Newton Joins Call To Begin Trump Impeachment Investigation

NEWTON, MA — A cheer rang out in the city council room and the sound of applause bounced off the walls after a the Newton City Council passed a resolution calling on Congress to look into the possibility of impeaching President Donald Trump, despite a question about whether it was the council's role to weigh in on the issue.

"We need to be heard by Congress," said Newton resident Cindy Clements on the steps of City Hall to the crowd at a small rally ahead of the vote.

The full City Council voted 17 in favor of the resolution 6 voted against the resolution, including mayoral candidate and city council president Scott Lennon. One councilor was not present.

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About 50 Newton residents gathered outside Newton City Hall Monday night - many of whom had been here a couple weeks ago with the same signs and with the same message to city council members: vote to pass a resolution.

The idea was put forward by Clements and her husband months ago by a petition signed by some 50 voters. After multiple delays it was set for a vote at the last council meeting in June. Four councilors used the parliamentary procedures to table the vote until tonight.

Mainly a symbolic gesture, the petitioners said a move such as this would throw weight behind other organizing groups efforts to consider impeaching the president as there is no such process underway currently. Since Newton residents first put the idea forward here, four more communities have voted to do the same. Newton would be the 14th in the country urge such a resolution, joining the likes of Brookline, Los Angeles and Alameda, Calif.

Although Newton voted mostly Democrat in the presidential election, there are some residents who are not happy with the idea of Newton weighing in on matters that are considered federal.

Tom Mountain, chairman of the Newton Republican City Committee is one of those. He and a handful of residents stood at the back of the rally ahead of the council meeting watching and shaking his head.

"What you have here is a nonsensical event. A march of folly," he said of the effort. "This is not the city council's job," he said as one woman in pink who declined to give her name, started chanting "do your job" and "47 states" as rally goers spoke.

To the idea that voting to pass this resolution was not the city council's job, Ben Clements who along with his wife first brought this forward said it was, actually.

"It obviously is not the City Council's bread and butter, but it's absolutely the City Council's job to weigh in on national issues of importance, especially when it's brought about by residents on the city's charter," he said.

Gail Stein who was one of the first 50 people to sign the petition came to both the rally before the last council meeting and tonight's rally because she felt she had to. As for the question of whether or not the local council should vote on such resolutions:

"If not us, then who? We all certainly pay federal taxes we should all have a say," said Stein.

Scott Lennon, mayoral candidate and president of the council said he would not vote for the resolution.

Ruthanne Fuller, also a candidate for mayor voted in favor. As did mayoral candidate Amy Sangiolo.

"These 50 petitioners have a charter given right to a vote on the merits. And we as a council have not only a right but a charter given duty to address this petition on the merits," said Fuller, calling the proposal modest. As for the idea that there was a barrage of resolutions before the council she said she'd conferred with the city clerk and discovered that only 17 petitions for resolutions have come forward since the charter was installed in 1988.

Councilors Allan Ciccone, Lenny Gentile, James Cote, Richard Lipof and Lennon all voted against the resolution. When Gentile explained he didn't think it was within his purview as a councilor to vote on Federal matters Sangiolo responded sharply.

"What residents are asking us to do is help them have a voice in this city," she said.

Councilor Cheryl Lappin was not present.

Check out the video of the rally ahead of the vote. At times you can hear a small group of hecklers in the back:

Photos by Jenna Fisher/ Patch