Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/category/government/page/258/)
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.
Michael Shepard is running for reelection to the School Committee. The election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3. 1) What inspired you to run for School Committee? When I first ran for school committee in 2011, I was drawn to four main issues which I felt needed to be addressed: resolving the teacher’s contract, budget concerns, appointing a new superintendent and expanding special education programming.
Watertown residents can meet with State Rep. Jonathan Hecht to discuss matters concerning them, or upcoming state legislation. Rep, Jonathan Hecht will hold office hours on Friday, Oct. 16 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. on the Third Floor hallway of Watertown Town Hall, and on Monday, Oct. 26 from 5-6 p.m. in the Raya Stern Trustees Room in the Watertown Public Library. Constituents are invited to meet with Rep. Hecht to discuss pending legislation or any other issue of concern to them.
Editor,
I am writing to express my support for the incumbents in the School Committee race; Eileen Hsu-Balzer, Michael Shepard and Julie McMahon. Thanks to their hard work, together with the rest of the School Committee members, the Watertown school district is in a much better place than it was four short years ago. In 2011, contract negotiations between the Watertown Educators Association (WEA), the School Committee and School Administration were at an impasse and teachers had been working without a contract for two years. Teachers were working to rule, and frustration on all sides was high. After the election, two new voices joined the discussion – Ms. McMahon and Mr. Shepard – and both sides resumed negotiations.
The Mass. Department of Transportation (MassDOT) began looking at ways to improve the Arsenal Street Corridor with a stakeholder meeting last week. Working with Watertown-based engineering firm, VHB, MassDOT will evaluate existing and future multimodal transportation conditions along the Arsenal Street corridor in Watertown and also regionally, according to Town Councilor Cecilia Lenk, who attended the first meeting. The study will develop alternatives to improve transportation conditions with a primary focus on the bus service along Arsenal Street. Transportation alternatives will also be examined and evaluated, Lenk added.