NEWRA/NEWNC Agrees to Talk Merge

A community civil war is brewing in the North End between the two basic neighborhood groups. North End/Waterfront Neighborhood Council (NEWNC), the only elected group in the community, wants North End/Waterfront Residents’ Association (NEWRA), a community volunteer group, to merge, offering NEWRA four seats on the Council that currently has 12 members. The key to the merge is NEWRA giving up its involvement with voting on licensing issues related to the North End, a move that would eliminate applicants and residents attending three separate meetings on each request and a huge cost for lawyers for the applicant. While the original proposed merger was not accepted by NEWRA, there is still a ray of hope as both groups have agreed to sit down and further discuss the possibility. This is much further than anyone expected the merge idea would go. It’s a good start to what could be a beneficial move for the community.