Dear Friends, Supporters, and Neighbors,
I write to invite you to my Re-election Campaign Kick Off at the home of Connie and DeWitt Henry in the West End:
Sunday, September 10
4:00 to 6:00 PM
33 Buick Street, Watertown
There will be plenty of refreshments and great company. I will give a short speech and then invite everyone to share their ideas and concerns. It will be a lot of fun!
More importantly, I write to thank you for all you do for Watertown. Because of you, Watertown is a wonderful place to live, raise a family, and be a senior. Here are some of the many ways that you, my constituents, contribute to making Watertown a lively and generous City:
- You vote in local elections. You attend city council and school committee meetings. You initiate citizen petitions to bring issues to the public, administration, and council. You volunteer on our many boards and commissions and on school site and diversity councils.
- You engage with elected officials, city employees, and councilors advocating for affordable housing, diverse development, and open space. You work to address the climate crisis at the local level.
- You support our Community Fridge, food pantries, and Social Service Resource Specialists, as well as attend the Watertown Farmer’s Market, Annual Arts Market, and Summer Concert Series. You are patrons of our parks, playgrounds, and dog parks, library and our Senior Center, and participants in Live Well’s health and wellness events.
- You attend cultural events at the Mosesian Center and the Armenian Museum, and joyfully join gatherings that honor our diversity, such as the Pride celebration, Indigenous Peoples Day, and Juneteenth.
- You donate to the Watertown Community Foundation; Watertown for All Ages; Boys and Girls Club; World in Watertown; Watertown Business Coalition; Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment; Rotary Club; and Trees for Watertown. The list can go on and on. The bottom line is that you contribute to making Watertown a vibrant, democratic, and welcoming community.
For nearly 14 years, I have worked to complement your contributions.
- The creation of our housing trust and the linkage fee for affordable housing was the result of years of advocacy by me and others.
- Prompted by my commitment to addressing the climate crisis, I requested and now lead the City Council’s new Committee on Climate and Energy, to monitor the implementation of our Climate and Energy Plan.
- With my colleagues on the Committee on Human Services, I have pushed hard for a comprehensive Health and Human Services study and for increased funding for our Social Services Resource Specialists at the Multi-Service Center, especially needed in the face of the pandemic.
- I continue to prioritize increased staffing for the Departments of Community Planning and Development and Public Works in the face of ever-expanding development.
- I expressed the high value I place on public engagement by co-sponsoring a program on “Planning and Development in Watertown” and supporting the creation of a Community Engagement Officer and a 311 municipal services hotline program.
- I take seriously the concerns that affect residents’ daily lives, be it working to implement a citywide rodent control program or pushing for a public discussion of the winter parking ban.
I know that not everyone agrees with me on every issue, and I know that I can do more and be better at what I do. However, I hope you feel I have made it my priority to serve you, your family and your neighbors every day and in every way I know how.
Please join me on September 10 at my Campaign Kick-Off to talk more about these and other efforts and to share your thoughts about how we can preserve] the best of Watertown while working together to make it an even more dynamic, innovative, and welcoming city.
Best,
Tony Palomba
Watertown City Councilor At Large
P.S. Please do not hesitate to contact me by phone or email with your questions, concerns, and suggestions.
P.P.S. Please consider helping my re-election effort by volunteering, taking a yard sign, and making a contribution. You can also contribute online at https://www.councilorpalomba.com/donations/
You always get my vote, Tony. We are on the same page. Good luck
And who are you running against, I may be wrong God forbid, but I thought everyone except the Council President was running unopposed, seems more like an Ego thing! As it’s been said over time “the check is in the mail”
Unopposed candidates still need to be re-elected. And Councilor Palomba has always respected the electoral process and the voters. It sure isn’t a bad thing!
Thank goodness I got my Civics lessons at “The West Junior High School” and still have my dignity!
Hi Mr. Holland,
Thank you for your comments. You are correct that the four at-large councilors are running unopposed. And you are also correct that just about everyone who is an elected official or wishes to be an elected official has a bit of ego in the game. I readily acknowledge that I do.
I want to use this opportunity to share three related reasons why I think it is important that I run a robust campaign even if it is not necessary as it would only take one vote for me to retain my seat on the Council.
1) I do not want voters to think I take them for granted. I want them to know that know I have to continually earn their support and their vote.
2) I believe that voters, including newly registered voters, deserve a campaign. They deserve hearing from me about how I voted on any number of issues and why, learning what I have done and what I hope to do in the future, and having the opportunity to weigh my votes and policy initiatives. If they like what they hear and learn they can vote for me. If they don’t, they have the opportunity to blank me.
3) I also believe that not every election is about beating someone, but every election is ALWAYS about reaching someone. The invitation to my kick-off is one step in the effort to reach voters. There will be more efforts including knocking on doors and, hopefully, meeting with small groups of residents at a house party or at a community or civic meeting.
Finally, per your comment about the check being in the mail, I will spend over $3,500 to run a robust campaign. I have no hesitation in asking my supporters, old and new, to help me raise this money. If they believe, like I do, that each election is part of our democratic process that deserves to be taken seriously, they will support my campaign.
Again, my thanks for your comments.
Well Comments are comments and I’ll stand by mine, definitely an ego thing as you acknowledged. As I believe community meetings by elected officials held more often would solve more issues and we the voters would know where you stand and don’t stand as well as what is important to us. Lastly in these difficult times as you well know, as someone who chooses to run, unopposed, to keep your seat on the Council, the last thing I would ever do is to ask people for money. The sum you mentioned should be pretty well attainable by yourself. Just my thoughts and I already have a pretty good idea about democracy! And thank you as well for your comments .
Everyone has a right to an opinion. But an ill-informed opinion helps no one.