by Irina Costache, Campaign Organizer
Despite the more rainy weather this week, door knocking continued, with Bill knocking over 180 more doors in Ward 5! He has now personally knocked over 85% of Ward 5. This week on the doors, many voters voiced their concerns about environmental action and housing to Bill. Both of these issues are fundamental to creating a community for everyone in Newton, and have been big parts of Bill’s campaign platform.
On Thursday evening, Bill attended a public forum at the Women’s Workshop on the residential “teardowns” issue organized by the Ward 6 Democratic Committee. Some of the speakers included City Council Zoning & Planning Committee Chair Susan Albright, Land Use Committee Chair Greg Schwartz, and Newton’s citizen Energy Commission Chair Halina Brown. Panelists went over many of the statistics on Newton’s current housing stock and demolitions, causes and consequences of the teardowns wave, and some of the long-term environmental impacts of new and larger construction. Another key point was about the effects on local affordability when modest older homes are replaced with large single-family homes (or sometimes pricey duplexes).
Upcoming Events in Ward 5
Hemlock Gorge Cleanup (info via John Mordes, interim leader of Friends of Hemlock Gorge): Saturday, April 27 is the annual cleanup day hosted by the Friends of Hemlock Gorge (rain or shine)! Clean-up materials will be supplied! Those volunteering should meet at Hamilton Place off Elliot Street between 9:30 and 10 a.m. Parking will be available at Hamilton Place, the Mills Falls parking lot, and at the Hemlock Gorge parking lot at the intersection of Ellis St. and Rte. 9. Lunch will also be provided after the cleanup at noon at the Stone Building.
NewtonSERVES: The day of community service will be held this Sunday, April 28 between 9am-4pm (rain or shine)! According to the organizers, “NewtonSERVES is a Day of Community Service that brings together over 1,000 volunteers of all ages to complete more than 50 community projects for the benefit of numerous non-profit organizations and City of Newton departments. Volunteers work in teams on morning, afternoon or all day projects throughout the city, such as cleaning up parks, planting gardens, building and painting school bookshelves, spring cleaning at non-profit organizations and helping senior citizens.” Bill will be at the Richardson Field Cleanup! (Online sign-up for volunteering is now closed, but you can register at City Hall at 8:30 AM.)
Campaign reminders
Environmental Themed Meet & Greet: Please join us and environmentalists Marcia Cooper and Helen Rittenberg on May 5 at 170 Evelyn Rd in Waban to meet Bill and have a conversation about the urgency of climate action in Newton, green energy, and strong public transportation at the municipal level.
Donations: We are ordering our next round of printed literature now. If you would like to make a donation to help support our campaign to make Newton a community for everyone, you can click here. Or, If you prefer to make a donation by mail, please make out a check to The Humphrey Committee and send it to: The Humphrey Committee, PO Box 78, Waban MA 02468. Any donation amount is always appreciated!