Denebola
Non-Profit Org.
Volume XLVIII, Issue 3
Mayor a casualty
in override fight
By Nathan Yeo
Mayor David Cohen an-
nounced last Friday that he
would not seek a fourth term
in office after the public learned
he planned to take a $27,600
pay raise during difficult fiscal
times.
Cohen’s decision not to run
was precipitated by controversy
over his proposed raise, which
would have taken effect regard-
less of whether the override
passed. Cohen had previously
declined the same amount three
years ago. After the discovery,
Cohen rescinded the raise.
photo from internet source
Newturf moves
towards approval
By David Han and
Jesse Zhang
The Board of Aldermen’s
Programs and Services and
Public Facilities Committees
recently approved of the “New-
turf” proposal to install three
synthetic turf fields at Newton
South.
The May 7 joint meeting’s
approval pushes the plan for-
ward to the Finance commit-
tee for debate. If approved by
Finance, the plan likely will
move on to the full Board of
Aldermen for final approval.
The vote came after a re-
port on the poor conditions of
South’s playing fields by Gale
Associates Engineering Design
Firm (GAEDF). The group
concluded that synthetic turf
fields would greatly benefit the
school’s sports teams in terms
of safety and convenience.
The Board of Aldermen
called on GAEDF in January
to produce a drainage study
before it made a decision on the
synthetic turf proposal.
GAEDF’s three-month anal-
ysis determined that soil is
South student representatives participate in the April 27 Darfur Rally in Boston Common. They protested
corporations such as Staples and their involvement with China, a major investor in Sudan
In Cohen’s official release,
he stated that he chose to step
aside of the pressure from the
pro-override group Move New-
ton Forward (MNF). It felt that
the controversy surrounding the
mayor might hurt the override’s
chance of passing. Before the
mayor’s announcement, it pub-
licly called for him to announce
he was not running again.
The mayor responded, ex-
pressing his desire not to do
anything to jeopardize the
override.
“The outcome of this over-
ride is far more important to
me than my political career,”
he said.
MNF responded to the may-
or’s announcement, praising his
decision and saying they hoped
Cohen would no longer be an
issue in the campaign.
“This was, no doubt, a very
difficult personal decision,”
MNF said in a statement. “We
deeply appreciate this selfless
action by the mayor…We thank
[him] for making his announce-
ment now, and for providing the
opportunity for a vote on May
MAYOR, continued on page A4
the source of the fields’ poor
conditions. The existing soil
does not drain well, causing
flooding after heavy rains. Even
when the fields are playable,
mud holes and hard soil make
practices and games dangerous
for athletes.
“The conditions of the fields
are not at an appropriate level
for the City of Newton,” New-
turf co-chair Ted Tye said. “It’s
a disgrace. We wouldn’t stand
for a gym or field house that
had a hole in the middle of it.
But that is what the fields have
become.”
According to the GAEDF
study, conditions deteriorate
every year because of overuse
and poor maintenance.
Due to these conditions,
sports teams often relocate
practices and games. Soccer,
lacrosse, track, and baseball
teams have already left South
fields to practice or play in
other areas. A study conducted
in 2005 showed that South
relocated 80 home games and
502 practices off-site due to the
TURF, continued on page A8
Newton South High School
“Our revels now are ended...”
Mercutio (Zach Horvitz) and Tybalt (Blake Rosenbaum) battle toward tragic ends in the Newton community’s annual Newton North/Newton
South joint Shakespeare production. If the override vote does not pass in the upcoming vote, then this may be the final joint production.
Bard, 80 faculty, and millions for schools at risk if override fails
Groups debate as vote nears No voting
By Jeremiah Davis rights for
In a debate filled with num-
bers, video clips, and warnings
about the success or failure of
the override, Move Newton
Forward (MNF) and Newton
for Fiscal Responsibility (NFR)
squared off on the override at
the Newton Free Library on
May 5.
Robert Gifford and Chris-
topher Hill represented the
pro-override organization,
MNF, while Jeffrey Seideman
and Dan Fahey spoke for the
anti-override group, NFR.
Both sides responded to ques-
tions from moderator Marjorie
Arons-Baron and the general
public.
