NEWTON - Mayor David Cohen, during a budget presentation to the Board of Aldermen last night, distanced the city's upcoming $12 million override vote from the Newton North High School project and his own popularity.
"The referendum on me is scheduled for November 2009, not May 20, 2008," Cohen said of the proposed override of Proposition 2 1/2. "This vote is much larger than the mayor. This vote is about the citizens of Newton."
If the override fails, Cohen said, the $5.7 million cut the school system would face would eliminate 79 positions, more than half of which are teachers; curtail music, drama, and athletic offerings; and not allow the schools to replace obsolete technology.
The $2.6 million cut the municipal government would face if the override fails would eliminate 40 positions. The police department would not fill 14 officer vacancies, reducing the number of officers by 10 percent. The library would close four branches. The senior center would close on Saturdays and eliminate programs.
Cohen said the cuts would affect citizens from age "0 to 100 in the City of Newton. No neighborhood will be untouched."
Rachana Rathi
