Letters

LETTER: More Safety Precautions Needed for Large Gatherings, Like No Kings Rally

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Thanks to our new Councilor Theo Offei, I was able to attend the “No Kings Rally” in Watertown Square this past Saturday, March 28th.  There was over 1,000 people in attendance.  Conspicuously absent was the City Manager George Proakis, Council President Mark Sideris and Public Safety. Police Public Safety; Traffic Details, are common for an event of this size and common sense would tell you that a significant number of residents would be gathering in the Square. 

We have seniors, people with disabilities and residents from the Perkins School for the Blind and there were no safety procedures in place to ensure their safety. Councilor Vinnie Piccirilli had to serve as a traffic monitor, undertaking the task of getting people safely across Galen Street. Watertown is in the final stages of a major study of the Square — an area where current conditions already raise serious safety concerns for residents, pedestrians, and drivers. When a large public gathering takes place in that environment, my question is whether the future is more important than the current safety of people in the Square today? Given the safety concerns, the Town Manager has a responsibility to be physically present during high‑visibility events such as Saturday’s rally.

Letters

OP-ED: Calling All Everyday Citizen Heroes for the Watertown Square Meeting

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If Past is Prologue …

Big Development Plans for Watertown Square on April 6th! By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

Calling All Everyday Watertown Citizen Heroes! Well, it’s that time of the month in Watertown again … the time that the next large development plan will be hauled out and introduced, but this one’s been a long time in the making. Put the Library on April 6th at 6 p.m. in your calendar, because this promises to be a doozy! And what is “this” you ask?

Letters

LETTER: Chamber Encourages Council to Adopt Local News Day Resolution

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The following letter was sent to City Council President Mark Siders by the Charles River Regional Chamber:

Dear Council President Sideris,

On behalf of the Charles River Regional Chamber, I write to urge the Watertown City Council to designate April 9 as Local News Day. Local media play a pivotal role in our community — reporters hold municipal leaders accountable, spotlight neighborhood concerns, celebrate local achievements and keep residents informed in ways no national outlet can. Without strong local journalism, civic life suffers. Waltham’s City Council recently passed a resolution joining a national movement to recognize April 9 as Local News Day, reconnecting residents with trusted local outlets, and sustaining local journalism for generations to come. Watertown should do the same.

Elections

LETTER: As State Sen., Daniel Lander Will Fight for More Permanently Affordable Housing

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For the first time since 2011, we have two candidates for State Senate whose records and priorities we can actually compare. 

On State Legislature transparency, the rights and opportunities of the most marginalized, consistent support for State House staff to unionize, and his “fighting head on” approach to our dire housing affordability crisis — I am sure of where Daniel Lander will be leading us as State Senator. 

He will be at the forefront of the fight for more permanent affordable housing and, because he understands its urgency, it will remain one of his top priorities. And he understands that while more market rate housing is vital, alone it will not help affordability. Daniel’s track record shows his commitment and ability to get down to brass tacks and work on many fronts so that people can afford to live where they choose. For example, Daniel will actively advocate for social housing in Massachusetts — publicly owned, mixed-income developments built in partnership with housing authorities and nonprofit developers. Models like Willow Park right here in Watertown show how this works, giving cities the tools to create permanently affordable housing for low- and middle-income households.

Letters

LETTER: Let’s Protect Our Immigrant Communities

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By Daniel Lander

Nine of our neighbors in Allston are violently detained at gunpoint at a carwash. A graduate student is surrounded and kidnapped off the streets of Somerville. A Medford teen snatched anddetained while driving to volleyball practice. A five-year-old with autism used as bait to try to detain her father in Leominster. A 13-year-old abandoned on the sidewalks of Waltham after ICE grabbed the adult they were with.

Letters

LETTER: Short-Term Planning for Watertown Senior Center

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Dear City Councilors and School Committee Members,

At the most recent Council on Aging monthly meeting, City Manager, George Proakis discussed some of the capital projects he is recommending for funding approval by the City Council. The complete report was shared on January 27, 2026, and this letter will focus only on the short-term recommendations as outlined in the document labelled “Fiscal Year 2027-2031 Capital Improvement Program” (CIP) which directly impact the Watertown Senior Center. The Council on Aging recognizes that there are many competing capital projects in Watertown. Among the projects funded by the capital budget are the upkeep, replacement and renovations of all city owned buildings and other property. Residents are well-aware that Watertown recently either replaced or significantly renovated the three elementary schools and is nearing completion of the new high school.

Letters

LETTER: Watertown Grieves Civil Rights Leader Bernard Lafayette Who Helped Spread Dr. King’s Teachings to Town

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Dr. Bernard Lafayette and Watertown Kingian Nonviolence Trainer Holly Cachimuel, who is a former Watertown teacher.(Photo by Chuck Dickinson)

The death of legendary civil rights icon Dr. Bernard Lafayette on March 5 resonates deeply throughout the city of Watertown. “Doc” first came here for several days in 2016, at the behest of former Watertown Middle School teacher Ruth Henry. Henry had trained in Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Resolution under Dr. Lafayette. Lafayette had promised Martin Luther King, Jr. before his 1968 assassination that he would spread King’s nonviolence teaching and practice around the world. Later that same year, Watertown hosted Dr. Lafayette for a two-week long Trainers’ Institute, organized by then Superintendent Dr. Jean Fitzgerald.

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.