Fuller Brings Knowledge and Leadership
John Grandin and Jim Taylor
Co-Chairmen, Committee on Parking, Traffic and Pedestrian Safety of the Chestnut Hill Association
Letter to the Editor, Newton TAB
September 2, 2009
“We've watched her work with Newton's department heads, aldermen, citizens, developers and Boston College officials. She's unusual in her ability to get things done.”
Ruthanne Fuller for Alderman
Jon Herrmann
Newton North, Class of 2008
Harvard College, Class of 2012
Letter to the Editor, Newton TAB
September 2, 2009
“I know from direct observation that Ruthanne Fuller has the necessary analytical ability, the detailed knowledge of Newton's budget issues, an openness to public input, a strong sense of fairness and above all, a commitment to excellence that will serve our city well.”
Gabrieli: Newton Should Consider Longer School Day or Longer School Year
Christine Laubenstein, Newton TAB
July 29, 2008
Ruthanne Fuller, a candidate for alderman in ward 7, wanted the Framingham staff members to talk about “bumps in the road” their district has experienced with the expanded learning time initiative.
“So we can learn about that before we forge ahead,” she said.
Spirited Contests Shaping Up in Newton
Calvin Hennick, Globe Correspondent
July 12, 2009
“I think the combination of no incumbent for the mayor, a recession, and the Newton North issue has increased awareness of and concern about the city,’’ said Fuller, adding she did not contemplate a run until Vance mentioned he was going to retire and encouraged her to run.
Ruthanne Fuller for Alderman
William Hicks, Letter to the Editor, Newton TAB
June 16, 2009
I am excited that Ruthanne Fuller is running for Alderman at Large from Ward 7 to succeed retiring Alderman Verne Vance, who has endorsed her candidacy. As vice chairman of the Citizen Advisory Group, Ruthanne recently helped lead a comprehensive review of Newton's finances. While some CAG recommendations are already underway, we need her on the Board of Aldermen to help assure that CAG's important ideas move beyond study to action. As president of our neighborhood association for the last five years, she has strengthened our community and negotiated practical solutions to difficult development issues. Before moving to Newton 14 years ago, Ruthanne performed similar leadership roles in Brookline, including serving as co-chairman of Brookline's Financial Planning Advisory Committee and vice chairman of Brookline's School Financial Practices and Procedures Committee. We are fortunate that someone with Ruthanne's depth of experience and long-term commitment to public service has chosen to run for alderman. I hope citizens from all over Newton will join me in voting for her in November.
A few things I have learned by serving on the CAG:
Newton is living unsustainably beyond its means with a significant gap between costs and revenues. We’re seriously underfunding maintenance and repair and retiree benefits. We need a management system more focused on continuous improvement in efficiency and effectiveness and fundamental changes in our capital planning and capital budgeting practices. We need to be much more explicit with citizens about the choices and trade-offs. Finally, there are no easy solutions. —Ruthanne Fuller
A memo to Newton's Mayoral Candidates
Ruthanne Fuller and Malcolm Salter, Guest Columnists, Newton TAB
May 26, 2009
“It is very clear to the Citizen Advisory Group that the city of Newton is simultaneously underfunding important obligations while continuing to make service and program commitments beyond our willingness to pay for them.”
Newton's Citizen Advisory Group — What Next?
Dan Fahey, Guest Columnist, Newton TAB
May 5, 2009
Already, one of the CAG members, vice chairman Ruthanne Fuller, has decided to step into the political arena, in part one supposes to assist in keeping the CAG mission and results alive. For those who might not know, Ruthanne has thrown her hat into the Ward 7 aldermanic race, seeking one of the two at-large positions.
…Ruthanne is perhaps showing the way for how the CAG membership can carry on its mission in tangible ways: by choosing to take the in-depth knowledge of the city’s inner workings and applying it to the real world of municipal management.
Change for Newton's Board of Aldermen: Vance Out, Fuller In?
Dan Atkinson, Newton TAB
April 28, 2009
Vance said the city is seeing a lot of changes, such as a new mayor and school superintendent, and said the time was right for him to leave.
