Elections

See What the City Councilor At-Large Hopefuls Spoke About During the Candidate Forum

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The five candidates for City Councilor At-Large appeared at the candidate forum hosted by Watertown News and Watertown Cable. The replay of the forum is available from WCA-TV. The candidates running for the four spots on the Council are Tom Tracy, Tony Palomba, Theo Offei, John Gannon, and Caroline Bays. They spoke about a variety of subjects, including property taxes, the future of Watertown Square, what to do with Watertown Middle School, housing, and City staffing priorities. Click here to watch the video: http://vodwcatv.org/internetchannel/show/4134?site=1

More Forums

Thursday night, the candidates running for District C City Councilor will take appear in a live broadcast from the WCA-TV studio.

Government

State Rep. Owens Hosting Office Hours in October

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State Rep. Steve Owens

Residents can meet with State Rep. Steve Owens during three office hours in the month of October, including two in Watertown. See details in the information provided by Rep. Owens’ Office, below. Please come visit me at my next office hours:

Thursday, October 9 from 8:30 a.m. – 10 a.m. at Kendall Kitchen at the Quad (10 Wilson Road, Cambridge, MA 02138)

Monday, October 20 from 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. at the Watertown Senior Center (31 Marshall St., Watertown, MA 02472)

Friday, October 31 from 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. at Triangle Coffee Bar (66 Galen St., Watertown, MA 02472)

The Statehouse is open to the public and my legislative office is in suite 167. The office phone number is (617) 722-2230. Please give us a call or drop us a note if you plan to stop by!

Elections

LETTER: Resident Endorses Candidate for Library Trustee

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I attended last week’s WCA-TV Library Trustee Candidate Forum, and I continue to be impressed with Mr. Xin Peng. In his few years here, I have never seen someone connect so many people so rapidly. He has been instrumental in Pride month, leads World in Watertown and serves on the Human Rights Commission. And now he is running for Library Trustee in the upcoming election. He is passionate about much, but community empowerment ranks at the top. As an immigrant who became a U.S. citizen last year, Xin brings a deeply personal understanding of how public libraries can transform lives.

Elections

City Council At-Large Candidate Hosting Campaign Kickoff Event

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The following announcement was provided by the Tom Tracy for City Council Campaign:

Dear Friends & Neighbors,

Here’s a short video introduction to Tom and why he seeks to serve you/us as Councilor-At-Large. https://youtu.be/UQjzMtYyZfg 

Then come meet and chat with Tom. The event is from 6-8 p.m. Enjoy the good company of folks vested in Watertown and show your support for someone who will be looking out for all of us and is eager to meet all of you. If you’re shy, come anyway. We’ll introduce you to anyone you’d like to meet. 

WHERE: Donohue’s Bar & Grill, 87 Bigelow Ave., WatertownWHEN: Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, 6-8 p.m.

Elections

Public Invited to City Council Candidate’s Event for All Ages

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Theo Offei

The following announcement was provided by the Theo Offei Campaign:

Come join us for an all-ages community event sponsored by Theophilus (Theo) Offei’s campaign for Watertown City Council At-Large. We will have food from various Watertown businesses and kids activities including a face painter and magician. Come get to know your neighbors and talk to Theo about his vision for our community! All are welcome! 

Theo for Watertown Community Event 

Saturday, Oct. 4 2:30-5:30 

Arsenal Park – Benches near the Playground

Government

State of the City: Manager’s New Goals, Charter Review & a Downtown Post Office

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The City of Watertown will have a new set of goals used to create the annual budget and make decisions about how municipal departments operate, City Manager City Manager George Proakis said during Tuesday’s State of the City presentation. During the address, he and City Council President Mark Sideris also discussed the Charter Review set to happen in 2026, and the possibility of having a Post Office in the center of town. This is the second story on the 2025 State of the City Address. See the first story, focused on the factors that could impact Watertown’s economic future, and in turn the City’s budget, by clicking here. New Goals

Proakis has been in town for three years, and has worked with the City Council to create the budget.

Elections

Candidates in Watertown Election Appearing at Town Democratic Committee Forum

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Democratic Town Committee:

Join the Watertown Democratic Committee for a Candidate Forum on Thursday, October 16, 2025 from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Social Hall (downstairs) of the First Parish of Watertown, 35 Church St., Watertown, MA. The moderator will be State Senator William Brownsberger. Watertown is fortunate to have so many individuals committed to serving our city. To ensure a timely program, the forum will prioritize contested races. Please see the forum lineup below. 

2025 Candidate Forum Lineup

7:30 p.m. – Welcome! 

7:35 p.m. – School Committee (3 seats, 4 candidates)

8:10 p.m. – City Council President (1 seat, 1 candidate)

8:15 p.m. – Library Trustee (3 seats, 4 candidates)

8:45 p.m. – Councilor At Large (4 seats, 5 candidates)

9:30 p.m. – District C (1 seat, 2 candidates)

9:50 p.m. – Close

All candidates will answer the same opening question, then have 3 to 4 different questions, and end with a closing statement.  This event is free and open to the public.

Elections

Catch the Replay of the Library Trustee Candidate Forum

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A screenshot from the Watertown Cable broadcast of the Library Board of Trustees Candidate Forum. The four hopefuls for the Watertown Free Public Library Board of Trustees appeared at a live forum on Monday night co-sponsored by Watertown News and Watertown Cable Access TV. You can watch the replay of the forum on WCA-TV. The candidates include incumbent Leanne Hammonds, and three challengers, Fowler Brown, Xin Peng and Pia Owens. They answered a series of questions from moderator and WCA-TV anchor Maya Shwayder about issues including: what they’d like to see added at the library, how to fund programs if the budget gets tight, their favorite programs at the library, and how they would like to see the Summer Reading List created and vetted in the future.