State Rep. Rogers Is Holding October Office Hours

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Photo: Belmont’s State Rep Dave Rogers

State Rep. Dave Rogers, who represents Belmont and parts of Cambridge and Arlington, has announced his October office hours. They are:

If you wish to speak to Rogers directly, email your comments to Dave.Rogers@mahouse.gov so that he can ensure that he will be attending. If Rogers cannot make it, he can always set up a meeting at a mutually convenient time.

Town Looks To Revamp Its Website From ‘Meh’ To ‘Wow’

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Photo: Out with the old: A new and improved town website will be rolled out later in the fall

As one resident said at a recent Select Board meeting, the best word to describe the Town of Belmont’s current website would be “meh.” He called it an example of a “last generation utilitarian site” with the basic components like a calendar, notices, and lists of departments and committees, but lacks that “wow” factor that would draw the average residents to use it.

But in the next month or so, the town will be launching a revamped website with a brand new appearance that will bring a vastly improved user experience the town is hoping will engage the public.

“We’ll be rolling out a new website later this fall,” said Belmont Town Administrator Patrice Garvin last week, with the aim of “putting a lot more on the website so people can easily access information and then, obviously, making more transparent,” she said.

“Hopefully it will have a new look and definitely a better and more information,” said Select Board Vice Chair Matt Taylor at the board’s meeting.

The path to building the new town website began in 2019 after complaints piled up for years pointing to the site’s rather meager usability.

“There was a lot of complaints that we had outdated material, you couldn’t find anything, and it’s hard to navigate and the like,” Garvin told the board. The site was “sorely in need updating,” she said.

The new website’s evolution resembles a relay race: A committee started to work out a solution before the pandemic that resulted in a list of recommendations “where we should be going,” said Garvin. A consultant was engaged to create a concept which was followed up by a review by key town officials Finance Director Jennifer Hewitt and the DPW’s Matt Haskell. Recently they passed the baton over to the town’s new Chief Innovative Officer Chris McClure who is tasked to “bring [the new site] over the finish line” where the goal is that it will be “more numble and efficient,” said Garvin.

Before an official launch date, the public will catch glimpse of the new design and features on the website as it is updated.

“At some point soon, we’re going to do some demos and tests,” said Garvin. “We’re very excited about that.”

‘Spectacular!’: Town Administrator Garvin Aces Annual Merit Review Going ‘5’ for ‘5’

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Photo: Patrice Garvin, Belmont Town Administrator

Belmont Town Administrator Patrice Garvin received a “perfect” five out of a possible five cumulative score from the Belmont Select Board at her annual merit pay review on Monday, Sept 9.

“Spectacular!” said Kelli King, the town’s Human Resources Manager, after reading the results. The score is due to Garvin’s exceptional skills in finance, administration, staff development, and problem-solving, said King.

“Patrice is a patient yet courageous change agent who is creative, forward-looking, and resilient under pressure. Her integrity is unquestionable, and she quickly resolves mistakes when they occur. Her confidence in managing daily operations has allowed the Board to focus on strategic growth initiatives,” said Kelly, summerizing the Select Board’s comments. “Patrice’s ability to multitask, organize, and lead through change has been essential to Belmont’s continued success in areas of opportunity.”

King said Garvin “plays a key role in balancing challenges, changes, and investments in under-resourced departments. She navigates diverse opinions within the town diplomatically and remains insightful in her recommendations for progress and overall comments.” 

The one concern the Board has about Garvin’s performance is her ceaseless work ethic, which has the Select Board worried about “potential burnout.” But with a strong team surrounding her, “it is hoped that she can take more time to rest.” 

“Her tireless efforts have made the board more effective, and she continues to perform her duties at the highest level, and [it] is a privilege to work alongside her,” said King.

Select Board Chair Elizabeth Dionne added Monday that Garvin’s score, in particular, reflects her work justifying and helping the town pass this year’s Proposition 2 1/2 override.

“If that override had not passed, we would have decimated town institutions and services. The current status of the town very much owes itself to Patrice and her efforts, among many, many others, but Patrice was critical in that effort,” said Dionne.

“If the scale went to six [out of five], I would go to it,” said the Select Board’s Roy Epstein at Monday’s meeting.

Since Garvin has been a target of online criticism and social media attacks from residents, the Select Board reiterated its full support of the administrator, making clear to the public that she is executing its decisions and not acting independently. 

