Election 2017

List of Candidates in Watertown Growing as Filing Deadline Nears

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More potential candidates in Watertown have taken out papers to run for elected office with less than a week before the deadline for candidates to be certified. Several candidates have officials made the ballot in November by having their candidate papers certified, while more than a dozen have taken out papers to run for office. The races with the most candidates are for Town Councilor At-Large and the four-year School Committee seats. Candidates must gather 100 signatures of registered Watertown voters, and they must be certified by the Town Clerk’s office. The signatures must be submitted to and certified by the Town Clerk by 5 p.m. on Monday, July 31, and the Town Clerk has until Aug. 14 to certify the signatures.

Elections

Candidate for 2-Year School Committee Seat is a Parent and Teacher

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The first candidate for the two-year School Committee seat has been certified to be on the ballot, and the first-time challenger has experience as a Watertown parent and as a teacher in another school system. Lindsay Mosca will run for the School Committee seat being vacated by Candace Miller, who announced she will step down because she is leaving town. The two-year seat will be on the Town Election ballot in November, but will be separate from the four-year School Committee seats. Mosca sent out the following information:
I have lived in Watertown with my husband, Justin, since 2005. Our two young children, Jennie and Jacob (5 and 7 years old), attend the Lowell Elementary School. I teach mathematics at Lexington High School, and my husband is an engineer at VHB in Watertown.

Elections

Big Interest in Running for Town Councilor At-Large & School Committee

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The latest list of people who have pulled papers to run for office in the 2017 Watertown Town Election includes many possible candidates for Town Councilor at Large and School Committee. 

If everyone who has pulled papers gets enough signatures to be on the ballot, all the open seats will have at least one person running for them, but two have attracted more interest than the rest. There will be an uncontested seat in the Councilor-At-Large race, with Susan Falkoff announcing she will not seek reelection. Six people have pulled papers, including the three remaining incumbents: Aaron Dushku, Michael Dattoli and Tony Palmoba. There are also three challengers, all of whom are running for Town Council for the first time: David Stokes, Caroline Bays and Michelle Cokonougher. For the other Council seats, so far, the only ones to pull papers are the incumbents: Town Council President Mark Sideris, District A Councilor Angeline Kounelis, District B Councilor Lisa Feltner, District C Councilor Vincent Piccirilli and District D Councilor Ken Woodland.

Election 2017

Decision Made on How to Fill Vacant School Committee Seat

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The School Committee will have an open seat when one of its members moves out of town, and the seat will be filled by a special election that will be on the ballot during this fall’s Town Election. 

In May, School Committee member Candace Miller announced she would be stepping down from her seat because she and her family are moving. She told her colleagues on June 5, and submitted her letter of resignation to the Town Clerk that week saying she will officially step down on Aug. 5. The decision of how the remaining 2 years and two months is made by the Town Council. Tuesday night Council President Mark Sideris recommended that a special election be called.

Government

School Committee Member Leaving Town, Creating an Opening on the Board

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Watertown School Committee member Candace Miller announced this week she will be leaving town and the School Committee, too, this summer. 

Miller will leave less than two years into her four year term, so an opening will be left on the School Committee. Because of the timing, Town Clerk John Flynn said the Watertown Town Charter offers are a couple of options for filling the seat. The Town Charter reads “If a vacancy shall occur on the school committee during the first 24 months of the term for which the school committee member is are elected, the vacancy shall be filled by a held forthwith and no earlier than 64 days from the day the election is called.” The charter gives the Town Council the option of voting to have he vacancy filled by appointment by the remaining members of the School Committee. To move ahead with this option, six Councilors would need to vote for the option.

Good Friday

Watertown School Calendar Includes Classes on Good Friday in 2018

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The School Committee approved the 2017-18 school calendar for the Watertown Public Schools, and it includes some changes from past years, including that school will be in session on Good Friday. 

Whether to have school on one of the holiest days on the Christian calendar was debated by school administrators because having that day off would push back the last day of class into the last week of June and because there are no other days off for religious holidays for any religion, said Interim Superintendent John Brackett. “I am cognizant of traditions and traditionally Good Friday has not been a school day, and that Good Friday, for many families remains a very important day within their religion,” Brackett said. He added, however, that the Watertown Schools celebrate the diversity of all students in the schools. He pointed to the recent statement released by the schools after President Trump signed the Executive Order banning travel into the U.S. by people of several countries. The statement read, in part: “We treat all students with respect, have high expectations for all, want parents to be our partners, and expect students, educators, and parents to respect the unique qualities that characterize each of us.  Together, we build and support a diverse and respectful community.”

School Committee

Consultant to be Hired to Plan for Renovation of Watertown’s Schools

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The School Committee agreed to hire a consultant to get the planning for renovating Watertown’s schools rolling, and at the same time officials will apply to the state for money to renovate the high school. School officials want to renovate the five Watertown schools, but they need to decide which to tackle first. School Committee Chairman John Portz announced last week that a “request for qualifications” has been put out by the district looking for consultants. “There are a series of next steps. One is hiring a consultant to prioritize building projects,” Portz said.

Schools

Parents, Community Members Sought for Superintendent Search Committee

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The School Committee will be forming a search committee to help find Watertown’s next superintendent, and parents and community members will be a part of the group. 

School Committee Chairman John Portz said the Search Committee will have three parents, three teachers, two administrators, a high school student, two community members and two to three School Committee members. The parents and community members will be selected from people who apply to participate in the process. The teachers will be appointed by the Watertown Educators Association. School Committee member Eileen Hsu-Balzer wondered if someone who is a teacher who also lives in town could count as a community member. She wanted to make sure no group is over represented on the committee.