the deficit increases by $1.5 million, so a 2% salary incrase would indicate a $8.5 million budget deficit. And that's just the first of the five years in the forecast. Things get worse. Click here to download the summary page of the five-year forecast.

September 27, 2006
Today's Newton TAB includes my Action Plan for a New Newton North opinion column. If you missed it in the print edition and are interested, you can read it here.

August 25, 2006
At Wednesday's Board of Aldermen meeting, three colleagues and I made a presentation expressing our concerns about the proposed site plan for the new Newton North High School. Aldermen Steve Linsky, George Mansfield, Jay Harney, and I outlined our conerns about the proposed design, including its exorbitant cost, inefficient use of limted space, and traffic safety hazards. I have converted that presentation from Powerpoint into web pages. Please click here to view the presentation.

June 15, 2006
In the past day or so there have been three significant developments relating to Newton North High School:

1) The Newton TAB scheduled a public forum on the financing plan for Newton North High School and invited me to be one of the panelists. The forum will take place on Thursday, June 22 in the War Memorial room at Newton City Hall. Please click here to download a flier with the details of the forum in pdf format. Please come to the forum with your comments and questions!

2) The Board of Aldermen's Programs & Services Committee scheduled the discussion of the NNHS debt exclusion proposal filed by Aldermen Steve Linsky, Amy Sangiolo, Verne Vance, George Mansfield, Vicki Danberg, and Jay Harney and me for discussion at its June 21 meeting at 7:45 PM in Room 222 of City Hall.

3) The Public Facilities Committee continued its public hearing on the Newton North High School proposed site plan. Again, many residents spoke, almost all of whom were critical of the proposed plan. Interestingly, the School Committee member from the area in which Newton North High School is located, Reenie Murphy, spoke in opposition to the plan. She stated that she was speaking as a neighbor, not in her official capacity, but her words are sure to carry a great deal of weight regardless.

If you are interested in making sure that the financing of the new high school does not negatively affect other priorities, please come to the Programs & Services Committee meeting on Wednesday, June 21 and/or the public forum on Thursday, June 22.

-Ken

June 12, 2006

Lots more big news in no particular order:

• The Newton North High School design plan came before the Board of Aldermen for a public hearing on Tuesday, June 6. Virtually no one seemed to be pleased with the plan. The most positive comments were general support for building a new high school, while the most negative were safety concerns about access to the site and strong words about the building design itself, one person describing it as a "serpentine prison." To judge for yourself, take a look at the proposed plan.

• The Board of Aldermen voiced strong concerns about the Mayor's budget and lack of responsiveness to our requests to restore severe cuts to sensitive areas like the $70 thousand (37.7%) cut from preventative maintenance of city buildings and the elimination of two police officer positions before passing the budget at our May 24 special meeting. During the Board's budget deliberations, I wrote an opinion column for the Newton TAB about the need to restore the cuts.

• My brother Michael Parker is playing for the Wareham Gatemen in the Cape Cod Baseball League. So far, the team has played one pre-season game, in which Michael went 3 for 4 with a stolen base in a 4-1 Gatemen win. Here are the Gatemen's pre-season stats.

• I was part of group of seven Aldermen who filed a request to put the financing of NNHS on the November ballot as a binding debt exclusion from Proposition 2 1/2. The seven of us, including Aldermen Steve Linsky, Amy Sangiolo, Verne Vance, George Mansfield, Vicki Danberg, and Jay Harney, feel that the construction of a new high school would require a dedicated revenue stream, without which it would jeopardize funding for other City departments and capital improvements. We issued a public statement on the matter when we filed the docket item.

• The other Ward 6 Aldermen (George Mansfield and Vicki Danberg) and I are continuing to investigate the possibility of using CPA funds to acquire additional beachfront property on Crystal Lake.