“It seemed like a good time to have a transition,” Vance said. “Particularly when I talked to Ruthanne, she indicated that she would be somewhat eager to run if I did not seek election. She seems to me to be exactly the sort of person who would make a wonderful member of the board at this point, particularly dealing with the problems and initiatives of the CAG report.”
Press Release Announcing Candidacy for Alderman at Large
Ruthanne Fuller
April 24, 2009
“Newton needs to be clear about its goals, put resources towards the highest priorities—our schools, our fire and police, our roads and parks, and our neighborhoods—and measure the results relentlessly.
Newton Parking Meter Proposal Hits Roadblock
Dan Atkinson, Daily News Tribune
April 24, 2009
Ruthanne Fuller, the vice chairwoman of the Citizen Advisory Group, said at the public hearing that traffic management should take priority over using meters to raise revenues. But the city needs whatever new cash it can find, she said.
"We're at the point that if this brings in $66,000, we need $66,000," Fuller said.
Ruthanne Fuller Running for Alderman at Large
Newton Tab Blog
April 24, 2009
I have the deepest respect and affection for Verne. The qualities that many of you cite — his thoughtfulness, honesty, & open-mindedness; his commitment to substance; his meticulous response to every communication; his approachability — are ones that I hope I to embody. —Ruthanne Fuller
Cohen’s Final Budget says Newton Needs Changes
Dan Atkinson, Newton TAB
April 22, 2009
In his final budget presentation after nearly 12 years of leading the city, Mayor David Cohen called for significant changes in the way Newton is run.
… At his presentation of the budget last night to the Board of Aldermen, Cohen recommended adopting all of the Citizen Advisory Group’s recommendations for the Garden City to “move Newton forward.”
It’s Time to Review the Charter
Tom Concannon, Former Mayor City of Newton, Letter to the Editor, Newton TAB
April 22, 2009
The Citizen Advisory Group has issued its report. Malcolm Salter, chairman, Ruthanne Fuller, vice chairman, and all the members of the committee have done an outstanding job in analyzing the present and future financial problems of the city of Newton. They have offered various excellent solutions for them.
Newton's Citizen Advisory Group Report Lays Out Tough Choices for City
Dan Atkinson, Newton TAB
April 15 2009
“Taken as a whole, the six reports of the Citizen Advisory Group demonstrate that it is unavoidable that residents will have to face some combination of (a) increased taxes and (b) decreased service levels — unless major changes are made in the revenue and cost structure of the city,” the report reads. “So, too, may city employees have to absorb some pain.”
"Any other conclusion is wishful thinking,” the report reads.
Panel Endorses Payment for Trash, Fee Increases
Calvin Hennick, Boston Globe
April 15, 2009
“It’s difficult to talk about increasing user fees on services that in the past felt like free because they were part of your tax base,” said Ruthanne Fuller, the group’s vice-chairwoman. “Those are difficult choices for the city and its residents. They’re painful.”
Why Newton Needs Performance Management
Malcolm Salter, Bill MacKenzie, Kent Portney and Ruthanne Fuller, Guest Columnists, Newton TAB
April 7, 2009
How the city of Newton sets long- and short-term goals for itself, how our leaders measure achievement against these goals, how systems of accountability (with related consequences) both motivate and guide the behavior of managers and employees toward the achievement of established goals, how we attract and retain top performers, and how we create a culture that is forward looking, proactive, focused on objectives, and dedicated to continuous performance improvement - how we perform each of these critical "performance management" tasks directly determines the economic future and security of our community…
What the Citizen Advisory Group is recommending in its Report on Performance Management is a pathway to continuous improvement in municipal operations. Without it, we will fall back and fall behind. And we all know that "coming back" is far more difficult and vastly more expensive than "pushing forward."
Newton Group Tackles City Salaries, Management Incentives
Dan Atkinson, Newton TAB
April 7, 2009
“It is not entirely clear to this committee what principle or principles have guided the compensation of Newton’s municipal employees over the past decades,” the most recent CAG report reads.
