Newton Committee Approves Four Aging Board Appointments, Sets Clerk Salary

NEWTON — October 8, 2025 — Newton Programs and Services Committee approves four Council on Aging appointments and sets city clerk pay. The committee voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend Eric Hillman, John Peltier, Robert Pearson, and Judith Gordon to the Newton Council on Aging, just ahead of the anticipated opening of the new Cooper Senior Center in Newtonville. The panel also voted 6-0-1 to recommend a starting salary of $146,479 for incoming City Clerk Matthew Wilson, rising to $150,960 on January 1, 2026, with both measures heading to the full City Council on October 20. Marjorie Butler was reappointed to the Election Commission 6-0-1, with Councilor Julia Malakie abstaining over a 2021 certification error; Butler told the committee a software glitch was responsible and has since been corrected. In an informational briefing, Superintendent Dr. Anna Nolan and Deputy Superintendent Liam Hurley warned that federal and METCO grant funding has grown just $500,000 over four years against salary increases of roughly 4 percent and health insurance cost growth of 7.2 percent annually, with 86 to 87 percent of school costs tied to personnel — leaving limited options if federal cuts materialize mid-year.