Good Morning,

Max Woolf here, bringing you today’s newsletter. 

Voters in Newton and Watertown both chose a young pro-growth candidate to join their city councils this week.

In Watertown, real estate developer and former tech worker Theo Offei won an at-large seat on the City Council, replacing the outgoing John Airasian.

Originally from Ghana, Offei says he wants to bring “a fresh perspective” and believes Watertown “can and should be a tech hub.” He supported the Watertown Square redesign and upzoning efforts and plans to continue that work on the Council.

In Newton, 32-year-old Cyrus Dahmubed defeated fellow challenger John Chaimanis to join incumbent Josh Krintzman as a Ward 4 Councilor at-large. He will take a seat occupied by Lenny Gentile since 1989.

Dahmubed was the only City Council or School Committee candidate in a competitive race to win without Mayor-elect Marc Laredo’s endorsement.

An architect and urban designer, Dahmubed is unapologetically pro-growth. He told us that he wants Newton to be a city that has room for young families and seniors looking to downsize, and “that he believes in building that kind of city through housing production, commercial growth and support for small businesses.”

Despite this win, don’t expect a seismic shift on Newton’s Council — the same growth-skeptical majority that emerged after the 2023 election is expected to have the votes to select their next council president.

Meanwhile, all other incumbents on Watertown’s City Council won reelection, including Council Vice-President Vincent Piccirilli, who fended off challenger Andres Guzman.

In other Newton elections… 

Voter turnout was strong, with 37.6% of registered voters casting ballots — Newton’s highest turnout in six years. 

That surge might have been driven in part by a highly anticipated referendum on the city’s overnight winter parking ban, which voters narrowly chose to keep — by just 71 votes.

During NewTV’s live coverage last night, outgoing Councilor Rick Lipof noted that some voters may have been confused by the question’s wording, where a “yes” vote meant eliminating the ban and “no” meant keeping it.

Other City Council races shook out as expected, with housing and transportation activist Sean Roche and Acton Food Pantry Director Lisa Gordon both earning spots as Ward 6 councilors at-large, beating out Ted Gross.

Julie Irish also soundly defeated Garry Miller to replace Bill Humprey as Ward 5’s councilor.

These winners will join Cyrus Dahmubed, Brittany Hume Charm, Jacob Silber, and Brian Golden to round out the seven new councilors this term.

And of course — Marc Laredo will officially become Newton’s 32nd mayor.

Fig City’s and the Beacon’s Coverage.

Help slash credit card fees 

Last week, Beacon Hill lawmakers heard testimony from Seana Gaherin of Dunn-Gaherin’s Food & Spirits and other restauranters asking for help mitigating soaring credit card fees.

Restaurants currently pay hundreds of millions of dollars in credit card fees simply to collect and remit money that goes directly to the state, money that contributes nothing to their bottom line.

We don’t believe credit card companies should profit from the $1.6 billion in meals collected annually on behalf of state and local governments.

Sen. Cindy Cream — at our chamber’s request — filed a bill that would relieve business owners from having to pay fees on meals taxes.

Also pending before lawmakers is a proposal that would allow businesses to add a convenience fee to offset the cost of processing credit card payments if they choose

Massachusetts is one of only two states that do not allow this.

Use this form to email your legislators in support of both bills. (It’s easy to modify the message if you don’t own a restaurant.)

Our economy runs on Eds & Meds 

A new study from our friends at the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce underscores just how vital our region’s universities and hospitals (aka Eds & Meds) are to the Massachusetts economy.

The report looks beyond Eds and Meds' direct impacts to show how these institutions fuel industries such as construction, real estate, tourism, and hospitality—along with the steady flow of students, patients, and visitors that keeps our restaurants and retailers thriving. 

The study found Eds and Meds generate $155.9 billion in annual economic output and support more than 858,000 jobs—one in every five statewide. 

Roughly three-quarters of that impact is concentrated across Greater Boston, including in our communities.

Alumni of our universities who decide to stay in the state drive $34.3 billion in statewide economic activity and support 140,000 additional jobs, while the state’s hospitals and health systems account for $72.9 billion in output.

The report ends with a sobering warning: proposed federal cuts to Medicaid and NIH research funding could result in Massachusetts losing more than 22,000 jobs.

Remembering John S. Airasian

We were saddened to learn of the passing of Watertown businessman John S. Airasian.

Along with his brother Paul, John ran Eastern Clothing (a business his dad, Peter, founded in 1937) for more than half a century.

Initially, Eastern manufactured suits, later transitioning into a primarily retail and custom tailoring business.

His son and current owner, John M. Airasian (who is currently serving the final weeks of his term as a Watertown City Councilor) continues to operate the famed Coolidge Hill Road business.

