Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/tag/election-2021/page/2/)
Watertown Free Public LibraryThe Watertown Free Public Library. Watertown voters will be selecting the Trustees for the Watertown Free Public Library on Nov. 2. There are three spots available in the 2021 election. The Board of Library Trustees oversees the budget for the Watertown Library and works with the Library staff on how to spend the budget, as well as working on special projects and initiatives at the library.
To the Watertown community,
We are heading into the final days of this election cycle and as we do so, I have begun to reflect on what the past month of campaigning has brought and what the next five days will look like. When I decided to run for office, my goal was to bring people together, participate in spirited debate, and to help build a better Watertown. I have been coaching soccer in town for fifteen years and have had the privilege to have coached hundreds of, if not a thousand, kids in town. Instilling in them the fundamentals of soccer so they can succeed on the field is only part of what I do as a coach. The other, and more important, part is instilling in them life skills such as sportsmanship, teamwork, leadership, integrity, resilience, and perseverance.
I have serious concerns about how Councilor Feltner has used her position of power as the chair of the Committee on Public Safety and it is one of the strong reasons I will not be voting for her for District B Councilor. I will be voting for Tiffany York for District B Councilor, and urge fellow neighbors in District B to join me because this is a critical time to have Councilors with competency in what justice, equity, diversity and inclusion means and how to actually create it on the next Town Council. As a light-skinned person of mixed African and European heritage who presents as white to most people, I benefit from an enormous amount of skin privilege and see it as my responsibility to speak up as I am able to when I see and experience racism, and to work to make our community safer for all residents. And it is hard. While I don’t experience most skin discrimination, I have ancestrally inherited fears of targeting and reprisals when being brave enough to speak up.
To the editor:
This election day I am casting my vote for Amy Donohue for School Committee.
Amy’s credentials as a dedicated public servant and involved parent have been well-documented over the past several years.
Her commitment to our Public Schools goes far beyond the interests of her own children, as she cares deeply about the quality of education for all students. She has advocated fairly and passionately for students, families, teachers, and administrators during her first term. I have had the good fortune to be friends with Amy for well over 10 years, we also served as co-presidents of the Watertown Education Foundation. Having spent many years fundraising for the school-wide Educational Grant Program either at the Spelling Bee or Trivia Night or Dancing with the Stars, I have seen first-hand the time, effort, and energy Amy has dedicated to our town. I have found her to be a caring, compassionate, intelligent person, willing to listen to all sides of an issue and fully considers all options before making important decisions.
Her tireless involvement in the community, through The Ed Foundation, teaching in our public schools, and as a local business owner, to name just a few, shows that she is a person of service and integrity, who truly wants the best for Watertown. I know she will continue to serve the school committee with the same passion she exhibits in all of her endeavors.
Dear Watertown Community and District D Residents,
I am a proud member of District D in Watertown and strongly support Connie Henry for District D Town Councilor. Connie has been an educator in the Boston Public Schools, recently retiring after serving as Assistant Director of K-12 Mathematics. Even though she is retired, Connie now continues to support students in her work at Boston University. She has been a passionate resident and advocate for District D in Watertown for 45 years and raised her children andgrandchildren in this Town. Connie’s long-term passion for climate issues includes early work on the dismantling of the former nuclear reactor in Watertown, and now supporting a sustainable climate action plan and securing green space for all residents.
Watertown Town Hall
The Town Council will have some new members, including at least one from the Councilor At-Large race. Four seats are up for election on Nov. 2, along with the Town Council President, who is elected by the entire town. The other four councilors are District Councilors (see their Q&As by clicking here). Councilors At-Large
A field of seven candidates includes three incumbents (Caroline Bays, Tony Palomba and John Gannon), and four challengers (John Airasian, Daniel D’Amico, James Mello and Megan O’Halloran).
Town of WatertownA map of Watertown’s Districts: Peach is A, Red is B, Lime Green is C, Green is D.
The Town of Watertown has four districts, each of which is represented by a Town Councilor. In the 2021 Watertown Election three of four districts have contested races. See how each of the candidates responded to a variety of questions by clicking on their name under “Candidates” for each district. District A
Represents the East End of town, District A includes the area of town east of School Street, including Coolidge Square, as well as some streets west of School Street that are between Walnut Street and Mt. Auburn Street.
To the Editor:
I’m writing today, urging the Common Sense mainstream Watertown voters to participate in the upcoming non-partisan municipal election on November 2, 2021. Watertown is at a tipping point. As I mentioned, our municipal elections are nonpartisan and for good reason. Councilors and School Committee members are elected, charged, and paid to administer purely local concerns. Yet, there are those who for 2 decades now, have tried to use their municipal office to promote partisan issues, often radical, rather than focusing on the daily nuts and bolts operations of the community.