Andres Guzman
Why do you want to represent District C on the City Council? I would like to represent District C because I felt we weren’t being heard during the Watertown Square Redesign process particularly in regard to traffic and public transportation improvements that were provided as options at the time. My goal is to advocate for improving public transportation, especially on the 71 bus by building a partial busway to help improve throughput and station access/quality. I also want Watertown to get more serious about building-out our bike network with quality infrastructure not just some lines of paint on the road with no sort of barrier, that’s not conducive to the safety of children, teens, and elderly riders. I also believe I can be a voice to help expand the level of affordable housing people have access to, ultimately helping elevate our housing crisis as referenced in my WCA-TV debate.
Caroline Bays
Why do you want to serve on the City Council?
I love being a City Councilor! I have met so many wonderful people and I find helping people extremely rewarding. I also enjoy policy and learning about so many different aspects of how municipalities function. But most importantly, I feel like I represent the people who have elected me and I am working hard to achieve the goals I was elected to work on by the people of Watertown. Tell voters about your background and qualifications for being a City Councilor.
Theo Offei
Why do you want to serve on the City Council? I want to serve on the City Council because I truly love this city, and I believe we’re at a pivotal moment in shaping its future. Over the past three years, I’ve been deeply involved in our community as Vice Chair of the Resident Advisory Committee, where I’ve helped the city staff its 24 boards and commissions through recruitment and candidate evaluations. This role gave me valuable insight into how our city government operates and how decisions are made. But just as important, I believe the Council should reflect the lived experiences of the people it serves.
John Gannon
Why do you want to serve on the City Council? I was inspired to a career in public service by my family, teachers, coaches and members of this welcoming community. I grew up in Watertown and developed my own life here. My father, a partially-disabled WWII veteran, worked at the Watertown post office, delivering mail to ourneighbors, and my mother, a first-generation American, worked as a secretary. They were proud members of the Greatest Generation who both supported their respective countries in wartime capacities, and instilled in me a lifelong spirit of giving back to my community.
The race for Watertown School Committee features five candidates and at least one new person will join the committee. Watertown News reached out to the candidates to find out more about them. See details in the Candidate Q&As. Two incumbents seek re-election, and three candidates seeking a seat (one of whom has experience on the School Committee). Voters can select three candidates for School Committee 2025 Watertown Municipal Election.
Vincent Piccirilli
Why do you want to represent District C on the City Council? My reasons for wanting to serve our community are the same as when I first ran in 2007. I am running because I want to live in a vibrant, diverse, safe community with pretty tree-lined streets and great schools; because I want to live in a community that is financially well-run, avoiding ongoing fiscal crisis; and because I want to live in a community with engaged residents, where everyone feels like they belong. Tell voters about your background and qualifications for being a City Councilor. I’m an engineer, currently working as a Business Analyst, with 40 years business experience managing people, projects and budgets.
Tony Palomba
Why do you want to serve on the City Council? I have been a Councilor-at-Large for 16 years. I want to serve for another two years so I can use the experience and knowledge I gained to continue to serve the residents of Watertown and to make Watertown an even better place to live, work, raise a family and be a senior. I want to serve again so I can follow the best practices I have learned such as listening to and learning from city staff, citizen-volunteers, and those with different ideas from mine; being patient, but persistent, while working to create policies and programs; responding to the day-to-day concerns of residents in a timely manner; and doing everything possible to ensure that Watertown stands for equality and justice. I want to serve again because I want to build on our many wonderful accomplishments such as the creation of the Affordable Housing Trust, ongoing efforts to implement our Climate and Energy Plan, expanding open space, and protecting existing and creating new housing.
Tom Tracy
Why do you want to serve on the City Council? I want to bring my unique work experience to help shape the future of Watertown, maintain our financial flexibility, and continue improving our buildings and infrastructure. Tell voters about your background and qualifications for being a City Councilor
My experience as Watertown’s Auditor for 29 years, which included 7 years as Asst. City Manager for Finance as well as Acting City Manager for 8 months, has allowed me to know how all the City Departments operate. I know how all the monies come in, and I know how all the monies are spent!
