Elections

LETTER: District B Resident Endorses Candidate for Town Council

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Dear fellow District B residents,

I’d like to give a shout for re-electing Lisa Feltner, current District B Councilor. While I am happy to see new people running for a number of open and filled slots (the interest this year is really encouraging!), I have to throw my support behind Lisa. She has been a consistent voice for District B and always responsive to her constituents. She has also stuck her neck out on some tight votes over the past few years and I have greatly appreciated that. I think Lisa is someone who thinks hard about issues and will stand up for what she thinks is best for Watertown.

Elections

LETTER: Greater Boston Labor Council Endorses Town Council Candidate

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The following letter was provided by the Greater Boston Labor Council:

The Greater Boston Labor Council – the umbrella labor union organization for the Boston area – has officially endorsed Mike Hanlon for Town Council, District A, citing his ongoing commitment to union members and to creating an equitable economy. The Greater Boston Labor Council represents more than 100,000 union members in the region, including many in Watertown. “The GBLC engaged in a rigorous process to consider endorsements and we are very proud to stand with Mike Hanlon in this race,” said Darlene Lombos, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Greater Boston Labor Council (GBLC). “Mike Hanlon has been a champion for workers’ rights and shares our vision for an economy that works for all of us. Watertown needs leaders that not only understand what working families are up against, but are ready to tackle big challenges and reimagine our city to build back better for a truly equitable economy.” 

Lombos continued, “We believe that these leaders will tackle the urgent challenges of our time head on, from quality jobs, equitable development, affordable housing, pay equity, affordable and accessible child care and the escalating climate crisis.

Elections

LETTER: Watertown 350 Mass Action Endorses Candidates for Town Council, School Committee

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Watertown’s chapter of 350 Mass Action, a local climate advocacy group, has endorsed the following slate of candidates for the November election:

Town Council:

District A: Nicole Gardner

District B: Lisa Feltner

District C: Vincent Piccirilli

District D: Connie Henry

At Large:  Anthony Palomba, Caroline Bays, John Gannon and Daniel D’Amico 

School Committee:  Lily Rayman-Read, Jessica Middlebrook, Rachel Kay

350 Mass Action is a statewide organization whose mission is to endorse and support candidates for local, state and national offices who are committed to support and enact policies and legislation to resolve our climate crisis. Candidates responded to a questionnaire  which addressed the need to eliminate greenhouse gases in housing, transportation and the electric grid while protecting families and populations most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. 

People interested in learning more about 350 Mass Action are encouraged to contact Rick Kalish at rkalish54@gmail.com

Richard KalishWatertown Resident

Elections

LETTER: District A Candidate Backed by Pair of Watertown Residents

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We are writing today to endorse Nicole Gardner to become our next District A Councilor. Nicole is the best person to represent us and work for our whole community, and we encourage our fellow East End residents to cast their vote for her on November 2nd! As Watertown residents who have raised our families in the East End, we know many of our neighbors from our work on the East End newsletter, the Greenway bicycle path, the bicycle-pedestrian committee, or the mural in Coolidge Square—or perhaps from saving the East End Post Office, making the CVS a more welcoming building, or establishing the community garden on Nichols Avenue. 

Many more important community issues and opportunities will be coming up in the next few years. We need Nicole’s voice, values, expertise, and experience on the Town Council. We have known Nicole since she first moved into our neighborhood, practically next door.

Elections

LETTER: Couple Supports Group of Candidates Running for Town Council

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Letter to the Editor (for your consideration) 

My husband and I are looking for these things in candidates:

vision, kindness, empathy, strong sense of responsibility to the people, dedication to fighting global warming in major ways including decreasing diesel and the lung disease it causes, adding green spaces everywhere possible, equality and inclusion for all, careful planning of traffic flow so loud, speeding cars don’t alarm so many residents (and kill pets) so often, greatly decreasing industrial noise including that of leaf-blowers, banning gas-powered leaf-blowers (essential for fighting global warming) and encouraging use of quieter landscape equipment overall (even electric leaf-blowers can be extremely loud and irritating) and greatly reducing hours such people-torturing noise (and also construction noise) can be made. 

We also want to see town support of businesses and people who help to promote sense of community in very real ways, as in opening more coffee shops and cafes, allowing seating on the streets especially at those places, and adding trees, shrubs and flowering plants to those and other public areas that we need both to fight global warming and also (in the case of coffee shops) to slow the growing epidemic of isolation (and the anxiety and depression that often come from it) in American society. 

While we don’t know for sure if all of the following four town council candidates would support all of these things, we have talked with them, and feel they will come close to trying to bring greater wellbeing to most people in Watertown in these and other ways (and wellbeing is mostly what we’re talking about with the above list). The candidates are:

• Caroline Bays

• Tony Palomba

• Nicole Gardner

• Dan D’Amico

Sincerely,Susan Cooke and Victor Preston

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.

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)