Tuesday is election day in Watertown, and Town voters will be selecting candidates for three Town boards, as well as voting on changes to the Town Charter.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. (see polling locations below).
Town Council, School Committee & Library Trustee Races
The 2021 election has 25 candidates running, with several contested races. Only two are uncontested — Town Council President and District C Town Councilor.
Seven people are running for four Councilor At-Large spots. Districts A, B and D have two people running for the seat. The School Committee has six candidates vying for three spots. And, the Library Trustees has three seats up for election and four candidates running.
Find out more about the candidates in Watertown News’ candidate Q&As:
See the responses from the Town Councilor At-Large and Town Council President by clicking here.
View the Q&As for the District Councilor candidates by clicking here.
The School Committee candidate responses can be seen here.
Find out what the people running for Library Trustee said in their Q&As by clicking here.
Charter Changes
Two questions also appear on the ballot, both of which would make changes to the Town Charter, the document that defines how the Town government works.
The first question is whether to change the name from “The City Known as the Town of Watertown” to “The City of Watertown.” Commonly, right now, Watertown is called the Town of Watertown, but it has a city form of government.
The second question has a long list of changes to the Town Charter, proposed by the Charter Review Committee. Some of the changes include defining the roles of the Town Council, Council President and Town Manager, requirements to communicate with the public, allowing the Council to hire staff and analysts, adding a preamble, and creating a Human Rights Commission. See more details on the changes by clicking here.
After polls close, follow Watertown News’ Twitter for the latest updates — twitter.com/WatertownMANews
Polling Locations
Voters in three of Watertown’s 12 precincts will be voting in a different location than most prior elections, due to construction at two of the town’s elementary schools. Precinct 2 moved from Hosmer School to the Hellenic Cultural Center, 25 Bigelow Ave., and Precincts 11 and 12 moved from Cunniff School to Watertown Middle School, 68 Waverley Ave.
Also, the entrances have changed for two of the polling locations: enter the Middle School through the door from the Bemis Street parking lot and voters at the Phillips School should go in through the doors off the parking lot on Marshall Street (the other doors will not be open).
Town of Watertown
A map of Watertown’s Districts: Peach is A, Red is B, Lime Green is C, Green is D.
To check what precinct you are in, and who is on your ballot, enter your address on the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website (click here).
2021 Town Election Precinct Locations in Watertown
1 Hellenic Cultural Center 25 Bigelow Ave. 2 Hellenic Cultural Center 25 Bigelow Ave. 3 Hellenic Cultural Center 25 Bigelow Ave. 4 Phillips School 30 Common St. 5 Phillips School 30 Common St. 6 Hibernian Hall 151 Watertown St. 7 Lowell School 175 Orchard St. 8 Watertown Middle School 68 Waverley Ave. 9 Watertown Middle School 68 Waverley Ave. 10 Watertown Police Station 552 Main St. 11 Watertown Middle School 68 Waverley Ave. 12 Watertown Middle School 68 Waverley Ave.
Good luck to all today. Running for office is never easy, especially in these times.
People should look at candidates closely and where they stand on all the major issues facing the community – the REAL issues, not the phony ones.
Not a big fan of “slates” for these offices. A mix of experiences and perspectives is good.