Unknown Territory in Newton; Leadership Change May Be 'Profound'
Rachana Rathi, Boston Globe
March 29, 2009
“… there will be a "convergence of new leadership on both the municipal and school side in combination with a recession. It guarantees that there will be significant change in both management style and priorities," Fuller said.
"The recession alone probably would have done that. But when you couple that with new people, it's guaranteed," she said.
Mayor Cohen — The Time For Action Is Now
Michael Slater, Guest Columnist, Newton TAB
March 24, 2009
My point is that I personally feel that the most significant parts of the CAG proposals are not necessarily the specifics about what cuts or service changes can be made, but proposals still pending that will likely deal with management process and how we plan, budget and measure the effectiveness of Newton’s services. These are things that Mayor Cohen, with the help of our other elected officials, can start to implement even now. We can begin to identify key service and performance goals by department and start measuring them. We can revamp the way we budget for capital improvements and plan for the future. We can review staffing to ensure that we have professionals with the right kinds of management experience. We can look to our department structure and consolidate where appropriate. We can improve the way we communicate with our citizens by redesigning Newton’s Web site to present information with greater clarity.
We have a right to ask that our city be run according to best management practices, as effectively as our neighboring communities, and that we get the highest quality government for our money. Maybe it’s good enough that these things all start to take shape in 2010 under the leadership of a new mayor.
Experts Warn Newton's Financial Crisis is Ignored
Dan Atkinson, Newton TAB
March 5, 2009
Among its findings, the group has said that until new sources of revenue can be found or developed, city leaders must make "difficult choices about which services and programs should be cut back or even mothballed."
But Ruthanne Fuller, the group's vice chairman, said the response to the CAG's call to arms has been less urgent than she anticipated.
"When I talk to my friends and neighbors, they're more worried than elected officials are," Fuller told the TAB. "There's more lassitude in the city than we expected."
As city leaders head into another budget-planning cycle, Fuller worries that the mayor and elected boards will once again rely on short-term solutions to a long-term problem.
"The mayor and the Board of Aldermen know they can find a way to squeak by," Fuller said. And measures like the mayor's proposed one-year salary freeze are just stopgap solutions, she said: "It buys another year of an economic model that still doesn't work."
Mayor Responds to Questions about the CAG
Mayor David Cohen, Newton TAB
Mar 5 2009
“The CAG has offered important insight and suggestions about the City's economic future, and we will be using their reports as a guide for this year.” —Mayor David Cohen
Smart Growth Should be a Long-Term Goal
Anatol Zukerman, Guest Columnist, Newton TAB
March 3, 2009
After a year of diagnosing our city's financial ills the head of the Citizen Advisory Group, Malcolm Salter, stated the obvious: Newton is "a city without goals." In other words, Newton has no plan for pulling itself out of financial troubles. Naturally, most of our elected officials don't like this pronouncement. Nor do they like plans that call for cutting services and inviting new growth. Ruthanne Fuller, another member of the CAG, hit the target: "They need to think of the long term. And that may not get them elected again."
Newton Budget Study Group Seeks to Avoid Blue Ribbon Fate
Chrissie Long, Newton TAB
February 24, 2009
“I think people have to take these recommendations seriously,” (Alderman Marcia) Johnson said. “We are coming up on a very difficult budget season, and we have to start doing things differently.”
Where groups such as the Blue Ribbon Commission or the Citizen Advisory Group can make the most impact is in building a consensus around unpopular decisions, according to David Osborne, author and partner of public-sector consulting group, Public Strategies Group.
“They are particularly helpful in creating a political consensus to do hard things,” Osborne said.
Why Mayoral Election is So Critical to Newton's Future
Michael Slater, Guest Columnist, Newton TAB
February 24, 2009
… Alderman Baker introduced me to the ongoing work of the Citizens Advisory Group chaired by Mal Salter and co-chaired by Ruthanne Fuller. This group has been charged with looking at Newton's fiscal condition and making recommendations. Their work is ongoing, but much has been completed. …
My read of the CAG's work describes a city with a spend rate growing much more quickly than revenues, where the budget is met by not spending enough to maintain and rebuild our schools, roads and other infrastructure, and where there isn't any long-range plan to reconcile these trends. The CAG makes many recommendations. I personally agree with most of these, but that isn't my point.