“I have seen Patrice at times express reservations or concerns about the course of action the Select Board decided to take,” said Board Chair Elizabeth Dionne, noting the Board’s decision to end Civil Service at the Police Department. “We asked her to do it. She did it anyway, without complaint and without ever suggesting or even hinting that she was concerned about the timing.”

Thanking the Select Board, Garvin noted that while “it’s a tough job sometimes” … “[c]learly, your support gets me through difficult evenings”, including the contentious meeting with the Council on Aging that took place one hour earlier on the organization of the new Human Services Department.

“I want the community to understand that my dedication to the position in the community is evident in the work I do with the staff I lead. If anything, I can’t do any of it without the staff that’s in place and without the volunteers. That is a team effort,” she said.

“I’ve always put my heart and soul into everything I’ve done. It’s been a privilege working here,” said Garvin. 

Dionne said budget constraints limited Garvin’s merit increase to two percent, which upped her annual salary by an estimated $216,800. The Board did provide a sweetener with a change to her contract to provide a two-to-one match for deferred compensation up to $10,000, whereas for every $100 Garvin contributes to a compensation plan, the town will contribute $200.

“And to be clear, even if she reaches the $10,000 [ceiling], she is still below market when we look at comparables for other towns,” said Dionne.

For comparison, the annual salaries for town managers/administrators in nearby communities:

  • Arlington’s Sanford Pooler received $188,583 in 2022;
  • Lexington’s James Malloy took home $238,142 in 2023;
  • Winchester’s Beth Rudolph made $215,995 when she was hired in 2023.
  • Concord’s Kerry Lafleur received $246,671 in 2023.
  • Burlington’s Paul Sagarino Jr. received $243,834 in 2023.

Town’s Fix Of ‘Dysfunctional’ Senior Services Meets With COA Pushback As Sides Set To Meet Monday

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Photo: Patrice Garvin at Thursday’s groundbreaking for the new skating rink/recreation facility

Belmont Town Administrator Patrice Garvin spoke during Thursday morning’s groundbreaking ceremony for the new skating rink and recreation facility on Concord Avenue. While her remarks were directed to nearly fifty town officials and builders who came to celebrate the event, it soon became apparent that Garvin was also directing her comments to an audience that wasn’t there.

As she praised past and present select board members for their role in helping to build the facility, Garvin pointed out that “one of the questions that they often asked themselves is, ‘what is in the best interest of the town?”

“Leadership,” she noted, “is considering and impacting the many, not the vocal few,” while making “very difficult decisions to serve the many residents of this community.”

Garvin’s statement was a direct response to the “vocal few” attempting to put a stop to transforming the structure that delivers services to seniors. [When asked after the ceremony if she was directing her remarks to members of the Council on Aging, Garvin said, “Oh, you think?”]

Her comments followed a “memorandum” issued the day before, on Sept. 4, by the Council on Aging, which was delivered to the three-member Belmont Select Board demanding the elected officials put a halt to Garvin’s restructuring of the senior services model from a stand-alone department with a direct line to the Town Administrator into just one of four departments making up the town’s newly-created Human Services Department.

The action by the 11-member COA, which advocates on behalf of older adults in Belmont, came after three months of growing frustration from the senior advocates, who expressed their dissatisfaction with the speed of the plan’s implementation and Garvin’s seeming reluctance to seek the COA’s advice and consent to the move and the elimination of the senior center’s director and assistant director positions.

In the run-up to its vote on Sept. 4, COA members have continued a pressure campaign – online and via social media – to reverse the restructuring. A large number of supporters and residents are expected to attend the Select Board’s joint meeting with the COA on Monday, Sept. 9, as they attempt to influence the board using its “moral” position as senior advocates to press its argument, which, according to council member Judith Morrison, is for Garvin “to stop and consult.”

But to Garvin, the opposition to her plans has less to do with advocating for a strong COA and provide needed services than a quest to continue to hold reign over the Senior Center and those hired to run its programming, which has resulted in a “dysfunctional” department that lacks professionalism in its staffing and operations.

“I understand they have concerns. It’s change. I get that. But there’s a certain segment of seniors that like to use the Senior Center in the way that they have it since it was created,” she said.

Despite the concerns of senior advocates, in the view of the Town Administrator, the restructuring plan is a fait accompli.

“The last position [the important program director post] has been posted and once that person is hired, the restructure will be done,” said Garvin in an interview with the Belmontonian on Thursday.

“They’re looking at me not to do it, and that’s not going to happen,” said Garvin.

