Happy Birthday, Mr. Mayor
GateHouse News Service
Wed Sep 05, 2007, 12:00 AM EDT
Newton –
Mayor David Cohen celebrated his 60th birthday last Sunday at his home
with friends and family. Happy birthday, Mr. Mayor! May you have many
more to come!
Free cash flow set at $8.5 million
The city recently completed its fiscal 2007 financial report and
reached an agreement with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue that
officials have $8.5 million in free cash to play with this year.
Traditionally, that money is dedicated to the supplemental capital
budget to tend to maintenance and infrastructure needs throughout
Newton.
Last year, the city had $7.7 million in free cash, but used $3.4
million to float the fiscal 2008 budget, by the mayor’s suggestion and
the Board of Aldermen’s approval.
No determination has yet been made about how the funds will be used.
Residents demonstrate war opposition on overpass
Holding signs and waving arms, Newton residents protested the war from
two Mass. Pike overpasses last Tuesday.
As part of MoveOn’s September Stand Up Vigil, participants hoped that
commuters would be encouraged to communicate their opposition to
American military involvement in Iraq.
Two teams met on Newton’s overpasses. The westbound team stood on the
Walnut Street bridge, waving to traffic leaving Boston. The eastbound
team stood on Lowell Avenue, hoping to reach drivers traveling in the
opposite direction.
"Most of the Walnut Street team expressed great and appreciative
surprise that the majority of ‘honks of approval’ from the vehicles
came, long and loud, from long-haul truckers," wrote Bill Wilt, an
event organizer, in an e-mail.
Participants in the vigil read from a "War Toll Calendar" to remember
the soldiers that have died in the past year.
Event organizers said they intentionally created overpass
presentations in a larger type than official road signs to avoid
driving hazards for their audience.
MoveOn is a national political action committee that intends to bring
busy Americans back into the political process through education and
advocacy on important national issues.
City co-sponsors Sept. 11 event
Residents are invited to City Hall on Monday, Sept. 10, for a series
of programs commemorating the victims of Sept. 11.
The daylong event, which is organized by Interfaith Counseling
Services, will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a candlelight ceremony and a
moment of silence. It will continue with talks from artists and
community speakers, small group discussions and a theatrical reading
about a firefighter remembering his friends who died on Sept. 11.
"As we all know the tragedy of 9/11 affects us in many different ways,
even six years after it occurred," said Mayor David Cohen in a press
conference. "Americans, and people around the world, have had to adapt
to a new world order that will perhaps be touched by the evils of
terrorism forever more."
The Interfaith Counseling Services has created the event "Everyday
Echoes of 9/11" in an effort to allow for people to express their
sorrow, anger, confusion, fear and all the other range of emotions
9/11 elicits, he said.
In other news, Cohen issued a citation to Interfaith Counseling
Services for its 50 years of service to the city.
Commission returns for decision on No Place for Hate
The Human Rights Commission will meet on Tuesday, Sept. 11, to discuss
the city’s affiliation with the No Place for Hate program.
Members expect to make a decision as to whether to continue its
eight-year relationship with the tolerance-promoting campaign.
The relationship came into question this summer, when the program’s
parent organization, the Anti-Defamation League, lobbied against
legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide. At the time, the
national director, Abraham Foxman, refused to acknowledge the mass
killings as genocide. He has since rescinded his statement, but has
refused to support legislation within Congress recognizing the
Armenian Genocide.
As a result, Watertown withdrew from the No Place for Hate program.
At the last meeting of the Newton HRC, members decided to postpone any
decision to see how events at the state and national level unfolded.
They return to the decision on Sept. 11.
The meeting will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of City
Hall. The public is invited to attend.
– City Update was prepared by staff reporters Leslie Friday and Chrissie Long
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