Dear Editor Charlie Breitrose and Others To Whom It Concerns:
I am a senior who lives at 100 Warren Street in Watertown MA, which is SENIOR HOUSING.
We learned this weekend that Watertown is moving its voting location for District 11 and 12 elections for 2020 to be held in my residential building.
“Pursuant to Section 11 of Chapter 115 of the Acts of 2020, the City Clerk has prepared the following report relative to moving the polling place for Precinct 11 & 12 from the Cunniff School 246 Warren St to the E. Joyce Munger Apartments 100 Warren St: Report on Precincts 11 & 12 Polling Place Change Dated 08/06/2020“
The seniors, handicapped residents and people of color who live here represent the highest risk population for COVID-19. It is not acceptable to have the elections in our building, period. It should never have been considered. This cannot be made “safe” no matter what we are told. The way for us to be “safe” is for it not to happen at all. To force residents to accept this decision is to be without compassion and conscience and shirks the implied duty of persons in authority to protect those in your care. This is our home!
During this virus crisis, many people have been very creative in making lives work well in a deadly unwell environment. For example, since March all sorts of certifications and guidelines have been relaxed statewide to achieve desperately needed results. Surely our state and local officials can find a way to do that in this situation – another site needs to be found. How about a tent? A portable building? The school at 68 Waverley Avenue which is in the same neighborhood? Other? Portable structures in a parking lot somewhere would solve a lot of issues.
Please, no elections at 100 Warren Street, Watertown. Why take even the tiniest chance that COVID-19 will be brought into our building?
Leila Johnson
100 Warren St., Watertown
I left a link to this on my FB page (my DIL’s sister and family live in Watertown) so hope they will add their voices and support to you and all who live there.
Hope the link I left will allow you access.
What brainac in local government thought this was a great idea?
Come on Watertown Officials. Who thought this was a good idea and who fought back when residents were bringing it to their attention? How embarrassing for all of Watertown to only change the voting place after it made the local news.
Very little faith in our town government and those in Town Hall.
We need to clean house, totally unacceptable putting our elderly at risk just ridiculous. Always putting people in harms way, our representatives ignore safety issues for the residents in Watertown continuously.
I guess it takes putting it on the news stations to show you that the residents in Watertown are sick of your last minute dangerous decisions that you continue to make. Listen, think , communicate and plan these decisions. They are not the Watertown officials decisions to make alone, include the citizens. We are sick of you not being transparent.