As Ward 1 City Councilor, Maria Greenberg has formed a lot of connections with residents and business owners and feels those relationships allow for a more focused, responsive government.

“Constituent services are my priority, and they know that they can reach out to the ward councilor for help in situations in their neighborhood,” Greenberg said.

Greenberg is running for a fifth term this year, hoping to build on those relationships as Newton enters unprecedented times.

From newbie to green space champion

Greenberg, who’s lived in Newton since 1992, first got involved in public service as one of the founding members of the Nonantum Neighborhood Association (NNA), a group that works on improvements in Nonantum including new tree planting, hosting Village Day, and giving out scholarships to high school graduates.

Greenberg’s foray into politics came in 2017, shortly after the 2016 presidential election. In addition to her role in the NNA, she attended the Women’s March in Washington, DC, and she decided to run for a City Council seat.

“I had never thought of running for public office at all, but I thought it was an opportunity I shouldn’t miss, and I did, and I won,” she said.

Since taking office, Greenberg has pushed for a variety of improvements: gathering money to repair the pond at Farlow Pond Park and the fieldhouse at Pellegrini Park, as well as requesting $50,000 for more trees to be planted in Ward 1.

“I believe I am the only councilor that I know of that has brought in over $400,000 of state funds into my ward,” said Greenberg.

Her advocacy for funding helped build a new community garden after the city received $63 million during the pandemic. Councilors and residents were encouraged to pitch ideas of how to spend the money. Inspired by a neighbor’s suggestion, Greenberg presented the idea and got it approved.

“That space used to have a home there, and the family who owned the home donated that plot of land to the city, she said. “Now it’s a community garden, growing food and bringing the community together.”

Balancing interests

In addition to her Ward 1 efforts, Greenberg has supported city-wide measures, such as increasing the city’s budget for traffic calming.

“I put forth the resolution during budget season last year,” she said. “Folks are concerned about speeding in their neighborhood and our budget’s only $400,000 so I asked the mayor to increase, and she added another $200,000.”

Greenberg also emphasized the importance of balancing progressive changes with preserving culture throughout the neighborhood. In response to the 2020 decision to rename Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day, Greenberg helped organize an additional Italian-American Heritage Day celebration at City Hall.

“Many folks here were upset about losing Columbus Day, so I worked with them and the mayor, and now we celebrate an Italian-American Heritage Day at City Hall,” she said. “We raise the Italian flag.”

If reelected, Greenberg says she hopes to continue focusing on local issues. One major goal on the agenda would be the restoration of Burr Park.

“There’s tennis courts there, they’re unplayable, and the play structures there really need some work,” said Greenberg.

As for other efforts, Greenberg plans to help move the city’s Climate Action Plan forward, support more specific traffic calming in the neighborhood, like on Pearl Street, and revisit zoning in Nonantum to potentially bring in more commercial businesses to increase the city’s revenue.

Housing and budgets

Greenberg also noted that one of the major long-term issues facing Newton is the lack of affordable housing.

“We’re heading toward Newton becoming an exclusive, wealthy town where we need the diversity of housing,” she said. “There are no starter homes for people starting a family. We’re losing school enrollment of students because families can’t afford to live in Newton.”

Overall, Greenberg said she remains committed to direct, neighborhood-based representation. Although encouraged by others to run for an at-large seat, Greenberg has opted to remain in the ward position.

A future term brings more than new projects. It also includes a shift in city leadership, and a renewed debate on how to fund city necessities.

In 2023, voters rejected a Proposition 2 ½ $9.2 million override. However, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller is not seeking reelection, and possible successor Marc Laredo has indicated that he may introduce another override proposal.

With a potential Proposition 2 ½ override in the coming term, Greenberg said that she is supportive if it’s one part of a broader plan.

“If part of the solution is an override, I would be supportive of that,” she said. “We need to increase our revenue, attracting more businesses, more housing. You know, that would increase our coffers and and then therefore trickle down to our schools. So it’s going to be a multifaceted approach.”

Greenberg acknowledged the skepticism residents may feel regarding large-scale tax proposals and government in general. But, she believes that local government has the ability to rebuild that trust.

“Right now, there’s such mistrust at the federal level that it’s leaking down,” she said. “People are very angry, and there’s just a lack of trust. But if they see positive results from the work that I do and other councilors do, I think that’s a good thing.”