-Ken

May 10, 2006

There are been a great many developments in Newton government recently. The Board of Aldermen has been busy with budget deliberations. I remain concerned by many of the Mayor's proposed cuts, including his planned 37.7% reduction in preventive maintenance of City buildings. The good news is that the Board of Aldermen is playing an active role in working to restore some of the most egregious cuts, including the public buildings maintenance account.

The Newton North High School issue is also coming to a head, with many residents unhappy with the proposed site design for the high school and strong resistance to the Mayor's proposed financing plan (which relies heavily on borrowing).

Another controversial issue is the proposal to repeal Newton's adoption of the Community Preservation Act. The Board's Programs & Services Committee is scheduled to vote on that item tonight.

On a more positive note, the Board approved the Mayor's $10 thousand appropriation that will allow us to continue work towards the development of a Citywide WiFi network.

Another issue on which Mayor Cohen and I are in agreement is the NEWTURF proposal to use CPA funds to create new playing fields at Newton South High School and to fix the drainage problems that have made the fields there virtually unusable for years.

Yesterday, I introduced legislation that will require builders of large new structures to use plantings to screen their new structures from abutting residential properties. Thanks to Aldermen Ted Hess-Mahan, George Mansfield, and Mitch Fischman for co-sponsoring this initiative.

Tomorrow, there will be a teach-in at Mason-Rice Elementary School Regarding the Darfur genocide at which I will be announcing a package of local measures designed to support efforts to end the genocide. These initiatives include an ordinance requiring divestiture of City of Newton public funds from companies that are complicit in the genocide, as well as a resolution and a home rule request to the legislature.

I'm proud to report that for the first time my sister, Debby Parker, will be showing a number of her paintings as part of the Newton Open Studios May 21-22.

-Ken

March 1, 2006

I am pleased to report that the Mayor has appropriated $10 thousand to hire a consultant to work on the Citywide Wireless Internet Access proposal that I have been working on for quite some time. The Finance Committee approved the funds on Monday and we will hopefully get the item through the full Board of Aldermen at Monday's meeting.

There has also been some recent progress on getting the cost estimates for Newton North High School under control.

The Newton Farm Commission will be signing its contract with the Angino Farm operator tomorrow. In turn, the farm operator (Newton Farm, Inc. I think they call themselves), has just selected a farmer. I wonder if the farmer has picked something out, too. . .

On an entirely unrelated topic, many people have been asking me about how my brother Michael Parker and his baseball team, the George Washington University Colonials, are doing. The team has faced some tough competition during its first week of action and is consequently not off to a winning start, but they appear by all measures to be a stronger team than last year's edition (which won 41 games and the Atlantic 10 West crown). Michael, himself, is off to a very strong start. Here are his stats. Go Colonials!

-Ken

February 15, 2006

While the City's Information Technology Department has recently made some improvements to the official City of Newton web site, several constituents (including my friend and colleague Alderman Ted Hess-Mahan) have pointed out that the ability to search ordinances remains severely limited. In response to this concern, I have added an ordinance search tool to the Newton page of my site. Please try it out and tell me what you think.

February 5, 2006

It has been a busy New Year, so far. Speaking of which, I have now posted my 2006 New Year's Resolutions for the City of Newton. My 2005 Resolutions are also still available.

The projected cost increases for Newton North High School have prompted a great deal of discussion by members of the Board of Aldermen and School Committee. I recently sent a memo to Mayor Cohen with some of my questions about the projects costs. I have also organized a tour of Lincoln-Sudbury High School, which is comparable in size to the proposed new Newton North High School and was recently built for $74 million.

I have continued to offer input to the Newton Farm Commission in hopes that the operation of the operation of Angino Farm will be financial sustainable. I remain concerned that the farm needs to have a reliable revenue stream and that the farm be a resource for the entire community, not just a select list of shareholders who pay $500 each year.

