Election 2017

6 Running for Council, But Second Incumbent Out; School Comm Race Draws 6

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Half a dozen people will run for both Town Council and for School Committee, but a second incumbent Councilor has decided not to run for reelection. There will also be a race for Board of Library Trustees, but several will not have contested races including Town Council President and the two-year School Committee seat. The Town Council At Large race will have six candidates for the four seats, but there will be at least two new faces on the board after Aaron Dushku decided not to run for a third term. Earlier, Susan Falkoff announced she would not seek another term. On Monday, challenger David Stokes got his papers certified and Michelle Cokonougher turned in her papers and Flynn said he is confident she will have the 100 signatures of Watertown residents necessary get on the ballot.

Election 2017

List of Candidates in Watertown Growing as Filing Deadline Nears

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More potential candidates in Watertown have taken out papers to run for elected office with less than a week before the deadline for candidates to be certified. Several candidates have officials made the ballot in November by having their candidate papers certified, while more than a dozen have taken out papers to run for office. The races with the most candidates are for Town Councilor At-Large and the four-year School Committee seats. Candidates must gather 100 signatures of registered Watertown voters, and they must be certified by the Town Clerk’s office. The signatures must be submitted to and certified by the Town Clerk by 5 p.m. on Monday, July 31, and the Town Clerk has until Aug. 14 to certify the signatures.

Government

Town Councilor Michael Dattoli Holding Office Hours Twice in July

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Town Councilor At-Large Michael Dattoli announced he will be holding office hours twice this month to meet with residents and discuss issues that are of concern to them. On Tuesday, July 11 Councilor Dattoli will be at the cafe tables outside of the Watertown Free Public Library (Main Street side) from 5:00-6:15 p.m., Councilor Dattoli has also scheduled office hours on Sunday, July 16 from 1:00-2:30 p.m. at the Dunkin Donuts in Coolidge Square (635 Mount Auburn Street). Councilor Dattoli can be contacted by phone at 617-999-5333 or email at michaeldattoli@gmail.com.

Elections

Big Interest in Running for Town Councilor At-Large & School Committee

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The latest list of people who have pulled papers to run for office in the 2017 Watertown Town Election includes many possible candidates for Town Councilor at Large and School Committee. 

If everyone who has pulled papers gets enough signatures to be on the ballot, all the open seats will have at least one person running for them, but two have attracted more interest than the rest. There will be an uncontested seat in the Councilor-At-Large race, with Susan Falkoff announcing she will not seek reelection. Six people have pulled papers, including the three remaining incumbents: Aaron Dushku, Michael Dattoli and Tony Palmoba. There are also three challengers, all of whom are running for Town Council for the first time: David Stokes, Caroline Bays and Michelle Cokonougher. For the other Council seats, so far, the only ones to pull papers are the incumbents: Town Council President Mark Sideris, District A Councilor Angeline Kounelis, District B Councilor Lisa Feltner, District C Councilor Vincent Piccirilli and District D Councilor Ken Woodland.

Elections

First Time Candidate Joining Race for Watertown Town Council

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A trained family mediator and community organizer, Caroline Bays announced her candidacy for Watertown Councilor-at-Large today. A Watertown resident for 19 years, Caroline and her husband Bill chose Watertown as an affordable, diverse community in which to raise their two children Austin and Susannah. She has organized volunteers and talked with Watertown voters about the issues in local campaigns to elect Watertown Councilors Susan Falkoff and Tony Palomba, State Representative Jon Hecht, State Senator Will Brownsberger, as well as U.S. Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren. “I’ve spoken to people all over Watertown as I have campaigned for other candidates. I’ve talked to people about issues that upset them as well as the many strengths of our community,” says Bays.

Election 2017

One Watertown Town Councilor Will Not Run for Re-election This Fall

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As candidates begin pulling papers to run in the 2017 Watertown Town Election, one longtime Town Councilor will not be seeking another term. 

Councilor At-Large Susan Falkoff said she has decided to step down from the Council at the end of her term. “It’s just time,” Falkoff said. “I feel like I have made a good contribution. A lot of things I have worked on have come to fruition.” She was first elected in 2003, but lost in 2005 “along with the CPA,” Falkoff said.

Fire Contract

Watertown Firefighters Sign 3 Year Contract with Raises Each Year

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Watertown’s firefighters have a new contract, an agreement that was made with the town without the animosity that was seen before the last contract was settled. The deal came the night before the tragic loss of Firefighter Joseph Toscano. Thursday night, Watertown Firefighters Local 1347 and town officials signed the 3-year contract which gives firefighters a raise of 2.25 percent in Fiscal Year 2017 (which started July 1, 2016), 2 percent in FY 2018 and 2 percent in FY 2019. The last Watertown Firefighters contract took more than six years to settle. It went to arbitration when the two sides could not come to an agreement, then town officials and the Council rejected the arbitration agreement in December 2014.

Government

LETTER: Why Watertown Should Not be a Sanctuary City

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I would like to take this opportunity to pass along my thoughts regarding the possibility of making Watertown a sanctuary city. As a lifelong resident of Watertown, I find this suggestion very troubling, totally illegal, and totally unnecessary. I am proud to be a second generation of Italian immigrants who came to make a better life in Watertown. My grandfather came to America in 1909, and the first thing he did was apply for my grandmother to come to this country legally. She was able to join him in 1913, legally, and they began living their dream.