Government

Sen. Brownsberger’s Office Has Job Opening for a Counsel

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger

State Sen. Will Brownsberger announced that his office is hiring a Counsel. See more information in the announcement sent out by Brownsberger’s office. I am looking for an experienced individual to serve as Counsel in my office. A summary job description appears below:

The Counsel is a senior member of the Senator’s team and is responsible for providing legal advice and counsel to the Senator on complex policy issues and conducting in-depth research on specific legislative and policy concepts. They are the office’s legal expert and point person on specific legislative matters in their field of expertise.

Government

Council Approves FY2026 Budget, Removes Finance Position & Moves Funds to Fire Department

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The City’s Assistant City Manager for Finance position has been removed from the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, and the money has been transferred to the Fire Department to help pay to staff a second City-run ambulance. Tuesday night, the City Council approved a change to FY26 budget during the annual Budget Hearing. The Council approved the $223.66 million budget, including a transfer of the $172,555 for the Assistant Manager for Finance’s salary from the City Manager’s Account to the Fire Department Account. City Council President announced his intention to propose the change to the City’s staffing at the June 3 meeting and it was discussed on Tuesday during the public hearing. Multiple residents spoke in favor of the change, noting that the City did not have a job description for the Assistant City Manager for Finance as well as other positions.

Government

Watertown Hires Director of City’s New Human Services Department

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The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The City of Watertown is excited to introduce Jenna Bancroft, LICSW, as the City’s first Human Services Director! Jenna joins Watertown after over four years with the City of Newton, where she most recently served as the Director of Human Services. During her time there, Jenna was a key figure in the City’s on-going efforts in providing case management to residents in need of food access, financial assistance, housing, and other supports. Jenna also facilitated the Newton Coalition for Community Wellness, where she delivered community-based wellness, education, and resources about substance use to residents. The Human Services Director position and Department are newly created in Watertown after being a primary recommendation in the Health and Human Services Assessment project the City undertook in 2023 and 2024.

Government

City Council Will Consider Special Committee’s Recommendations to Raise Council Salaries Nearly 70%

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Watertown City Hall

The committee appointed to study City Council compensation is recommending that Councilors get a raise of more than $6,000. The compensation proposal will be considered by the Council Tuesday night at the Council Meeting. The Blue Ribbon Committee, a group of seven residents, met seven times and looked at councilor salaries in other communities, interviewed Watertown City Councilors, and came up with four recommendations including raising salaries. The last time the Council changed its compensation it used a cost of living percentage of 2.5 percent per year. In January 2023, it increased the salary of Councilors from $7,500 to $8,900, and the Council President’s Salary from $10,500 to $12,000.

Government

Council President to Call for Eliminating Position, Use Money for Ambulance Staffing

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Watertown City Hall

The adoption of the Watertown City Budget typically is an uneventful agenda item for the City Council, but this year a significant change will be proposed by City Council President Mark Siders. At the end of the third and final Fiscal Year 2026 Budget hearing on June 3, Sideris said he plans to ask the City Council to consider removing the Assistant City Manager for Finance position from the City administration and move the funds to the Fire Department. The proposal will take place at the June 10 City Council meeting

“I’m going to be … basically removing this position — the Manager (George Proakis) and I have been discussing this five times a day for the last two weeks — and moving the money into the Fire Department budget to accelerate the operation or the beginning staffing of the second ambulance, which was a major issue for the City Council, and we all approved moving forward,” Sideris said. Sideris said he does not believe the position, currently filled by Ari Sky, has been working out.

Government

State Rep. Steve Owens to Hold 3 June Office Hours

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State Rep. Steve Owens. State Rep. Steve Owens will meet with residents in two office hours events in Watertown and a third in Cambridge this month. See details from State Rep. Owens’ office. Please come visit me at my June office hours:

Monday, June 9 from 9:00am – 10:30am at Kendall Kitchen at the Quad (10 Wilson Rd, Cambridge, MA 02138)

Monday, June 16 from 3:00pm – 4:00pm at the Watertown Senior Center (31 Marshall St, Watertown, MA 02472)

Friday, June 27 from 8:30am – 10:00am at Uncommon Grounds (575 Mount Auburn St, Watertown, MA 02472)

As a reminder, I have changed offices and phone numbers for the new legislative session. My office at the Statehouse is now in suite 167. The new office phone number is (617) 722-2230. Please give us a call or drop us a note if you plan to stop by!

Government

City of Watertown Maintains Highest Bond Rating for 2025 Municipal Bonds

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The City of Watertown maintained its high bond rating by S&P Global Ratings for the 2025 general obligation bonds. Watertown will have more than $56 million in general obligation loans that will be used for capital projects, including the construction of the new Watertown High School. City officials received a letter from S&P dated May 16, 2025 informing them of the AAA bond rating for the $56.83 million series 2025 general obligation municipal-purpose loan bonds. Projects to be funded with the bonds include high school improvements, street reconstruction, middle school HVAC replacement, sewer system improvements, and vehicle and equipment replacement. The letter reads: “The stable outlook reflects our expectation that Watertown will continue to produce surplus operating results and growing reserves, given stable revenues supported primarily by property taxes and a forward-looking management team.”

Government

Hearing on Mt. Auburn St. Trees Rescheduled After Legal Determination

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16″ DBH Honeylocust at 489 Mount Auburn Street in Watertown. A public hearing on the fate of nine trees on and near Mt. Auburn Street was held on Wednesday. At the hearing, it appeared that the future of the trees was out of the hands of the City of Watertown, but a legal counsel’s determination has changed that and the hearing has been rescheduled. The City of Watertown sent out the following announcement:

Mount Auburn Street Tree Hearing Statement At the scheduled tree hearing on May 14, 2025, city staff indicated that the trees on Mount Auburn Street that are scheduled to be removed are not under the purview of the city’s Tree Warden.