Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/category/government/)
My fellow Watertown Residents,
My name is Colleen Mahoney Faherty and I am excited to introduce myself and my campaignfor Watertown School Committee. I have lived in Watertown most of my life and I love it. I went to elementary school at St. Patrick’s and high school at Minuteman. I always knew I wanted to raise my family here.
The proposed changes to the Town Charter, the document that lays out how Watertown’s government operates, will be on the November ballot in the form of two questions. The items will appear as summaries on the ballot, but voters will receive detailed information about all the changes. On Sept. 2, the Town Council ironed out a few issues the Attorney General’s office had with the proposed Charter changes, and also discussed how the items should be on the ballot. Number of Ballot Questions
Initially, the proposal was to have three separate items: one on changing the official name from the “The City Known as the Town of Watertown” to “The City of Watertown,” one about the preamble proposed to be added at the beginning of the Charter, and a third covering “everything else,” or all the other changes to the document.
Watertown Town Hall
The hours for the Town’s offices returned to the typical schedule after being altered over the summer. The Town of Watertown sent out the following updated Town Hall hours:
Watertown Town Hall hours are Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. The following town departments are open until 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday evenings:
Assessor’s OfficeTown Clerk’s OfficeTreasurer/Collector’s Office
There is a Watertown Board of Health Order mandating the wearing of face coverings indoors throughout Watertown. Please bring, and wear a face mask, if you come to Town Hall. Thank you.
Charlie BreitroseWatertown residents cast their ballots at Watertown Town Hall in 2020. The following announcement was provided by the Committee to Elect Connie Henry:
Are you a District D resident? Join your neighbors for an outdoor listening session on Sunday, September 12 from 3-4:30pm hosted by the Committee to Elect Connie Henry. The event will use a “World Cafe” model that encourages conversation among neighbors. There will be four stations focused on the following important topics: Development and Traffic; Green Spaces and the Environment; Education and Public Safety; and Communication, Equity, and Inclusion.
The Charles River in Waterotwn Square.Watertown DPW
The Town of Watertown has been awarded an MVP Action Grant for a new Equity-Based Community Greening Program. The Town will use the money to work to identify climate-vulnerable areas of town and design green interventions to add trees and stormwater management. “We have seen numerous heat waves this summer, and they will only become more frequent,” said Watertown Senior Environmental Planner Laurel Schwab. “This $94,240 MVP grant will help us use trees and green infrastructure to cool off our hottest neighborhoods and help protect our most vulnerable residents.” Learn more about the MVP Grants in the announcement provided by the Mystic River Watershed Association:
Following the release of $20 million in state FY2022 MVP Grants, The Mystic River Watershed Association announced that Resilient Mystic Collaborative (RMC) cities and towns had secured a total of $2.6 million in state funding to help prepare for extreme weather.
The following announcement was sent out by the Town of Watertown:
The Town of Watertown seeks to hire School Crossing Guards to work under the supervision of the Watertown Police Department.
Responsibilities include monitoring vehicle and pedestrian traffic at assigned crossings to assist school children crossing the streets, while providing for the orderly movement of traffic. Must be able to communicate effectively with school children, parents and drivers, ensure that children cross the street properly and safely.
Must be able to stand for the entire shift and to tolerate exposure to all types of weather conditions, maintain a high level of awareness, be reliable and have the ability to use judgement and work independently. Qualifications
High School diploma (or GED). Must be available to work Monday through Friday, during the school year. Shifts are approximately one hour and there are two shifts per day. Must be able to pass a CORI/SORI background check and pre-employment physical.
Watertown Town Hall
The Town Council will discuss the Town Charter during a special meeting on Thursday evening. The agenda includes discussing any feedback from the Attorney General’s office on the propose changes to the document that lays out how the Watertown government works. They will also discuss any changes requested by the AG’s office. In addition, the Council will discuss how the proposed charter changes will be communicated to voters, including a mailing to voters. The changes will be on the Nov.
Hello Friends and Neighbors,
On August 23, 2021, a Watertown non-elected local governmental body decided that 36,000 Watertown residents must, as of August 25, 2021, wear masks while indoors stating, ‘The Watertown Board of Health has issued an Order mandating the wearing of face coverings indoors throughout Watertown.”
In so doing, a small group of appointed individuals with varying levels of medical and public health credentialing mandated that we, the residents of Watertown, MA, cannot decide for ourselves when and where to wear a mask to manage our own health. The Watertown Board of Health’s (Board) mask mandate is troubling. The Board has decided that 36,000 people are incapable of discerning their own private health needs and risk tolerance. In forcing a mask mandate, the Board effectively treats Watertown’s population like children who lack judgment. The Board’s insistence on a mask mandate in light of the data should give us pause.
Daniel D’Amico. My name is Daniel D’Amico, and I am excited to announce my candidacy for Watertown Town Councilor at-large. I would be humbled to serve as councilor for the town I have always called home. I grew up in the West End and now live near Coolidge Square. My parents were immigrants from Argentina and Italy, who chose Watertown to raise our family.