Letters

LETTER: Snow Season is Around the Corner, Get to Know the New Residential Snow Ordinance

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The Snow Season is upon us, which, in my 30 years’ experience, can run from Halloween to Tax Day. Best to be prepared with a shovel (human, gas, or electric powered), windshield scraper and wiper fluid, pet-safe ice-melt — and a review of the Residential Snow and Ice Removal Ordinance. Passed in January 2024, only this year does it go into full effect, including fines for violations. The City has a helpful FAQ webpage here: https://www.watertown-ma.gov/1237/Residential-Snow-Ice-Removal-Ordinance-F. Both the ordinance and the debate over it were well-covered in these pages.

Letters

LETTER: Mass. Deserves Better — Support the Corporate Fair Share Act & Close the Tax Loophole

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Dear Editor,

Massachusetts is facing a critical moment. Federal budget cuts are threatening to devastate essential services — Medicaid, SNAP, education, mental health care, and more. These cuts could strip healthcare and food assistance from up to 350,000 residents, blow a $3.5 billion hole in our state budget, and harm over 1 million students. We must act now to protect our communities. A powerful solution is the Corporate Fair Share Act (An Act Combating Offshore Tax Avoidance, H.3110/S.2033), a proposal that would raise over $400 million in new annual revenue by closing a loophole that allows billionaire global corporations to hide profits offshore and avoid paying their fair share in Massachusetts taxes.  

Right now, Massachusetts only taxes 5 percent of these offshored profits — far less than neighboring states like Rhode Island, Vermont, and Maine, which tax 50–60 percent.

Letters

LETTER: How the Commander’s Mansion Became a Gem for the City of Watertown

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Charlie BreitroseThe Commander’s Mansion in Watertown. Greetings Councilors:

 “They don’t know what they don’t know.” How did the revival of the Commander’s Mansion come to be? What was the process that restored this beautiful edifice to its full glory? The story, behind the story, can be found in the attached September 23, 2005 Final Report of the Watertown Arsenal Development Corporation.

Letters

LETTER: Watertown Resident’s Class Action Suit to “Confront the Erasure of Black Americans”

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Federal Class Action Filed to Confront the Erasure of Black Americans and Their Constitutional Standing

Civic advocate Clyde L. Younger of Watertown has filed a federal class action lawsuit against President Donald J. Trump, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and other federal officials, challenging what he calls a “coordinated federal displacement” of Black Americans under the guise of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The complaint asserts that federal agencies have reclassified Black Americans into generalized diversity categories, stripping away constitutional protections and weakening access to education, health care, housing, and civic institutions — without due process or public remedy. This reclassification, the suit argues, erases the distinct civic identity of Black Americans and undermines their standing as a people whose labor, leadership, and sacrifice helped build the foundation of this nation. “This is not just a legal filing — it’s a constitutional reckoning,” said Younger. “We are fighting back against the erasure of Black American history and the dismantling of the institutions we built. Our contributions are not diversity — they are the bedrock of American greatness.”

The urgency of the case was underscored recently, when the Trump administration announced it would cut $22 million in federal grants for schools serving predominantly Black students, declaring such programs unconstitutional.

Elections

LETTER: Outgoing School Committee Member Endorses Candidates in November’s Election

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To the Watertown Community, 

For the past almost 8 years now, I have had the privilege of serving as a School Committee member here in Watertown, most recently as the vice chair. Those past years have seen the start of perhaps the best superintendent in the state, Dr. Deanne Galdston, the turnover of all 5 principalships with amazing new leaders, and the rebuilding/full renovation of 4 out of 5 of Watertown’s school buildings. To put it lightly — we got a lot done. To this day, I remain incredibly proud of how hard the Watertown community pulled together during the pandemic, making our schools and our city a leader in safe, effective education through a perilous time. We leaned on and learned from each other, and so many people across the entire community pitched in their expertise and time to help guide us.

Elections

LETTER: Lifelong Watertown Resident Joe Ganno Running for School Committee Candidate

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Joe Ganno

Providing a Voice for Families. Helping to Create a Shared Vision for the Future

Hi neighbors! I’m Joe Ganno, a lifelong Watertown resident, graduate of Watertown Public Schools, a father of two current Watertown students, and someone who deeply values fairness and community. I’m running for School Committee because I want to help develop the leaders of tomorrow today, by supporting every student, advocating for every family, and building on the progress the School Committee has made over the last few years. Our community and our children deserve leaders who listen, lead with integrity, and never stop trying to improve the services offered by the Watertown Public Schools.

Letters

LETTER: Support an Affordable Housing Overlay to Keep Watertown Strong

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​The City of Watertown’s Draft 2026-2030 housing plan puts grim numbers on what we all see everyday. Over the last 5 years, the number of Watertown households that qualify for income-restricted Affordable housing has increased by 23 percent. Roughly 2 out every 5 Watertown households have an income low enough to qualify for Affordable Housing in Watertown, yet there isn’t nearly enough affordable housing for those who need it. 

To be sure, many factors influence the cost of construction and the potential for affordable housing. Interest rates and federal trade policy play major roles, here and across the country. But we also have tools at our disposal here in Watertown. It’s time to take a hard look at the policies we do control — particularly our current zoning. 

The reality is that in most places across the city, our zoning — the rules that dictate what can be built, where, and by what process — makes it impossibly difficult and expensive for new affordable housing projects to be built. In the few places where our zoning is more permissive, like in Watertown Square, along Arsenal Street, and along Pleasant Street, our policies force non-profit affordable housing developers to compete with well-funded national developers for scarce land.