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.

Adam Peterson

Watertown Basketball Player Named to Herald’s All-Scholastic Team

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown senior Adam Patterson made the Boston Herald’s All-Scholastic team. He is pictured dribbling the ball up court in the MIAA Div. 3 Final Four game against Tech Boston in the MIAA Div. 3 Final Four. Adam Patterson helped Watertown High School make the 2022 boys basketball State Final, and his play on the court earned him a spot on the Boston Herald’s All-Scholastic team.

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.

Around Town

Watertown Helps Out Returns Bigger and Better in 2022

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Watertown’s day of community service has turned into a month of volunteering. After a two year hiatus, Watertown Community Foundation is bringing back Watertown Helps Out in May, and WHO22 will have multiple opportunities during the month to lend a hand to local organizations around the city. Watertown Helps Out started in 2014 as a way for Watertown community members to help support their neighbors after Watertown was touched by the marathon bombings, it has now become a mainstay and beloved springtime event. 

In 2022, WCF decided to expand to a month for a few different reasons, said Executive Director Jan Singer. “Having had to forgo WHO in 2020 and 2021, we wanted to give back in a bigger and better way,” Singer said. “Watertown Helps Out, an annual day of community service and volunteering on the first Saturday in May, has been a mainstay of WCF since 2014.

Armenia

Watertown Teacher Traveling to Armenia With Genocide Education Project

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Watertown High School English teacher Jess DePamphilis will travel to Armenia this summer to learn about the Armenian Genocide. A Watertown High School English teacher will travel to Armenia this summer as part of a program sponsored by The Genocide Education Project. Jess DePamphilis was chosen as one of 17 secondary level teachers from 14 states chosen to be GenEd Teacher Fellows. The group will spend 10 days in Armenia in July to take part in a professional development program based at the Armenian Genocide Museum and Institute. While in Armenia the group will be based in Yerevan, the capital city.