Belmont’s Draft Fiscal ’17 Budget Hits $105 Million, Up 4 1/2%

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Photo: David Kale (left) presenting the proposed 2017 budget.

The first draft of Belmont’s fiscal 2017 budget shows an increase in the town’s operational budget from last year of more than four-and-a-half percent and six percent for the school department, which much of the increase in expenditures from the successful $4.5 million Proposition 2 1/2 override approved by voters in April 2015.

The release of next fiscal year’s budget, which begins July 1, was presented to a joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen and Warrant Committee as well as observers from the School Committee on Wednesday night, Feb. 25. 

The proposed total town-wide budget now stands at $104,941,100:

  •  School Department: $52,656,000 ($3 million or 6 percent increase)
  • “Town” budget: $34,311,018 ($1.3 million or 4 percent increase) 
  • Capital/streets budget: $1,432,186 (-$386,000 or -21.2 percent decrease)
  • Fixed costs: (includes state charges and assessments, debt service, pension, OPEB payments, etc.) $16,541,896 ($714,000 or 4.5 percent increase)

(The school and town budgets will change as the town will receive $2,529,417 as the town absorbs the district’s facility operations, the result of a Special Town Meeting vote in October 2010.)

David Kale, Belmont Town Administrator, told assembled officials the budget is just the first draft in the process as several line items will fluctuate until close to the end of the fiscal year on June 30.

Kale noted the amount of state (or local) aid of $9.3 million comes from Gov. Charlie Baker’s budget and the final number from Beacon Hill will be determined in a conference after the House and Senate submit their budgets.

If the final state aid figure falls short of the current number in the draft budget. the town is setting aside $150,000 to offset any shortfall. If the $150,000 is unused, the money will be reallocated elsewhere in the town-wide budget. 

Belmont Superintendent John Phelan to the group that this budget process is the first time in six years that the district’s central office has not required principals, department leaders and directors to freeze their annual budgets.  

Thanking the community, Phelan said the continuous infusion from the override is being spent on students and teacher, by adding 10 FTE (full time equivalent) positions to reduce overcrowding in the first and fifth grades, and providing more classroom study for high and middle school students.

But the influx of funds has not halted the belt-tightening in the district as all staff with responsibility for their budgets are required to justify “each expense and person” in a classroom, said Phelan. 

Next up in the budget process will be public meetings by the Selectmen on Department budget requests taking place on March 8 and 10 while a revised budget could be released in March just before Town Election. 

If approved by the Board of Selectmen, the budget will be submitted to the Warrant  Committee – the financial watchdog for Town Meeting – for a formal review. 

The FYI on Voting in the ‘Super Tuesday’ Presidential Primary Next Week

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Photo: Belmont votes next Tuesday.

Ready to vote in next week’s “Super Tuesday” presidential primary? It’s a little trickier than a regular election for several reasons so Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman has released a primer on casting a ballot next Tuesday, March 1. 

WHO CAN VOTE, AND FOR WHOM

Your enrollment as a voter will determine which party ballot you may vote at that ballot box.

There are four political parties in Massachusetts. If you are enrolled in one of these four political parties, when you go to the polls to vote March 1, 2016, but you can only vote the ballot for that specific party:

  • D – Democratic Party
  • R – Republican Party
  • J – Green-Rainbow  Party
  • CC – United Independent Party

Only voters who are not affiliated with a political party, called Unenrolled (U – commonly known as No Party or “Independent”) and voters in Political Designations may choose any one of the four party ballots when voting in Primary Elections.

The deadline to make any changes to voter registration effective for the March 1 election, such as new voter registration, change of party or home address was Feb. 10.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO TO VOTE TUESDAY, MARCH 1

The Town Clerk and Board of Registrars of Voters look forward to very high voter participation. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters are encouraged to check their voter registration status and voting precinct before they go to vote by visiting the Town Clerk’s webpage.

Voters who have not returned a census in 2015 or 2016 are classified as “inactive” voters, a status that requires the voter to present identification in order to return to the active voting rolls.  Think about carrying your ID when you go to vote to make the process simpler on election day.

SUDDENLY REALIZE YOU WON’T BE IN TOWN MARCH 1?

Voters who will not be in Belmont during voting hours; have a physical disability preventing the voter from going to the polling place; or due to religious belief are unable to vote on election day qualify for absentee ballots. 

In-office absentee voting is underway at the Town Clerk’s office daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., through noon on Monday, Feb. 29.  Applications and requests to mail an absentee ballot must contain the signature of the voter or an immediate family member and must arrive at the Town Clerk’s office by Noon on Feb. 29.