The confrontation between the town and a committee has grown contentious, with older advocates going onto social media and via email to question Garvin’s motive. They suggest the Town Administrator—now in her seventh year at the helm—is attempting a “power grab” to effectively sideline the COA from town governance.

This bitter skirmish between the town’s chief administrative official and a group of volunteers who are dedicated advocates for Belmont seniors was hardly foreseen just two years ago when the Senior Center was run by Nava Niv-Vogel. The well-liked, director managed services for 22 years with aplomb that the COA and Select Board were happy to leave in her hands the running of the department, its programs and later the Beech Street Center.

It was a dysfunctional department due to the ongoing interference of the COA

Patrice Garvin, Belmont Town Administrator

When Niv-Vogel departed in June 2022, the COA asked Garvin if “it wanted to have a very active role” in hiring the new director. Despite having forgiving’s on the council’s choice of Dana Bickelman, whom she believed could struggle with the actively involved council members, “I thought, ‘you know what?’ I’m going to defer to the COA,” said Garvin.

While she thought Bickelman did “a great job,” especially running great programs, Garvin said she appeared she had a hard time managing the multitude of responsibilities. When Bickelman resigned in late 2023, Brandan Fitts, the town’s recreation department director, was named interim director “to keep an eye on things and keep the ship going,” said Garvin.

Soon afterward in early 2024, Garvin began receiving for the first time troubling communications from Fitts that COA members were “trying to insert themselves into the day-to-day operations of the department” while “a toxic work environment” created by the COA and an entrenched senior center staff resulted where “Dana was not able to do her job, and [Fitts] is having trouble doing his job even today.”

While unwilling to provide examples of COA or staff actions that produced the fractious conditions for various personnel or privacy concerns, Garvin said examples could see the light of day at subsequent public meetings.

It soon became clear the senior center “didn’t work,” said Garvin. “It wasn’t being managed right. It was an insight that I didn’t see until Dana [Bickelman] left in the new year. This problem could not be solved simply by bringing in a different person. This was structural,” said Garvin.

“It was a dysfunctional department due to the ongoing interference of the COA,” she said.

Her experience allowing the COA to highjack the hiring process of Bickelman—which Garvin admits was a mistake on her part—and the subsequent examples of inefficiencies and divisiveness within the staff forced Garvin’s hand. It became clear the Senior Center needed to be restructured and professionalized into an efficient service delivery system by consolidating administrative roles, simplifying budget management, and refocusing on programming and services.

In the spring, job openings at the senior center and the recreation department provided Garvin with the opportunity to create new staff positions to support the establishment of a Human Service Department with the COA as a division within the new department.

Garvin presented the Select Board with the first mention of a reorganization at its May 13 meeting, unveiling a new Human Services Department that will consist of the Recreation Department, the Veteran Services Officer, the Social Worker, and senior services. In the new HSD, senior services would be represented by a full-time Senior Center Program Director and a transportation coordinator both who will report to the assistant Human Services Director.

It became clear early on that the town wanted to have this new entity up and running quickly. By June, job notices were posted, there were continued discussions with the Select Board and the representative union leadership took place on the new positions, with Fitts appearing ready to take on the role of the new department’s first director.

But for many seniors, the suddenness and speed of the restructuring were a shock, as the COA felt they were being marginalized as none had been consulted on the new format. Garvin’s plan quickly became a point of contention, leading to an August meeting between Garvin and the COA that only hardened the adversarial positions.

[W]e would like the Select Board to essentially force her to consult with us.

Council on Aging member, Andrea Hassol

The culmination of the last three months for the Senior Center campaigners is the memorandum sent to the Select Board last week. The memo by COA member Joel Semuels contends the reorganization violates “the spirit” of the town’s Council on Aging statute in which “the board may appoint such clerks and other employees as it may require.” And while the town’s human resources department hires Senior Center staff, Semuels believes a “reasonable statutory interpretation” is that the COA board “must be consulted on all hires.”

“We feel that the actions of the Town Administrator show remarkable and determined insensitivity to the needs of seniors and the same lack of expertise in aging services we see being eliminated,” said Semuels, who is also a Town Meeting member from Precinct 6. The memo also contends the COA “will have little control over the Human Services Department under the new organizational chart.”

In addition, a separate letter from the COA’s newest member, Andrea Hassol, accompanying the memorandum requests the town supply three sets of documents that had been asked for previously. Hassol said the financial and organizational information is needed quickly as it appears that Garvin is attempting an “end run” of the COA in the management of the senior center.

