Watertown’s elected officials face some key decisions that will impact the future of the City, including the future of Watertown Square and whether to build a new Middle School, said City Council President Mark Sideris, who also talked about the keys to successful governing of the City.
Sideris spoke of what has been accomplished over the past few years, and the challenges facing the City Council, School Committee, and Library Board of Trustees during the Inauguration ceremony held on Jan. 2 at the Mosesian Center for the Arts.
In his years on the Council, and as President, Sideris said the Council has worked best when working together.
“In reflecting on previous years, the Council’s teamwork meant for a more creative and dynamic group; always working together to find solutions and address issues facing our residents,” Sideris said. “New problems and opportunities are going to present themselves to us all, and we must be creative and flexible in how we approach them.”
Remaining flexible and thinking creatively to meet the needs of the community have also been key, said Sideris, who pointed to examples such as the purchase of the former Parker School to use as a City Hall Annex, and purchasing the former Sterritt Lumber to be used to serve the community.
“Flexibility, collaboration, and creative thinking is how Watertown has become the dynamic leader it is today, and I encourage my colleagues on the Council, and all of those elected tonight, to foster that mentality as we move into the next several years as a community and elected body,” Sideris said.
The City Council and City Manager George Proakis worked together to maintain Watertown’s strong financial position.
“I am most proud that, in a time of great economic uncertainty for many municipalities, our City continues to make sound financial decisions that put the priorities of our community first,” Sideris said.
The reimagining of Watertown Square will continue, with the City Council having a dual role as the elected body as the redevelopment authority, Sideris said.
“It is our responsibility to bring to life the vision of the Plan that we and the community worked so hard to build and approve. We have started the next two phases of implementation with the revitalization plan and the engineering plan – each step integral in making our downtown Square a destination people want to be.”
Any sort of construction is “well over a year away” and the City will be engaging with the community about the process.
At the end of 2025, the City Council and the School Building Committee agreed to purchase the modular classrooms on Moxley Field to give the City options for how to approach replacing Watertown Middle School.
“The City Manager is working with the School Building Committee, the design team, and the project management team to work towards a more refined Middle School design that we could
eventually put out to bid to consider construction costs,” Sideris said.
The modulars have served as the temporary high school while the new WHS is being built. The new school, due to open this spring, will set new standards, Sideris said.
“I want to make this clear, the High School is not only a crown jewel in this community, nor the region, or state – Watertown’s High School is a crown jewel in the nation,” he said. “There is no high school in the entire United States of its kind. It is as innovative in its energy efficiency and sustainability as it is in its learning spaces for the kids who will soon walk its halls.”
The City Council will also consider building a new Senior Center, and potentially a new East End Fire Station. Sideris said the feasibility study for the Senior Center will start in the next few weeks.
The City’s Charter will be reviewed again in 2026. Typically that happens every 10 years, but because there were several major changes in 2021 the Charter will be reviewed after just five. Some of the major additions include the creation of new positions of Council Policy Analyst and Community Engagement Specialist, the start of the annual State of the City Address, and the establishment of the Resident Advisory Committee and Human Rights Commission.
The Fire Department has purchased a second ambulance and is working to hire enough staff to run two paramedic-level ambulances.
“Our Fire Department has now rolled out an alternative pathway hiring program just last month to attract paramedics to Watertown and improve our emergency response services for our residents,” Sideris said.
One key decision which will have a major impact on the City’s budget, and therefore the residents, is not in the City Council’s hands. The Council sent a Home Rule Petition to the State Legislature which would allow the City to shift 50 percent of the tax burden from residential properties onto Commercial, Industrial and Personal properties.
“If no action is taken by the Legislature, the next residential tax rate could rise significantly,” Sideris said. “We’ve already submitted our request to Beacon Hill that would keep our residents from shouldering the burden of a playbook handed to us by the state, and the City Manager and I
will be visiting the State House in the coming weeks to continue fighting for our residents any way that we can.”
Looking back at the past couple years, Sideris said the City staff has grown to meet the needs of the Community. The City hired Watertown’s first Human Services Director, Jenna Bancroft. The City hired a new Public Works Director, Tom Brady, who worked to make Brookline the first accredited Public Works Department in New England, and he has brought those best practices
to Watertown as the City works toward its own accreditation.
Another new service is the 311 Service Center, to respond to residents’ immediate needs.
“In 2025, our 311 team received over 21,000 phone calls, including well over 100 calls per day during the summer trash strike that impacted our community,” Sideris said. “In so many ways, local government is about responsiveness and action, and this is just one example of our City making that a priority.”
Meanwhile, the Watertown Free Public Library continued to serve huge numbers of visitors.
“Despite Watertown being the 55th most populous municipality in the state, our Library ranks sixth in material circulation,” Sideris said. “They see, on average, just short of 1,000 visitors every day, offering programming for all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. All of this is a testament to our Trustees, Director (Kim) Long, and her fantastic staff.”
Watertown’s Community Development and Planning Department has worked on multiple key initiatives, Sideris said, including the Watertown Square Area Plan, modernizing Watertown’s parks (including Arsenal Park), and implementing the Climate and Energy Plan.
“They have made incredible strides on our Climate and Energy Plan, leading to Watertown being named an inaugural Climate Leader Community by the state just last year,” Sideris said.
The department continues to work on how to use one of Watertown’s new acquisitions, Walker Pond.
New leadership will soon be under new leadership, with Assistant City Manager for Community Development and Planning Steve Magoon leaving.
“I want to take a moment to acknowledge our longtime Assistant City Manager Steve Magoon, who is set to retire at the end of the month,” Sideris said. “I have worked with Steve since he first started here in 2008 and I cannot overstate my appreciation for his unwavering commitment and dedication to this city. His legacy will be felt in Watertown for many years to come.”
On the docket for the City Council will be discussing the City Manager’s contract. Sideris said he has been “delighted” by Proakis’ work since he arrived in 2022.
“He has worked diligently to implement his vision, he has built a team of professionals that continue to deliver amazing service to our community every day, and I have enjoyed collaborating with him closely during his time here,” Sideris said. “He has brought forward creative, timely recommendations to the Council and has been a real benefit to Watertown since he arrived.”