Elections

Early Voting Available for First Time, Find Out How & About the Registration Deadline

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Town Clerk John E. Flynn and the Watertown Election Commission are pleased to announce that all registered voters will be able to vote before Election Day for the first time ever in Massachusetts. Early voting will begin on Oct. 24 and continue through Nov. 4, 2016. Prior to the enactment of this new law, the only way a registered voter was allowed to vote prior to Election Day was through absentee voting.

Elections

LETTER: Yes on 5 Committee Says CPA Won’t Harm School Funding

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The Community Preservation Act (CPA) does not compete with school funding. To the contrary, it will strengthen our schools and the education we offer Watertown’s children.  
Imagine an “outdoor classroom” of restored open space and buildings where teachers and students study how Watertown was settled, using historic maps and artifacts that bring learning alive. All of this would qualify for CPA funding and for matching state funds and grants that Watertown would otherwise be unable to get. And affordable housing programs funded by the CPA would make it possible for our teachers to live in Watertown and spend more time with students instead of long hours commuting.

Elections

LETTER: Resident Urges Watertown to Follow Other Towns and Adopt the CPA

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We all have friends in neighboring communities. Most likely these people live in towns that have already passed the Community Preservation Act (CPA). Since 2000, 161 cities and towns in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts have adopted the CPA. In our region, Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Lexington, Lincoln, Newton, Somervile, Waltham and Weston benefit from matching State funds for historic preservation, open space, including recreation, and affordable housing. The good people in Watertown deserve to benefit from the Act as well, especially as we have been paying into the trust fund with the State for all these years without receiving benefits.

Elections

LETTER: Resident Opposes CPA, Wants to See Money Spent on Schools

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The Community Preservation Act (CPA) will create an additional tax burden on Watertown homeowners where funds will be controlled by the small group people who campaigned for it. Meanwhile, Watertown’s schools need funding for essential improvements. The CPA will, “…establish a dedicated funding source” for the specific wants of a minority of Watertown residents. That is probably why it is being pushed by the Historical Society of Watertown (Society), Invest in Watertown (Invest), and five members of Watertown’s Town Council (Council). These people treat Watertown homeowners and renters as an endless source of money for them to spend, no matter that many homeowners have higher priorities such as schools, homes, and family. Watertown homeowners can ill afford a continuing, “…additional excise of [2%]…” to fund the Society’s intense desire to socialize at the “Shick House” or Invest’s on Walker Pond and dog parks. Watertown homeowners are not a bottomless piggy bank; they cannot fund the wants of every interest group’s pet project. As desirous as it may be for Invest’s supporters to see an entirely new bureaucracy dedicated to dog parks, ponds, and open space, the CPA sends no money to where it is most needed: the Watertown Public Schools.

Elections

LETTER: Watertown Schools Parent Group Says Fund Schools, Not CPA

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Fund Schools First, Vote No On The CPA

Watertown Strong Schools (WSS) is urging Watertown voters to vote no on ballot question #5 regarding the Community Preservation Act (CPA). Here’s why:

The funding needs of our schools should be Watertown’s highest priority at this time. • All 5 of our schools are in urgent need of renovations and physical upgrades so that our buildings can support the overcrowding issues facing our Elementary schools and the high-quality 21 st Century education that all our children deserve. • The Watertown Public Schools (WPS) Facilities Master Plan study is almost complete, and initial cost estimates are that we will need at least $200 million to upgrade our school buildings. • We believe that the passage of the CPA in November could jeopardize the willingness of Watertown residents to vote in favor of a debt exclusion override that will be necessary in the next 1-2 years to fund these essential school renovations.

Elections

Environmental League Endorses Watertown State Representative

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The Environmental League of Massachusetts Action Fund today endorsed Representative Jonathan Hecht of Watertown for reelection in the 29th Middlesex District, a credit to his work on behalf of the environment in the Legislature the last two years, the group announced. With critical issues of energy policy and environmental protection to be addressed in the next legislative session, the leadership of the ELM Action Fund believes it is important to return proven environmental champions like Hecht to the House Chamber. “Representative Hecht has been a tireless advocate to increase the amount of Massachusetts’ energy that comes from renewable sources,” said ELM Action Fund Political Director, Joe O’Brien. “Representative Hecht is a thoughtful and passionate lawmaker who appreciates the complexities of issues, and he was an outspoken champion during the legislature’s debate on solar policy. We appreciate his consistent supporter on a wide range of environmental issues.”

“I greatly appreciate and value the endorsement of ELM’s Action Fund,” said Representative Hecht. “ELM is highly respected in my district and I look forward to continuing our work together on climate change, energy, and other crucial environmental issues.”

First elected to the State House of Representatives in 2008, Hecht is up for reelection this year and is unopposed.

Elections

LETTER: Community Preservation Act is Not A Good Fit for Watertown

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The CPA tax is the proverbial round peg in a square hole when it comes to Watertown’s already cash-strapped homeowners and renters. CPA funds can only be spent on projects involving: affordable housing, historic preservation, and open space/recreation. Please consider these facts:

• Watertown property taxes will rise by 2 percent if the CPA passes. This increase will be passed on to many renters. • The Watertown Housing Production Plan of 2014 said that 40 percent of Watertown households was “housing cost burdened,”meaning that housing costs consume more than 30 percent of their gross household income, according to federal estimates.