John Chaimanis: Ward 4 At-Large

John Chaimanis is a candidate for the Newton City Council in Ward 4 at-large. Learn more about his views from his campaign website and his responses to the Beacon’s candidate survey:

How would you improve CITY FINANCES in Newton?

I believe that my expertise is unique and will be a valuable addition to the City Council.   I own and operate a clean energy investment business and oversee a staff of professionals.  Early in my career I ran the business and operations of a public charter school. I have a network of finance professionals, and connections with former finance committee chairs. A few areas I will focus on:

• Meet our retirement obligations as needed on time, as opposed to ahead of schedule, which we are currently on pace to do.
• Rebalancing the residential and commercial tax base; Newton needs a stronger focus on retail & commercial uses.
• Focus on funding capital projects with money that does not come from our tax levy, including using grants and donations.
• Where appropriate, work to develop public-private partnerships that help our tax revenues ‘go further’.
• Similar to universities, consider establishing an endowment in conjunction with a nonprofit, encouraging private donations where the income generated would be used for additional cash flow for specific city matters.

How would you improve PUBLIC EDUCATION in Newton?

As a parent with three young children in the Newton public schools, this is an issue close to my heart, and critically important to many of my strong supporters.  As a former educator and administrator I have some experience in this area. 

The school committee is responsible for helping NPS succeed. The city council has limited direct impact on education, but we can and should partner with the new Mayor, NPS leadership and School Committee on the items where the council does have an impact – like the budget and school buildings.

If elected, my focus will be to work with the school committee, and NPS leadership to ensure that the city is fully informed about budget matters at a detailed level, and an informed plan to support NPS and their needs into the future.

 The simplest thing that we can all do right now, is to VOTE in the current critically important School Committee races.

How would you improve TRANSPORTATION and INFRASTRUCTURE in Newton?

Our goal should be to have a safe city that minimizes single person car trips, while taking into account the reality of the public transportation options available to our residents.

1. Invest in traffic calming in our residential areas such as rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs) and speed tables, then we can use our larger roads to move traffic through and across our city. Timing our traffic lights on main roads so that traffic can flow continuously at a safe speed would make a big difference – and decrease emissions from start and stop.
2. Use shuttle bus routes financed through public private partnerships to bring people from population centers to villages and commercial areas.  These can be piloted, then evaluated for effectiveness, and adjusted to maximize ridership. 
3. Finally, when establishing bike lanes, we should continue to be strategic in their placement, and connectivity.  By doing this we will statistically improve safety for all who walk, ride, roll and drive.

How would you improve PUBLIC SAFETY in Newton?

Newton is such a desirable city because it is a safe place to live, and we cannot take that for granted. For generations our family has had members of both the police and fire departments. I strongly support these brave people and I am grateful for the risks that they take to keep us safe. 

Building stronger community ties between these professionals and with our neighbors is a near zero cost way to improve public safety.  The National Night Out events are great ways to build that rapport, and we can do more.  When personal relationships are established, trust is built and the community benefits.

Information campaigns run by NPD & NFD about safety issues are another way to help the public remain vigilant. When we are informed about issues, we can help each other better. For example, timely information about burglaries and package snatching coupled with neighborhood watches can be an effective combination, as well as fire/smoke detector testing reminders. 

How would you improve PARKS and RECREATION in Newton?

 Our kids play sports on city fields, my family and dog walk the trails at the Auburndale Cove, and we attend many cultural events. The Parks, Recreation & Culture Dept has done a good job catching up on improvements to our fields and open spaces, playground equipment and hosting fun events. A few areas I to ensure we have a robust dialog around include:

• Ensuring ongoing maintenance funds for new projects are established,
• Consider expanding summer camp programs, which currently fill up quickly. This will build community, and help working families. 
• Improve trail connectivity linking paths across Newton, and to the Charles River.
• Continue to study the fees that residents and external groups are charged to use these assets

How would you improve COMMERCE and the LOCAL ECONOMY in Newton?

Shopping and working locally are some of the best things that we can do to achieve many goals including sustainability, increased revenue, and community building.  We only have one full time staff person at the City overseeing economic development.  

• We need to invest in economic development staff, they are a “sales engine” of our city.  We should target creating a $3+ return on each dollar we invest. The staff members, working with the EDC should focus on recruiting attractive retail and commercial tenants to Newton.
• We need to make the permit approval process for new businesses and food establishments easier and quicker.  
• We should tap into our native resources – our residents.  We have such rich knowledge in our residents, including many entrepreneurs, and we should be starting and launching businesses from here. I would propose that we establish a business incubator that focuses on starting and launching businesses.  

How would you improve CLIMATE RESILIENCY and the NATURAL ENVIRONMENT in Newton?

I have dedicated 20 years of my life to sustainability. I have helped cities work towards net-zero and financed solar projects that can produce enough energy to power 25,000 homes. I have lectured on finance and sustainability at Villanova, Babson, Northeastern and Harvard.  

Newton has a nation leading sustainability plan, and I am able to understand the financial implications and creative ways of achieving it. We must enhance our tree canopy both through the tree ordinance and by planting new trees which add to the beauty of our city, remove carbon from the air, statistically lower ground temperatures, and improve stormwater retention.