My point is that the CAG is warning us that we can't continue to go on like this. We need to see that Newton is run more efficiently, incorporates best practices from other municipalities, does a better job of planning and makes hard choices for the future.
Newton Faces Urgent Need for Change
Malcolm Salter and Ruthanne Fuller, Letter to the Editor, Boston Globe West
February 22, 2009
… we believe that maintaining the current level of services is virtually impossible in light of Newton's capped property-tax revenues, uncapped operating costs, unfunded state mandates in education, significant retiree healthcare obligations, substantial underfunding of capital infrastructure, and residents' aversion to additional taxes of any kind in the current economic environment.
The implications of this are clear. Difficult choices must be made regarding the scope and scale of municipal and school services. Service cutbacks and program reductions must be on the table.”
Newton's Reputation Runs Into Tough Fiscal Reality
Rachana Rathi, Boston Globe
February 18, 2009
"The political process directs decisions toward the short term and toward needs that are obvious," said Fuller, a Harvard Business School graduate and strategic planner for nonprofits. "They need to think of the long term.”
Newton's Stature Jeopardized by Fiscal Reality;
Panel Says City Must Change to Maintain Level of Services
Rachana Rathi, Boston Globe
February 18, 2009
"We're at a turning point here," Fuller said. "We have to be very creative and thoughtful about how we go forward, or we're going to leave a legacy to future Newton residents of a weaker city."
CAG: Schools Must Separate Essentials from Desirables
Dan Atkinson, Newton TAB
February 10, 2009
Because Prop. 2 ½ limits how much money Newton can raise through taxes - barring an override - the gap between what the schools prioritize and what they deliver will not go away, CAG member Ruthanne Fuller said. And because employee costs like salaries, pensions and health care are the biggest expenses for the city, using more technology and less "human contact" for rote learning.
What To Do About Newton’s Deteriorating Infrastructure
Dan Richards, Kevin Dutt, George Foord, David Humphrey, Bill MacKenzie, Kent Portney, Malcolm Salter and Ruthanne Fuller, Guest Columnists, Newton Tab
February 3, 2009
Newton is spending far too little money maintaining its infrastructure… In addition, Newton has an enormous backlog of capital spending that has accumulated over the years as a result of infrastructure under-spending…To a large extent, Newton lives with a highly incremental, short-term, pay-as-you-go capital planning and budgeting process. It is not guided by either an explicit, long-term vision for the city or formal, analytic buildings blocks. As a result Newton does not have a citywide master plan with carefully laid out growth projections, level-of-service standards, and capital spending priorities.
Tough Choices For Newton's Schools: Defining Essential Vs. Desirable
John D'Auria, Ruthanne Fuller, Laura Thompson, Selina Pandolfi, Neil Silverston, Guest Columnists, Newton Tab
January 20, 2009
It is apparent that the Newton Public Schools face difficult choices right now. Almost every choice will be painful because so many of the potential levers affect the quality of education.
The choices are limited, in part, because there are only a few parts of the budget where changes make a material difference. Furthermore, many line items can only be partially controlled by the Newton Public Schools. We also note that the School Committee has an almost infinite variety of ways to control costs. As a result, the School Committee will need a comprehensive, long-term vision for the Newton Public Schools and clarity about what it considers essential versus desirable as it makes its choices. Thus, making these choices will put a premium on the leadership and vision of the School Committee and Newton Public School administrators.
No Magic Bullets For Newton's Municipal Cost Structure
Tony Logalbo, Ruthanne Fuller, Malcolm Salter, Guest Columnists, Newton Tab
January 13, 2009
After six months of study, the Citizen Advisory Group has found that opportunities for major cost savings in Newton's municipal operations in the short term are limited… Unfortunately, these more immediate savings are largely offset by necessary, new expenditures on health-care liability funding, communication and information technology, and a professional budget analyst.
