Nomination Papers for Newton Municipal Election Available Wednesday

The municipal election will be held Tues., Nov. 5, 2013.

Although voters won't head to the polls for another few months, the election season in Newton will officially kick off this week. Starting tomorrow, May 1, nomination papers will be available for the Nov. 5, 2013 municipal election.  The nomination papers will be available in the Election Commission office at City Hall and must be signed and returned to the Election Commission by Tuesday, July 30. The city's charter states that candidates running for alderman-at-large and School Committee must collect 150 signatures before the nomination papers are certified. Aldermen-at-large and School Committee seats are elected by all city voters. Ward aldermen, who are only elected by residents in their home ward, must gather 50 signatures. Mayoral …

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Former Newton School Staffer Announces Run for Ward 1 School Committee

The Ward 1 race is wide open this year, as current Ward 1 member Geoff Epstein is not running for a third term.

Vernon Street resident Ellen Gibson announced Friday she will run for the open Ward 1 School Committee seat in this November's municipal election. In a press release issued yesterday, Gibson touted her work in the Newton Public Schools as well as her experience as a parent teacher organization member, attorney and human resources director. The Ward 1 School Committee seat will be a wide open race in the fall, as current Ward 1 member Geoff Epstein announced late last year he will not run for a third term on the committee. Gibson has worked in the past as a special education aide in kindergarten and first grade classes at Underwood and Franklin elementary schools, the press release said. She has also spent time on a number of parent teacher…

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Alison Leary Announces Bid for Newton Ward 1 Alderman

Board of Aldermen President Scott Lennon currently holds the Ward 1 seat, but has announced he wil be running for Ward 1 alderman-at-large.

Chapel Street resident Alison Leary announced this week she is running for the Newton Ward 1 alderman seat currently held by Board President Scott Lennon. Lennon, who has served as Ward 1 alderman for 11 years, announced last month his plans to run for the Ward 1 alderman-at-large seat left open after the death of Alderman Carleton Merrill. In a press release issued Thursday, Leary highlighted her work as a member of the Executive Committee of the Sierra Club, as the co-chair for the Environmental Committee for the League of Women Voters Newton and as a member of the Newton Conservators Board of Directors. “My active involvement in Newton civic life has shown me that a committed group of individuals can have a tremendous positive impact on…

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You Ask, Patch Answers

When Are Nomination Papers Available for the Newton Municipal Election?

And when are the Newton nomination papers due?

Although several residents have already declared their candidacy, the races for aldermen, mayor and School Committee will not be official until nomination papers are signed and returned.  You asked when those papers will be available -- and Patch has an answer. According to Newton Election Commission Interim Executive Secretary Peter Koutoujian Sr., the nomination papers for the Nov. 5, 2013 general municipal election will be available starting Wednesday, May 1.  The nomination papers must be signed and returned to the Election Commission by Tuesday, July 30, Koutoujian said.  The city's charter states that candidates running for alderman-at-large and School Committee must collect 150 signatures before the nomination papers are certified. …

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Letters to the Editor

Letter: Alderman Shapiro Thanks Newton and His Supporters

A letter from Alderman Charlie Shapiro thanking the supporters of his re-election campaign for Ward 6 alderman-at-large.

Thank you for the honor of serving you on Newton’s Board of Aldermen for the past two years. It was a long and competitive campaign and unfortunately we were not successful in the re-election effort. I’m proud of the work I’ve done over the past two years as a city-wide alderman to help make our city a safer and better community. It’s not often the Governor points to a first-term alderman’s program (The Newton Silver Alert) as a model for the Commonwealth and it feels great to have had a role as a member of Governor Patrick’s Silver Alert Working Group in shaping something that will help keep those at risk safer throughout Massachusetts. First, thank you to my family.  My wife Debra and our two children have been supportive, tolerant, and …

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Jerry Reilly

7:13 pm on Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Thanks Charlie for your two years of hard work for all of us.   more ›

Five Things of Note from the Newton Municipal Election

Who received the most votes? Who is in the new Upper Falls Council? Find out here.

Think we had enough election coverage? Think again.  Now that the results are tallied, here are five quick-hit facts from Tuesday's election.  1. According to the unofficial results from the Newton Election Commission, out of a total of 54,102 registered voters in the city of Newton, 9,841 came out to vote -- or about 18 percent. Interestingly, Boston had roughly the same percentage of voters turn out for its municipal election on Tuesday. In comparison, 63 percent of Newton's voters turned out of the state elections last fall and 41 percent cast ballots in the 2009 municipal election.  2. Aside from the contested races city-wide, local area councils also held elections, including the Upper Falls Area Council and the Newton Highlands Area …

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2011 Newton Municipal Election

Newton Votes Out 2 Incumbents; Welcomes Siegel, Kalis, Schwartz and Gomberg

Results from contested races in Newton's fall 2011 municipal election. Stay tuned to Patch for updates and comments from candidates!

Updated 9:48 a.m. with comments from other candidates.  In an election where just 18 percent of the voting population in Newton made it out to the polls, two incumbents were ousted and several new faces will join the Board of Aldermen and School Committee. One of those new faces, Steve Siegel, celebrated his victory last night alongside friends and family at the Bocca Bella Cafe in Auburndale.  "I'm exhausted but I'm very satisfied," Siegel said. "It's been a long and hard campaign and I'm very satisfied [with the result]." Siegel beat out Ward 5 School Committee incumbent Sue Rosenbaum, a race that he also fought during the 2009 municipal election.  The difference this year, though, was a victory for Siegel, who won the race by a margin …

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2011 Newton Municipal Election

[Updated 9:25 p.m.] Newton Election Day: And the Winners Are...

Up-to-the-minute coverage of the Fall 2011 Newton Municipal Election. Check back for updates and results.

Updated 9:25 p.m. With all 31 precincts reporting in Newton, it appears Ward 4 School Committee candidate Diana Fisher Gomberg pulled ahead of Josh Krintzman by 264 votes.  Meanwhile, Ward 5 School Committee candidate Steve Siegel beat incumbent Sue Rosenbaum with 4,613 votes to Rosenbaum's 3,445.  Other races had clear winners tonight with Jonathan Yeo defeating Margaret Albright in Ward 2 by more than 2,400 votes. Ward 8 aldermen-at-large candidates Mitch Fischman and David Kalis also won by a large margin over Tom Sheff.  In Ward 6, Alderman-at-Large incumbent Charlie Shapiro lost to fellow incumbent Vicki Danberg and challenger Greg Schwartz.  The Ward 1 aldermen-at-large race, went to the two incumbents: Allan Ciccone Jr. and Carleton…

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2011 Newton Municipal Election

Meet the Candidate: School Committee, Ward 8

Learn more about Ward 8 School Committee member, Margie Ross Decter.

A note for voters: Each ward has one School Committee representative, which is an at-large position, meaning it is voted on by everyone in the city. This year, the Ward 8 School Committee race is uncontested, with current Ward 8 member Margie Ross Decter running for re-election. Newton Patch posed six questions to all 38 candidates running in this year's election, regardless of whether the race was contested. We will be running the profiles by Ward each day, starting Oct. 26. The election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 8.   Running for: Ward 8 School Committee seat  Q: Why are you running for re-election? A: With three children in Newton Public Schools (NPS), I continue to be committed to ensuring that our educational system will challenge …

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