A leadership overhaul in one of Massachusetts' most climate-forward cities has raised questions about whether the changes will make its environmental work more effective or quietly drain its momentum.
In Newton, a Boston-area suburb, the new mayor has restructured the local climate office, fired a longtime sustainability official, and unsettled residents and public officials who fear the city could lose ground after years of climate-focused progress.
Here's what to know
According to CommonWealth Beacon, Newton Mayor Marc Laredo outlined the planned reorganization in an August 13 email to city officials.
Laredo's plan would shift Newton's climate staff out of the mayor's office and into the Department of Public Works. Ann Berwick, who spent a decade as co-director of climate and sustainability, was let go. Caroline Weiss, the city's climate action coordinator, was moved to director of climate and energy, and Sam Nighman, Berwick's co-director, was moved into a newly created role focused on performance optimization.
Newton, which has about 90,000 residents and boasts the seventh-highest per capita income in the state, has set a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. The city has also enacted tough green-building standards and is one of 10 Massachusetts communities that has committed to making new buildings and major renovations less reliant on coal, gas, and oil.
Much of the backlash around Laredo's reshuffling centered on Berwick's exit. Berwick is widely respected among both climate advocates and utility companies, according to CommonWealth Beacon.
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
In his email announcing the overhaul, Laredo said that Berwick was "transitioning from her position."
However, Berwick later rejected that description in her own statement, saying, "There was no mutual decision. It was not my choice to leave."
Susan Albright, a city councilor, blasted the restructuring, saying it "reads like a lack of understanding of the complexities of the issue," per CommonWealth Beacon.
More background
City climate offices often play an influential role in enacting policies that residents feel directly in their daily lives. These include decisions impacting home-energy choices, utility bills, transportation options, flood risk, and neighborhood air quality.
In Newton, this work has included efforts to reduce household reliance on natural gas, increase electrification, and prepare the community's infrastructure for more severe stormwater problems down the road.
Pursuing those goals requires a rare combination of both technical know-how and political finesse. Before joining Newton's city government, Berwick developed a deep expertise in utility regulation and state energy policy, having served as both the state's undersecretary for energy and chair of the Department of Public Utilities.
Albright said removing someone with that background could make it harder for Newton to preserve important energy agreements that Berwick had played a key role in negotiating.
For example, Newton has a deal with the state's two largest utilities, Eversource and National Grid, to wind down Newton's reliance on natural gas for home heating. Berwick's prior experience dealing with utility companies was vital to that effort, Albright said.
With federal backing for renewable-energy technologies having all but ground to a halt, there is concern that Laredo's changes are coming at a delicate time for the climate movement.
What's being done?
Laredo said the changes were intended to make Newton better at carrying out climate policy and did not reflect a lack of commitment to the issue.
He said climate responsibilities should be more tightly linked with stormwater work, waste reduction, and other public works functions, arguing that Newton needs to "break down silos," according to the CommonWealth Beacon.
He said the larger aim was to build a single Department of Public Works division that brings sustainability and materials management together.
"I do not want anyone to come away from this thinking that we are lessening in our commitment to sustainability," he said, per CommonWealth Beacon. "In fact, I think it's quite the contrary."
"We are increasing our commitment to sustainability throughout the city because we are going to deliver even more than we have been, and I expect that Newton will continue to be a leader in these efforts," he continued.
Despite Laredo's public assurances, critics have continued to demand a fuller public explanation of the changes.
Albright, the city councilor, said she intends to question the staffing changes and reorganization before the city council and push the administration to explain why it sees the Department of Public Works as a better home for climate work.
Jon Slote, vice chair of the Newton Energy Commission, said, "I'm willing to trust the mayor," but added that residents will likely want proof that the city's climate goals still have enough staff support and institutional power to be carried out.
"Planning is very good and advocacy is very important," Laredo said, per CommonWealth Beacon. "But if you don't then implement, if you don't have deliverables, if you don't actually get things done, the planning, in some ways, becomes meaningless. You've got to act, and this way we're going to do both."
Where can I learn more?
What's happening in Newton, Massachusetts, echoes fights playing out elsewhere, where city climate plans run into local and national politics, implementation hurdles, and neighborhood pushback.
• In Lancaster, Pennsylvania, officials are adding EV chargers in public parks to widen access.
• In Reggio Emilia, Italy, planners want parking lots turned into squares, stirring strong local debate.
• In Milan, Italy, architects designed a sustainable housing complex around a park-like civic core.
An ambitious local climate agenda can fail amid administrative upheaval and public doubt. City progress depends on follow-through, trust, and the ability to sustain the work over time
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