When these findings are considered along with another by the Citizen Advisory Group that Newton's opportunities to increase revenues are modest, it becomes increasingly clear that there is no painless way to resolve the long-term imbalance between the costs of maintaining existing municipal service levels and the revenues available to cover these costs. A forthcoming report on the limited opportunities for reducing the operating costs of Newton's public schools reinforces this sober conclusion. Thus, until new sources of revenue can be found or developed, we can no longer side-step difficult choices about which services and programs should be cut back or even mothballed.
The principal reason why new opportunities to increase operating efficiency are so modest is that municipal cost cutting has already been significant in recent years.
Rising to the Challenge
Newton Tab Editorial
January 14, 2009
They’re (the Citizen Advisory Group) telling us to face the facts: things aren’t getting better any time soon, and we can’t keep putting off the decision making.
We’re not talking about the kinds of decisions that feel far enough removed that most folks will never notice. Rather, we’ll be looking at choices that affect our lives in such a way that we need to think beyond ourselves and beyond our special interests.
We’ll need to make sacrifices for the greater good of our city.
Tax and Fees, Back On The Agenda
Rachana Rathi, Boston Globe West
December 2, 2008
… their answers were frank. For instance, when the issue of transparency in governance was raised, vice-chairman Ruthanne Fuller said, “The lack of transparency really helps elected officials. It gives you guys wiggle room to say yes to the person who wants that and yes to the person who wants that when you can’t afford to fund both."
Newton's Insufficient Revenues
Scott Oran, Ruthanne Fuller and Malcolm Salter, Guest Columnists, Newton Tab
November 24, 2008
… Newton's opportunities to increase revenues are modest. Most revenue-enhancing opportunities involve moving some services from the tax base to user fees and increasing prices of both fees and services. Exploiting these opportunities by themselves will not close the widening gap between the city's expenditures and revenues. Neither will their successful exploitation fill the gap between the kind of city Newton's residents say they would like and that which residents are willing or able to afford. Nevertheless, given voters' current antipathy toward higher property taxes and possible reductions in aid from the commonwealth, converting potential non-property-tax municipal revenue gains into actual gains is an important step towards ensuring Newton's fiscal health…
While new development is not the magic bullet that some proponents assert and will not allow Newton to grow itself out of its budget issues, the Citizen Advisory Group found that it can have a positive revenue effect while ensuring the economic vitality, diversity, attractiveness and value of Newton's villages. The report recommends that Newton streamline zoning approval process to encourage smart, transit-oriented physical development, which could enlarge the city's commercial and residential tax base.
…the "big choices" currently facing Newton's residents and their elected leaders are more profound than simply increasing revenues or reducing costs through efficiencies. Rather, we must consider reductions in the historic scope and scale of municipal and educational services. If voters' recent rejection of the property tax override ballot question suggests limited support for increasing revenues through tax increases, then Newton's residents and their elected leaders must face up to these difficult choices.
City Can't Raise Enough Money To Close Gap, Says CAG
Chrissie Long, Newton TAB
November 20, 2008
“We, as a city, are going to be left with choices,” said member Ruthanne Fuller. “We are not going to be able to do everything we’ve done historically.”
Study: City Is Under-Managed
Chrissie Long, Newton TAB
October 14, 2008
The study revealed a great deal about Newton's spending priorities relative to comparable communities: The city has chosen to allocate more of its resources to schools, public works, culture and recreation, and human services. It funds police at the same level, but allots less money for fire and "general" government. And, it spends significantly less on capital projects.
Ruthanne Fuller, vice chairman of the advisory group, cautioned against using the numbers without understanding the information behind them.
"There are a lot of nuances here," she said. "And what appears to be black and white isn't usually. There are a lot of shades of gray. Being over or under the average [compared to other communities] does not mean good or bad necessarily."
