Mayor David Cohen, Board of Alderman President Lisle Baker, and School Committee Chair Dori Zaleznik have formed a Citizen Advisory Group “to assist in planning for additional tactics and strategies to improve the City’s operational efficiency and effectiveness in future fiscal years including the functions of the Executive, School Committee, and Aldermanic branches of Newton’s government.” The convening of this advisory group is in response to a resolution passed by the Board of Aldermen, which asked them to appoint this group prior to May 20, 2008 when the citizens of Newton will vote on the override request.
In forming the group, the Mayor Cohen, President Baker, and School Committee Chair Zaleznik relied on the recommendation of their colleagues to create an advisory group with a mix of skills and abilities, and sought residents who had not served in Newton elective office before. The Citizen Advisory Group will be chaired by Newton resident Malcolm Salter, a former Senior Associate Dean and chaired Professor at the Harvard Business School. For over two decades, Mr. Salter was also president of Mars & Co, a strategy consulting company serving Fortune 100 clients in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
The Group’s preliminary charge is: