Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/category/government/elections/page/51/)
Dear Editor,
I have known Michael Dattoli for 3 years. During that time, he has been involved in the community with us in many activities from scouting events to sporting events and many more. On November 3rd, I am voting for Michael Dattoli for Town Councilor At-Large because of his dedication, devotion and commitment to the town of Watertown. Michael is a true leader. Please join me in voting for Michael Dattoli.
The candidates for district councilors made their case at a Candidates Forum hosted by Sustainable Watertown on Sunday evening. The hopefuls for the council seats, which each represent one quarter of Watertown, talked about issues such as development, the environment and traffic, among other subjects. These are some of the issues that are most important to members of the citizen-run Sustainable Watertown. The candidates are:
District A (Precincts 1-3; East Watertown) – incumbent Angeline Kounelis and challenger Bob Erickson
District B (Precincts 4-6; East of Common and Spring streets to School Street and South of the Charles River) – incumbent Cecilia Lenk and challenger Lisa Feltner
District C (Precincts 7-9; West of Common and Spring streets to Lexington Street) – incumbent Vincent Piccirilli and challenger Rossella Mercuri
District D (Precincts 10-12, West Watertown) – incumbent Ken Woodland
Development
Development has been the top issue in Watertown for the past two years, and moderator Pia Owens asked each about their views about whether the town should implement limits on commercial building square footage, frontage and setbacks. Piccirilli said the new rules in the Design Guidelines and Comprehensive Plans seek to create storefronts like you might have seen in the early 20th century where people can walk the sidewalks and window shop.
The League of Women voters will host a candidates forum for candidates in all races on the ballot for the Nov. 3 Watertown Town Election. The Candidates Forum will be held on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. in the Watertown Savings Bank Room at the Watertown Free Public Library. This is a chance to hear from all candidates running for Town Council President, Councilor-at-Large, District Councilor, School Committee, and Library Trustee.
The Watertown Firefighters have announced their endorsements for Town Council in the upcoming Town Election, and not surprisingly none of the councilors who voted down the arbitration agreement in December made the list.
Rob Mannix, president of Local 1347 Watertown Fire Union, announced the endorsements this week on his Facebook page. Earlier this year, the Fire Union sent out questionnaires to Council Candidates (click here to see details). The firefighters endorsed the following candidates in the Nov. 3 election:
Town Council President – Clyde Younger
District A – Bob Erickson
District B – Lisa Feltner
District C – Rossella Mercuri
Councilors at large – Tony Palomba, Patryce Georgopolous, and Michael Dattoli
The only sitting councilor to get an endorsement was Palomba, who cast the lone vote to support the Arbitration Award. The other councilors voted against the award because they said it was not fair to other town employees because firefighters would have gotten raises in two years during the economic downturn in which other unions took no raise.
The five people running for School Committee reacted to several questions during the first School Committee Candidate Forum hosted by Watertown News on Thursday night. Among the questions sent in by parents and residents were what they would do about school building/capacity problems, and setting goals for the district. A second candidate forum will be hosted by the Watertown Education Foundation on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at Watertown Middle School. The election is Tuesday, Nov.
At this past summer’s Annual Meeting of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment, members were asked to identify their key areas of concern. Based on the results of that meeting, the following two questions were sent to all candidates running on Nov. 3 for election to the Watertown Town Council:
1. Three major environmental areas in which Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment would like to see the town take an active role are listed below. Please pick one and explain what you would do about it.
Editor,
As a dedicated 20 year Watertown volunteer and citizen advocate, I am not a single-issue candidate for District B Town Councilor. The fact that I garnered the most votes, over 43 percent of the votes in the September 17 Preliminary Election, in a race with four candidates including an established incumbent, is not trivial. Watertown is undergoing unprecedented change and District B needs proactive leaders to embrace new ideas, enact best practices, and engage all residents. I will also bring new energy and a personal approach to Town Council. My life’s work has been about bringing people together to produce better outcomes, whether in the workplace, the schools, the neighborhood or community at large.
Voters can learn about the candidates running for office in the Watertown Election at a series of upcoming candidate forums.
Pair of School Committee Forums
The Watertown Education Foundation and Watertown News will host a pair of forums for the School Committee candidates. The first will be Thursday, Oct. 15 from 7:30-9 p.m. at the Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main St., in the Watertown Savings Bank Room. The second forum will be on Thursday, Oct. 22 from 7-9 p.m. in the Watertown Middle School Auditorium, 68 Waverley Ave.