Letters

LETTER: Ideas for Making Watertown a Happy, Healthy Community

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Dear friends, town councilors, local architects, designers, planners, developers, and other interested individuals,

As a Watertown resident researching ways to increase wellbeing and reduce stress in cities, I believe despite recent conflicts this can still be a happy, healthy place to live. Now is the time for government and planners to make decisions that support wellbeing here. After surveying the research I’m convinced that besides relieving poverty, the best way to create wellbeing is to adopt practices researchers find in the healthiest, happiest cultures. Here are two of the most powerful:

1. Easily available in-person socializing: Many Americans barely know their neighbors and don’t have one close friend.

Government

LETTER: ProgressiveWatertown Hosts Teach-In on Saving the Economy

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You’ve probably heard it from Senator Elizabeth Warren already; “the System is Rigged.” Since the 1980s, all the economic growth in the US has gone to the top 10 percent, leaving nothing for the rest of us. The Tenpercenters don’t need to worry about their future; they have hired an army of lobbyists to advance their agendas, reduce their tax burdens, lighten their risk while underwriting their greed, and increase their wealth for generations. But who are the lobbyists for the rest of us? Unions used to be one of those protections, but the Republican war on unions for the past 35 years has reduced their influence.

Government

LETTER: Former Council President Reacts to Firefighter Contract Dispute

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Editor,

I am writing regarding the Bullet Points [see below for full text] presented by the Town Manager, on June 9, 2015, that was clearly crafted by Kopelman and Paige and accepted by eight of nine of the Watertown’s Town Council regarding the role of the Council. Clearly the Town Council is the duly elected appropriating body of the “City, Known as the Town of Watertown.” Interestingly, either by omission or deliberate, the Town Attorney, or should I bluntly state, The Manager’s Attorney fails to include in the Manager’s discourse that the Town Council is also the elected Policy Making Body for the Town. It is my impression that the Councilors may not be as knowledgeable of the Charter as one would expect and/or are shielding themselves behind a permeable shield that is easily penetrated. In the many years I served on the Council/School Committee, we provided policy guidance and direction to the Town Manager and School Superintendent on matters of collective bargaining with our valued public servants.

Elections

LETTER: Attorney Running for Governor’s Council Seat

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Dear Friends:

I am announcing my candidacy for Governor’s Council for the Third District of Massachusetts. The district includes much of Middlesex County and parts of Norfolk, Suffolk and Worcester counties. Many Massachusetts citizens are unaware of the important, indeed vital, mission that the Governor’s Council is charged by the Massachusetts Constitution. The Council plays a seminal role in our state’s justice system and consequently to the function of our democracy and the stability of our society by having the power of “advice and consent” of all judges and clerk-magistrates in Massachusetts. The Council is the last chance the people of Massachusetts have to make sure that the best candidate for the job is picked.

Letters

LETTER: More than 80 Watertown Residents Participate in Peace Walk

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A broad coalition of community members from Watertown participated in the 2015 Mother’s Day Walk for Peace in Dorchester. According to the Rev. Amy McCreath of Good Shepherd Church and the Rev. Mark Harris of First Parish Church, 85 people, including a large number of middle school and high school students, filled two school buses that departed Watertown Square at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 11th. We marched as a group we called “Watertown Walks for Peace” in the hopes of building bridges across difference here in Watertown and supporting the wise work for justice led by others in the Boston area. We also walked to speak out about the needless and senseless violence in our schools, on our streets, and in our neighborhoods. The group raised over $2,675 to support the vital work of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, which helps families who have lost loved
ones to violence.

Development

LETTER: Developer Makes Case for a Hotel on Elm Street in Watertown

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There will be a Special Meeting of the Watertown Planning Board on Thursday, May 21, 2015, in the Town Council Chamber of Town Hall, 149 Main Street, Watertown, to hear a proposal to build a new business class five story hotel on the site formerly occupied by Atlantic Battery. The developer, Cherag Patel, from the Chicago area has owned and developed hotels for the past sixteen years. Mr. Patel said “We are excited about the opportunity to bring another marquis hotel to Watertown. We feel that Watertown’s location is superior to Cambridge and Waltham because Watertown has the unique ability to offer guests both an urban experience like Cambridge, and a suburban experience, like Waltham. Our market research firmly establishes that there is so much demand for hotel rooms from Watertown businesses such as Athena Health, Tufts Health, the Perkins School for the Blind, and the many other thriving businesses in Watertown, that a second hotel in Watertown will flourish.

Environment

LETTER: Watertown Residents Can Join Neighborhood Solar Program

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Dear Friends and Neighbors,

It is with great pleasure that Neighborhood Solar II is launched. Green Cambridge is partnering with Neighborhood Solar to help promote this program in Cambridge. Right now, Massachusetts has excellent solar incentives and the federal government is giving a 30 percent tax credit through 2016. The goal of Neighborhood Solar is to combine these incentives and tax credits with the best solar prices and the best solar quality and craftsmanship. With this in mind, and based on the success of Neighborhood Solar I, SunBug Solar has agreed to be the installer.

Letters

LETTER: Thank a Nurse During National Nurses Week 2015

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Dear Editor,

As a registered nurse with 57 years of experience, I want to let readers know that May 6th through the 12th is National Nurses Week 2015. During this week, national celebrations are occurring to thank nursing professionals for their tireless efforts in caring for patients in all clinical areas. In fact, On Wednesday May 6 nurses will gather at Fenway Park and be honored in a pregame ceremony. Massachusetts’ 120,000 plus active registered nurses compassionately provide excellent health care to all the citizens of our Commonwealth. The vital contributions of nurses is paramount to the success of our health care system in improving lives of Americans.