Dec 15, 2025
First: Thank you to city staff & clerks who make all of our work for residents as City Councilors possible.
It has been a challenging and unpredictable six years, from the pandemic to a labor strike to global conflict & tragedies with local dimensions to the growing instability and repression at the federal level of our nation. Our city is also experiencing its sharpest structural fiscal pinch point in quite some time, which will continue to be difficult to manage over the coming two to four years, while keeping residents happy. Local government is where the rubber meets the road on people’s daily lives, and we have been tasked with carrying on every day, despite all these challenges and uncertainties.
I am satisfied that we have done many good things together in my time in office – especially the work I did to help constituents at the beginning of the pandemic, the additional housing we approved, the reforms we passed to try to strengthen and clarify policies on leaf blowers and private tree protection, landmarking the historic Strong Block of Waban Square, updating Newton’s City Seal, passing key street design improvements for safety, and this year organizing a letter from every Councilor against the Trump Administration’s false claims about our city because of our support for the basic rights of immigrants. I predict that Newton’s elected officials will be called upon to show courage on great issues of right and wrong again and again in the near future.
I’m happy to recount a few other things in which I played some part… One of my top priorities before running for Council was to get a mandate passed against natural gas hookups, and I was proud to help secure a strong pilot ordinance on electrification earlier this term. And I am glad that we passed significant reforms to the Council rules throughout my time here. At a smaller scale, we also got a lot of Ward 5 potholes patched and sidewalk breaks grinded down.
I was gratified to help revive the Council scholarship for political science and government students from Newton’s graduating seniors, after having received it myself many years ago. Public service is what I always knew I wanted to do by that point in my life and public service is what I am good at. The scholarship is our small way of signaling to young people in our community that it is worthwhile to pursue this career path in its own right because constituents deserve to have thoughtful and committed representation. I'm sure I wouldn't even have considered stepping down if this were a full-time job to help our residents.
I am most proud of ensuring that in meetings and deliberations there was a voice to represent people who felt they were otherwise going unheard, from residents to public employees. I feel that I have been as much of a listener as a strongly opinionated speaker.
I am excited to be already under way with my Master’s Degree studies at UMass Boston’s public history program, pursuing my other great passion in life, and earlier this year I finished receiving a certificate in graphic design & web design from UMass Lowell to continue building my service options. It is nice to be taking a break from serving in elected office for now, giving myself the opportunity to continue listening and weighing in on local matters from a different vantage point…and I look forward to returning to government when the time is right.
It has been an honor and a privilege to serve on this City Council. Thank you.