ARRIVE EARLY, CONSIDER TRAFFIC AND LIMITED PARKING

Belmont Police will designate some voter parking at each of the polling locations however with a very busy election, parking close to the polling locations is often a challenge. Plan ahead: consider walking, carpooling with a friend or voting “off peak” during the middle of the day.  Only voters who arrive at the precinct and are in line for the Voter Check-In before the close of polls at 8 p.m. can be permitted to vote; those who arrive too late will miss out.  

BELMONT VOTING LOCATIONS

  • Precinct One: Belmont Memorial Library, Assembly Room, 336 Concord Ave.
  • Precinct Two: Belmont Town Hall, Selectmen’s 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 Rd., Enter From Cross Street.

Don’t know your voting precinct?  Visit the Town Clerk’s website for a list of Belmont precinct assignments by street:

  1. Select Town Departments,
  2. Select Town Clerk, 
  3. then select Elections: Information for Residents  and scroll down the page.

Or go directly here.

If you would like further clarification of your party, voting  status, voting precinct or have any other questions related to the upcoming election, please call the Belmont Town Clerk’s Office at 617-993-2600 or email: townclerk@belmont-ma.gov

Live at Special Town Meeting: Minuteman Regional Agreement

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Photo: Moderator Mike Widmer.

Hello, as the Town Meeting convenes for a special meeting to discuss and vote on a new Minuteman Regional Agreement,

7:11 p.m.: Moderator Mike Widmer begins the meeting as more than 100 members have arrived to reach a quorum. While the electronic voting was being checked, one of the members shouted out: “Slow it down!”

“Tough crowd,” said Jack Weis. Pct. 1.

7:18 p.m.: A remembrance of Dick Betts and a wonderful standing ovation for Becca Pizzi, the young woman who won the World Marathon Challenge.

IMG_0143

7:28 p.m.: An update from School Committee Chair Laurie Slap and Superintendent John Phelan on the need for additional space for the schools.

7:34 p.m.: Slap will present Article 3 which will establish a building committee for the purpose of renovation and/or new construction of the high school.

All boards recommend favorable action.

Slap presents a brief presentation on the important dates coming forward during the beginning of the process of renovating the high school.

Marianne Scali is offering her amendment that would add a simple statement that would require the school building committee to take special attention of hazardous waste that may be in the soil where the renovation is taking place. The area was once a town dump.

The selectmen vote unfavorable action but Sami Baghdady, Selectmen chair, said the board is for doing all it can to make sure the development is safe when children attend the site.

Phelan said the state required a complete review of the soil as part of the process of renovating the site. He said the School Committee is committed to the safety of the students and staff.

Bob McLaughlin, Pct. 2, said while it is unnecessary, he voting for the amendment because he does not want to headlines that say Town Meeting is against safety issues. “It will help alleviate the enrollment problem,” said McLaughlin, with a hardy laugh.

7:52 p.m.: Baghdady said tinkering with the language at this early date could foul up the process with the state which only wants simple language establishing a building committee. The more appropriate time for this amendment is when the building committee is adequately staffed and financed.

David Kale, the town administrator, explains that the process will require testing, and if something is found to be unsafe, a more in-depth study will be required.

Members appear skeptical of just relying on the state process.

Mark Paolillo, Board of Selectmen, said have heard people concerns of possible safety issues, but there is nothing that can be done now as this measure precedes the time for environmental inspection.

Scali said she is withdrawing her amendment, having highlighted the issue and declares victory. 

Kevin Cunningham, Pct. 4, asked Widmer who will be put on the school building committee. Widmer said the committee, about 15 people, will be working for 10 years and wants people who can put the time and has some expertise in building, construction, education, neighbors and parents. 

A number of people have reached out to him and he is taking names: send those names to mike.j.widmer@gmail.com

He will have the committee completed in three weeks, have names into him by this Friday.  

The vote is taken and is adopted unanimously. 

8:12 p.m.: Now the Minuteman Regional Agreement:

“This is a close call,” said Paolillo who will speak along with McLaughlin and Weis.

Back in the 1970s, the facility was full with 1,200 students, now 650 with little more than half from the 16 member towns.

“It no longer serves the district,” said Paolillo, noting the enrollment is declining while non-member towns are sending more students.

“We’re subsidizing the non-member students especially when it comes to capital costs,” said Paolillo.