Walnut Street remains both a short-term and a long-term problem. In the short term, the current arrangement of parking causes cars to cross the median line and makes turning onto the street dangerous due to blocked site lines. In the long term, I am helping to develop a plan that will be safe for bicycle use of the street in both directions and allow parking in designated areas on one side of the street, while configuring the street such that it does not become a speedway. Walnut St. is an arterial route through Newton and needs to be able to accommodate a great many cars, but it also needs to be safe to cross for pedestrians and safe to merge onto from other neighborhood streets. My hope is that the City's pursuit of state funds to repair the street does not interfere with pursuing these goals. There are also a number of other streets that pose public safety hazards that need to be addressed.

Recently, I've been getting a great many complaints about street lights being out and not being fixed even after being reported to the Public Works Department. The idea of bringing this operation in-house (which we did last summer) was not only to cut costs, but also to improve service. Hopefully, the situation will improve soon.

I am also working on a plan to expand the swimming area at Crystal Lake. I'm investigating the possibility of using CPA funds to acquire additional beachfront property.

There does seem to be so good news with respect to my efforts to develop a Citywide Wireless Internet Access Network in Newton. I met with outgoing Chief Administrative Officer Mike Rourke on Tuesday about the proposal (he has been very supportive of the idea) and he said that he would recommend to the Mayor that the City hire a consultant to evaluate the idea. While the consultant's work would focus on the benefits of WiFi for City operations, it would leave open the possibility of expanding the service to Newton residents.

-Ken

November 3, 2005

I left some important items off yesterday's list. In addition to the four issues mentioned below, here are some more recent items of interest:

5) Newton South High School Track Repair— In addition to the NEWTURF proposal for the Newton South fields, I am working with the Public Buildings Commissioner, Nick Parnell, to develop a plan for the repair of Newton South's track. Our plan would make use primarily of funds paid to the City by the Boston Marathon. We think it would be appropriate to use funds from a road race to re-surface a running track. . .

6) Performing & Visual Arts Center— Arts in the Parks Director Linda Plaut and I are working with various arts groups in the City on a proposal to develop a performing and visual arts center. We hope to have a draft plan available for public comment soon.

7) Angino Farm Progress— The Angino Farm Commission has made a great deal of progress toward getting the farm up and running. I recently testified at one of their meetings in favor of opening up their application process to a more diverse array of potential farm managers and to make inclusion of a farm stand open to the public a priority (which they agreed to do). They have already plowed the fields, which look great. Hopefully, there will be more to announce soon!

8) New Parking Rules— Current parking regulations in Newton are often a lose-lose proposition concentrating parking in a few areas to the detriment of area residents, as well as people seeking access to public transportation and area businesses. I am working with the City's Traffic Council Chair, Candes Havens, and the City's Traffic Planner, David Koses, on developing a more rational plan that improves access to parking while protecting and enhancing public safety and the residential character of neighborhood streets.

November 2, 2005

We've had a great deal of progress in a number of important areas recently:

1) Finance & Management Report Implementation— The City began implementation of another one of the recommendations of the Finance & Management Working Group Report with the signing of a Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) agreement with the Stone Institute that will generate more than $30 thousand per year in revenue with annual adjustments for inflation. Alderman Scott Lennon and I continue to work with the Chamber of Commerce on establishing a business recycling program in Newton. City Comptroller David Wilkinson taking the lead on improving our cash management practices. Alderman Marcy Johnson has offered to head up the effort to establish a financial advisory group. Work to develop a citywide wireless internet access network is also continuing.

2) CPA Hearing— Last night, I testified before the Newton Community Preservation Committee in favor of the Bowen Park initiative and including renovation of the Newton South High School baseball field in the NEWTURF proposal for CPA funds.

3) Endorsements for Tuesday's Election— Today I am issuing my 2005 endorsements. The letter includes not just the names of the candidates I am supporting, but also the reasons why I support them. Please CLICK HERE to download a copy.

4) Newton Comprehensive Plan— The Newton Comprehensive Planning Advisory Committee continues to solicit input into their draft plan. To find out when the next presentation in your neighborhood will be, please visit the CPAC home page. If you have thoughts on the plan, please send them to the CPAC and copy me on your message, so that I can represent your ideas and concerns when the plan goes before the Board of Aldermen.

