BYOB

Watertown Restaurants Will Soon be Able to Offer BYOB

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Watertown diners will have the option of bringing their own alcohol to some of their favorite restaurants after the Town Council adopted the bring your own bottle ordinance on Tuesday. People will have to wait several months, at least, before they can start bringing wine or beer to enjoy with their meal. The Council passes an amendment that delayed the start of the ordinance until April 1, 2016. The ordinance met some resistance on the council as well as from others. The vote was 6-3 to approve BYOB, with Councilor President Mark Sideris, and councilors Steve Corbett and Angeline Kounelis voting “No.”

Fire Contract

Now that Fire Contract is Settled, It’s Time to Repair Relationships

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When the Town Council voted to approve the new Watertown firefighters contract the standing-room only room remained subdued, with only muffled congratulations exchanged by members of the Fire Department. 

More of a relief than a celebration, it demonstrated the trying times that accompanied the 6-year-plus contract impasse – particularly the 9 months since the arbitration award was rejected. Town Manager Michael Driscoll called the contract fair and fiscally responsible. Town Councilor Vincent Piccirilli said he could now vote for the contract because it did not contain a 3 percent raise in years when other town unions took no raises. Councilor Aaron Dushku said he realized the Council’s decision to reject the arbitration award angered people, but he thinks the new contract is fair. “It is a compromise we made,” Dushku said.

Fire Contract

See How the New Fire Contract Compares to the Arbitration Award

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Firefighters had to wait more than six years, plus nine months since the arbitration award was rejected, but they have a new contract approved by the Town Council Tuesday and a healthy raise. The amount in the contract may seem much larger than the arbitration award – $4.68 million vs. $2 million – but there are some key differences. First of all, the new contract is for seven years, while the arbitration award funding included four years. The additional years accounts for nearly $2.6 million of the $4.6 million difference.

Fire Contract

Watertown Firefighter Contract Approved by Town Council

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The Watertown Firefighters have a contract after more than six years after the Town Council approved the agreement Tuesday night. 

The unanimous vote to approve the agreement negotiated by town officials and the Local 1347 Fire Union comes nearly nine months after the Town Council rejected an arbitration award that would have settled the contract impasse. The agreement covers seven years, from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2016. The firefighters will receive 19 percent in salary increases, but did not receive an increase for the first two years. That is in line with the agreements other town and school unions made during that time. In all the contract will cost the town $4.675 million, said Town Manager Michael Driscoll.

District B

Find Out the Winners in Thursday’s Watertown Preliminary Election

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Challenger Lisa Feltner and incumbent Cecilia came out as the winners of Thursday’s Preliminary Election for District B Town Councilor. 

With 343 votes, Feltner came out on top, more than 100 votes ahead of Lenk’s 228 votes. As the top two in the preliminary, both secured spots on the Nov. 3 Town Election. Watertown Firefighter Kevin MacDonald came in 33 votes behind Lenk. His 195 votes put him third in Thursday’s election, and Patty van Dinter had 25 votes.

Election 2015

See Which Town Council Candidate Dropped Out of the Race

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The crowded field of candidates for Watertown Council just got a bit smaller. District D challenger and retired Watertown Firefighter Bob McCarthy informed the Town Clerk’s office this week that he will be dropping out of the race. McCarthy could not be reached for comment, but in a letter to Town Clerk John Flynn received Sept. 16 McCarthy wrote, “I respectfully request that my name be withdrawn as a candidate for the office of ‘Councilor District D’ in the upcoming Town election scheduled for November 03, 2015.” With McCarthy leaving the race, District D Councilor Ken Woodland will be the only name on the ballot.

Elections

Voter Guide for Thursday’s Preliminary Election in Watertown

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Voters in District B will head to the polls Thursday in the preliminary election for the district Town Councilor. Residents of District B, which includes Precincts 4, 5 and 6, have the choice of four candidates. The top two move on to the town election on Nov. 3. Incumbent Cecilia Lenk faces three challengers – Lisa Feltner, Kevin MacDonald and Patty van Dinter.

Government

Watertown Officials Looking Into Creating Design Guidelines for Homes

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Watertown elected officials began wading into what could be a thorny process to try to define what homes should look like in Watertown, in an effort to protect the town’s residential neighborhoods. After creating a set of guidelines and standards for what new developments can look like in commercial areas, Watertown brought back architectural designer David Gamble to create similar design guidelines for homes in town. He spoke at a recent meeting of the Town Council’s Economic Development and Planning Committee. To help get a feel for what the design guidelines should include, Gamble took three tours around Watertown’s residential neighborhoods. “I was amazed how much organic redevelopment has happened in the neighborhoods,” Gamble said.