Seven Newton city councilors—Rick Lipof, Vicki Danberg, Andreae Downs, Bill Humphrey, Alan Lobovits, Leonard Gentile and Marc Laredo—are ending their tenure when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve. And on Monday night, most of them (Gentile was absent) shared some parting words with their colleagues.

There’s a lot of history leaving. Several of the exiting councilors started when the City Council was the Board of Aldermen. Between the seven of them, time served in the Council ranges from two years to about three decades and, combined, amounts to nearly a century.

You can watch them deliver their remarks on NewTV’s YouTube channel. Here are some highlights.

Alan Lobovits

Lobovits is a retired physician who decided to run for one of the Ward 6 at-large seats when the city was confronted with the MBTA Communities Act and officials were crafting zoning changes in the city’s village centers. He wanted to be a voice of opposition against what he saw as overdevelopment of the city.

On Monday, Lobovits talked about things he had learned about special permits, housing, storm water and more. His parting advice to the Council was to keep working on making the permitting process “more respectful and align it more closely with the overall interests of the city, as best we can define them.”

“My brief tenure as a councilor has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life, and I thank you all and the dedicated residents of our city for giving me that gift,” Lobovits said.

Bill Humphrey

Ward 5 Councilor Bill Humphrey first elected to the Council in 2019 and has served as one of its more progressive members since.

On Monday, he reflected on his efforts with housing, climate action, the help he gave constituents during the COVID-19 pandemic, how he’s stood up for social justice and more.

“Local government is where the rubber meets the road,” Humphrey said. “And we have been tasked with carrying on every day despite all these challenges and uncertainties.”

He also urged future councilors to keep up the fight against an increasingly hostile federal government in the era of Trump and gave a glimpse into what he’ll be up to in the coming months and years.

“I feel that I have been as much of a listener as a strong, opinionated speaker,” he said. “I am excited to be already underway with my master’s degree studies at UMass Boston Public History program, pursuing my other great passion in life. And earlier this year, I finished receiving a certificate in graphic design and web design from UMass Lowell to continue building my service options. It is nice to be taking a break from serving elected office for now, giving myself the opportunity to continue listening and weighing in on local matters from a different vantage point.”

Andreae Downs

Downs echoed several of Humphrey’s comments about government and policy, and she said the city is on the right path with its green energy initiatives. She also added some humor.

“I was really kind of inspired when we started working on legal marijuana sales in the city, how the usual groupings of folks kind of switched, and it became really interesting,” she mused. “So you could say we had joint support for selling joints.”

She talked about the long hours that go into being an elected official in Newton, with hard decisions to make and compromises to consider every day.

“And of course, we all do it for extremely high wages,” she joked.

City Councilor Vicki Danberg speaks at her last City Council meeting on Dec. 15, 2025. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

Vicki Danberg

While Downs kept her remarks brief, Danberg went in the other direction and delivered a 14-minute speech. She thanked her colleagues, the mayor and almost every department in the city. And she has a lot to reflect on. She’s served on the City Council since winning a special election in 2004 and has served through some of the city’s biggest changes.

“I also want to thank our very talented staff that people have thanked before me,” she said. “I don’t think we can say enough ‘thank yous’ to them. They have tremendous talent. They have tremendous dedication, and we’re very, very fortunate that they make running this city look easy.”

Her parting wish was for the city to get off of fossil fuels, plant more trees and name a volunteer poet laureate.

City Councilor Rick Lipof delivers remarks at his last City Council meeting on Dec. 15, 2025. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

Rick Lipof

Lipof served on the Council the longest of all of them. He was first elected to the Board of Aldermen in 1996 and took a break in 2008 before returning. Lipof has been serving on the City Council for 24 years, since it was the Board of Aldermen.

On Monday, Lipof talked about lasting connections he made with fellow councilors and mayors past.

He singled out former Mayor Setti Warren, who recently passed away and whose mayoral campaign Lipof helped run.

“We met in 2007 and I quickly realized he was what Newton needed: a compassionate, thoughtful leader with vision and the ability to bring back trust in government,” Lipof said. “He asked me to co-chair his committee, which led to taking part in the most exciting campaign I have ever been a part of. In the end, he won over the electorate to beat Ruth Balzer to become the state’s first elected Black mayor. I think of Setti often, and I miss him every day.”

Lipof’s exit marks the end of a family era. His father, Michael Lipof, served on the Board of Aldermen, and so did his sister, Cheryl Lappin. In January, for the first time in more than three decades, there won’t be a member of the Lipof family on the council.

But Laredo has named Lappin his deputy economic development director, so the Lipof family will still have a presence in City Hall.

Marc Laredo

He’s handing over the gavel, but City Council President Marc Laredo isn’t going far, He starts as Newton’s next mayor next month.

Laredo’s road to the mayor’s office has been long. He served on the School Committee for eight years before he was elected to the Board of Aldermen in 2011, as an at-large councilor from Ward 7. In the 14 years since, he’s been president twice.

On Monday, Laredo reflected on his journey and thanked his colleagues for their help along the way. He also suggested newer councilors make a habit of getting coffee together, listening to each other during meetings and finding solutions together.

“There’ll be occasions when you’ve made up your mind or decide you’re clearly passionate about issues, but take the time to listen to what your colleagues have to say, and don’t be afraid to change your mind,” he said. “And don’t be afraid to compromise to get to a final result. Compromise is not a bad word.”