At a recent Programs and Services Committee charter-review meeting held under a leaky, water-damaged ceiling, Council President Emeritus Baker asserted that after 46 years in office, “everything is working fine” with our City Council. The claim ignores decades of voter sentiment and the reality of an ineffectual body.

Even fellow councilors acknowledge that the Council lacks purpose and vision and that 24 members make effective collaboration nearly impossible. Newton holds the 7th-largest city council in the nation, larger than councils in Philadelphia and Houston—cities with populations exceeding 1.5 million. This bloated structure dilutes accountability, creates bottlenecks, and breeds voter confusion and apathy. Our oversized Council spends endless hours bogged down in HOA-style micromanagement—debating trivialities like the size of planter beds while critical city infrastructure decays.

Baker poured over $10,000 to oppose change in 2017. Although voters didn’t pass the charter proposal then (mostly over concerns of losing direct ward representation), rejecting that specific council configuration was never an endorsement of the status quo. When councilors prioritize obstructionism over meaningful governance, they actively erode their own authority and render true community representation moot. This in turn disincentivizes people from running to join our local government.

It is time to implement term limits and right-size Newton’s City Council to deliver the focused, efficient and accountable government our residents deserve. Our challenges are too big to stay the course. Downsizing to a mixed ward and at-large model would retain ward-level accountability while aligning with state standards, improving governance efficiency, and lowering administrative costs.

Enrique Rosero
Newton Centre