Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/tag/election-2023/page/2/)
Watertown’s top elected position is on the ballot for the Nov. 7, 2023 Municipal Election. The two candidates running for City Council President responded to a series of questions posed by Watertown News. The race features incumbent Mark Sideris, and former Council President Clyde Younger. Each seeks the two-year term on both the City Council and as a member of the Watertown School Committee.
Watertown News: Please provide a brief description of yourself: your family, profession, any other relevant information. Mark Sideris: I am married with 3 children who all sucessfully graduated from the Watertown public schools. I am also the proud grandfather of a 14 month old granddaughter. My brother and I own an auto body shop in Waltham. WN: Please tell us about what inspired you to run for City Council President, and what experiences you have that would help you serve on the Council.
MS: I want to continue as council president so I can work with my colleagues on the council and the school committee to keep the city moving forward on a number of issues we are working on.
Watertown News: Please provide a brief description of yourself: your family, profession, any other relevant information. Clyde L. Younger: Black or Afro-American. Wife, Mary and one son Michael. Grew up in Denver, CO. A graduate with a B.A. from what would now be called Coach Prime’s School; however, I am not an athlete.
Dear friends and members of the Watertown community,
The upcoming municipal election on November 7 presents a unique opportunity at this moment in Watertown’s history to meet the complex and overlapping challenges that face us, within and far beyond Watertown’s neighborhoods, institutions, and city limits. Fortunately, we’ve a dedicated, experienced, and talented crop of candidates running, particularly in the contested School Committee race. As a single female childless Baby Boomer, I cannot claim to know the specific concerns and claims parents have when entrusting their children to the Watertown Public Schools, especially in these complex times. I leave that to the many others who’ve worked long and hard on behalf not only of their own families but also others. What I can say is that I do know that a vote for the School Committee is an investment in our collective just and prosperous future — not just for Watertown but our nation and world.
The five candidates running for Watertown School Committee responded to a series of questions from Watertown News. Two incumbents seek re-election, and three candidates seeking a seat for the first time. Three four-year seats on the School Committee are up for re-election this year in the Nov. 7, 2023 Watertown Municipal Election. Both David Stokes and Kendra Foley seek another term on the School Committee, but fellow incumbent Lindsay Mosca announced in June that she will not be running in 2023.
Watertown News: Please tell us about what inspired you to run for School Committee, and what experiences you have that would help you serve on the committee. Rachel Kay: As I have watched the School Committee over the past several years, I have found times where it was clear that my experience, both personal and professional could make a difference. Professionally, I have a PhD in Educational Research and Measurement from Boston College and I work at MIT’s Admissions Office as the Director of Research and Data Analysis. My education and my work involves interacting with data in an educational context, thinking about how it can best be used and how it should not be used. This expertise would be an asset to our schools.
The City of Watertown sent out the following announcement:
In-Person Early Voting for the Watertown Municipal Election will be held at City Hall located at 149 Main Street, Watertown in the Philip Pane Lower Hearing Room on the ground floor on the following dates and hours:
Tuesday, October 31, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Wednesday, November 1, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Thursday, November 2, 2023 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
If you have any questions, visit the City Clerk’s office at City Hall during regular business hours, or call 617-972-6486. https://www.watertownmanews.com/2023/10/18/missed-the-school-committee-candidate-forum-see-it-here/
Watch Videos from This Week’s Council President Forums, Catch the School Committee Hopefuls Monday
Dear Neighbors and Friends,
Many are cynical or feel hopeless about politics. Let’s concede that some reasons for that exist. But there are even more reasons for recommitting ourselves to the honorable tradition of “P”olitics as service to community and to others, especially so for us in Watertown. With no need to deny the gamesmanship aspect of electoral politics, politics in Watertown is vibrant and decent. It is incumbent on all of us to keep it this way by shutting our doors to any attempts to undermine the service to the common good, rational, and compassionate spirit of our politics.