Next, we can create a multitude of benefits by working with third parties to finance our energy efficiency retrofits. Upgrading insulation, air handlers, and sensors are common sense ways to immediately cut costs and meet our goals. Many of these upgrades can be done for zero cost up-front and immediately decrease our energy spend. 

How would you improve SENIOR LIFE in Newton?

Newton has an increasing percentage of 55+ residents and we are making strides to address the needs of this population, including the Cooper center in Newtonville, a commitment to the (relatively) new GoGo transportation program (including subsidized trips) and several other programs.

I would like to see collaborative efforts across Newton-based programs (OAS or Older Adult Services, NCE, Park & Recreation and others) to further expand access to arts and adult educational opportunities.

Additionally, the recent report from UMass Boston that was commissioned by the city has a broad scope with implications for housing, food security and other topics that OAS and the council should focus on enacting.

Would you support a Proposition 2 1/2 operating override to fund schools and other city expenses?

No position. Presently there is no override and any position on this matter would have to be grounded in the facts at the time, looking at it as an alternative of last resort. In recent history, the school’s budget was rejected even when funds were available, creating distrust and polarization. Regardless of the reason for an override, it must be accompanied by transparent facts and details allowing the public to understand the reality.

We must analyze the actual budget from a revenue and expense perspective, living within our means as the first objective. To increase revenue, we should invest in identifying all alternative sources of revenue, such as grants, foundations, and innovative financing sources.

The Mayor in her most recent address about the state of the city mentioned 9 or 10 ‘levers’ that the city has at our disposal – one of which is an override. Personally, I believe that we should focus on other projects and ideas before we even consider asking residents to approve another override.

How would you make Newton a more affordable place to live, for seniors and others? 

Newton is an expensive community to live in because it is so desirable.  A 2016 report prepared by RKG for the City of Newton concluded that, “The imbalance of demand and supply is so great that the City could not physically accommodate the development needed to affect pricing in a substantial manner. To this point, a combination of preservation and new construction will be necessary to ensure some level of price diversity within Newton.” A few areas I think we need to explore more thoroughly:

• Preserve the naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH) choices.
• Encourage developers to include a mix of smaller sized housing units.
• Strive to provide more ownership opportunities, as opposed to the recent trend favoring rentals
• Ensure our inclusive zoning ordinance stays close to market

How would you attract more businesses to Newton?

The city council is not directly responsible for attracting new businesses to Newton; that is the responsibility of the Economic Development Commission (or EDC). I would like to pursue a few important changes to our approach to economic development overall:

• Ensure that the EDC and the Planning & Development Department have the resources and research to clearly understand the market and the opportunities for Newton to achieve success.  
• Work with city staff (including ISD, Planning & Development) to simplify and clarify the processes for obtaining and retaining permits. This includes ensuring the process is straightforward and clear to ensure there are no surprises.
• Work to maintain modern ‘uses’ so that Newton is ready to receive new businesses without the need for a Special Permit (or SP).

I believe this will improve our ‘business friendly’ stance while still ensuring Newton can shape new business or commercial opportunities.

Would you support keeping Newton’s “welcoming city” ordinance if it may mean losing millions of dollars in federal funds? The “welcoming city” ordinance, approved in 2017, prohibits local law enforcement and city officials from arresting, investigating or alerting federal authorities about someone based solely on immigration status, with some exceptions.

Yes. While I hope that this remains a hypothetical scenario, I support the US and Massachusetts constitution and laws. Our ‘Welcoming City’ ordinance is in compliance with both.

Would you support extending the city’s Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance to include more buildings?

No. BERDO is an important component of reducing our emissions.  Newton just started our BERDO program, and the first reports were submitted on September 15th, 2025. Therefore I think it is much too soon to be considering if we should expand the project.

Practically speaking, existing property owners, many of whom are non-profits, lack the resources to actually comply – either with reporting or with funds to perform the retrofits.  Before increasing the scope, Newton needs to establish a fair means for these organizations to actually be able to comply.  Mass Save offers some incentives, but they are limited.  

The state of Massachusetts has a mandate to achieve zero emissions by 2050; until or unless this changes, Newton along with every city and town in MA, will need to determine the best pathway to achieve this goal. While this effort is ultimately necessary, we are going to have to act responsibly – any programs have to ensure progress and affordability.

Do you support keeping or repealing the city’s winter overnight parking ban?

Keeping. There are beneficial and detrimental arguments on both sides of the issue.  The fact that this matter is important enough to have made it to a ballot question, is good democracy.  However, ultimately, I do not believe this should be a citywide decision; we need a more nuanced solution to properly address on-street parking year-round. 

What one big idea or initiative would you champion, once elected?

Trying again to establish a startup incubator in Newton. Within our city limits we have some of the smartest and most creative individuals in the Commonwealth, many of whom have started businesses in the past, or dream of starting a business. Incubators provide a shared ecosystem of resources to start up companies attracting talent, ideas, and capital investment.  If done properly these startups can grow and expand and be encouraged to permanently locate within Newton’s boundaries.