29th Middlesex

LETTER: Town Councilor Endorses State Rep. Candidate

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Dear Voter,

It is with great enthusiasm that I join Representative Hecht in endorsing Steve Owens as the next Representative for the 29th Middlesex District. I urge you to join us in voting for Steve in the Democratic primary election on Tuesday, September 1. I have known Steve for nearly twenty years and we have worked together on many local, state, and national political campaigns during that time. I have benefited from his wisdom and political acumen as he has served on my campaign committee since 2009. A long-time Watertown resident, Steve is credited with revitalizing the Watertown Democratic Town Committee and has served as its Chair for the last twelve years. He also has twice won election to the Democratic State Committee.  

I am supporting Steve and asking you to do the same because he is a progressive activist and proven leader ready to take on the many challenges facing Massachusetts. As our State Representative he will champion the issues that the Legislature must address with a commitment to transparency and equity. 

He will join other progressive legislators in supporting policies that combat climate change and create environmental sustainability. He will be an advocate for affordable housing for tenants and homeowners and for public education from pre-kindergarten to college. As a professionaltransportation expert, Steve knows how important safe, reliable public transit is for workers and businesses.

Elections

LETTER: Steve Owens Has Put in the Work

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I’m writing to urge my friends and neighbors to vote for longtime Democratic Town Committee chair Steve Owens for state rep this primary. Other letters have touted Steve’s progressive commitments and his impressive command of the issues facing our state. In this letter I want to focus instead on the work Steve has put into this race. Regardless of your policy views, I think we can all agree that we want a representative who will be energetic about using his powers of office to stand up for us and help our community and our town. Steve is the only candidate who has a campaign website where he has written about issues that are important to him and what he intends to do in office, a key piece of transparency that other candidates have chosen not to provide.

Elections

LETTER: Steve Owens Would Be a Transportation Minded State Rep

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Many Watertown voters have traffic, congestion and public transportation at the top of their list of concerns. Many of us rely heavily on MBTA service to get to work and other essential life functions. The majority of us are deeply concerned about the environment and climate change. If you want an advocate who will be committed to addressing these concerns in the State House, then Steve Owens is your best choice for State Representative. Steve is a transportation professional by trade and understands the complication of going from policy to complex nuts and bolts operations.

Around Town

LETTER: Don’t Move Polling Location to Senior Housing, Risk Spreading COVID-19

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Dear Editor Charlie Breitrose and Others To Whom It Concerns:

I am a senior who lives at 100 Warren Street in Watertown MA, which is SENIOR HOUSING.  

We learned this weekend that Watertown is moving its voting location for District 11 and 12 elections for 2020 to be held in my residential building. “Pursuant to Section 11 of Chapter 115 of the Acts of 2020, the City Clerk has prepared the following report relative to moving the polling place for Precinct 11 & 12 from the Cunniff School 246 Warren St to the E. Joyce Munger Apartments 100 Warren St: Report on Precincts 11 & 12 Polling Place Change Dated 08/06/2020”

The seniors, handicapped residents and people of color who live here represent the highest risk population for COVID-19. It is not acceptable to have the elections in our building, period. It should never have been considered. This cannot be made “safe” no matter what we are told. The way for us to be “safe” is for it not to happen at all. To force residents to accept this decision is to be without compassion and conscience and shirks the implied duty of persons in authority to protect those in your care. This is our home! During this virus crisis, many people have been very creative in making lives work well in a deadly unwell environment. For example, since March all sorts of certifications and guidelines have been relaxed statewide to achieve desperately needed results. Surely our state and local officials can find a way to do that in this situation – another site needs to be found. How about a tent?

Atomic Bomb

LETTER: History Author Responds to Discussion of Bombing of Hiroshima, Nagasaki

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Dear Editor,

I was dismayed to read the responses to the Watertown Citizens’ article about the importance of commemorating the 75th anniversaries of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki A-bombings. These comments reflected ignorance of history and passion for vengeance. As we know, the refusal to learn from history means that it will be repeated, often in a disguised form. Most important to know is that the A-bombs initially killed approximately200,000 innocent children, women and men, with many more dying from cancer and other radiation diseases in the years that have followed. In time, it will be broadly understood that the Asia-Pacific theaters of WWII were the result of clashing empires: Japanese, U.S. and British.

Government

OP-ED: Is It Time to Hit the Brakes on Reopening in Mass.?

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger

The following piece was written by State Sen. Will Brownsberger, who represents Watertown, Belmont and parts of Boston:

In order to safely reopen our schools, we may need to hit the brakes on our phased reopening of the economy in Massachusetts. The latest numbers are telling us that we may need to reclose some businesses or find other ways to reduce infection. As we manage the reopening of the economy, we need to think more clearly about the trade-offs we are making and the consequences we are willing to accept. The decision to open optional services like casinos, movie theaters, and health clubs may make it impossible for us to safely reopen our schools. There is some guesswork in estimating how each specific business closure or infection control measure will affect the average rate at which people with COVID-19 transmit it to others.

Letters

OP-ED: Call to Dismantle Nuclear Weapons 75 Years After Atom Bombs dropped on Hiroshima, Nagasaki

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Candleboats float on the Charles River in Watertown in memory of those who died in the nuclear bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The following piece was submitted by Jeanne Trubek, Sue-Ellen Hershman-Tcherepnin, Pam Phillips and Sue LaDue of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment:

Seventy-five years ago, the United States opened a new era, the Age of Nuclear Weapons. In August, 1945, the US dropped one atomic bomb on Hiroshima and one atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Those two bombs killed 226,000 people — immediately. In the years that followed, the survivors — in Japanese as “Hibakusha” – suffered cancer and chronic disease as a result of the extreme radiation.

Government

OP-ED: Mass. Senate Passes Police Reform Bill, Brownsberger Gives Details

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Massachusetts State House. State Sen Will Brownberger provided the following piece:

Early in the morning on July 14, the Senate passed S.2800 — the Reform, Shift and Build Act. We look forward to working with our colleagues in the House of Representatives to finalize soon a joint package to lay before the Governor. The outline below offers a thematic organization of the bill. Links in the outline lead to relevant resources.