Signature drive for Newton North funding referendum fails

NEWTON

A group of Newton residents seeking to repeal $56 million in funding for the Newton North High school project has failed to gather the required amount of signatures to put their petition to a ballot.

In a press release issued this morning, the group behind the signature drive said it had collected more than 1,500 signatures and had delivered them to City Hall as a "protest" of the Board of Aldermen's decision to approve the latest funding for the $197.5 million project, which will be the most expensive high school in state history.

The group needed to gather 2,600 signatures by 5 p.m. yesterday in order to place the funding repeal on a citywide ballot.

"Ultimately, in ten calendar days, with only five full time volunteers and countless committed city residents, we justified this protest, obtaining over 1,500 signatures," the press release stated. "In the past 10 days, it has become increasingly clear that the public shares our concern about the status of NNHS, its increased price, and the process used to fund it."

Jeremy Solomon, the city's spokesman, confirmed that the group had collected 1,550 signatures. He said city officials were happy not to have another distraction as they work to complete the project by 2010.

"We are relieve that this referendum won't go forward," Solomon said. "Now we can be assured that Newton North will be built and that this train has, once and for all, left the station."

Meanwhile, the press release, issued by the group's leader, Newton Corner resident Janet Sterman, also urged a change in the city charter to allow citizen's groups more time to collect ballot initiative signatures.

Under the current ordinance, citizens who want to put a challenge to a decision by the Board of Aldermen before the city's voters have 20 days to gather the signatures of 5 percent of the city's registered voters.

-- Ralph Ranalli