The Newton City Programs & Services Committee voted Nov. 19 to send a proposed Code of Conduct for city councilors to the full council after a multi-hour discussion that cleaved along procedural and philosophical lines over enforcement, harassment protections and whether the document should be an enforceable "code" or an aspirational statement of best practices.

Councilor Bill Humphrey, a lead sponsor, told colleagues the measure was intended to "enshrine a formal code that everyone is signing on to" and to restore public confidence in the council. "If it weren't necessary, we wouldn't be having the conversation," Humphrey said.

Other members expressed concerns about enforcement language in the draft — a provision that had included bystander-intervention expectations and an explicit mechanism asking a councilor to offer a "sincere apology" if a violation occurred. Councilor Lyle Baker and others said much of the conduct language overlapped with existing rules and best-practices statements and worried that labeling the text a "code" implied legal force it does not possess. Baker proposed striking the most prescriptive enforcement paragraphs and editing several sections for clarity; the committee removed the contested enforcement subsections (notably language in 4.b.2 and related items) during a series of straw votes.

Councilors also discussed adopting harassment-prevention language aligned with the city's staff policy; Humphrey said the draft largely mirrors the staff policy but with adjustments for council context. Councilor John Oliver said the harassment policy "is the right place" for such protections and urged a stronger approach, while others warned about First Amendment and procedural implications when the council seeks to bind members.

Committee members approved a version of the draft containing the code's aspirational elements, bystander-intervention encouragement, harassment-prevention language drawn from staff policy, signature/acknowledgement language (trimmed to avoid over-prescribing clerk actions) and clarifying edits on staff interactions, attendance and decorum. The committee voted to forward the draft to the full council, subject to second-call consideration and expected floor amendments on enforcement mechanisms.