September 18, 2005

The Board of Aldermen is scheduled to vote tomorrow (Monday, September 19) on whether to put restoration of Fire Engine #6 on the general election ballot in November. Tuesday is the municipal preliminary election and also the State House hearing the municipal energy choice legislation, at which I will be testifying. This legislation is necessary before Newton can develop a municipal electric utility, as outlined in the Finance & Management Report.

Alderman Scott Lennon and I are meeting next week with members of the Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce to discuss the possibility of developing a business recycling program in Newton, another Finance & Management Report recommendation.

We are in the process of organizing implementation teams for the other ideas discussed in the report. Please call or email me if you are interested in being a part of this exciting effort.

The Newton Center Task Force and Angino Farm Commission have both started their work. I will post updates on what they are discussing, as the information becomes available.

Please vote on Tuesday!

June 21, 2005

There has been a great deal of speculation in recent months that I might be running for Mayor this year. I have issued a statement on subject, which you can find by CLICKING HERE.

June 20, 2005

All Newton residents and employees are invited to honor retiring City Clerk Ed English and all City of Newton employees for their hard work on our behalf by attending a baseball game this Sunday! Please join us for Newton Day at the Mill City All-Americans. To download the invitation with further information and directions, please CLICK HERE.

June 5, 2005

The budget process was very disappointing with most of the Board of Aldermen's work dismissed by the Mayor, who did not respond favorably to any of our budget resolutions.

On a more positive note, two of my docket items (Municipal WiFi and environmental vehicles excise tax incentives) are scheduled for discussion Wednesday night (June 8) before the Board's Programs & Services Committee.

Congratulations to all the Newton high school students who are graduating this week!

May 25, 2005

I have posted the final version of the Newton Finance & Management Working Group Report on Revenue Enhancement and Cost Savings Opportunities for the City of Newton. It is available by CLICKING HERE. Please email your comments and suggestions.

As for the Fiscal Year 2006 budget process, the Board of Aldermen has had very productive budget meetings Monday and Tuesday of this week and has passed a number of budget resolutions and Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) amendments. Among our resolutions, we have requested:

1) that the Health and Human Services reorganization include a youth services support structure;

2) that classroom teachers, librarians, and the middle school audiovisual program be restored to the school budget; and

3) that the elimination of a fire department pumper truck not be eliminated without further review of the public safety implications.

We also passed CIP amendments to fix the Newton South High School track an playing field drainage, to repair the Newton Free Library bridge, and to repair and upgrade fire stations.

I'll post information on the Mayor's responses to our resolutions when that information becomes available. By law, we have until Friday, June 3 to take final action on the budget.

May 6, 2005

There are a great many important and interesting issues being discussed in Newton government recently. The 2005 version of my "New Year's Resolutions for the City of Newton" can be found here. For the 2004 version, please click here.

A great deal has happened in Newton since my last posting. The Board of Aldermen enacted the Auburndale Historic District, which will help to preserve the historic character of the neighborhood. The Board also passed the light ordinance (see below for discussion) and the Angino Farm implementing legislation. The Angino Farm subcommittee, which I chaired completed its work and provided a complete draft ordinance to the full Committee on Community Preservation, which passed it unanimously 8-0 on April 26. Then, on May 2, the full Board of Aldermen voted unanimously 24-0 to pass the ordinance. The Angino Farm implementing legislation is designed to provide adequate financial controls to help ensure the long-term viability of the farm's operation and to preserve the public's right of access to produce grown on the farm. For a complete copy of the subcommittee, report, please click here.

On April 4, the Board discussed the Mayor's request for deficit spending authority in the current fiscal year and unanimously (22-0) passed my amendment to cap that authority at $600 thousand.

