Newton’s Programs and Services Committee met Wednesday to discuss the size of the City Council after emerging concerns about the education of candidates, length of council meetings, and incumbency advantage.
The average number of members of city council for the 20 largest cities in Massachusetts is 10—Newton has 24.
In the entire country, Newton sits at seventh for city council size, beating out both Philadelphia and Houston, two cities with populations reaching over 1.5 million. Newton’s population is just under 88,000…