John S. was the first president of the Watertown-Belmont Chamber of Commerce, active with Rotary. He served on multiple Watertown boards and commissions for decades, including committees that oversaw the Watertown Arsenal, the preservation of the Commander’s Mansion and the founding of the Mosesian Center for the Arts.

The Watertown News has more.

Friday Grab Bag

• A funeral Mass for former Newton Mayor Setti Warren will be held today (Friday) at 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady Help of Christians Church in Newton.
• Interested in learning more about the work Warren was engaged in at Harvard? Here’s an overview from the Harvard Crimson.
  
  
• The campaign to legalize starter homes across the state is almost there—but needs a few more signatures to make the 2026 ballot. Send in a signature to help remove outdated zoning rules and make it easier to build affordable homes for young families.
  
  
• Wellesley’s Special Town Meeting approved a motion that could allow the Select Board to pursue lowering the voting age in local elections from 18 to 17. Despite concerns from some residents that 17-year-olds are too easily manipulated, the measure passed by a margin of 16 votes.
  
  
• The FAA will reduce air traffic by 10% at Logan Airport and 39 other high-volume airports. According to Isabel Hart and Lauren Ohnesorge at the Boston Business Journal, that could mean more than 3,000 flight cancellations in November and December as air traffic controllers continue to work without pay.
  
  
• Introducing Watertown Bio, a brand new newsletter covering Watertown’s Biotech industry. Sign up here to subscribe.
  
  
• A familiar story: All six Winthrop councilors who opposed complying with the MBTA Communities Act were elected, likely keeping the town out of compliance into next year when the Attorney General begins enforcement. The Globe’s Andrew Brinker has more.
  
  
• Needham-based TripAdvisor is merging its tour-booking platform, Viator, with its legacy travel guidance site as it shifts toward becoming an “experiences-led and AI-enabled company,” reports the BBJ’s Lucia Maffei. The consolidation will also lead to an unspecified number of job cuts.
  
  
• The Rotary Club of Wellesley is once again hosting its Dinner on Us fundraiser to support families struggling with food insecurity — a need that continues to grow as more than one million Massachusetts residents rely on SNAP benefits. Enter for a chance to win 5000 in Gift Card Prizes at Wellesley restaurants.
  
  
• MyMassHome is a new website designed to be a one-stop resource for helping Massachusetts homebuyers navigate their path to becoming homeowners. It includes information about first-time homebuyer courses, mortgage products, and down payment assistance programs.
  
  
• The Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development is seeking feedback from employers to improve the administration of the state's Paid Family and Medical Leave program. Please fill out a short survey here.
  
  
• Boxfish, a new casual seafood restaurant, is set to open at 613 Mt Auburn Street in Watertown, MA, in the former location of Cha Yen Cookery, which has since relocated nearby. 

Dudley Road development hits snag 

Newton City Councilors indicated to developer Cindy Stumpo last week that they don’t plan to vote on her proposed Dudley Road project until next year.

Earlier this fall, Stumpo, a luxury home builder, proposed 70 single-family attached dwellings across 26 buildings at 85 Dudley Rd to a mixed reception.

At last Monday’s meeting of the council, that mixed reception turned into a sharp rebuke of the project. 

“I just think this is the wrong place for that kind of development — really the wrong place,” said Councilor Alison Leary, a frequent housing advocate. “This is not what we want; it will cost the city more than what it’s worth.”

Leary was joined by several other typically pro-growth councilors who voiced similar concerns and agreed that the project was not ready for this term.

This proposal does have at least one supporter, though: Superintendent Dr. Ann Nolin recently wrote to the council urging approval of the development.

SNAP cuts hurt businesses, too 

Finally, the well-reported SNAP cuts don’t just harm children, seniors, disabled persons, and others who depend on the federal food subsidies; they also hurt our economy,

“SNAP is an economic multiplier,” Kristina Pechulis, executive director of the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative, tells the Globe’s Janelle Nanos.

“For every dollar spent on SNAP, $1.50 flows into the region’s economy.”

Nanos notes that some local store owners will soon face tough decisions about payroll and rent.

Spoonfuls — the food recovery organization that we’re partnering with on our Gift Card Give Back program — distributes fresh food donated by many of the same businesses that accept SNAP, such as Roche Bros., Sudbury Farms and Trader Joe’s.

A reminder that through Nov. 26, up to 25% of any gift card you purchase at our participating restaurants goes directly toward helping fill the gaps left by these cuts. 

We continue to add participating restaurants. Join the program or purchase gift cards here

And that’s what you need to know for today—unless you need to know that one Bay Stater wrote theme songs for Newton, Wellesley, and countless other municipalities in the Commonwealth and the nation.

Max Woolf (he, him)

Public Policy and Government Affairs Manager

Charles River Regional Chamber

617-431-6101

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