The City's financial crisis continues to be of great concern to me. The Finance & Management working group I organized will be issuing its report shortly. The report will include ideas for lowering costs and generating more revenue without cutting services or increasing fees for existing services. If you would like a copy, please call me at (617) 965-3723 or email me.

Of course, there are many other policy initiatives in the works. Here's a status report on some of my proposals:

1) Develop a citywide wireless internet access network in Newton— This item was discussed by the Programs & Services Committee of the Board of Aldermen in September. Since that time, I have been working with a working group of City officials and interested citizens to flesh out the plan and to develop a timeline. We have seen two vendor demonstrations and will be formulating recommendations soon.

2) Provide auto excise tax reductions for low-emission vehicles— This item is scheduled for discussion by the Programs & Services Committee of the Board of Aldermen on Wednesday, June 8 and was previously discussed briefly on Wednesday, April 7. One of the concerns raised has been that the proposal would have a tough time making it through the legislature. I believe that the election of Speaker Sal DiMasi is a very positive development for this and other proposals that give flexibility to cities and towns to improve quality of life.

3) Improve snow and ice removal rules and procedures— The first round of ordinance amendments that I worked on with Public Works Commissioner Bob Rooney, Police Sgt. Ed Aucoin, and Alderman Scott Lennon were passed by the Board of Aldermen this summer. These provisions toughen the law against blocking sidewalks with snow and ice. Hopefully, word will get out that the City is serious about keeping our sidewalks clear for pedestrians. We began work on our second round of snow-related amendments on December 2. The public Facilities Committee is scheduled to conduct a review of the effectiveness and enforcement of the new ordinance in the Spring.

4) Guarantee to public's right to be heard at Board of Aldermen committee meetings— Currently in discussion before the Board's Subcommittee on Rules.

5) Regulate and limit light pollution and light trespass— After more than six years of work, the ordinance was passed by the Board of Aldermen on March 21. Thanks very much to the Chamber of Commerce for working so closely with us and supporting the ordinance, as well as my colleagues Aldermen Amy Sangiolo and George Mansfield, who co-sponsored the legislation and Alderman Marcy Johnson, who was very helpful in getting the ordinance passed.

6) Provide tax assistance to low-income senior citizens— The Programs & Services Committee worked on implementing language for the increase in the property tax deferment program on March 9. I am working to make sure that expansion of the water and sewer discount program is included in the Board's action.

7) Reduce health care costs by allowing City of Newton health plans to re-import drugs from Canada— Alderman John Stewart and I worked with the City's Chief Administrative Officer to help in the development of this program, which is now being implemented. Conservative estimates suggest that the program will save the City at least $400,000 (not to mention the savings that will be enjoyed by employees) and depending on participation rates, the health insurance cost reduction to the City could be much greater.

8) Encourage water conservation by making the City's water and sewer rates more progressive— The Mayor has asked me to survey my colleagues to determine the level of support for this idea before developing a detailed proposal. I'm working on gathering this information.

9) Reduce parking congestion while improving access to public transportation— Discussion awaiting scheduling before the Public Safety & Transportation Committee.

10) Build a performing and visual arts center in Newton— This has always been a long-term project, but I thought I would mention it here, since the idea was featured recently in the Newton TAB. In the article, the Mayor said that he will support the idea when someone shows him a site and the millions of dollars needed to make the project happen. I'm working on meeting both of those challenges.

Many of these topics are discussed and debated in my NewTV cable show, Common Ground. For more information on the show, including a schedule of times to watch it, please click here.

If you would like more information on any of these issues (or would like to share your views with me), please call me at (617) 965-3723 or email me at ken@kenparker.org. Also, my email newsletter addresses issues under discussion by the Newton Board of Aldermen in greater detail. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, please fill out the guest book page with the word "newsletter" in the comments box or email me at ken@kenparker.org or just call me if you want a hard copy mailed to you.

As always, please email me at ken@kenparker.org or call me at (617) 965-3723 with your thoughts, questions, criticisms, ideas, and suggestions!

Ken