Top Vote-Getters Did Not Always Win the Most Precincts in the 2025 Watertown Election

The winners in the Nov. 4, 2025 Watertown Election did not always win the most precincts, and voters in different parts of town preferred different candidates. City Councilor

In the Councilor At-Large race, the candidate with the highest vote total did not win the most precincts, and the support varied by section of town. Incumbent Tony Palomba won the most precincts, with six, but finished with the second most votes, 3,389. He won precincts 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7.

JIM’S VIEW: Watertown Boys Soccer, Back in Tournament Play, Shows No Jitters On The Way to a Victory Over St. Mary’s

Watertown senior Gavin Foley (number 6) gets congratulations from his teammates after scoring against St. Mary’s in the State Tournament Round of 32. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Election Day turned into a landslide for Watertown Boys Soccer in their return to tournament play for the first time since 2019, with an impressive 3-0 blanking of St.Mary’s of Lynn. 

Watertown, the 13 seed, moves on to the Round of 16. If 29th-seed Auburn can upset fourth seed Greater New Bedford on Thursday, Watertown will accept the nomination and play another home game. Otherwise, the Raiders will face the challenge of beating a top-four seed on the road, probably Monday or Tuesday. But those are matters for another day.  Today was about stuffing the ballot box and meeting another goal in the season-long campaign to victory. Watertown senior Aidan Anker shoots against St. Mary’s.

JIM’s VIEW: Don’t Let the Score Fool You, Watertown Dominates in Tourney and Advances to Elite 8

Watertown junior Kaylee Master scored two goals in the State Tournament Round of 16 Tuesday against Gloucester. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Watertown Field Hockey followed up their MIAA State Tournament Round of 32 win over Swampscott last week with a low-scoring, yet dominant performance Tuesday afternoon at Victory Field by the score of 2-0 over 12th seeded Gloucester. The fifth seeded Raiders await their Round of 8 opponent, which they’ll know by Wednesday evening. If fourth-seeded Medfield wins, Watertown played its last home game of 2025 on Election Day. If Nauset Regional can pull off the huge upset, Watertown will be gifted one more home game. Watertown senior Ava Lamacchia shoots at the Gloucester net in the State Tournament game at Victory Field. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Many an inferior opponent have packed in their defense in an attempt to clog up the shooting lanes and make it hard for the Raiders to score. Tuesday was another example of that strategy. Gloucester had a good goaltender who made a number of fine saves, but credit the many defenders who either blocked or deflected potential scoring chances. 

Senior Sophia Setouhi fights for the ball against Gloucester in the Round of 16 game.

Incumbents Returned to City Council, School Committee and Library Trustees, See Who Else Was Elected Tuesday

There will be one new face on the City Council, one on the School Committee and two on the Board of Library Trustees after Tuesday’s Watertown Municipal Election. Watertown voters re-electedJohn Gannon with 3,418 votes, Tony Palomba (3,389), and Caroline Bays (3,030) in the race for Councilor At-Large, and first-time candidate Theo Offei (2,999) won a seat. Former Auditor Tom Tracy also challenged for a seat and got 2,232 votes. Vincent Piccirilli won another term with 1,042 votes for District C City Councilor. He defeated challenger Andres Guzman (307).

Community Food Drive Being Run by Human Services Department, Watertown Community Foundation

The City of Watertown sent out the following announcement:

The City of Watertown’s Human Services Department, with support from the Watertown Community Foundation, is excited to announce the kick-off of a Community Food Drive, on November 4, and continuing through December 2025. The City is taking steps to ensure the impacts of food insecurity are mitigated amidst the federal changes to SNAP, in addition to the freeze on those benefits beginning November 1. The City is asking those who are able to donate nonperishable food items at one of the several food donation drop-off locations found around Watertown starting on November 4. All food donations will support the food pantries in Watertown and families who are in need.  Food donation drop-off locations include:

Watertown City Hall (149 Main Street)

Watertown Police Department (552 Main Street)

Watertown Free Public Library (123 Main Street)

Watertown Fire Station (564 Mt.

Middlesex District Attorney Meets With Watertown Police in Effort to Cut Down Shoplifting

Charlie BreitroseMiddlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan met with Watertown Police to focus on the rise in shoplifting in the area. Here she is pictured at an event where spoke at the Watertown Senior Center. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan joined a regular meeting between Watertown Police and security from local stores to find ways to curb the amount of shoplifting in town, and to prevent incidents from becoming more serious. Since 2022, the number of shopliftings in the City has steadily risen, with the vast majority occurring at the Watertown Mall and Arsenal Yards. In 2022, the WPD responded to around 400 shoplifting incidents, and in 2024 the number rose to 774, according to statistics collected by Watertown Police.

Council Still Considering Options for Rebuilding Middle School After Long Discussion

Watertown Middle School (Courtesy of Watertown Public Schools)

The City Council drilled down on what factors would determine whether to do a full renovation/rebuild of Watertown Middle School, or to do more basic repairs now and a bigger project later. After more than two hours of deliberation on Tuesday night Councilors had not made a decision and some key questions remain unanswered. The City Council heard from City and school officials, as well as Watertown’s project management firm for school building projects. City Manager George Proakis outlined the financial implications of each option, and some of the hurdles that lay in the paths of even the lowest cost options. In 2024, the City Council had a similar discussion, and decided to make a new Middle School a priority.