My Approach to Governing

Newton is a remarkable community, comprised of 13 beautiful and vibrant villages. It has an abundance of talented and engaged residents. It has long possessed a superior public school system. But today we face a profound financial crisis, which compels us to make difficult choices in the months and years ahead. Our challenge is to preserve what's best about our city while living within our means and not over-burdening our taxpayers. We must maintain and strengthen Newton's unique attributes if we are to thrive as a community. To meet these difficult challenges, we need a leader who can make the tough calls required.

As Mayor I will explore new and creative ways of planning, organizing and managing the affairs of government. I will take a zero-based approach that focuses on priorities and results. Every opportunity to be cost effective and to generate new revenue will be explored. Everything will be on the table. New initiatives that move our city forward will be implemented quickly and efficiently. We will find ways to measure every program and anything that isn't working will be swiftly changed or eliminated.

I will ask all our citizens to be engaged directly with the government as never before. And as Mayor, I will make sure people understand the depth of the situation we face and the consequences of the choices we have made. We may not be able to "have it all" but we will preserve and invest in what's most important. To that end, it is important that Newton has a leader who can engage its citizens in a constructive dialogue about the future. Everyone may not always agree with all of the choices we make, but they will be heard by a mayor's office that fosters a sense of trust that City Hall has dealt openly, honestly and accountably with them.

These are just some of my ideas for making Newton the city we all want. Please share your comments and questions in the space provided. I look forward to beginning our dialogue.

Read More About These Issues

Returning to Fiscal Responsibility
Preserving and Enhancing our Public Schools
Promoting Economic Development and Affordable Housing
Addressing Our Infrastructure Needs
Protecting Our Environment and Conserving Energy
Modernizing City Services
Guarding Public Safety
Building Civic Engagement
Defending Our Civil Rights and Liberties

 

Returning to Fiscal Responsibility

Today, Newton is facing a financial crisis. The consequences of proposition 2 1/2, past choices made to defer our city's maintenance, sky-rocketing costs and the current nationwide economic downturn have combined to place the city in a financial bind, the severity of which has not been seen in more than a generation. Two years ago, Newton's Blue Ribbon Commission announced that the city was operating a structural budget deficit. This year, the Citizens Advisory Group (CAG), stated that Newton's current financial model is unsustainable. As such, the economic choices we make today, and in the days to come, will have profound implications not only on our lives presently, but for our children's futures as well.

As Mayor I will:

• Initiate a comprehensive financial and management review of every city department.
• Appoint a Chief Financial Officer and Chief Technology Manager to ensure Newton has the skill it needs to put its fiscal house in order.
• Eliminate duplication of effort such as combining the snow removal operations currently handled by both Parks and Recreation and Public Works within one department and consolidating the departments dealing with capital projects.
• Simplify convoluted processes such as permitting.
• Initiate a review of municipal operations to identify complex processes that can be automated.
• Improve payroll management efficiency by converting the City and school payrolls from a weekly to a biweekly cycle.
• Look for opportunities to save money by joining forces with neighboring cities and towns to bulk purchase supplies.
• Pursue joining GIC if the cost savings are real and the coverage is comparable.

In addition, I would look for ways to generate additional revenue:

• Encourage all our legislators to vote for closing the telecommunications loophole and the local meals tax option the governor has proposed.
• Identify any and all opportunities for federal and state grants.
• Explore the possibility of transferring non-essential services currently provided by the city into user fee based services.
• Negotiate greater payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTS) or services in lieu of taxes (SILOTS) from not for profit institutions like local universities and hospitals.
• Expand our commercial and economic base in places like Newton Centre, Needham Street and Riverside while adhering to smart growth principles like mixed use, walkability, preservation of open space and linkage to public transportation.

Most importantly, we must be open and honest with our citizens. The budget process must be simple and transparent. Information about where we stand and what the outlook is must be readily available and understood. Taxpayers must believe that we have used their money wisely and, even if they don't agree with or benefit from every program, that they understand its rationale.

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Preserving and Enhancing Our Public Schools

Newton's public schools are the bedrock of our community and nationally respected. Many families - including three generations of my own - set down roots here in order to give our children a first-class education. I take pride in our schools and recognize that continued excellence requires steadfast community support, innovation, and continued investment.