“We want [the Select Board] to roll up their sleeves a little bit and get a little more involved” in reviewing the new organizational chart of the Human Services Department and the new job descriptions, said Hassol at the Sept. 4 meeting.

“We want to be able to have some input,” said Hassol. “We want [the Select Board] to have the time to consider them and offer suggestions when [Garvin] narrowed the field … and we’d like to see their resumes, maybe involved in the interviewing process.”

“So we would like the Select Board to essentially force her to consult with us,” said Hassol.

However, for the COA to pin its hopes on the Select Board overriding the Town Administrator at the joint meeting on Monday, Sept. 9, it appears to be a very long shot as each board member had previously voiced support for Garvin’s actions.

And Garvin says her authority to take this action can be found in black and white.

Garvin, the Select Board and the town council point to a decade-old state legislation known as Acts of 2014 Chapter 17, which established the position of Town Administrator in Belmont and was adopted by the Town Meeting that formalized the “appointment of a town administrator to serve at the pleasure of the board of selectmen.” Under section c of the law, the town administrator is given near complete control, “based upon merit and fitness,” in appointing non-elected department heads of the town with a few exceptions, such as fire and police chiefs and their employees.

“It’s about control. They think they have the right to manage staff, but under the Acts of 2014, chapter 17, that’s my [role].”

Garvin said the restructuring will not impact the town’s continued commitment to seniors. The new program director “is actually charged with working with the COA to come up with programming and services.”

“We didn’t change the headcount [at the Beech Street Center] and I didn’t change the budget.” In fact, under the new structure, “I’m giving [the COA] the ability to do exactly what they’re charged with, and that is be advisors.”

“And I’m here to do my job, which is providing services to the residents,” she said.

State Primary Election: Belmont Backs Dolan In Gov. Council Race; Deaton Is Town’s GOP Voters Choice To Take On Warren In November

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Photo: Belmont party voters followed the state trends

Nearly one in four registered voters of the state’s three major parties ventured out on a brilliant late summer day in Belmont to cast ballots in the Massachusetts State Party Primary held on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

According to the Town Clerk, 552 of the 2,306 voters cast ballots Tuesday, or 23.9 percent, most of those Democrats (466) followed by Republicans (85) with a lone Libertarian.

In two of the few competitive races on Tuesday’s ballot. Belmont’s voters from both major parties backed the winning candidate statewide.

On the Democratic side of the ledger, challenger Mara Dolan took Belmont over long-time incumbent Marilyn Petitto Devaney of Watertown, 233-200, in the Governor’s Council District 3 race. Second time was the charm as Dolan – a public defender who barely lost to Devaney in 2022 – defeated the eight term councilor district-wide, leading with 45,274 votes to 41,478, (52.2 percent vs 47.8 percent) with 99 percent of the estimated vote tallied.

In the race to select the person who will challenge sitting US Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the general election, Belmont’s GOP voters selected John Deaton with 56 votes, trumping Robert Antonellis (19 votes) and Ian Cain (7 votes). A personal injury lawyer who is backed by several leaders in the cryptocurrency industry, Deaton swamped Antonellis statewide, 124,825 to 50,560, with Cain finishing with 17,768.

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, who topped Robert Antonellis and Ian Cain,

Belmont Votes: 2024 State Primary Election

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Photo: Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Voting in the Massachusetts State Primary will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 3. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

WHO CAN VOTE AND FOR WHICH PARTY

Your enrollment as a voter will determine which party ballot you can choose.

A voter enrolled in one of three Massachusetts political parties, can vote for that specific party, represented by these letters:

  • D – Democratic Party
  • R – Republican Party
  • L – Libertarian Party

A registered Democrat cannot vote a Republican or Libertarian ballot; a registered Republican cannot vote a Democratic or Libertarian ballot; a registered Libertarian cannot vote a Democratic or Republican ballot.

Only voters who are not affiliated with a political party, called Unenrolled (U – commonly known as No Party or “Independent”) can ask for any party ballot on Primary Day.

If you belong to a minor party which is not holding a primary – for example, the Green, Socialist, American Independent or Pirate parties – you will not have the chance to vote for in this election.

All voters wishing to cast their ballot on Election Day must go to their assigned voting precinct.

This election will determine who will be the Democratic and Republican candidate in the general election. 

