District D

LETTER: Candidate for District D Council Seat Serves as Library Trustee, Worked as Legislative Aide

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Emily Izzo announced her candidacy for the District D Town Council seat. It is with great enthusiasm that I announce my candidacy for District D Town Councilor. My name is Emily Izzo and I am a lifelong Watertown resident who grew up in the west end and attended Cunniff Elementary School, Watertown Middle School and Watertown High School, graduating in 2008. After graduating from Assumption College, where I majored in Political Science and History and minored in Sociology, I began my career in public service working for State Representative John Lawn. First as a legislative aide and later as Chief of Staff, my work with residents and elected officials to enact good government policies reaffirmed in me what public service is all about.

Elections

Council Seeks Applicants to Fill Westside District Seat, Must Agree Not to Run in Fall

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Watertown Town Hall

The Town Council decided to appoint someone to fill the vacancy in the District D seat, which represents the westside of Watertown. Applicants must agree not to run for the seat in the November Town Election. The seat became vacant when Ken Woodland stepped down after taking a job that does not allow him to serve on the Town Council in April. The Council debated whether or not to even fill the seat, and other details, such as whether the person would be able to run for re-election in the fall. Councilor John Gannon asked how the Town could enforce the rule that the person could not run for the seat in the Town Election.

Schools

Watertown High School Graduation to be In-Person, Seniors Will Have Prom, Other Events

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Charlie BreitroseThe Watertown High School’s Class of 2021 will hold an in-person graduation ceremony at Victory Field with no limits on guests. Pictured here, the Class of 2014 celebrates. Watertown High School’s graduation ceremony will return to Victory Field in 2021, with full attendance, and the senior class will also get to attend prom, the senior barbecue and other events. The Class of 2021 will graduate on Friday, June 4 at 6 p.m. at Victory Field, announced WHS Principal Joel Giacobozzi on Tuesday. There had been discussions about limiting the number of guests each student could invite, but with the change in the state’s COVID-19 guidelines the school will not limit the number of people attending the ceremony.

Police/Fire

Watertown Police Investigating Shooting Overnight on the Westside of Town

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Watertown Police responded to the site of a shooting in the early hours of May 24. They seek a suspect in the incident in which no one was injured. The call came in about 3 a.m. on Monday about possible gun shots in the Lexington Gardens neighborhood, said Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor. “Shortly after the police arrival, it was determined that a residence on Philip Darch Road was shot at several times,” O’Connor said in a statement on Monday afternoon. “The occupants were home sleeping at the time of the incident and no one was injured.”

Homepage Featured

Police Log: Two Pricy Bikes Stolen from Hotel, Fraudulent Checks Written

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrest

May 10, 11:50 a.m.: A man that had been trespassed from the Watertown Mall came back to the mall. Police were called and employees pointed the man out to them. The man had been sent a trespass order after being told to leave because he was unwanted. He had also been drinking alcohol in the Mall.

Schools

Busing Considered if Temporary High School is at Moxley Field, Veterans Group Support Using Site

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Ai3 ArchitectsA rendering of what a two-story modular building could look like on Moxley Field. It would be the temporary location for Watertown High School while a new school is constructed. Watertown School officials will look at busing students to the temporary high school and the middle school if modulars are built on Moxley Field, the School Building Committee heard at its meeting on Wednesday. Designers of the new Watertown High School, and the temporary campus, responded to a petition submitted by neighbors of the area near Moxley Field, addressing all the questions raised including: traffic issues, issues with tearing up the field dedicated to a Watertown Marine, stormwater issues and others. See the slide presentation from the meeting by clicking here.

Government

Recommended Charter Change Would Allow Council to Hire Staff, Committee Looks at Requiring Open Forums for Councilors

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown’s Town Hall. The Town Council should be able to hire its own staff or consultants without having to ask the Town Administration for funding, the Charter Review Committee decided Tuesday night. Also, Tuesday, the Committee recommended changing the Charter, which spells out how the Town’s government operates, to add more details about how the Town Council sets policies. Hiring Staff

The members of the Charter Review Committee agreed that the Council should be able to hire assistants, but they disagreed on the best way to specify it in the Charter, and how much detail should be included. One of the proposals presented by Michael Ward, the consultant from the Collins Center, was to specify hiring an analyst, with a second recommendation which would enable the Council, by passing an ordinance, to hire more staff that it deems necessary.

Government

Council Backs Bike/Pedestrian Path Extension On Arsenal St., Keeps Open Off-Road Option

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After looking at three options, one was eliminated, and two were moved forward with one chosen as the recommended route. The recommended route would be to continue the path along Arsenal Street, which currently goes along the north side of the street from School Street to Irving Street. It would continue west to Taylor Street and then go along Taylor, cross Mt. Auburn Street and then go along Baptist Walk, through the municipal parking lots in Watertown Square to link with the path near the Watertown Library. The cost estimate for the project is $1.3 million, according to VHB, the project designer.