Candidate Profile: Brenda Noel, Ward 6 Newton City Council

NEWTON, MA — Brenda Noel is running for reelection against Barry Bergman for Ward 6 City Council. There are 12 people vying for the eight Ward Councilor seats on the Newton City Council in the Nov. 2 municipal election, as well as contested races for Councilor-At-Large, mayor, and school committee.

Newton Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles this week.

Noel is the Executive Director of Pathway To Possibles and has served on the Newton City Council since 2017.

Are you running for office in Newton? Contact Annie Sandoli at annie.sandoli@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate profile and submitting campaign announcements to Newton Patch.

Campaign website

www.brendafornewton.com

Age (as of Election Day)

50

Position Sought

Newton City Councilor, Ward 6, Ward Councilor

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Husband- Dean Fairchild, two daughters, Martie and Ella Fairchild, two dogs, Theo and Peggy

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

no

Education

Master in Social Work (MSW)

Occupation

Executive Director of Pathway To Possible (4 years) An organization that provides housing and services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Elected to the Newton City Council in 2017

Why are you seeking elective office?

In November 2017, the residents of Ward 6 elected me to the Newton City Council. Together we won the Ward 6 seat on a vision of an inclusive city that represents the values that matter to us most.

My decision to run for re-election in 2021 is predicated on the fact that the work isn't done. The pandemic has deeply impacted our city - our small businesses and restaurants struggled, our schools suffered, and the pandemic further highlighted our underfunded infrastructure -- specifically our roads, sidewalks and fields.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

As a city, we are still in recovery mode from the pandemic and, while life has returned in some ways closer to normal, it’s still with us and affecting our lives every day. Like many other small cities, we have really complex, multi-faceted challenges that we can address and impact on a local level if we put the time and energy into it. We have many priorities but the top two I see before me are:
• Pandemic recovery: supporting our small businesses, fortifying our schools so our students can learn in-person safely and investing ARPA funding in the areas of the city that were hardest hit by the pandemic, roads, sidewalks, schools and fields.
• Constituent services- I will be there for the folks of Ward 6 as we recover from the pandemic. I support Ward 6 residents through scheduled monthly office hours, a regular newsletter and transparency and accessibility to me via email and my cell phone should something come up that needs an immediate response.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

The biggest difference between me and my opponent is our vision for the future of Newton. My vision includes a welcoming city that embraces future generations and makes homeownership possible, while tackling the challenges of mitigating climate change, supporting reliable public transportation and ensuring safe streets for walking and biking. My opponent has laid out a platform that does not address the challenges we face as a city nor does he embrace the data driven solutions that are available to us.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I think overall, under the circumstances, the Newton City government did very well. The Mayor's daily newsletter was a huge source of comfort and provided significant transparency and support throughout the early stages of the pandemic.

The one area I have been critical of is the hesitancy by the Superintendent, School Committee and Mayor's Office to open the schools safely, sooner. As a parent of High School teenagers the mental health impact of being home from school for over a year was a tremendous stressor of which they are still recovering. During the school closing period I co-signed 3 letters to the administration urging them to open the schools safely sooner and assuring them the City Council would approve any necessary funds to upgrade the buildings HVAC system and provide any necessary supplies to ensure the safety of the students as they return to in-person learning.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Our quality of life as a community is affected not only by fundamental infrastructure issues, but also by the ways we demonstrate our commitment to our collective core values and long-term goals such as climate change, income equality, transportation, and sustainable housing.

The City Council is charged with addressing all of these things -- from infrastructure to big picture policy issues --including Zoning Redesign and 21st Century Policing. I am committed to continuing to advocate for all of these and for what matters to us most.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

My work as Ward 6 Councilor includes making a difference in the daily lives of Newton residents and businesses. A few recent examples include

Pushing to provide funding so the Newton Public Schools can operate safely,

Getting crosswalks and safety lights installed so our city is safer for walking and biking, and

Advocating for policy changes for expanded outdoor dining so our local restaurants can stay in business -- and so we can support them while enjoying each other’s company safely outdoors. In addition, providing leadership for the platform build on outdoor dining ensuring our residents with mobility challenges could access outdoor seating.

Working with my colleagues to support housing projects that provide housing at different price points and support our Climate Action Plan.

Fighting in the budget process against school bus fees, ensuring our budget reflects our values and goals of the Climate Action Plan.

Supporting the recommendations of the Newton Police Task Force, supporting the new Police Chief, Chief Carmichael, and adopting the policies of 21st Century Policing.

I am a tenacious advocate for the people I represent, most recently I collaborated with my Ward 6 Colleagues to ensure the Levingston Cove proposal, which would include access to Crystal lake for those with disabilities as well as fortify the lake from continued erosion, would pass. It was approved unanimously by the entire City Council, 24-0.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Don't ever underestimate the voters.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am a tenacious champion of the underdog.