The race that has seen the most attention is for the District 3 – which includes Belmont – Governor’s Councilor seat with long-time incumbent Marilyn Petitto Devaney from Watertown begin challenged again by Mara Dolan of Concord who has picked up the endorsements of many of the leading elected officials in the district. The same two candidates faced each other in 2022, with Petitto Devaney barely retaining her seat garnering just 51 percent of the vote.

There are three Republicans running to take on incumbent Democrat Elizabeth Warren for the US Senate in November: engineer Robert J. Antonellis, Quincy City Council President Ian Cain, and lawyer and cryptocurrency advocate John Deaton.

Belmont’s voting precincts:

  • Precinct One: Belmont Memorial Library, Assembly Room, 336 Concord Ave.
  • Precinct Two: Belmont Town Hall, Select Board Room 455 Concord Ave.
  • Precinct Three: Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.
  • Precinct Four: Daniel Butler School Gym, 90 White St.
  • Precinct Five: Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.
  • Precinct Six: Belmont Fire Headquarters, 299 Trapelo Rd.
  • Precinct Seven: Burbank School Gym, 266 School St.
  • Precinct Eight: Winn Brook School Gym, 97 Waterhouse Road, Enter From Cross St.

Inactivated Voters

Voters who have been informed that their voting status has been changed to Inactive should be prepared to present identification before being permitted to vote.

If You Requested a Vote By Mail Ballot But Prefer to Vote In Person

Voters who have requested an absentee or an early vote by mail ballot should expect that the precinct will check with the Town Clerk to determine if a ballot has already been received for that voter.

Voters who Need to Return their Mailed Ballot for Counting

Any voter who would like to return a absentee or vote by mail ballot  to be counted, must return the ballot  to the Town Clerk by the close of polls on election night, 8 pm.  It cannot be delivered to a voting precinct. There is a dedicated drop box for the Town Clerk at the base of the steps to Town Hall along the driveway at parking lot level.

Select Board OK Merit Pay Increases For Public Safety Chiefs

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Photo:

Belmont’s public safety chiefs received merit pay increases after the Belmont Select Board conducted its annual performance review during the board’s Aug. 26 meeting.

Police Chief James MacIsaac and Fire Chief David DeStefano received two percent merit increases effective July 1, 2024. Each also collected a two percent cost-of-living adjustment on July 1. MacIssac’s annual salary increases to $218,676.14, while DeStefano’s pay is now $184,671, according to Director of Human Resources Kelli King.

Both men received high overall scores – 4.75 out of a top score of 5 – in their merit review by the three-member Select Board and Town Administrator Patrice Garvin. King summarized the comments and totaled the scores in eight categories highlighting the chief strengths, various opportunities and the board’s statements.

DeStefano was described as a “consensus builder [who] has provided much needed direction to the department, making it more innovative and successful.” His expertise is viewed as crucial in helping Belmont’s drive to stimulate new growth and increased density. While facing budget and staffing constraints, DeStefano move towards promoting department-wide paramedic training as “a promising step for addressing these challenge.”

“Chief DeStefano is seen as a strong, balanced leader who has a cohesive team and has proven to be the right person for both Belmont and the entire department,” said King.

MacIssac is “recognized as an articulate and clear sighted leader” who “takes challenges head on, regardless of their difficulty.” His commitment to modern policing is evident in his focus on promoting de-escalation techniques, the use of a social worker to resolve domestic disputes as alternative to deadly force. The board noted his leadership was “instrumental in the decision to leave civil service” which the board praised and has resulted in a substantial increase of new hires this year.

“The [police] department is a source of pride for Belmont, a reflection of Chief McIssac’s leadership and the effort of every member of the team. His exemplary performance especially over the past year and its various challenges, underscores his effectiveness,” said King paraphasing the comments of the Select Board.

Town, Select Board Proposing Major Change To Town Meeting Calendar For ’25

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Photo: Belmont annual Town Meeting will be a May event

In a move away from a more than decade long practice, the town administrator and Belmont Select Board are recommending “stream lining” the annual Town Meeting from two freestanding “segments” held in May and June into a single meeting on consecutive Monday and Wednesday nights beginning the first week of May and running straight though until all articles and citizen petitions have been acted on.

“What we’re looking to do is condense Town Meeting,” said Patrice Garvin, Belmont’s Town Administrator, as she was presenting to the Select Board the town-wide “budget calendar,” a detailed schedule for developing fiscal year 2026 town and school budgets from “now until the end of June.”

Gone will be separate chunks of articles exclusively for the budget (known as Segment B) and general articles (Segment A) with several weeks of inactivity between the two. The current set up was adopted in the early 2010s to allow the Meeting to have a clearer idea of the amount of fiscal aid the town and schools would be receiving in the state budget.