First Step: Upgrade our Political Dialogue
John Stewart, Guest Columnist, Newton Tab
Oct 14, 2008
The Citizen’s Advisory Group continues to amaze me. It is a tremendous boost to the cause of effective government in Newton. …There is no better way to get at the question of the relationship between city services, community values and quality of life than to ask, at least hypothetically, if those benefiting from particular programs and services should pay a fee for what they get or whether the activity is of sufficient broad value to the whole community as to be available “free.”
As everyone knows, the city now charges an assortment of fees for various services. Sadly there is no overall strategy or policy -- little rhyme or reason – in determining when to assess fees or how fully fees should be made to pay for the services offered. …The era of pretending Newton can afford just about anything city government might offer has passed, hopefully forever.
Newton’s new mayor, along with the aldermen and School Committee members we elect next year will have to make tough choices, almost certainly leading to higher taxes, major cutbacks in lower priority areas and bold efficiency improvements throughout government. Inevitably these decisions will be controversial, big “losers” in terms of political popularity. All of this makes the 2009 election one of the most important in a long time for unless we have the right cast of hard-nosed, courageous and informed people in office the city will be facing some very difficult times.
A ‘Big Question’ For Newton: To Prioritize Or Not?
Malcolm Salter and Ruthanne Fuller, Guest Columnists, Newton Tab
September 30, 2008
The early work of the Citizen Advisory Group suggests that Newton must look at its finances in an entirely different way. After three months of interviewing and data collection, CAG members are developing a consensus that if we want to preserve what we value most in Newton’s quality of life while the city’s revenue growth lags behind its growth in expenditures, we need to ask what we value most and whether we need to modify spending on what may be peripheral in order to preserve that which is at the center of what we value.
… to the extent that both the mayor and the Board of Aldermen are committed to bringing expenditures in line with likely revenues according to some transparent logic, they must decide whether or not to embark on a process of openly discussing community values and spending priorities as a way of informing the debate over spending. This has not been Newton’s modus operandi in the past, even though most of us would agree that municipal budgeting is all about public choices. In the absence of some systematic public discussion of what constitutes core versus peripheral priorities, there can be no broadly acceptable logic for making unavoidable budgetary trade-offs. Enacting an across-the-board cap on spending only short-cuts this discussion and freezes nontransparent choices incorporated into prior budgets.
These trade-offs will inevitably involve reductions in the scope and scale of some municipal and school services until new sources of funding can be generated or found. Put more directly, these trade-offs involve making budget cuts, be they temporary or permanent. We can either make these trade-offs and budget cuts according to some communicable logic or in a more opaque manner. Under either approach, conflicts will develop, but we think that sustained trust in our governance process requires the former.
The “big question” facing Newton’s leaders today is: To prioritize or not? How this question is answered in the context of Newton’s increasingly insufficient revenues will tell us a great deal about our city’s future.
Finance Committee Chair Coletti Says Newton Is In ‘Best Financial Condition’
Chrissie Long, Newton TAB
September 17, 2008
… Ruthanne Fuller, who has been laboriously combing through the city’s budget as the vice chairman of the Citizens Advisory Group, said residents shouldn’t be too optimistic.
“The city of Newton is facing an enormous deferment of capital maintenance and investments,” she said. “We are also facing continual increases in energy and benefit [costs].”
Newton had an unusual year in that so much was returned in free cash, Fuller said, but that’s not necessarily an economic indicator for the future. “Unfortunately, the long-term picture is gloomy,” she said.
Citizen Advisory Group, Revisited
Dan Fahey, Guest Columnist, Newton TAB
August 12, 2008
They are truly reaching out to the larger world as they look both at what our real problems are, and who’s doing the innovative things in municipal settings, whether that be elsewhere in the US or in other countries. …They recognize that most municipal systems are broken, not just Newton’s and that really new approaches are needed.
BC Cites Legacy of Newton Dorms
Andreae Downs, Boston Globe
August 10, 2008
"We hear very few complaints about the Newton dorms, and they directly abut private residences," said Ruthanne Fuller, president of the Chestnut Hill Association. "Dorms just do not have the same set of problems private houses do" when they are rented out to students.
