Who We Are

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What: A Neighborhood Area Council is a local council elected to hear, respond to, and represent village concerns.  The 9 elected representatives can address matters at the village level and report local support and concerns to the City Government on pertinent Waban issues.

The Waban Area Council represents residents’ thoughts on issues like local traffic and road conditions, the changes coming to Angier, parking in the village, or even flooding along Quinobequin Road.  The Area Council works as partner to the Waban Improvement Society, providing a forum for activism and representation to complement WIS’ community building and beautification activities.

Where: Most residents have a notion as to which village they belong but it’s hard to define exactly where our village stops and starts - the city does not define the villages with hard boundaries.  We have set the initial boundaries for the Waban “Service Area” – the area that would be represented by the Area Council – to be those that generally are in zip code 02468, and also including other areas that come up to the boundaries of the

The WAC and The WIS as complementary organizations

  • The two organizations work hand in hand but focus on different tasks: the WIS continues to focus on community building - as it always has - including the library, community events, beautification, etc, while the Area Council focuses on community concerns including infrastructure and land use.
  • The two organizations will work together as interests overlap. For example, The Council creates insurance cost savings for the WIS for Village Day - something the Highlands have been taking advantage of for years.

Newton City Charter includes Article 9 on Area Councils

I love Waban, its graceful houses set well back from the street and its mature trees and lawns. I am running for the Waban Area Council to preserve its beauty for future generations. We need to ensure that new McMansions do not systematically replace houses having historical or architectural significance. Zoning laws should...
I moved to Boston with my husband 22 years ago to follow our academic and professional careers. When it came time to identify where we wanted to raise our children it became Newton. We live in a home that was built at the turn of the last century by Nelson Marvin whose legacy for the Waban community was the founding of the...
Dinah and her family have lived in Waban since 1991. Most important to Dinah when choosing a home was good access to public transportation and a walkable village center. Dinah worked as a research scientist until 1996, then devoted herself to raising her children (all now grown). Dinah is an amateur pianist and sings with the...
When I first helped bring this council into existence, one of my goals was to begin serious future planning for Waban. The Future Planning Working Group held meetings and events for three years culminating in the survey published on this website and shared with the city. I am a firm believer that no matter the issue, having...
Originally from Pasadena, Megan moved to Newton in 2003 from Virginia. She fell in love with the historic look and feel of Waban, and moved to the Angier side of the village in 2013 with her husband and children. Before becoming the managing director and owner of Camperdown Properties, she conducted Alzheimer's research at the...
I am a strong supporter of the Area Council idea of participation in government at no dollar cost to the voter. I have been actively involved with the other working members of the ad hoc committee that organized the Waban Area Council, meeting monthly for over a year, helping to address many issues of concern to Waban citizens...
Drake is a new resident of Waban. He lives on Pine Ridge Rd. with his partner, Michelle. A lifelong Massachusetts resident, Drake grew up in West Bridgewater and graduated from Stonehill College in Easton. Since then, he has been working in software development. Growing up in a small town, Drake had enjoyed fundraising for his...
Sumukh and his wife Shalini and their two children have lived in Waban since 2008. Sumukh is currently a member of the School Council at Newton South HS. He leads product and marketing at a startup - Cybersixgill, a startup. Sumukh has a BS in Electrical Engineering from Univ of Mumbai and an MBA from MIT Sloan School.  He is...
Bill grew up in the very same house he lives in now on Varick. His devotion to Waban cannot be overstated. Simply, he believes it is the best place to live, to grow up in and to retire in. Bill is a graduate of Angier, Brown Middle, Newton South High School, and Wentworth University. He is a mechanical engineer at BR+A...
Mark Friedman is the owner and founder of Senior Helpers Boston & South shore, a private duty home-care agency serving the Boston metropolitan and South Shore areas of Massachusetts metropolitan area. Friedman served as the National Chair of the Franchisee Owners Council.  He has grown this franchise into one of the top-...

Pages

The WAC is made up of 9 elected unpaid Waban residents. Anyone may attend the meetings and volunteer for various issue comittees.  
ARTICLE I - AUTHORITY The By-Laws for the Waban Area Council, (“Council”), are promulgated under the authority granted to it by Article 9, Section 9-9(b) of the Charter of the City of Newton, (“...
Registered voters living at the following addresses are within the Waban Area Council's Catchment Area: Agawam Rd.  Alban Rd.  Allen Ave.  Amherst Rd.  Amy Circle  Anita Circle  ...
In September 2021, the WAC adopted a new logo. We sought advice from a number of experts including Drew Lopenzina who has published extensively reserched works on Waban and Elliot. In particular his...
ARTICLE 9. NEIGHBORHOOD AREA COUNCILS Sec. 9-1. Purpose. It is the purpose of this article to encourage citizen involvement in government at the neighborhood level by permitting limited self-...