Garvin said while going over the that several of the annual meeting’s processes were “very cumbersome and just seem to go on and on for pretty much forever.” Working with Jennifer Hewitt, the town’s finance head/assistant Town Administrator, schools Superintendent Jill Geiser, Town Moderator Mike Widmer, and Town Clerk Ellen Cushman, the recommendation calls for the upcoming 2025 annual meeting will begin on May 5 and run for a proposed six meetings over three weeks, ending before Memorial Day. Garvin said at the request of the schools, the budgets will be taken up during the later part of the newly-schedule Town Meeting.

Select Board Chair Elizabeth Dionne noted that “those [June] evenings turned out to be really hard for people whether it was in terms of travel, or family, or graduations events.”

“Because it would be more efficient not to start and stop, we hope that we wouldn’t have quite as many sessions of Town Meeting, and ease the burden on Town Meeting [Members],” said Dionne, who supports the Garvin recommendation. She also noted when Town Meeting runs deep into June, it’s difficult for the town to close its books before the end of the fiscal year on June 30.

The recommendation was seconded by the official who has presided over the past 16 Town Meetings.

“It makes a lot of sense for all the reasons you’ve laid out,” said Widmer, who will retire from his post in April, 2025. “It will take some changes and cooperation but on balance these are the right steps.”

The Select Board delayed a vote on the recommendation until the School Committee discussed the proposed budget schedule.

The Town Meeting change will also impact the budget process of both the town and schools, which Dionne said would create “challenges” for the schools. Geiser said the change will actually be helpful by reducing the time distance between the release of the schools “final” budget in late March and a likely vote by Town Meeting in middle May, as it will be “further along” than in previous years.

Amy Zuccarello, school committee member and chair of its finance subcommittee, told the Select Board that in her opinion – the School Committee has yet to discuss Garvin’s recommendation – would like to come before Town Meeting in May with an article that “is very close to what our final budget is going to be.” A prompt deadline, she believes, will result in “more shifting” within its budget “as we won’t know earlier about staff resignations … and other things we haven’t accounted for.”

“The balancing act is that its a good thing to bring something before Town Meeting which represents the best efforts of the school administration and School Committee where we are at that moment. While [a budget] is a living document and there is potential of change, I would like to see it be as close to the budget we ultimately end up with,” Zuccarello said was her concern.

Breaking: Property Owner Eyes Building 225 Apartments At Purecoat Site On Hittinger St.

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Photo: The Purecoat North site which the owner the Tosi family hopes to build 225 apartment units on the three acre site adjacent Hittinger Street and Brighton Avenue.

The property owner of the Purecoat North Plating manufacturing site on Hittinger Street and a dog daycare business facing Brighton Street in east Belmont has presented to the town a preliminary design to redevelop the 126,726 square foot parcel into a 225 unit apartment complex with four floors of residential units above street level retail stores.

“I think we have a bonifide offer to proceed with a very major investment in Purecoat by the owner of Purecoat,” said Select Board member Roy Epstein. Under this redevelopment “scheme”, the property tax on the site will increase “by a factor of 10.”

While details – revealed at Monday’s Select Board meeting – remain vague, the Tosi family from Belmont who own the property approached Town officials in June with its plans to transform the three acre location into the largest mixed use development in Belmont’s history. In comparison, the Bradford complex in Cushing Square that opened in 2019 has half the number of units as what being proposed on Hittinger and Brighton streets.

One detail that has emerged is for two thirds of the complex, or 150 units, to be two-bedroom suites with the remaining units single bedrooms and studios.

More details are expected when the Planning Board meets on Tuesday, July 23.

The sites, currently occupied by Purecoat and the dog daycare business Crate Escape, are located adjacent the driveway to Belmont Middle and High School and across Hittinger from a residential neighborhood. The site also fronts Brighton Street at the corner with Flanders Road and runs along the commuter rail tracks.

The Tosi’s have told Epstein the project is conditional on being a by-right development, which means that the town’s planning staff or the Planning Board cannot deny the project as long as the proposal meets the criteria of the the Zoning Bylaw. While a by-right project means the project will require no waivers, special permits, or any other approvals, it’s still required to go through the normal development processes including Site Plan Review and the regular building permitting approvals.