Paolillo goes over the history and the dysfunctional nature of the agreement, needing unanimous votes (16-0) to amend and leave the district. It was a shared frustration with other board of selectmen that led to the new revised regional agreement that includes a “Belmont” provision that requires out-of-district students to pay a capital “fee.” 

While a tough call, a reconstituted agreement is the best for Belmont students said, Paolillo. 

8:30 p.m.: Jack Weis talks about the major reasons for vote yes for the amended agreement. Weis is going step by step through the changes from the old agreement.  

You can see what Jack is talking about here.

9 p.m.: Bob McLaughlin, Pct. 2 so that wrote my job is to clear away the fog. “It’s bad policy” but it’s the best that they can do. 

Leaning on the lecturn as if he was talking to a jury, McLaughlin – an attorney – told the members in a 10 minute speech to rally around the revised amendment as the best of a bad situation, noting that at least approving the measure would allow the town to have a vote in June concerning the debt and it allows the school to secure $44 million in state funding.

9;26 p.m.: Vincent Stanton, Pct. 3, asks if the school district can educate inhouse the vocational students now being sent to Minuteman. That was beyond the scope of the measure.

Quickly, Don Mercier, Pct. 8, called the question. Only a single question was asked. The calling was seconded and the measure passes easily 171-8. 

See you in May for the annual Town Meeting. 

Five Things To Know About the Special Town Meeting (Minuteman Edition)

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Photo: Special Town Meeting 

Tonight’s Belmont Special Town Meeting – being held Monday, Feb. 22 at the Chenery Middle School – will include a vote to establish a Building Committee for the Belmont High School renovation and whether to include a site evaluation of the soil for contaminants at the high school before construction begins (even though that will occur as part of the building process.)

But those votes are just appetizers for the main course which comprises of the future of the Minuteman Career and Technical High School in Lexington, the location where a little more than two dozen Belmont students are taught in a vocational-technical environment. Belmont’s assessment to Minuteman fluctuates yearly from $830,000 in fiscal ’16 to $750,000 in the coming fiscal year. 

What the Special Town Meeting will not explore is the education being provided the Belmont residents, but the building where they are being taught and who’s going to pay for a new High School. 

According to Jack McLaughlin, the representative from Belmont’s Warrant Committee who helped shaped the new regional contract, the proposal before Town Meeting “is a terrible agreement until you see the alternative.” 

  1. Here’s a brief history leading up to the special town meeting:
  • In July 2014, the Lexington Fire Department came close to condemning the building, built in 1972, for lots of reasons.
  • Minuteman’s administration begins the process of building a new school with an expected population of roughly 700 kids. 
  • Towns such as Belmont and Arlington wanted to put the brakes on this deal because 1. a high percentage of students come from municipalities outside the district (Waltham, Malden and Watertown that sends double the kids from Belmont) and 2. under the current agreement those towns don’t have to pay a red penny towards the debt to build the new facility even though the school’s current freshman class is nearly 50/50, district/non-district students. 
  • Belmont said “enough” to the planned school, saying if a new school is built, then it should be constructed for 400 kids, the number of students from members towns. The Minuteman administration, saying they need a big school to offer a greater number of courses to draw in students, virtually ignores the opponents and pushes forward with a new, larger school.
  • Belmont – led by Belmont’s Minuteman School Committee member Jack Weis, the Warrant Committee’s Jack McLaughlin and Selectman Mark Paolillo – and Arlington told Minuteman unless they have a new regional agreement, you can expect a big fat NO when it comes time to approve issuing debt for the school. That would cause all sort of delays and chaos for the administration. 
  • In a surprise move, the Minuteman administration agrees in December to put up a regional agreement before the 16 municipalities for a vote. It must be a unanimous vote from the town meetings for it to pass. 
  • On the same day in January that Belmont received the state go-head from the Massachusetts School Building Authority to start the process of renovating and construction of Belmont High School, Minuteman was approved to begin the undertaking of building its new school. It will need to come back to the state by June 30, to demonstrate how they will pay for it. (i.e.,, the communities).

      2. So, is tonight’s meeting about how much the town will have to pay for a new Minuteman High School?

No, that decision, to approve a $144 million new building, will come before June 30. Tonight’s vote is all about adopting a new regional agreement between the 16 towns and cities that are in the “district” including Belmont.

     3. What’s in this new agreement?

A lot, specifically for Belmont.

