Letters

ESSAY: A Man’s Game of Tag with His Son, Others at a Watertown Playground

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Playground, by Dean Berlin

So this is it, huh? A lifetime of building a reasonably fit body and observing predator-prey strategies, and here I am: chasing a 5-year around a playground. I’m playing my Son’s favorite game, which is just a variant of tag. Over the years, I’ve introduced increasing subtleties into the game (no tag-backs, a base, a point system, etc.), and for that I’m very proud. Still, here I am, an adult male capable of whatever my LinkedIn says, lurking beneath a blue plastic slide for a child to find me.

Government

LETTER: Council Should Not Appoint Community Preservation Committee

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Editor,

In a recent letter, Patrick Fairbairn suggests an ordinance be created wherein the Town Council would interview, vet, and directly appoint the citizens who will make up the Community Preservation Act Committee while omitting some very important details and facts. To set the record straight, here are the facts and here are the issues. The draft ordinance Mr. Fairbairn referenced was created with the input and recommendations from Invest in Watertown. This group consists of the staunchest supporters and most active advocates for the CPA’S passage. This begs the question: Does prevailing on passage of the CPA Tax automatically make one an expert on the who, what, when, where, why and how our CPA money should be spent?

Illegal Immigrants

LETTER: Resident Urges Support of Police’s Stand on Immigrants, Protecting All Immigrants

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Editor,

Of all the issues that are being roiled politically in this most contentious of times in all my 70 years, I believe that Immigration Detention and Deportation initiatives must be given the utmost attention and consideration. The President has stated that these are priority measures vital not only to the safety of national security, but also to the financial well-being of our national economy. I have tried to see both sides of this issue, and I have been swayed by the view that immigrants both legal and undocumented have been a vital factor in the growth of our nation throughout all of our history. And in times of stress due to war, recessions/depressions, and external threats, they are the first to be scapegoated. More importantly, any interactions that one may have either socially or through one’s work or church activities reinforce the observation that people are basically good.

Letters

LETTER: Council Should Consider CPA Committee Proposal from Citizens Group

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To the Editor:

With reference to the article in Watertown News dated 22 March 2017 entitled “Subcommittee debating who should be on the CPA Committee”, I recommend that all concerned attend the next meeting of the Rules and Ordinances Committee for a more thoroughgoing discussion. At the above mentioned debate only the draft text presented by the committee chairman was distributed for public review. Another draft ordinance exists (see below), prepared by core members of the group who successfully promoted adoption of the Community Preservation Act in Watertown. Its text draws on concepts and practices that have proven effective in neighbor towns, with confirmation of best practices from the statewide Community Preservation Coalition. With the benefit of more information and further discussion preparatory to the Committee’s next meeting, all those attending the session can expect to be constructive participants.

Government

LETTER: Why Watertown Should Not be a Sanctuary City

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I would like to take this opportunity to pass along my thoughts regarding the possibility of making Watertown a sanctuary city. As a lifelong resident of Watertown, I find this suggestion very troubling, totally illegal, and totally unnecessary. I am proud to be a second generation of Italian immigrants who came to make a better life in Watertown. My grandfather came to America in 1909, and the first thing he did was apply for my grandmother to come to this country legally. She was able to join him in 1913, legally, and they began living their dream.

Government

LETTER: Council Would Overstep its Authority by Making the Town a Sanctuary City

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Open Letter to Honorable Watertown Town Council President and Councilors,

I’m writing to weigh in, as a Watertown Citizen, Taxpayer, and Voter on any possible measure that would declare Watertown a Sanctuary City or in anyway and or any measure that uses the Watertown Town Council as a partisan vehicle to make statements about Federal Immigration Policy. The Town Council is elected to govern Watertown. That being the case, its role is limited to municipal issues. While Public Safety and the actions of our Police Department fall within the purview of the Council’s authority, anything remotely connected for Federal Immigration Law or National Security is far beyond the scope of the Council’s Authority. Further passing proclamations, resolutions, or ordinances that make political statements, in order to appease partisan special interest groups, is nothing short of an abhorrent abuse of the Town Council’s time and the Town’s resources.

Letters

LETTER: Councilor Believes New Developments Not Causing School Overcrowding

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I want to preface this article by saying that there will always be more work to do when it comes to improving our schools and class sizes in general. I don’t believe there is a definite line we could ever reach where I would say there is no more work to be done. I think that is simply true as we are part of an ever-evolving and changing world.  With that being said, the standards I use to measure our class sizes and school population are both comparative and historic. I write this because almost every action taken by the Town and/or School Committee comes back to a widely held belief that our schools are overcrowded and class sizes are too high. Part of that belief is that development in town is the main cause of this.