Mayor Ruthanne Fuller announced she will not seek reelection next year.
“With nothing but gratitude for the past 15 years, I have decided not to run for re-election next year as Mayor of Newton,” Fuller wrote in an email announcement to the community Tuesday afternoon. “I look forward to continuing to serve our common goals, our common good, and our Commonwealth in other ways. In addition, I look forward to carving out more time for four wonderful grandkids—Henry, Jeremiah, Donovan and Frances—and their parents, and my husband and best friend, Joe.”
Fuller served as a city councilor representing Ward 7 from 2010 to 2017, when she ran for mayor.
That mayoral race was very close, with Fuller facing off against fellow City Councilor Scott Lennon, and eking out a 50.7 percent victory that November.
Fuller’s re-election bid was met with a more comfortable margin when she won with about 53 percent of the vote against former City Councilor Amy Sangiolo.
Fuller’s mayoral tenure was marked with an array of accomplishments for the city, including the implementation of full-day kindergarten in Newton, hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure construction and renovation, and a AAA bond rating.
She also got Webster Woods permanently restricted from development and facilitated the development of green spaces across the city.
There were hurdles as well. The COVID-19 pandemic created both an unprecedented public health challenge and a budget crisis. The schools lost staff, including paraprofessionals and social workers, as students and families were left to deal with post-pandemic mental health issues and learning loss.
And then there was the contract fight with the Newton Teachers Association that culminated in a two-week-long teachers’ strike that had singed the fabric holding Newton’s community together.
Re-zoning the village centers for higher-density housing was met with public backlash that saw several of Fuller’s City Council allies lose their seats, and the Newton Police Department has been without a contract for years.
Fuller emphasized that she has a lot more to do in her final year in office.
“I’m all in on working as hard as ever for the next 394 days as your Mayor. There is much to do,” she wrote. “The work of this city and the needs of our residents are always evolving—in education, transportation, housing, climate resiliency, public safety, public health, community and civility.”
This development means that, so far, City Council President Marc Laredo is the only candidate for mayor in the 2025 election.