  1. The new agreement jettisons the school committee’s “one-town, one-vote” and moves to a proportional board where those towns that send the most kids to the school have a greater weighted vote. 
  2. It will be a bit easier to draw new towns into the club – it’s a buy-in incentive – giving them four years of gradual increasing capital payments before reaching their full assessment.
  3. Communities can withdraw much more quickly from the district, no longer needing all 16 other towns to agree. And seven of the 16 municipalities will be attempting to do just that if the agreement passes. Why? The towns – nearly all with only a handful of students – would not have to pay their part of the long-term debt. But by doing so, they would be prevented from returning to the district for four years. 
  4. Cities and towns of out-of-district students will also be paying for the new school as each student will be assessed “a capital facilities fee” equal to at least the average member- town cost. That fee will need to be approved by the state, but Belmont reps said officials from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education didn’t make much of a fuss when presented with a draft agreement.
  5. Then there is the issuance of debt. All 16 (or 9, if the smaller communities leave) town meetings will still need to approve the $144 million building plan. [With state grants, the final price tag will be $100 million] Under the new agreement, if a town meeting rejects the debt plan, it can withdraw from the district before a second vote is called by the Minuteman administration. This way a portion of the $100 million debt can not be “crammed down on Belmont.” 

      4. The new agreement looks like a very good deal for Belmont; what could go wrong?

Plenty. Here’s one: legal action by Watertown and other communities for the state to throw out the capital facilities fee placed on their students. Malden and Watertown have some powerful friends in the legislature.

Here’s another, the school remains oversized for the number of students from the district, and that will not change. Belmont would see an additional $350,000 (increasing the average real estate tax bill by $38) added to its annual assessment bringing the town’s total yearly charge to a million dollars while Arlington would pay $1.5 million. 

Also, it’s unlikely that the state will approve the new agreement before a vote will take by the 16 towns to support the debt. It appears that despite voting for a new regional agreement, Belmont and the other towns will be required to play by the “old rules” which doesn’t allow for an escape clause for towns that don’t agree with the size of the building or other aspects of the new school.

 5. So why not just vote down the whole complex proposal?

Yes, that is an option. Only that there are consequences, the first is losing the Mass School Building Authority’s $45 million grant to build the new school. And since Belmont is a member of the district and under the old agreement can not leave without the approval of the other 15 member towns, it will be required to repair the building. That cost: $176.5 million over 10 years. 

 

Newcomer Ruban To Challenge Incumbent Paolillo for Selectman

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Photo: Alexandra Ruban submitting nomination papers on Tuesday, Feb. 16.

A relative newcomer will be challenging a lifelong resident for the open selectman seat at the Belmont Town Election in April.

Claflin Street’s Alexandra Ruban submitted more than 100 signatures with Town Clerk Ellen Cushman on Tuesday, Feb. 16, setting up a race with two-term incumbent Mark Paolillo from Pilgrim Road. 

In a press release submitted by her campaign team, Ruban said there is a lack of transparency and consistency on important decisions made by town government and the current board made up of Paolillo, Jim Williams and Chairman Sami Baghdady.

“After observing the decisions made by our Board of Selectmen in recent years, I am concerned that there is a lack of transparency and accountability in the office that is challenging the Town’s goals and financial viability,” said Ruban, who moved with her husband and two children to Belmont from Somerville in 2013. 

“Rather than just complain, I want to use my experience to do something about it, namely: run for Town Selectman,” Ruban said in the press release.

Leading Ruban’s team is campaign chair and communications manager Erin Lubien, who was communications director for Selectman Jim Williams’ election campaign last year. Ruban’s campaign treasurer is Vera Iskandarian of Waverley Street.

“I look forward to meeting with my constituents and representing the concerns of many in the upcoming election season,” Ruban said, noting that elected, she would be only the fourth woman to serve as a Selectman since the town was incorporated in 1859.

The owner of a consulting firm that helps small businesses grow and optimize their performance, Ruban will be holding a community “meet and greet” on Feb. 28.

Town Election Update: Final Day to Submit Nomination Papers, Who’s On the Ballot, Scientist Seek Schools Seat,

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Photo: Andrea Prestwich submitting her papers.

It’s Deadline Day

Today, Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 5 p.m. is the deadline for residents seeking to be on the Town Election Ballot for town-wide elected office or Town Meeting member. No ifs, and’s, or buts.

Who’s on the Ballot for Town-Wide Office as of Tuesday morning

Below are the candidates certified by the Town Clerk’s Office for the elected town-wide races, so what you’re looking at is the draft ballot for the April 5 Town Election unless others who took out nomination papers submit them today.