The major points of discus-
sion included the causes of
the override, the function of
the city’s Capital Stabilization
Fund, and which city service
cuts will or will not be made
based on the outcome of the
vote.
The moderator delivered
each question for both sides
to answer. The debaters never
spoke out of turn, but they did
make frequent contentions and
corrections to what the other
side was saying.
A large portion of the debate
included arguments about the
cause of the structural deficit
that led to an override vote.
MNF said uncontrollable “bud-
get buster” expenses like rising
photo by david han
Newton residents express opposing opinions in regard the upcoming
$12 million override.
Full override coverage - A4
healthcare and pension costs
created the deficit, while NFR
responded that irresponsible
school spending and the New-
ton North project were mostly
to blame.
Another major point of de-
bate involved the very con-
tentious issue of the Capital
Stabilization Fund (CSF). The
CSF is a city fund set aside
for surplus revenue to be used
for capital projects such as
renovating city buildings, road
repairs and construction of
projects like Newton North
High School.
NFR claims that there is no
need for an override because
the roughly $16 million in the
fund is sufficient to cover many
Sophomore Bonanza cancelled
By David Han and Idun
Klakegg
In light of the recent cancel-
lation of the Sophomore Bo-
nanza on May 9, the sophomore
class officers are currently in
the process of finding an alter-
native plan.
Class advisor Alex Kraus
and class housemaster Kathy
Daviau met with Principal
Brian Salzer to make the final
financial decision to cancel the
event, which was originally
scheduled for May 17.
The officers, in a note to the
class of 2010, made clear that
they “had no preconceived
knowledge” that such a deci-
vote yes
Wednesday, 14 May 2008
photo by nathan yeo
of the costs that the $12 over-
ride would cover.
This claim was challenged
by MNF because, according to
Gifford, the funds in the CSF
are “one-time money” and
should not be used for general
spending like tax dollars. Also,
MNF said, there would not be
enough money next year to
cover expenses with only the
$4 million left in the CFS.
The override is the only way
to prevent a fiscal crisis accord-
ing to the MNF.
There was much disagreement
about the details that were brought
up, and neither side seemed to keep
the upper hand for long.
NFR claimed that MNF is
DEBATE, continued on page A4
sion was made.
In addition to a $1000 de-
posit, the event needed at least
300 students to buy tickets in
order to break even, according
to Salzer.
“Because we only had about
130 students rather than the
400 kids in the class, it wasn’t
going to be a class activity,”
Salzer said. “So, knowing that
we had no more time for kids to
buy tickets, and the number of
kids was not going to increase,
we decided to cancel it.”
In order to compensate for
the abruptness of the decision,
the officers have come up with
two possible options for the
U.S. Postage
PAID
Boston, MA
Permit Number 54523
www.denebolaonline.net
photo by jason agress
non-citizens
By David Han
Since their move from Bei-
jing and New York, the Cao
family has made Newton their
home. Chenzhe Cao has at-
tended Newton Public Schools
for almost five years and is
currently a sophomore class
officer at South.
Paying property taxes, par-
ticipating in community events,
supporting local programs and
services, and being aware of
the city’s issues, the family is,
in every way possible, as much
a part of the town as any other
local Newton resident.
Come time of city elec-
tions, however, the family is
silenced.
The Cao family is just one
example of hundreds of per-
manent resident families in
Newton that are not allowed
to vote in municipal elections
because they are not citizens
of the United States.
Newton is home to over
2,500 immigrants over the vot-
ing age of 18, and one in every
12 Newton residents is not an
American citizen.
In response to the increasing
number of non-citizens in New-
ton, the Board of Aldermen
passed a petition in February
NON-CITIZEN, continued on page A4
class to decide upon.
The first alternative includes
“getting a hypnotist to come on
a Friday night and do a show,”
according to the letter by the
officers.
The second choice is for the
class to go to Six Flags New
England some time in June.
In the letter, the officers sent
their apologies to those who
were “looking forward to the
Bonanza.”
“We’re doing the best with
the situation that was given
to us, and I hope people will
realize that and understand
us,” sophomore class officer
BONANZA, continued on page A8