The parcels are zoned as “General Business” which allow developer much greater leeway to build the complex they envision, a proposition that promoted Select Board Chair Elizabeth Dionne to say that the Tosi family “has the town over a barrel.” Dionne criticised the proposal as a long-term money loser for the town as it will increase the cost of town services, a jump in traffic, and an unknown increase in student enrollment in the public school district.

“No, we make money, this is cash-flow positive,” said Epstein.

It took Town Administrator Patrice Garvin to end the verbal tit for tat by saying the town is currently working with the Tosi family “to run some numbers” on the project’s revenue and expenses.

“We want to get the information to the Planning Board to really see what this project means,” said Garvin.

If the town or the Planning Board pushes back on the Tosi demands, the family is said to have made an old chestnut of a threat. “If it [isn’t] by-right, he’s making money [as a plating manufactor] and they’ll just leave it and nothing will happen,” said Epstein.

The parcels possible development is a blow to a number of town officials and residents who sees the location as a hub for commercial development. In fact, during its recent review of maps during the MBTA Communities Act discussion to determine areas to change zoning requirements to permit greater opportunities to develop multiunit housing, the Planning Board removed the Purecoat site for consideration for residential projects, replacing it with an area along Belmont Street near the Cambridge city line.

That decision by the Planning Board is being seen as one reason the Select Board in a 2-1 decision not to reappoint Planning Board Chair Jeffrey Birenbaum, to his role leading the five-member group, a move that surprised many in town.

In the past decade and a half, the town had been interested in the property for various projects. The Tosi family rejected a $6 million offer in 2011 to allow the construction of a Belmont Light substation. The station would eventually end up on Flanders Road. In 2019, a 60-day negotiation period between the town and the Tosi family failed to secure the ownership of the property or create an easement to allow the community bike path to run along the south side of the tracks. The path is now proceeding along the northside of the commuter line.

Dionne Takes On Role Leading Belmont’s Select Board

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Photo: Elizabeth Dionne, new chair of the Belmont Select Board

You’ll never have to ask Elizabeth Dionne her position on an issue. The Select Board’s new leader will tell you exactly where she stands, and sometimes she acknowledges, it done standing on someone’s toes.

During her 15 months on the board, colleagues, town officials, and committee heads have been on the receiving end of one of Dionne’s frank assessments on how they are performing their job (or lack thereof) or if they appear to be impeding forward progress in what she believes is Belmont’s future.

“What I ran [for the Select Board in 2023] I was trying to put the town on a secure financial footing so that we can provide excellent services and world class schools. And that’s going to be uncomfortable, because it’s going to require some major change,” she said.

While eager to express her opinion, Dionne isn’t seeking to initiate a dust-up.

“I don’t love making people uncomfortable. I’m uncomfortable when I make others uncomfortable,” she said Monday. “That’s not fun, but sometimes it’s just the right thing to do.”

Since July 1, Dionne has been the third woman to chair Belmont’s three-member elected executive board, following Ann Taubes Warner (1994) and Ann Marie Mahoney (2004).

“I have really big shoes to fill,” said Dionne. “Ann Paulson [who served from 1986-1992] and Ann Marie Mahoney are both remarkable women and leaders, and I’ve learned a lot from both of them.”

Dionne’s ascendency to the top rung of town governance—which is preordained as board members rotate into the post during their second year—presents the opportunity to highlight an agenda that heavily focuses on reconfiguring the town’s fiscal base.

“Finances, finances, finances … that’s the foundation on which everything else rests,” she said. And while the town administration has effected meaningful efficiencies through policy changes including those recommended in the Collins Report, “at a certain point you need more bodies. We need more asphalt. We need more concrete.”

Those changes included revamping the zoning bylaws to promote a “friendlier” environment for businesses and developers by promoting commercial investment and attracting retail to Belmont’s business centers.

“We can’t say ‘no’ to new business and ‘no’ to new taxes and have good schools. You’d have two or three, but not all three. So if we want to try to moderate the rate of tax increases, we’ve have to have commercial and business development because everybody wants good schools. Nobody wants to say, ‘oh let’s have poor schools that we keep our taxes low.’ That’s not where Belmont is.”

To achieve this overriding goal, Dionne is committing to a far-reaching strategic approach. She accepts that for many years, the select board and town officials had to be reactive due to the pandemic, various overrides, and continual budget cuts. But past excuses are now seen as self-imposed barriers to the required change.

“I’m really tired of being reactionary and really tired of constantly chasing the next override,” she said.

