Elections

LETTER: Resident Endorses Candidate for Library Trustee

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I attended last week’s WCA-TV Library Trustee Candidate Forum, and I continue to be impressed with Mr. Xin Peng. In his few years here, I have never seen someone connect so many people so rapidly. He has been instrumental in Pride month, leads World in Watertown and serves on the Human Rights Commission. And now he is running for Library Trustee in the upcoming election. He is passionate about much, but community empowerment ranks at the top. As an immigrant who became a U.S. citizen last year, Xin brings a deeply personal understanding of how public libraries can transform lives.

Letters

LETTER: Snow Season is Around the Corner, Get to Know the New Residential Snow Ordinance

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The Snow Season is upon us, which, in my 30 years’ experience, can run from Halloween to Tax Day. Best to be prepared with a shovel (human, gas, or electric powered), windshield scraper and wiper fluid, pet-safe ice-melt — and a review of the Residential Snow and Ice Removal Ordinance. Passed in January 2024, only this year does it go into full effect, including fines for violations. The City has a helpful FAQ webpage here: https://www.watertown-ma.gov/1237/Residential-Snow-Ice-Removal-Ordinance-F. Both the ordinance and the debate over it were well-covered in these pages.

Letters

LETTER: Mass. Deserves Better — Support the Corporate Fair Share Act & Close the Tax Loophole

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Dear Editor,

Massachusetts is facing a critical moment. Federal budget cuts are threatening to devastate essential services — Medicaid, SNAP, education, mental health care, and more. These cuts could strip healthcare and food assistance from up to 350,000 residents, blow a $3.5 billion hole in our state budget, and harm over 1 million students. We must act now to protect our communities. A powerful solution is the Corporate Fair Share Act (An Act Combating Offshore Tax Avoidance, H.3110/S.2033), a proposal that would raise over $400 million in new annual revenue by closing a loophole that allows billionaire global corporations to hide profits offshore and avoid paying their fair share in Massachusetts taxes.  

Right now, Massachusetts only taxes 5 percent of these offshored profits — far less than neighboring states like Rhode Island, Vermont, and Maine, which tax 50–60 percent.

Letters

LETTER: How the Commander’s Mansion Became a Gem for the City of Watertown

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Charlie BreitroseThe Commander’s Mansion in Watertown. Greetings Councilors:

 “They don’t know what they don’t know.” How did the revival of the Commander’s Mansion come to be? What was the process that restored this beautiful edifice to its full glory? The story, behind the story, can be found in the attached September 23, 2005 Final Report of the Watertown Arsenal Development Corporation.

Letters

LETTER: Watertown Resident’s Class Action Suit to “Confront the Erasure of Black Americans”

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Federal Class Action Filed to Confront the Erasure of Black Americans and Their Constitutional Standing

Civic advocate Clyde L. Younger of Watertown has filed a federal class action lawsuit against President Donald J. Trump, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and other federal officials, challenging what he calls a “coordinated federal displacement” of Black Americans under the guise of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The complaint asserts that federal agencies have reclassified Black Americans into generalized diversity categories, stripping away constitutional protections and weakening access to education, health care, housing, and civic institutions — without due process or public remedy. This reclassification, the suit argues, erases the distinct civic identity of Black Americans and undermines their standing as a people whose labor, leadership, and sacrifice helped build the foundation of this nation. “This is not just a legal filing — it’s a constitutional reckoning,” said Younger. “We are fighting back against the erasure of Black American history and the dismantling of the institutions we built. Our contributions are not diversity — they are the bedrock of American greatness.”

The urgency of the case was underscored recently, when the Trump administration announced it would cut $22 million in federal grants for schools serving predominantly Black students, declaring such programs unconstitutional.

Elections

LETTER: Outgoing School Committee Member Endorses Candidates in November’s Election

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To the Watertown Community, 

For the past almost 8 years now, I have had the privilege of serving as a School Committee member here in Watertown, most recently as the vice chair. Those past years have seen the start of perhaps the best superintendent in the state, Dr. Deanne Galdston, the turnover of all 5 principalships with amazing new leaders, and the rebuilding/full renovation of 4 out of 5 of Watertown’s school buildings. To put it lightly — we got a lot done. To this day, I remain incredibly proud of how hard the Watertown community pulled together during the pandemic, making our schools and our city a leader in safe, effective education through a perilous time. We leaned on and learned from each other, and so many people across the entire community pitched in their expertise and time to help guide us.

Elections

LETTER: Lifelong Watertown Resident Joe Ganno Running for School Committee Candidate

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Joe Ganno

Providing a Voice for Families. Helping to Create a Shared Vision for the Future

Hi neighbors! I’m Joe Ganno, a lifelong Watertown resident, graduate of Watertown Public Schools, a father of two current Watertown students, and someone who deeply values fairness and community. I’m running for School Committee because I want to help develop the leaders of tomorrow today, by supporting every student, advocating for every family, and building on the progress the School Committee has made over the last few years. Our community and our children deserve leaders who listen, lead with integrity, and never stop trying to improve the services offered by the Watertown Public Schools.

Elections

LETTER: Meet Council-At-Large Candidate Theo Offei

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Theo Offei

I feel lucky to live in Watertown. Five years ago, my wife and I moved our family here, to her childhood home, looking for connection, community, and a place to put down roots. We found all of that in abundance. From the start, I felt welcomed into this diverse, close-knit, and deeply engaged city. I’m running for Councilor At-Large to build on Watertown’s positive trajectory and add a fresh, underrepresented perspective to its leadership.