Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/category/government/page/247/)
Watertown has a hotly contested election with contested races for almost every seat. If you want to take part in the decision you must be registered to vote.
Wednesday, Oct. 14 is the last day to register so you can vote in the Nov. 3 Town Election. Residents can register at the Town Clerk’s Office on the ground floor of Town Hall, 149 Main St.
Watertown residents and officials expressed were disappointed by the initial plans for a new dog park a Filippello Park Tuesday. The town got its first look at the preliminary concept plan for the Filippello Park playground located at the Grove Street entrance of the park during a public meeting at Town Hall. Peter Centola, director of Recreation and consultant Glenn Howard of CDM Smith unveiled the plan, which includes a new dog park, two basketball courts, a picnic area, and a large oval green space. Howard said that they were limited in what they could do because they can’t disturb the soil below two feet because parts of the land used to be a landfill, and parts of the site where the basketball courts will be is still used to dump snow during the winter. Councilor Tony Palomba said that the dog park that was presented wasn’t the state of the art dog park the Dog Park Task Force had planned, or that the council had envisioned when if passed a resolution incorporating a dog park be placed at Filippello Park is possible.
It was nearly a full house in the Town Council Chambers Wednesday, as officials and residents gathered to discuss what they’re looking for in their next police chief. The Committee on Public Safety held a public meting to discuss the design of the assessment center that will be used to narrow down the pool of candidates for the new police chief, and to give residents and officials an opportunity weigh in on the process. Town Manager Michael Driscoll and Public Safety Consultants LLC, the firm hired to design the center, were in attendance to explain the process and hear what audiences members were looking for in their next chief. Chief Wayne Sampson of Public Safety Consultants said that getting feedback was an important part of designing an assessment center unique to Watertown. “Generally speaking, throughout Massachusetts the duties of a chief of police are generally the same, but there is some uniqueness in each community,” Sampson said.
One of the most competitive races on the Watertown Town Election ballot is for School Committee, with five people competing for three seat. Watertown News reached out to the five candidates to find out why they are running, their qualifications and their opinions on some issues facing the Watertown Public Schools. To see the Q&A click on the name of each candidate (in random order):
Michael Shepard
Kendra Foley
Julie McMahon
Eileen Hsu-Balzer
Candace Miller
The election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3. You can also find out more about the School Committee candidates at two upcoming candidate forums. See details by clicking here.
Candace Miller is running for a seat on the School Committee. The Watertown Election will be held on Nov. 3. 1) What inspired you to run for School Committee? Since my daughter’s first day at the Lowell Elementary in 2008, I have been active in Watertown Public Schools.
Eileen Hsu-Balzer is running for re-election to the School Committee. The Watertown Election will be held on Nov. 3. 1) What inspired you to run for School Committee? Public schools not only opened doors for me, they showed me where the doors I wanted were.
Julie McMahon is running for reelection to the School Committee. The Watertown Election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3. 1) What inspired you to run for School Committee? Originally, I made the decision to run for school committee 4 years ago.
Kendra Foley is running for a seat on the School Committee. The election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3. 1) What inspired you to run for School Committee? I am running for School Committee because I value education – for my three young children, for the children and families in Watertown and for the health and vibrancy of our town.