Government

Watertown City Manager Finalists to Appear at 2 or More Public Meetings

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The three finalists for Watertown City Manager will appear at public meetings at least twice in early May before the City Council makes its final decision. Wednesday evening the names of the three City Manager finalists were announced: George Proakis (Executive Director of Somerville’s Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development), Norman Khumalo (Hopkinton Town Manager), and John Curran (Billerica Town Manager). Read more about the Finalists here. City Council President Mark Sideris said a public forum and public interviews by the Council have been planned. The public forum will be held on May 9 at 6 p.m., and the Council interviews have been scheduled for May 12 at 6 p.m. Both meetings will be held in the Council Chamber in City Hall (149 Main St.), and also will be live on Zoom.

City Council

Three Finalists Named for Watertown City Manager Job

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The City Council was presented with the names of the three finalists for the City Manager position on Wednesday evening, none of whom are internal candidates. The finalists are: John Curran, Norman Khumalo, and George Proakis. The three will appear at a community forum on May 9 at 6 p.m. and interviewed by the City Council on May 12 at 6 p.m.

Curran currently works as the Town Manager of Billerica, and previously worked as Town Administrator of Maynard and as the mayor of Woburn. He also worked in the private sector as a senior systems analyst and before that as a senior fund analyst at Investors Bank & Trust. Khumalo’s position now is Town Manager in Hopkinton.

City Budget

FY23 City Budget Includes New Positions for Police, Fire & Library; Organic Waste & Pest Control Programs

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Watertown City Hall

Watertown’s Fiscal Year 2023 City Budget is projected to drop by more than $1 million from FY2022, but will add several positions, including for the Police, Fire Department, and the Watertown Library. The budget also includes new initiatives related to curb-side composting and rodent control. Acting City Manager Tom Tracy presented the $174.79 million Watertown City budget for Fiscal Year 2023 to the Council Tuesday night. The budget would be a reduction of $1.79 million from FY2022. The budget includes funding for the three elementary school projects, as well as the new Watertown High School project, Tracy said, which will be done within the normal operating budget and won’t need a temporary tax increase though a Proposition 2 1/2 override.

Around Town

Board of Trustees Appoints New Watertown Library Director

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City of WatertownCaitlin Browne was named the Watertown Library Director by the Board of Trustees. Previously she served as the Assistant Director. The Watertown Board of Library Trustees voted to appoint Caitlin Browne the new Director of the Watertown Library. The decision was made Monday night after a 3.5 hour meeting in which the trustees debated between Browne and another finalist, Maria Palacio. The appointment is contingent on successful contract negotiations with the City of Watertown.

Government

Finalists for Watertown City Manager Will be Announced This Week

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The City Council will hold a special meeting where the finalists for the Watertown City Manager position will be announced. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 27 at 6 p.m. in the Council Chamber at City Hall. During the meeting, the three finalists will be announced by Bernie Lynch of Community Paradigm Associates, the City’s manager search consultant. Lynch will also discuss the next steps in the process of hiring Watertown’s next City Manager.

Entertainment

City Honoring Original Watertown Public Arts & Culture Committee, Remembering Former Member

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Charlie BreitroseThe Seeds of Change mural in Coolidge Square was a project sponsored by the original Watertown Public Arts & Culture Committee. The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The Watertown Public Arts & Culture Committee invites everyone to join them for a reception to honor the work of the former Watertown Public Arts & Culture Committee (WPACC) on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at 5pm in the Mastrangelo Council Chamber at the Watertown Administration Building, 149 Main Street. The former WPACC members who will be honored are Ingrid Marchesano, Aramais Andonian, Barbara Epstein, Barbara Ruskin, Deborah Peterson, and the late Janet Jameson. Also being honored for his role through the city is Director of Community Development & Planning, Steve Magoon. The former WPACC was instrumental in the creation and promotion of several public artworks throughout Watertown, including the Linear Path mural “A Bike Ride Through Watertown”, “Seeds of Change” in Coolidge Square, and “Tapestry of Cultures” at Baptist Walk.

Around Town

Congresswoman Clark’s Statement Marking 107th Anniversary of Armenian Genocide

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Congresswoman Katherine Clark

The following announcement was provided by the office of Congresswoman Katherine Clark:

Assistant Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Katherine Clark (MA-5) released the following statement to mark the 107th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, which is Sunday, April 24, 2022. Last year, President Joe Biden declared that the Ottoman Empire’s killing of 1.5 million Armenians was an act of genocide, an official recognition that Clark has supported throughout her career in Congress. Watertown, in Massachusetts’ Fifth Congressional district, is home to the third largest Armenian community in the United States. “As we mark the 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, we recognize this dark chapter in our world’s history and renew our commitment to preventing atrocities of this magnitude from ever happening again. The Armenian Genocide is not an opinion – its facts are undisputed, and the legacy of this trauma cannot be erased.

Candidate Forum

Watertown Democrats Co-Hosting Forum for Governor, Lt. Governor Candidates

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The Watertown Democratic Town Committee sent out the following information:

The Arlington, Belmont and Watertown Democratic Town Committees are presenting a Candidates’ Forum on Sunday, April 24 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom. Confirmed participants are gubernatorial candidate Sonia Chang-Diaz and all five lieutenant governor candidates (Bret Bero, Kim Driscoll, Tami Gouveia, Adam Hinds, and Eric Lesser). 

Please send questions for the candidates using this form before Thursday, April 21. To attend, please register here.