However, over the last few years the growth in school expenditure has outstripped growth in revenues causing a fiscal deficit. Closing that deficit caused the gradual erosion of our educational infrastructure and will continue to threaten the quality of the education provided to Newton's greatest resource - its children.

Continuing along this path is unacceptable. We must preserve what is best about our schools; fund the future investments that will be essential, while getting our costs under control. Recently the School Committee completed an extensive strategic planning process. Much of their thinking will inform my approach to education.

As Mayor I will:

• Work with the School Committee, Superintendent and community to ensure that our schools attract, develop and retain quality teachers, that our class size is small across the board and that our curricula promotes skills like critical and creative thinking as well as collaborative and inventive problem solving.
• Ensure that all our schools are sound, safe and modernized. This will require developing and funding a long-term replacement, renovation and maintenance plan of buildings, facilities and equipment.
• Encourage the School Committee and Superintendent to hire a Chief Financial Officer or budget officer to help lead a thorough review of long term school finances and management/business practices.
• Work with the School Committee and Superintendent to pursue possible cost saving recommendations of the Citizens' Advisory Group like outsourcing food services, joining the GIC, restructuring transportation services, adding user fees, continuing to pursue energy conservation measures.
• Pursue consolidation of school and municipal departments so that critical work like school building repairs can be done more cost effectively and efficiently.
• Work with the School Committee and Superintendent to create partnerships with institutions, non-profits, universities and colleges in Newton and surrounding communities that give our students the skills to be successful in the global market place.
• Work with the School Committee to review the measures we are using to evaluate teachers and student outcomes to ensure we are educating the whole child and are doing so cost effectively, including our Special Education program.

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Promoting Economic Development and Affordable Housing

The City of Newton is renowned for its beautiful neighborhoods, green open spaces, bustling town center, varied local businesses and institutions, and proximity to Boston and MetroWest business and academic centers. It is a community that thrives on careful and harmonious balance. Throughout the next four years, Newton will require thoughtful planning and mayoral leadership to manage and maintain the combination of development and preservation that attracted so many families and individuals to the Newton community in the first place. But we must have development if we are to continue to thrive.

As Mayor I will:

• Create a strategic plan based on the principles set forth in the Newton Comprehensive Plan adopted by the Board of Alderman in 2007.
• Set firm guidelines for development that follow smart growth principles, preserve the character of our villages and address any and all traffic, parking and congestion issues that might arise.
• Work with the Board of Aldermen to streamline our permitting and approval processes so that development that is right for Newton will move forward predictably and expeditiously.
• Move forward decisively to resolve development plans for Newton Centre, Riverside and Needham Street.
• Advocate for the extension of green line service and make sure long awaited traffic improvements to Needham Street are implemented.
• Promote affordable housing that allows seniors to stay in the neighborhoods they've helped to build over and young people to bring continued vitality to our city.
• Encourage the creation of "aging in place" alternatives like accessory apartments.
• Perform a cost-benefit analysis of the possibility of using permit fee exemptions for certain categories of residential development to provide incentives to create affordable housing units.

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Addressing Our Infrastructure Needs

Like many cities in the Northeast, Newton has an aging infrastructure that demands maintenance and modernization to meet our needs today. The prevalence of aging buildings, roads filled with potholes, and parks and athletic fields in disrepair makes clear that the results of deferred maintenance need to be remedied. Strong infrastructure not only contributes to economic growth, it does so cost effectively. Maintenance is much less expensive than re-construction.

As Mayor I will:

• Inventory all Newton's infrastructure and create a schedule for repair and upkeep.
• Prioritize immediate maintenance needs based on safety and functionality.
• Create a maintenance trust fund by setting aside dedicated funds in each annual budget that are sufficient to meet those needs.
• Tap all potential state and federal resources available to address infrastructure needs.

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Protecting Our Environment and Conserving Energy

 

Protecting our environment is both a moral responsibility to future generations and a health and quality-of-life issue for us today. While the federal government has, for many years, abandoned its responsibility to steward our environment, many great opportunities exist for us on the city level to take up that challenge. We have the ability to make a real difference.

