20 Cities, Towns, Including Newton, Ask Congress For Relief Money

Jenna Fisher
Updated ·2 min read

NEWTON, MA — Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller joined 19 other city and town leaders who signed a letter to urge Congress to reach a compromise on a new relief package for state and local governments, amid pandemic calling the situation dire across Massachusetts.

"As leaders of cities and towns, big and small, we are facing multiple crises at one time," the letter, signed by 20 mayors and leaders, including Mayor Marty Walsh of Boston and Town Administrator Mel Kleckner of Brookline. "We are confronting the COVID-19 public health crisis, an economic recession and calls to address systemic racism. As we strive towards an equitable recovery, it is clear that the economic fallout from this pandemic will be long-lasting. Simply put, this pandemic has laid bare the systemic inequities that have persisted for far too long in our economy."

The letter, dated Sept. 22, said cities and towns needed fiscal stabilization, and highlighted the declines in tax revenue, forcing them to layoff workers, and make cuts to public services, while having to do more with less.

"Without adequate funding for fundamental infrastructure, the quality of life and economic opportunities for our residents will worsen," the letter said.

The leter also puts a spotlight on a new report from the U.S. Conference Mayors on Metro economies, studying the impact of the pandemic on cities. It predicts economic output shrinking more than $1 trillion, which is more than $10,000 per household. It also predicts high unemployment.

The help municipalities maintain critical services, the mayors and leaders asked Congress to provide direct aid to American cities in the next COVID-19 response legislation.

"We must rebuild our economies in a way that creates greater opportunity for those who have been denied it," the letter said.

The 20 leaders who signed:

  • Boston Mayor Marty Walsh

  • Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria

  • Melrose Mayor Paul Brodeur

  • Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo

  • Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn

  • Arlington Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine

  • Wenham Town Administrator Anthony Ansaldi

  • Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer

  • Lynn Mayor Thomas McGee

  • Winthrop Town Manager Austin Faison

  • Chelsea City Manager Thomas Ambrosino

  • Malden Mayor Gary Christenson

  • Amesbury Mayor Kassandra Gove

  • Gloucester Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken

  • Swampscott Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald

  • Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller

  • Hamilton Town Manager Joseph Domelowicz

  • Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone

  • Braintree Mayor Charles Kokoros

  • Brookline Town Administrator Mel Kleckner

The letter was addressed to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and also to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

This article originally appeared on the Newton Patch