Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/category/government/page/187/)
Watertown News reached out to candidates running for Councilor At-Large in the Watertown Election on Nov. 7, 2017 and asked them the same six questions. Here are the responses for David Stokes:
1) Tell us about yourself, and why you are running for Councilor At-Large. My wife Laura, her mother, and I moved to Watertown in 1996. Our daughter Rachael is a 10th grader at Watertown High.
Watertown News reached out to candidates running for Councilor At-Large in the Watertown Election on Nov. 7, 2017 and asked them the same six questions. Here are the responses for Michael Dattoli:
1) Tell us about yourself, and why you are running for Councilor At-Large. I am currently completing my first term a Town Councilor and am seeking re-election. I originally ran for office after having worked for Watertown Public Schools and observing the many challenges our buildings were faced with in terms of overcrowding and space capacity issues.
Watertown News reached out to candidates running for Councilor At-Large in the Watertown Election on Nov. 7, 2017 and asked them the same six questions. Here are the responses for Michelle Cokonougher:
1) Tell us about yourself, and why you are running for Councilor At-Large. I’m originally from Boston and I’ve lived in Watertown now for a little over 7.5 years. I’ve been involved in Watertown’s government for about two years, attending over 200 meetings.
Residents living between the Charles River and North Beacon Street, east of Watertown Square, packed the Town Council Chambers well past seating capacity Tuesday night because they are concerned about traffic near their homes and how the area could be impacted by the Watertown Square Improvement project. A study of the Arsenal Street corridor for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) by consultants from VHB identified several improvements that could positively impact the major artery through the east side of Watertown. VHB’s Laura Castelli said that residents who attended public meetings about the Arsenal Street Corridor study overwhelmingly supported making improvements to Watertown Square the top priority. One major change proposed to improve flow through Watertown Square would be to remove Charles River Road from the mix, at least in one direction (in or out). The project was originally scheduled for the medium term, Castelli said, because it was thought the town would have to wait to get state road improvement funds, but it was pushed forward because it will be part of the I-Cubed project.
Vote Councilors that will worry about fixing potholes! Well it’s 2017 and sadly most voters believe this is a year when you aren’t required to fulfill your civic responsibility to vote. It’s an off year – right? Save for a small handful of special elections to fill vacancies in the Legislature, no one is running for anything until next year.
Wrong! Nothing could be further from the truth.
The MTBA’s Watertown Yard is the starting point for several bus routes, including the express buses to Boston, and Watertown officials believe it can be improved to make it a nicer place to catch the bus, and perhaps someday the Watertown TMA Shuttle. In September, MBTA officials lead a tour of the facility located on Galen Street, just south of the Charles River from Watertown Square, for Town Councilors, State House representatives and Town officials. Some of those on the tour that day met Thursday evening for the Town Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Transportation. The general feeling was that Watertown Yard is a large facility that is not being used to its greatest potential. “What struck me is the tremendous opportunity to improve transportation in Watertown,” said Town Council Vice President Vincent Piccirilli.
As Recreation Department officials make plans to make improvements to the baseball field side of Casey Park they will host a tour of the park for those interested in the project. Earlier this week the Recreation Department held a meeting about the Casey Park project and Recreation Department Director Peter Centola said residents requested to see the possible changes in person. The park is located south of the river on Watertown Street. The possible improvements include lights, improvements to the baseball field and handicap access from a parking lot behind the baseball field with an entrance on Morse Street, Centola said. The tour of the Casey Park Renovation – Baseball Side, will be on Saturday, Nov.
If you missed the Candidate Forums featuring the people running for office in the 2017 Watertown Election, you can watch them online.
Watertown Cable Access has the Town Council and School Committee forums available to watch on-demand on its website. Follow these links to watch the forums that were co-sponsored by Watertown News and Watertown Cable Access. Town Council Forum: http://watertown.vod.castus.tv/vod/?video=bb39e1d2-165f-4f19-bd5e-f631bc649714&nav=programs/Special%20Programming
School Committee Forum: http://watertown.vod.castus.tv/vod/?video=3fd82af1-1d30-470d-9148-cf5b3013b643&nav=recent