“I think we’re all really trying to look at a future vision and to ask questions to which we may not have the answers, but at least asking those questions will guide the decisions that we make and where we try to lead the town. And it’s always a balance. I have ideas and I want to lead on those.”

Some of those include partnering with the Planning Board to create a retail vacancy bylaw, protect open space, and develop a traffic-controlling plan. In the long term, Dionne points to rewriting bylaws to promote hotel construction and overhaul the zoning map in West Belmont.

In some areas, change has already arrived. She notes zoning bylaw reform in the past year including restaurant zoning and restaurant parking, removal of specific special permits on business improvements, and the ongoing MBTA Communities Act plan that will come before a Special Town Meeting in November.

“Change can’t simply come from the Select Board’s initiatives; it will require a commitment and agreement from all stakeholders in town,” said Dionne. One of her first initiatives as chair will be meeting with committee chairs, and “both tell them what [the board] wants to prioritize but also hear from them so that it’s a two-way communication.”

“There is no silver bullet or one-size-fits-all approach to financial challenges. It must be a multifaceted effort,” she said. She will continue to seek town committees to find solutions or write the changes, as she did utilizing the Vision 21 Implementation Committee and Economic Development Committee on the new restaurant bylaws.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m very wide but not very deep because I can’t do both. So I really try to identify people who I know are going deep into a topic who I trust to give me accurate information and have the integrity to be honest. Because if I can trust information from those sources, then I can start to strategically put the pieces together for a larger vision for the town,” she said.

During her year at the board’s helm, Dionne said she is eager for residents and business owners to see her as a listening post with their concerns or suggestions.

“What I bring to the position is maybe a certain humility in terms of a willingness to listen and learn from others, and also a certain sensitivity as to people who feel maybe left out or not heard,” Dionne said.

sugar coating her views

“I don’t love making people uncomfortable. I’m uncomfortable when I make others uncomfortable,” she said Monday. “That’s not fun, but sometimes it’s just the right thing to do.”

In a generational moment, Dionne becomes just the third woman to chair Belmont’s three member elected executive board, following Anne Warner (1994) and Ann Marie Mahoney (2004) in that post.

“I have really big shoes to fill. Ann Paulson and Ann Marie Mahoney are both remarkable women, and leaders, and I’ve learned a lot from both of them.”

Dionne’s ascendency to the top rung was preordained since board members rotate into the post during the second year of their tenure. She will direct

“What I bring to the position is maybe a certain humility in terms of a willingness to listen and learn from others, and also a certain sensitivity as to people who feel maybe left out or not heard,” Dionne said. One of her first one initiatives as chair is to start meeting with committee chairs, and both tell them what [the board] wants to prioritize but also hear from them so that it’s a two-way communication.

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like that. Absolutely. That’s very important too. I will do my best to be at as many of them as I can. It’s honestly a lot of what my job is is talking to people.

Various people have have different strengths.

My strength is a strategic view. So sometimes I feel like I’m very wide but not very deep because I can’t do both. So I really try to identify people who I know are going deep into a topic who I trust to give me accurate information and have the integrity to be honest. Because if I can trust information from those sources, then I can start to strategically put the pieces together for a larger vision for the town.

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If anybody has been following the Select Board, they know that you’re somebody who is willing to speak your mind and speak it very clearly and very strong. How are you going to be leading the board? Is it going to be an activist board or is it going to be more of a let’s do something board you know,

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well aren’t an activist outlet do something kind of the same? How would you distinguish them?

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The board has had to be reactive, the pandemic, the various overrides, having to continually cut budgets. So there have been a lot of really challenging situations. I think both when Mark Pula was still on the board when I first joined a nail with Matt Taylor, we have become a much more strategic active board. I think we’re all really trying to look at a future vision and to ask questions to which we may not have the answers, but at least asking those questions will guide the decisions that we make and where we try to lead the town. And it’s always a balance. I have ideas I want to lead on those. So

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what are some of those goals?

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Well, you heard them to lead it’s what I ran on.

What I ran on was trying to put the County town on a secure financial footing so that we can provide excellent services and world class schools. That’s going to be uncomfortable, because it’s going to require some change. We can’t We can’t say no to new business, and no two new taxes and have good schools. You’d have two or three but not all three. So if we want to try to moderate the rate of tax increases, we’ve got to have commercial and business development because everybody wants good schools. Nobody wants to say oh, let’s have poor schools that we keep our taxes low. That’s not where Belmont is.

you’re willing to put a red line

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on commercial, right, because I promised I promised that to the voters. That’s what I said I

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