(Watertown News will accept letters related to the Town Election until Saturday, Oct. 31.)
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing in support of Lisa Feltner’s campaign for District B Town Councilor. Lisa has my vote on November 3rd along with my heartfelt endorsement for her candidacy. I first met Lisa 11 years ago when our kids, now high school sophomores, were in kindergarten at Hosmer School. We were both involved parents in the school, so I soon got to know Lisa well.
Working together on countless projects in the schools, I can say that she was always a great listener and a terrific collaborator. Lisa knows how to get things done and she knows how to work collaboratively and effectively with others. During busy school events, Lisa always quickly recognized when to jump in and help out in order to be most effective. Lisa recognized gaps and opportunities and knew how to fill them. She knew how to honor existing traditions while building new ones that involved faculty, staff, and student families. Over the years, she had many great ideas and suggestions for PTO and general Hosmer school activities. She was instrumental in improving communication and helped fundraise through using community building events.
She studies, learns, asks questions and educates herself thoroughly in order to determine the best way to approach a problem. Lisa’s strong community spirit was apparent in all of the activities in the schools and is now even stronger in issues pertaining to the community at large. This last year, we have been in many meetings about community issues and new developments in Watertown. Just as she did in our early involvement in the schools, Lisa has become a strong, educated, invaluable advocate and resource, working hard for Watertown.
Sincerely,
Sarah Ryan
43 Paul St., Watertown
Sierra Club Endorses Council Candidate
The Massachusetts Sierra Club has voted to endorse the candidacy of Susan Falkoff for Watertown Town Councilor at Large.
“Susan Falkoff has more than proven herself as an effective and tireless candidate on behalf of improving public health and our environment,” said David Rudolph, Massachusetts Sierra Club Political Committee Chair. “Her passion is helping people and the environment around her, and the Sierra Club hopes voters will continue to support her as City Councilor.”
Watertown Parents Support Two School Committee Hopefuls
As parents of children in Watertown Public Schools, we wish to voice our support for Candace Miller and Kendra Foley for School Committee. While there has been much improvement over the past two years, we feel that there is still work to be done. After researching the candidates and watching the debates, we find that the incumbents are satisfied with the status quo. We believe that we need strong leadership and School Committee members that are open to change and new ideas in order to move our schools from good to great.
We believe that both Candace Miller and Kendra Foley will foster a School Committee which:
a) Proactively advocates for our students’ needs, in a clear and data driven way with all stakeholders to meet the goals and vision of our district.
b) Promotes proactive communication between the school committee, school administration, town council, town manager, parents, and the community at large and encourages parent and community-wide engagement.
c) Promotes and brings about a more transparent budget process.
d) Supports the school administration in their needs, but also asks informed questions to better understand those needs, sets measurable goals and gets regular updates on progress towards those goals.
e) Helps foster and create short and long-term goals for the district in collaboration with the school administration, which are connected to concrete actions and outcomes.
Over the past two years parents worked together to advocate for additional funding for our schools. We need our School Committee to build on this momentum and deliver on the commitment the town has given to the children of Watertown.
Candace Miller and Kendra Foley can make this happen. Please vote for transparency, engagement, proactive communication, advocacy and accountability in our School Committee by casting your vote for Candace Miller and Kendra Foley on Nov. 3.
Thank you for your time,
Parents of Watertown Students:
Kate Coyne, Leanne Hammond, Alice Holt, Deb Neiman, John Ryan, Michelle Munroe, Noreen Lombard, Alyson Morales, Mandy Flemming, Julie Cotton, Armina Manoukian, Thea Sahr, Lily Read, Karen Nickel, Amy Vachon, Mary G. Brackett, Kristen Patterson, Kristin Kullman, Jeremy Kullman, Kathleen Dorries, Lin Themelis, Nooshi Robertson, Andrew Robertson, Diego Hammerschlag, Kristen Fitzpatrick, Ina Breuer, David Taffel, Alexandra Varzhapetian, Jim Helie and Sarah Turner-Ryan