Best of Times, Worst of Times and a Structural Deficit
Ruthanne Fuller and Malcolm Salter, Guest Columnists, Newton Tab
April 08, 2008
We enjoy a vibrant community in Newton, the services of capable firemen, policemen and librarians, and students who are taught well and perform superbly on tests. Our trash is picked up reliably, and the parks are quite good. But, we are worried about a recession, the possibility that home values are stalling, a price tag on a new high school that makes us gasp, a nagging suspicion that our elected officials have failed to provide leadership and careful management, and a so-called “structural deficit” in our city finances.
City Update
Newton Tab
March 25, 2008
Resident and former Blue Ribbon Commission member Ruthanne Fuller, who had conducted a similar efficiency-related study for the town of Brookline 15 years prior, was present at the meeting to discuss her experience.
She recommended having departments consider what “low-hanging fruit” they can cut out in the immediate future, but also establish a longer-term, citizen-led commission to go into more depth.
“The beauty of having an outside group of citizens is that we can touch political hot potatoes,” she said.
More Public Nays than Yays for Big Development
Leslie Friday, Newton TAB
September 25, 2007
Ruthanne Fuller, a former member of the Blue Ribbon Commission, said her neighborhood of Chestnut Hill supports the amendment. She recognized that the city was in dire need of new revenue. (Chestnut Hill Square could bring in $2.8 million in property tax revenue.)
The only adjustment she suggested was making sure the city studies the impact of traffic on the neighborhood for more than just one year post-construction of such projects.
“These developments take a while to get lived in and to generate the actual traffic that will be there,” Fuller said.
Project Offers Windfall, Worries; Traffic Main Issue for City, Neighbors
Connie Paige, Boston Globe
January 25, 2007
Neighbors have already expressed their alarm at the density of the project and the added traffic.
Ruthanne Fuller, president of the Chestnut Hill Association, said Route 9 even now slows to "a snail's pace" at certain times of day.
"It appears that, despite the changes that the developer will make along Route 9, that nonetheless existing traffic conditions will not get better, and in fact some intersections will degrade further," Fuller said.
Ruling on Rte. 9 Plan Due; Karp has designs for shops, condos
Connie Paige, Boston Globe
December 15, 2005
''The buildings are positioned on the site in a better way, with the retail close to Route 9, the two tall apartment buildings in the center, and lower town houses on the back closest to Florence Street, which is a residential neighborhood," Fuller said. ''By eliminating the hotel and the office building, he reduced the number of vehicles on Route 9, which also improved it."
Noting that Karp estimates that the project would generate $3.3 million in taxes, Fuller said, ''Newton needs the revenue."
Whatever reservations neighbors may have, Fuller acknowledged that the site, now occupied by an Omni Foods market, is ripe for some kind of development, ''Route 9 is the commercial zone, and inevitably will have a high-density project there," Fuller said. ''If we can continue to mold this to fit Newton as best as possible, this could be an opportunity for the city."
Fuller also praised Karp for including 34 affordable units among the condos, and pledging traffic-flow improvements, such as a third travel lane on Route 9, new median breaks, additional turning lanes and signals, and coordinated traffic lights.
Still, Fuller expressed concern about traffic. Karp's report says the project could generate more than 17,000 vehicle trips on Saturdays.
''We need to check to see if his analysis is correct," she said.
Officials Tapping Local Talent on Fiscal Matters; Committee’s Interim Report on Town Finances Due in November
Janelle Lawrence, Boston Globe
September 12, 1993
When the selectmen wanted advice on how the town will pay for its schools, police and firefighters, they turned to the business, law and banking expertise in their own neighborhoods. Selectwoman Donna Kalikow met Ruthanne Fuller, the director of strategic planning at WGBH, when their children played together. Now Fuller is cochairing a committee of the town's elite in business, tax law, banking and economics. The white collar cadre will spend the next five months figuring out how a town with a tiny commercial tax base will pay for itself without taxing its residents into fleeing for Newton.
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