Elections

Town Council President Candidates Speak at Candidate Forum

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Watertown’s current Town Council President and immediate-past Council President shared their views on communications, providing services and preserving the character of Watertown during the League of Women Voters Candidate Forum on Sunday. Mark Sideris has been Council president for the past six years, and succeeded Clyde Younger, who is running this year. This issue of communications with residents and others has been a frequent topic of discussion at candidate forums.

Sideris said right now the town relies heavily on the Town of Watertown website, but he wants that to change. “I would like try communicating on social media and other areas so we will be more engaged with the public,” Sideris said. “There are difficulties in doing that with the Open Meetings law, but I am working on that.”

Elections

LETTER: Library Trustee Candidate Seeks Re-election

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Town of Watertown residents, my name is Tim Tracy and I have been a Library Trustee for the past two terms. I am running for re-election, and would like for you to consider casting your vote for me once again. During my tenure as a Watertown Free Public Library (WFPL) Trustee, I have seen such positive continued growth and accomplishments in our facility. The Library continues to be overwhelmingly well received by residents, taxpayers and neighbors from surrounding communities. I have prided myself in being a trustee who doesn’t micro manage, and have always been of the opinion of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The Watertown Free Public Library is far from being broke. On the contrary, it s a highly motivated, efficiently run, and well respected organization, and as a Trustee I am proud to be associated with such a town asset.

Election 2015

School Committee Candidates Show Differing Philosophies at Forum

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The School Committee candidates displayed some of their differences during the Candidate Forum hosted by the Watertown Education Foundation on Thursday night. For the second week running the School Committee members answered questions about serving on the School Committee, and the challengers and incumbents had differing views. (See highlights from the first forum here.)

The candidates did not share the same view of using test scores and making goals to measure the district’s progress. School Committee member Julie McMahon said she has participated in the Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald’s evaluation every year and she thinks the goals and evaluation are good ones for Watertown. “Some people say other towns have these goals,” McMahon said.

Election 2015

LETTER: A Clear Choice for District A – Angie Kounelis

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Dear Editor,

We are writing you because we believe there is a clear choice for District A Councilor in the upcoming town election. Angeline Kounelis has been advocating for East Watertown long before she became a Town Councilor. It goes back to the East Watertown Betterment Association {see the Boston Globe clip below}. This has been a very busy year for all our Councilors, but nobody has been as busy as Angie. She has been out almost every night front and center for the best interest of District A.

This is the list of the many district projects and issues she has dealt with on our behalf: Athenahealth, the Arsenal Project, the Marriott Hotel, the Verizon building, CVS, Greenough Boulevard, the Crossroad on the Charles water break, snow dumping on Elm Street, the Elm Street Hotel and rodent problems.

This is in addition to her council work on townwide issues.

Environment

Town Has Trees to Plant in Front of Watertown Homes

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Want a tree for the front of your home, Watertown Tree Warden Chris Hayward may have one for you. 

He will soon begin planting street trees around town, and he has a long list of species, including small trees for the front yard, medium sized ones and large shade trees. A complete list can be found by clicking here. For more information contact Chris Hayward at 617-972-6426 or chayward@watertown-ma.gov

Elections

Candidates for Council President, At-Large Councilors Air Views

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Sustainable Watertown hosted the second of two Town Council Candidate Forums Monday night, this time featuring the candidates for Council President and Councilors At-Large. Moderator Karen McDonald asked questions put together by members of Sustainable Watertown, a citizens group focused on issues including development, transportation and the environment. The election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 3. Attending the forum at the Apartments at Coolidge School on Monday were Candidates for Town Council President – incumbent Mark Sideris and former president Clyde Younger – along with those running for Concilor At-Large – incumbent Tony Palomba, challenger Michael Dattoli, challenger Patryce Georgopoulos, incumbent Susan Falkoff and incumbent Aaron Dushku.

Elections

LETTER: Resident Supports Michael Dattoli for Town Councilor

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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.

Election 2015

See What the District Council Hopefuls Said at the Candidates Forum

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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.