Elections

LETTER: School Committee Candidate Explains Why She is Running

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My name is Kendra Medville Foley and I am a candidate for the Watertown School Committee. I am running for School Committee because I am passionate about the importance of education – for my three young children, for the children and families in Watertown and for the health and vibrancy of our town. I know that an excellent school system not only helps every child and family, but also makes an enormous contribution to a community being safer, stronger, and more vibrant. Two years ago, when my oldest child entered kindergarten, I got involved with the schools through the Hosmer PTO and Watertown Strong Schools. The process of advocating for greater investment in our schools by attending School Committee meetings, attending budget and finance subcommittee meetings, and talking to parents, teachers and administrators convinced me to run for School Committee.

Elections

LETTER: Watertown Man Announces Candidacy for Library Trustee

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Sheppard Ferguson, former President of Booksellers of Harvard Square, is on the ballot to be elected a Trustee of the Watertown Free Public Library. He believes his career creating and managing successful bookselling companies and as a free lance photographer working internationally will add strength and breadth of experience to the Board as it advises and assists the ongoing work of the library and its Director. An avid user of the library (1,676 check-outs in five years), Ferguson joined the Long Range Planning Committee of the library last winter. Since he has spent many hours studying the Library and Town’s planning and budget documents and talked with dozens of people about the library. Not surprisingly Ferguson confirmed that the Library is well loved by its users from Watertown and many surrounding communities, and is supported by the Town Council and Administration.

District B

Council Candidates Speak About Neighborhoods, Helping the Less Fortunate

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During last week’s candidate forum, the District B hopefuls had a variety of takes on how – and whether – the town should protect Watertown’s neighborhoods. They also talked about helping the seniors and the less fortunate in town. District B Councilor Cecilia Lenk said she wants to protect the town’s residential neighborhoods from having smaller homes torn down and replaced with bigger multi-unit developments. This could be done with design guidelines for neighborhoods, like what was recently passed for commercial areas of Watertown. “I recently put forward a motion to the Council, and it was sent to the Economic Development Committee, to have a discussion of the needs of neighborhoods,” Lenk said.

Elections

Find Out What the District B Hopefuls Said at the Candidate Forum

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Candidates in for District B discussed the biggest issues they see for the district and the town and why they are running for the Town Council during Wednesday night’s Candidate Forum hosted by Watertown News. 

When asked by moderator Will Twombly about what they thought was the biggest issue was each had their own view. For challenger Kevin MacDonald, a Watertown Firefighter, traffic was his biggest concern. “Traffic is a mess, and I keep reading things from the Council and the Comprehensive Plan talking about reducing the amount of parking, and I they think that will alleviate traffic,” MacDonald said. “But it forces people out onto residential streets to park.” Traffic also weighs on challenger Patty van Dinter’s mind.

Elections

Only a Few Days Until the First Watertown Candidates Forum

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The candidates on the ballot for the Preliminary Election will be at the District B Candidates Forum hosted by Watertown News. The event will be at the Watertown Free Public Library on Wednesday, Sept. 2 from 7-8:30 p.m. Also look for it on Watertown Cable. The event is open to the public, and people can submit their questions to the candidates. The four candidates will be on the ballot for the Sept.

Elections

Find Out About the Candidates Running for District B Town Councilor

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This year’s town election is full of interesting races, and the perhaps the most interesting one is District B where four candidates are running for Town Council. With such a crowded field, the town must hold a Preliminary Election to narrow the field to two. The election will be held on Thursday, Sept. 17. Watertown News sent each candidate a questionnaire to find out more about why they are running and who they are.

Elections

Candidate Questionnaire: Patricia van Dinter

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Patricia van Dinter is running for District B Town Councilor. The Preliminary Election is on Thursday, Sept. 17. Why did you decide to run for District B Town Councilor, is there an issue that drew you in? I decided to run for District B Town Councilor because of all the sudden development being done on this side of town.

Elections

Candidate Questionnaire: Kevin MacDonald

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Kevin MacDonald is running for District B Town Councilor. The preliminary election is on Thursday, Sept. 17. Why did you decide to run for District B Town Councilor, is there an issue that drew you in? To be honest, I did not have any intention of running for Town Council.