Around Town

LETTER: Watertown Group Holds De-ICE Citizens Bank Protest

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Twenty-five people came out to the Indivisible Progressive Watertown No Ice-Citizens Bank Protest in Watertown on March 7, 2026. (Photo by Joshua Touster)

The following piece was provided by Indivisible Progressive Watertown:

On Saturday, March 7th, 25 members and friends of Indivisible Progressive Watertown joined in solidarity with the De-ICE Citizens Bank coalition to protest Citizens Bank’s financing of Core- Civic and the GeoGroup. These two corporations are responsible for building 90% of the private prisons and ICE detentions centers across the United States. 

On March 7th over 71 protests were held in 13 states around the northeastern and midwestern United States calling upon the Citizens Bank administration to end ties with CoreCivic and the GEO Group immediately. Both companies have a long history of neglect and mistreatment of people incarcerated in their facilities. Emmanuel Damas, the Haitian man who was detained and died from sepsis related to a toothache on March 2, was at the Florence Correctional Center, operated by CoreCivic. 

Some of the signs at the De-ICE Citizens Bank protest in Watertown. (Photo by Joshua Touster)

The De-ICE Citizens Bank protests are part of a growing movement to pressure Citizens Bank that began three months ago.

Around Town

Public Meeting to be Held in Watertown on Affordable Housing Incentives Study

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The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

On March 26, 2026, at 6 PM, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) staff will present the preliminary results of its testing of potential incentives to promote affordable housing in Watertown. The MAPC study is designed to provide the City with recommendations for voluntary incentives to encourage more and/or deeper affordability in new market rate developments, as well as recommendations for incentives to encourage affordable developments. MAPC tested certain incentives using financial models of market rate and affordable developments. The test results, along with discussion of other incentives not suitable for such testing, will be the basis for MAPC’s final report. Members of the public will have an opportunity to ask questions and comment at the meeting, as well as an opportunity to provide written comments.

Letters

OP-ED: It’s All a Balancing Act, Part Three: Linkage Fees and Taxes…They’re Going Up How Much??

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By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

This is the second part of three looking at the impacts of the Life Science Industry on Watertown. Part One focused on the impact on housing and the environmental impacts. In Part Two, we looked at the costs to the City of Watertown to maintain safe control over the Life Science industry and its effects on our community. In Part Three, we’ll look at linkage fees and how they could help our community.  We’ll also look at how our community got into a position where in Watertown, a city well known for its fiscal responsibility, residential property taxes could soar to 18 percent higher by 2027. Linkage Fees:

Let’s start with the linkage fees mentioned in Part One.

Letters

OP-ED: It’s All a Balancing Act, Part Two: City-related Costs and Concerns

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By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

This is the second part of three looking at the impacts of the Life Science Industry on Watertown. Part One focused on the impact on housing and the environmental impacts. In Part Two, we’ll look at the costs to the City of Watertown to maintain safe control over the Life Science industry and its effects on our community. Let me repeat the quick caveat from Part One: In bringing these issues up, I am, myself, presenting an unbalanced scenario, in response to that 100% positive view of Sam Ghilardi’s report on bio labs in Watertown, so please keep that in mind. Watertown Building Inspections:

Another note: given all of the construction planned and in progress, do we, in fact, have the adequate City resources to assure that construction regulations and procedures are being followed and inspections and checkins are frequent enough to catch scofflaws?

Entertainment

COMIC: Small Saves Faces Reality of Technology Advances

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James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal – then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”

Letters

OP-ED: It’s All a Balancing Act, Part One: Housing and Environmental Issues

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By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

A quick overview:

In Part One of this series, we’ll explore housing disruption and environmental issues plaguing Watertown. In Part Two, we’ll look at the costs to the City of Watertown to maintain safe control over the Life Science industry and its effects on our community. In Part Three, we’ll look at how our community got into a position where in Watertown, a city well known for its fiscal responsibility, residential property taxes could soar to 18 percent higher by 2027. As I read the Watertown News article on a meeting to be held by the Charles River Regional Chamber, See: Meeting announcement and read Sam Ghilardi’s very upbeat report there on all of the wonders and advantages that life science and bio labs bring to Watertown, it occurred to me that something was missing … balance. In fairness, people writing reports with Sam’s stated goal: “to promote Watertown as a community of choice for the life science industry …” usually stay away from what might be considered the whole picture.

Around Town

First Parish Church Hosting Concert Benefiting Helen Robinson Wright Charitable Fund

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Charlie BreitroseFirst Parish Church of Watertown. First Parish Watertown will hold a benefit concert for the Helen Robinson Wright Charitable Fund. See details in the announcement provided by the church, below. The Helen Robinson Wright Charitable Committee joyfully announces the annual benefit concert on Saturday, March 21st at 7 p.m. David Rivera Bozon, tenor, will be singing A Night of Song, singing Classical, Broadway and Popular hits accompanied by Hector Vargas, piano. The Suggested donation is $30 for adults, $20 for students and families to be negotiated at the door.