Environment

LETTER: Pending Legislation Would Help Keep Watertown Green and Livable

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Elizabeth ShawThis mature Watertown maple tree straddling a property line illustrates the issue addressed by House Bill 1849. By James Briand, Trees for Watertown

Watertown residents already feel the impact of climate change in warmer average temperature and stronger storms. Managing such change in the midst of rapid development requires an up to date and flexible regulatory framework. Three pending pieces of Massachusetts state legislation aim to address that need, by preserving mature trees that mitigate the impact of climate change today and by adding to the tree canopy to prepare Massachusetts for the future. The first bill, An Act To Update the Shade Tree Law (House Bill 2195), will update a 19th century law designed to protect trees bordering public roadways. Progressive in its day, the legislation became less effective as fines and obligations failed to keep pace with inflation and changing lifestyles.

District A

LETTER: East End Resident Endorses Candidate for District A Councilor

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Dear East End Neighbors,

I’m writing today to endorse Nicole Gardner for Watertown District A Town Councilor and encourage my fellow East End residents to cast their ballot for Nicole on November 2nd. Watertown is a changing, growing community, one that includes longtime residents concerned about the cost of living, population density, and increased traffic as well as young (and not so young) professionals in the life sciences industry who want to be a contributing part of a sustainable community. From speaking with her and learning about her background and record, my wife and I are convinced that Nicole has the breadth of experience and depth of understanding to bring people together so that we can address the challenges we face for the good of all. 

My wife and I have also benefited from and contributed to Buy Nothing Watertown, a community-based initiative led by Nicole that lets people share their belongings and skills for free. Giving useful items a new life by gifting them without charge has connected us with other Watertown residents in a spirit of cooperative engagement. This is one of the reasons we support Nicole’s candidacy for District A Town Councilor.

Electric Buses

LETTER: Watertown Group Pushing for Faster Electrification of MBTA Buses

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Charlie BreitroseAn MBTA bus in Watertown. A new report calls on the MBTA to update the overhead wires and busses on Watertown’s 71 and 73 routes to InMotion charging as a first step to expanding this technology to other routes. The report “Bus Electrification Accelerating the Electrification of Bus Service in the Boston Metro Area” MBTAReport_Final2.pdf (sierraclub.org) by the Sierra Club, Transit Matters, and Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) along with 14 partner organizations calls the MBTA’s plans “too little too late.”

The MBTA current plan calls for the continued purchasing of hundreds of polluting diesel hybrid buses while gradually transitioning to overnight charging electric buses over the next two decades with full electrification by 2040. The report argues that depending solely on overnight charging short changes us and identifies two promising technologies — InMotion charging and EnRoute charging that should be part of the mix and an implementation rollout that would achieve full electrification by 2030, avoid hundreds of interim diesel hybrids, reduce emissions earlier, save money, serve environmental justice communities, and improve public health for all. It is convenient to use the upcoming Mt.

Elections

LETTER: Owner of Community Health Center Endorses Candidate for District A Councilor

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I have been a Watertown resident since 2005, raising my children while founding an expressive arts community center in Watertown, ARTrelief, with my wife. I’m writing today to enthusiastically endorse Nicole Gardner for District A Town Councilor and I encourage all my East End neighbors to cast their vote for her on election day, November 2nd. I first met Nicole Gardner through the Buy Nothing Watertown Project, which she has grown from a niche interest to a network of 2,500 residents across town. Nicole’s community-building energy, enthusiasm, and initiative helped me connect with my neighbors and get more involved around issues that matter to me, such as the environment and consumerism, as well as raising our children in a safe community where people know and look out for each other. In the time I have known her, Nicole has shown strong leadership abilities, not only in thinking about creating a diverse leadership team for Buy Nothing Watertown but also in her ability to motivate others in working towards a common vision.

Election 2021

UPDATED – OP-ED: Resident Concerned About Council Candidate’s Stance on Cutting Police Budget

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EDITOR’S NOTE:

This Op-Ed piece has been removed due to questions over the source of the email referenced in the piece. The author did not want to reveal the source of the email. While the email was a public document, having been sent to the members of the Town Council on their official email addresses, the description of the source of the letter was not clear enough. The editor felt the description would likely lead readers to incorrectly infer the writer got the email from one of the Councilors who, in reality, is not the source, and other descriptions might reveal the source. (Letters to the editors can be sent to watertownmanews@gmail.com)

Election 2021

LETTER: Candidate Has Unique Qualifications for School Committee

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As a parent of two children in Watertown Public Schools, I write to encourage fellow Watertown residents to support Rachel Kay for School Committee. Among the candidates for the open seats, she is uniquely qualified to represent our concerns and to work to improve our schools. The past year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of making school policy decisions that are informed by science. As a data scientist with a long and distinguished career in education research, Rachel Kay will expand upon this evidence-based approach to running our schools. As Director of Admissions Research and Data Analysis at MIT, with a PhD in Education Research, Measurement, and Evaluation, Rachel brings a unique skill set to the job.

Election 2021

LETTER: Group of Residents Support Candidate for School Committee

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During her current term as School Committee member, Lily Rayman-Read has demonstrated a desire to work with teachers, administrators, and Watertown families, and advocate for all members of our Watertown school community. She is part of a team responsible for the building of 3 new elementary schools and is in advanced planning stages for a new high school in collaboration with the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The execution of these projects has been impressive, leading to the expected completion of the Cunniff and the Hosmer elementary schools ahead of schedule. Lily has been instrumental in bringing transparency and openness to the Watertown School Committee by providing frequent updates on social media and answering questions from the community whenever possible. This level of engagement is an important and welcome change to the way Watertown families can interact with the School Committee.

Artificial Turf

OP-ED: Town Councilors — Make a Choice: Public Health & the Environment or More Game Days

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By Watertown resident Janet Buck

I am writing this letter as a way of trying to make sense of what I heard last week in the debate among the candidates for Councilor at Large. The question asked was about the candidate’s views on the use of artificial turf for town playing fields. Almost everyone expressed a sense of being caught in a terribly difficult dilemma. What is more important – extending the availability of playing fields for Watertown kids who play team sports or protecting the environment? I have to ask – why is this so difficult?