Newton Mayor Elect Announces Senior Positions In Her Cabinet

NEWTON, MA — The chief financial officer over at city hall will stay on, but several appointees in the current top office will be moving on, including that of the city solicitor and communications team, when Mayor-Elect Ruthanne Fuller takes over in January, she announced today.

City Solicitor Donnalyn Kahn has been the chief legal counsel in Newton since 1997, arguing more than 25 successful appeals in state and federal courts for the city over the years.

“I am very grateful for City Solicitor Kahn’s dedicated service here in the City of Newton for many years,” Fuller said in her press release.

Associate City Solicitor Ouida Young take over as acting City Solicitor on Jan. 1 until Fuller finds a permanent replacement, she announced.

Fuller will keep on Maureen Lemieux as chief financial officer, a position she’s held in Newton since 2010. Lemieux previously worked as the chief executive officer for mobile communications dealer Wright Communications in New Hampshire, and as director of Nashua’s administrative services division.

Newton South graduate Noah Rivkin will be hired on as the executive aide to the mayor. Hannah Woit is currently in a similar position for Outgoing Mayor Setti Warren, as his executive assistant and scheduler.

As for the communications team, Auburndale resident Dana Hanson will serve as director of community
engagement and inclusion. Former Boston Globe freelancer Ellen Ishkanian will be director of community communications. Iskhanian sent the press release to the Patch but did not immediately return request for comment on the duties involved in the duel roles. In the current administration, Stephanie Foner held the title of director of community engagement, sending out press releases and coordinating media events.

Fuller said she's still looking for a chief operating officer, a position that sound similar to a post currently held by Dori Zaleznik as well as a citizens assistance officer, which is currently held by Terry Crowley.

“This is a team of talented individuals dedicated to public service,” said Mayor-Elect Fuller. “They will be joining a strong team of department heads already at City Hall."

Dana Hanson has been a community activist in Newton for the past 18 years, volunteering for numerous organizations and boards. Her experience includes serving as past PTO president at Burr Elementary School and F.A. Day Middle School, trustee of the Newton Free Library, and founding board member of the Auburndale Community Library, according to the press release. She has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies from Brown University and a Master of Science degree in Environmental Science and Engineering from the Harvard School of Public Health. She lives in Auburndale with her husband Brian and her two teenage boys who attend Newton North High School.

Ellen Ishkanian, a Wellesley resident, has spent her career as a journalist covering several communities, including Newton in the greater Boston area. Remember the Newton Graphic? She was editor there in the early 1990s, too. The Providence College grad has two sons, one in high school and one in college at the University of Missouri.

Noah Rivkin graduated from Newton South in 2013 and Columbia University this year where he majored in History. Rivkin recently interns in State Treasurer Deb Goldberg's Office of Economic Empowerment.

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Photo of City Hall by Jenna Fisher/ Patch