Around Town

LETTER: Watertown Teachers Union Responds to Calls for Vaccination

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To the Members of the Watertown School Community,

School Committee Candidate Rachel Kay’s recent letter to the Watertown MA News regarding a requirement for Watertown teachers to be vaccinated was not surprising given the level of political discourse that has recently besieged our country. In the letter, Ms. Kay is dismayed that there is not a vaccine mandate in place for teachers in the Watertown Public Schools. Her letter implies that the Watertown Educators Association and Watertown Public School District are opposed to a vaccine mandate. Ms.Kay appears to be uninformed regarding this matter. Had she inquired about a vaccine mandate by asking WEA leaders, School Committee members, or Superintendent Galdston, she would have learned that this matter is currently in negotiations.

COVID-19

LETTER: Call for Requirement for Watertown Teachers to be Vaccinated

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Editor,

As teachers return to school this week, and students joining them next week, we still do not know whether vaccines will be mandated for teachers and staff in Watertown Public Schools. We do know that the CDC, state government, and the largest teachers union in Massachusetts are all recommending school staff be vaccinated.  Medical professionals, including Dr. Fauci, are saying that the best way to protect children under 12 who are not yet vaccinated is to surround them with vaccinated people. Many school districts have already put this common sense requirement in place. We are fortunate to be in a community where the majority of adults are vaccinated, including the majority of teachers. But, the data from the last 18 months show that when there was Covid-19 transmission in schools, it was usually driven by unvaccinated school staff.

Board of Health

LETTER: Resident Wants Board of Health to Rescind Indoor Mask Mandate

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Hello Friends and Neighbors,

On August 23, 2021, a Watertown non-elected local governmental body decided that 36,000 Watertown residents must, as of August 25, 2021, wear masks while indoors stating, ‘The Watertown Board of Health has issued an Order mandating the wearing of face coverings indoors throughout Watertown.”

In so doing, a small group of appointed individuals with varying levels of medical and public health credentialing mandated that we, the residents of Watertown, MA, cannot decide for ourselves when and where to wear a mask to manage our own health. The Watertown Board of Health’s (Board) mask mandate is troubling. The Board has decided that 36,000 people are incapable of discerning their own private health needs and risk tolerance. In forcing a mask mandate, the Board effectively treats Watertown’s population like children who lack judgment. The Board’s insistence on a mask mandate in light of the data should give us pause.

Charles River

LETTER: Resident Would Like to See Russo’s Redevelopment to Bring Life to that Part of Pleasant Street

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Watertown will miss Russo’s. Tony has been a friend to many of us (and our dogs) and has worked to implement Watertown Local First, the single use plastic bag ban (in the days before the pandemic), and supported green issues in town. He also has taken it upon himself to organize cleanups of the public space beside his property to the river. We are sorry to see him sell, but I am most concerned about the land use between Russo’s and the river. Watertown has an important role to play in saving our long riverfront for access by the public.

Daniel D'Amico

LETTER: Candidate Joins Race for Councilor At-Large to Represent the Town He Has Always Called Home

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Daniel D’Amico. My name is Daniel D’Amico, and I am excited to announce my candidacy for Watertown Town Councilor at-large. I would be humbled to serve as councilor for the town I have always called home. I grew up in the West End and now live near Coolidge Square. My parents were immigrants from Argentina and Italy, who chose Watertown to raise our family.

Around Town

LETTER: Loss of Russo’s Hurts, But Watertown Still Has Many Gems

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To the Editor:

Reports of culture’s demise in Watertown are greatly exaggerated. Is there a way for Watertown to avoid losing a gem like Russo’s, some have asked? (https://www.watertownmanews.com/2021/08/16/letter-is-there-a-way-for-watertown-to-avoid-losing-a-gem-like-russos/) The simple answer is no. There isn’t any one shop that can replace Russo’s in Watertown. That’s gone; like so many of gentrified Boston’s mainstays such as No Names, Durgin-Park, soon-to-be closed Kowloon, Circle Pizza, Jimmy’s Harborside, Anthony’s, and so many more.

Homepage Featured

LETTER: ‘Thank You for Your Service’ from Watertown Veterans’ Services Officer

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I remember exactly where I was on 9-11-01. Similarly, I recall exactly where I was when I wastold I’d be going on my first deployment to Afghanistan. I was an aviation IT Marine who was chosen to teach the Afghanistan National Army (ANA) how to maintain HMMWVs and operatein convoys. 

I was 21, suddenly in charge of the training and support of over 100 ANA soldiers alongside fiveMarines and five interpreters. We accomplished a lot of great things on that deployment; weimproved the training and their fleet of vehicles; and even got a literacy program established tobuild create better ANA soldiers. In Marine Corps terms: we left things better than we foundthem; and we served to protect the service members to our left and our right.

Government

LETTER: Planning Board Member Explains Comments Made at the July Meeting

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Dear Honorable Town Councillors and fellow Planning Board members:

I am writing to you all today in regards to some comments that I made at the July 14th Planning Board meeting, which have apparently caused some consternation amongst several members of the Watertown community at large, and for which I would like to set the record straight:

First of all, I would like to be absolutely clear on the fact that I take public feedback on proposed projects very seriously — in fact, on several occasions during Planning Board meetings, I have expressed my preference to hear comments from the public BEFORE board members add their thoughts and questions, because these comments often influence my own. I always make every effort to read all of the letters and e-mails that are forwarded to us by Planning Staff, even when they are “form letters” where only the author’s name and address are altered, but the text is otherwise identical. My objection, in this case, was to the expectation of having to read dozens of messages that arrived in my Inbox on the afternoon of the meeting, within hours of the meeting start time, which is why I expressed my strong preference to have some sort of “cut-off” time for e-mailed public comments, prior to the meeting. I have no objection whatsoever to hearing any and all public comments, either in person or read into the record from e-mails, live at the hearing.   

As for the letter from 3 members of the WE3C that I read aloud at the meeting, my intent in reading that particular letter was to voice my frustration which was exacerbated by a comment made by a community member on the Zoom call, and for that I apologize to all of you and to the community at large — I realize that, as a member of this board, I need to have a “thicker skin” when it comes to situations like these. In summary, I can assure you that I take my role as a Planning Board member quite seriously, and always value the feedback of members of the public, so long as it is expressed in a respectful manner. I am proud and honored to represent my community on this board, and I hope that people have found my decisions to be fair and thoughtfully considered, even if they do not necessarily agree with the outcomes. Sincerely,

Jason D. Cohen

Watertown Planning Board

Vice-Chair, Community Preservation Committee

New Plan for Arsenal on the Charles Approved by Planning Board, Millions in Mitigation Projects to be Done