As Mayor I will:

• Make government operations as "green as possible" by diversifying our energy sources including the use of more renewable energy and moving to make the city's fleet of vehicles and buildings energy efficient as soon as feasible.
• Expand recycling by providing equipment and incentives to residents and businesses.
• Encourage recycling in public places by replacing garbage cans with recycling bins.
• Green our building codes, providing both requirements and potential incentives for sustainable design and construction and green living.
• Apply for federal grants for the greening of our public buildings.
• Look for ways to reduce traffic and congestion - a major cause of pollution - including reducing the size of the city's fleet by making more efficient use of city vehicles.
• Enhance bus and train utilization by increasing frequency of service and advocating for the addition of station stops and the improvement of station facilities.
• Increase bike utilization by providing bike lanes in all new construction.
• Increase pedestrian traffic by providing and maintaining sidewalks, implementing pedestrian crosswalks and bridges wherever feasible.
• Adhere to the principles of Smart Growth, and Planned Multi-Use Business District Planning, which emphasizes sustainable growth utilizing modes of public transportation, aimed at reducing, not causing, traffic congestion.

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Modernizing City Services

City Services are at the heart of municipal government and Newton has always prided itself on its excellence. However, the current fiscal crisis threatens our continued ability to fund these services at the present level. To address this situation, we must focus on performance. We must establish metrics where they don't exist, and heed them where they do. In this way we can begin to eliminate waste and duplication of services, as well as rigorously pursue all opportunities for cost saving and improvement. In addition, we must conduct an open and honest dialogue as a community about what services can be eliminated, what service levels can be reduced (even temporarily) and what services can be provided for a user fee.

As Mayor I will:

• Establish performance measures and stretch goals for every municipal department, then hold department heads accountable for reporting on and achieving results.
• Use data to drive decision-making and improvement across the board.
• Employ talented and energetic department heads who embrace change and show a tireless commitment to excellence.
• Implement both a phone and web-based 311 program to track incoming requests for service and a NewStat program to review responsiveness and citizen satisfaction.
• Revise the city website so that it makes information and forms readily accessible and allows common functions to be completed on line.

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Guarding Public Safety

Protecting our citizens is one of the most essential services city government can provide. Every resident of Newton is entitled to feel safe and secure in their home and in their neighborhood. Every child should feel safe on their way to school and once inside. As Regional Director of FEMA, I understand the value of prevention, the importance of preparation and the need to address emergencies effectively and efficiently.

As Mayor I will:

• Maintain the long-standing quality of our police and fire departments.
• Explore techniques, equipment and policies used by other municipalities and public agencies that promote public safety.
• Ensure that our fire trucks and stations are adequately maintained.
• Ensure that police and fire response times are up to national standards.
• Develop a well-honed emergency response plan.
• Treat our public safety unions with respect and negotiate in good faith even as we make tough financial decisions.
• Use NewStat to identify and prioritize needs, and concentrate resources where the needs are greatest.

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Building Civic Engagement

Newton is a world-class city that attracts residents with outstanding credentials, renowned expertise, and an ability to get things done. Many are willing to dedicate their time and resources to improve life in their neighborhoods and in Newton in ways both large and small. Recent examples include the work by the Blue Ribbon Commission and the Citizens Advisory Group.

As Mayor I will:

• Welcome and harness these talents to achieve tangible results.
• Support neighborhood and village-based activities and initiatives, and foster opportunities for civic engagement through the creation of a Newton Volunteer Core.
• Promote Area Councils provided for in the City Charter and currently active only in Newton Highlands.
• Encourage public-private partnerships like the Newton Schools Foundation that leverage public funds with private donations and provide innovation.

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Defending Our Civil Rights and Liberties

Setti Warren believes strongly in individual freedom and equal rights for all people regardless of race, age, sex, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Setti knows we must treat all people with respect and dignity and never legislate to limit their rights.

As a junior at Newton North, Setti was asked by Mayor Ted Mann to bring racial and ethnic harmony to the school after a clash between rival groups. In 1997, Setti was awarded the Human Rights Award. Later, December 17 was declared "Setti Warren Day" by Newton Mayor Thomas Concannon in recognition of Setti's work as Vice-Chair of the City of Newton's Foundation for Ethnic, Racial, and Religious Equality.

Setti is a long-time supporter of equal marriage rights for same-sex couples and encourages the Massachusetts Legislature to pass the current transgender equality bill which bans discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression.

Setti Warren strongly supports a woman's right to choose.

Setti Warren opposes the death penalty and any effort to bring capital punishment back to Massachusetts.

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