Letters

LETTER: Resident Details Suit Against Paramount & CBS Over “60 Minutes” Settlement

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Dear Editor,

You have asked me to provide you an update when I have further news regarding the suit that I have filed against Paramount Global, the Parent Company of CBS News. As you know I initially contacted you after filing a civil complaint in the Suffolk County Superior Court; and you probably sensed that it was the incorrect court to file. I filed the suit Pro se (on my own behalf). I filed in the County Court because was afraid that the DOJ would summarily dismiss it if it was filed in a federal court. I hope you and your readers will indulge me and provide the opportunity to tell you what this case is all about. I decided to provide a chronology, especially since the lead attorney for Paramount Global on Monday asked my consent for pro hac vice so that he and his colleagues.  The purpose of pro hac vice is for an out of the state attorney to temporary appear in court for a specific purpose.

Letters

LETTER: Watertown Fire Department is Understaffed and at Risk

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In light of the recent tragedy in Fall River — where limited staffing hindered rescue efforts at an assisted living facility — it’s time to look critically at our own fire protection in Watertown. Watertown is dangerously understaffed, falling below national safety standards. According to NFPA 1710, fire apparatus should be staffed with a minimum of 4 firefighters. In April of this year, at a budget and fiscal oversight committee meeting, Councilor Piccirilli stated, “I’ve been a member of the NFPA for over 30 years and I really believe in this stuff and it’s a good way to run an organization” He also stated that “we should be meeting, at a minimum, the published national standards”

In Watertown:

• Engines operate with only 3, 1 officer, and 2 firefighters• Ladder trucks often run with just 2• Ladder 2, which covers the Eastside, a dense and growing part of town, regularly runs with 2 firefighters and no officer

Prior to the addition of a second ambulance, approved for fiscal year 2026, staffing has not increased since 2008:

• 2007: Minimum staffing dropped to 18• 2008: Cut again to just 17 firefighters per shift, where it remains today• From fiscal years 2023–2026, multiple staffing requests were submitted — all denied

Meanwhile, the city is growing rapidly, with more complex emergencies, more residents to protect, and an increasing call volume. High-Risk & High-Density Structures:

• Charles River Towers: 192 residential units in a high-rise• Arsenal Yards: 400,000+ sq.

Letters

LETTER: Even With Trash Resumed Pickups, Residents Still Feeling Effects of Strike

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Dear George,

When I wrote my first open letter to you, I hadn’t meant for it to be a habit, but circumstances being what they are, I guess it was meant to be. First of all, I stand by my last letter in Watertown News, where I complimented you and Tom Brady (Director of the Department of Public Works): https://www.watertownmanews.com/2025/07/15/letter-thanks-for-trash-collection-concerns-about-utility-work-notifications/

Let me explain why I’m writing this letter to you. It’s been a full month now since the trash strike began, and I think that you would agree that we’re handling this quite well as a community. But here’s the thing: whether residents notice this or not, between the extreme heat and the uneven and unpredictable trash pickups, it puts stress on people. It’s not the kind of stress that you experience when you’re in a car accident or lose a job.

Letters

LETTER: Resident Shares Concern About Response to Book Reconsideration Request

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Dear Neighbors:

I’ve never been so disappointed in our city. Last week I attended the Library Trustee’s monthly Board meeting which included an agenda item on the policy for reconsideration of a book the summer reading list. This was largely due to a letter that I and other Jewish residents sent regarding concerns with one book on the second grade summer reading list curated by the Watertown Free Public Library and Watertown School District. We shared our concerns with how it framed Israel as the oppressor and sought to teach a young reader a history of Palestine with ideological views often seen as anti-Israel propaganda. In our letter we asked for a dialogue so we could share our concerns and have a conversation. Did we expect the book to be removed from the list?

Letters

LETTER: Library Should Resist Effort to Remove Book on Israeli/Palestinian Conflict

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(Note: The Watertown Board of Library Trustees will meet Thursday, July 31 at 7 p.m. at Watertown Middle School. The agenda includes a statement of policy in response to feedback on the suggested summer reading list read by the Board Chair.)

Dear  Kim Long (Hewitt), Library Director and Board of Trustees, 

I’m writing about the pressure the library faces to remove the children’s book, “A Map for Falasteen: A Palestinian Child’s Search for Home.” I hope the library resists this pressure and lets parents and children make their own choices of reading material and draw their own conclusions. This issue matters greatly to me for two reasons, my connections with Israel-Palestine and my connections with Watertown. I have been many times to the West Bank and Gaza and most parts of Israel.

Letters

LETTER: Praise to DPW for Response to Trash Strike, Concerns About Utility Work Notifications

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(This letter was sent to Department of Public Works Director Tom Brady)

Hi Tom,

Thanks for following through and getting our garbage collected on Saturday! We were one of the first streets to be “struck” and then one of the last streets to be picked up. I have to tell you, it made a big difference in the quality of life around here! One of my very rugged neighbors, seeing me on my front porch after the garbage was collected, stopped, put his hands over his head in a ballet pose, turned his head to the left and sniffed, then to his right and sniffed. Then he did a happy dance.

Elections

LETTER: School Committee Candidate Joins Race, Lays Out Priorities

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Sheila Krishnan (Photo by Cydney Scott)

My name is Sheila Krishnan, and I’m excited to share my candidacy for one of the three School Committee seats up for election in Watertown this November. I have long appreciated the role that public education plays in contributing to a thriving, healthy democracy as someone who has worked in public health and higher education for over 17 years. Over the past five years, I have been an active Watertown Public Schools parent volunteer and community member through a variety of roles. Understanding how decisions are made in our district is important to me, not only for my children but so that I can advocate on behalf of students and families in the district. Now more than ever, having engaged, informed citizens will be vital to the future of our communities and the challenges we face ahead.

Letters

LETTER: Whose Job is it to Unmask the Threat to Democracy?

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Dear Editor,

It is like it has not happened in Watertown. Whose Job is it to Unmask the Threat to Democracy? When federal agents conceal their identities behind masks, they don’t just cover their faces — they block accountability, liability and proper identification as a federal agent. In recent months, ICE has deployed masked officers in plainclothes across American cities, detaining immigrants and citizens alike without identification and a charge. This is not just unconstitutional — it’s dangerous.