Newton is hiring a full-time Climate Action Coordinator, the first open position since Mayor Marc Laredo folded the Office of Sustainability into the Department of Public Works (DPW) in August.
The city posted the opening on Sunday, Sept. 6, according to a listing on Green Newton's website. The coordinator will be responsible for advancing community-wide decarbonization through outreach and collaboration with residents and community organizations. The role also includes updating and tracking progress on Newton's Climate Action Plan, supporting priority initiatives and providing administrative support for sustainability programs.
The position is full-time.
The posting appears to stem from the DPW reorganization Laredo announced in an Aug. 13 letter to city councilors. That restructuring created a Sustainability and Materials Management Division inside DPW and promoted Caroline Weiss, who previously held the Climate Action Coordinator title, to lead a new Climate and Energy branch. Weiss now oversees climate policy, clean energy, building decarbonization and interdepartmental coordination, as Fig City News reported.
Laredo said the reorganization would not require additional budgeted positions. The city plans to fill the role using existing DPW resources freed up by vacancies.
Newton's Climate Action Plan 2.0 covers 2026 through 2030 and sets a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. Chief Operating Officer Josh Morse told Fig City News on Sept. 1 that the city had completed several major policy efforts. "We're entering a period where we believe that we are shifting from policy development to implementation," he said.
The restructuring also resulted in the departure of Ann Berwick, who served as co-director of sustainability for about a decade. Berwick told Fig City News in a Sept. 1 report that she was fired, saying she had no intention of resigning.
Not all councilors are satisfied with the staffing plan. Councilors Susan Albright, Alison Leary and Maria Greenberg filed docket #278-26, requesting a discussion with the mayor about staffing for the Division of Climate and Energy. The docket states that Laredo's Aug. 13 announcement "fails to mention the complex planning for a transition away from fossil fuels" and that Energy Commission members are filling an essential staff role in data collection and analysis.
"Implementation is nothing without proper planning," Albright told Fig City News on Sept. 1, when the reorganization was first reported.
That discussion is on the Public Facilities Committee agenda for Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m. in Room 205 at Newton City Hall. The meeting is also accessible via Zoom, Meeting ID 832 7366 0310.