Moderator (vote for one)

  • Mike Widmer, candidate for re-election, for one year.

Board of Selectmen (vote for one)

  • Mark Paolillo, candidate for re-election, for three years.

Town Clerk (vote for one)

  • Ellen O’Brien Cushman, candidate for re-election, for three years.

Board of Assessors (vote for one)

  • Charles R. Laverty, III, candidate for re-election, for three years.

Board of Cemetery Commissioners (vote for one)

  • William Chemelli, candidate for re-election, for three years.

Board of Health (vote for one)

  • Julie LeMay, for three years.

Members of the Housing Authority (vote for one, five years; vote for one, three years)

  • Anne Barrington Mahon, for five years.
  • Matthew Sullivan, for five years.
  • Tommasina Anne Olson, for three years.

Trustees of the Public Library (vote for two for three years)

  • Mark Carthy, candidate for re-election, for three years.
  • Mary Donahue Stearns, for three years.

Members of the School Committee (vote for two for three years, vote one for one year)

  • Sabri Murat Bicer, for three years.
  • Andrea Prestwich, for three years.

To discover who has qualified to run for Town Meeting, head to the Town Clerk’s website.

The Science of Running for School Committee

On one of the coldest days of the year, Andrea Prestwich walked from her home on Alexander Avenue to Town Hall to submit her nomination papers for a run to fill one of the two three-year seats on the School Committee.

But for Prestwich, the single-digit temperatures is nothing compared to where she’s employed where the “outside” temperature is a constant -270.45 Celsius. Prestwich is an astrophysicist at the Smithsonian Observatory at Harvard and works in the environs of deep space.

Prestwich, who has 13-year-old twins, Christopher and Katie, attending the Chenery Middle School, is best known outside the observatory as a champion of starting the school day later to provide students more time to sleep.

In addition to bringing what she calls a major health issue of sleep deprivation to the forefront, Prestwich has other issues on her agenda. As a scientist, Prestwich would also like to have input on the district’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) curriculum as well as emphasizing special education and supporting the district’s music program (she is a POMS member).

“Belmont schools face a great number of challenges such as the need for a new High School and dealing with spiraling enrollment. We have a world-class education system, and I want it to stay that way,” she said.

A political neophyte, Prestwich – who has lived for nearly 20 years in Belmont with her husband, who is an astronomer – admits seeking elected office is “terrifying” especially since until the previous week she “never once thought about running for anything.”

Residents Seek to Halt Cell Tower In Church Steeple; Town: ‘We Are On Solid Ground’

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Photo: Attorney Ted Hess-Mahan (standing) addressing the Historic District Commission with Pleasant Street resident Glenn Herosian (seating, right) listening.

“Simple fairness.”

For Glenn Herosian, that is the primary reason he and many of his neighbors are aggressively averse to a cellular network’s antenna in the steeple of the Plymouth Congregational Church on Pleasant Street.

The lack of fairness Herosian refers to is the perception the town is allowing the church to skirt the rigid design and material guidelines enforced on every structure within the historic district for a second time in three years.

“[The church] thinks they can bowl everyone over, and they’re not going to do it this time,” the Pleasant Street resident told the Belmontonian who, along with two dozen supporters, came before the Historic District Commission on Tuesday, Feb. 9 to preview their opposition to the church’s anticipated request to the commission at its March meeting where it and the telecommunication giant Verizon “hopes to continue the historic degradation of the church.”

The protestors complaints come the same week contractors hired by telecommunication firm Verizon were performing non-specific construction on the steeple to prepare it for the installation of a cellular antenna system, which the complainants contend is being done without a proper building permit.

While Herosian and his supporters believe the current work is in violation of the state building code, the town department says the church can move forward with the work.

“As of now the work is related solely to Verizon and does not require a building permit,” Glenn Clancy, director of the Office of Community Development, told the Belmontonian Wednesday, Feb. 10.,

“The Verizon work is allowed as it would be for any private property owner” with the owner taking the “risk onto themselves” if the permit is ultimately not issued, said Clancy. 

For Hersoian and the 95 residents who have signed a petition supporting his efforts – he said he will have more than 150 by next month – the Historic District Commission is seen by the church’s abutters and neighbors as their final bulwark against the proposed alterations.

Last month, the Belmont Planning Board approved the design and site plan review to place the antenna inside the structure which Rev. Joseph Zarro, Plymouth’s spiritual leader, in 2014 said would be a “win-win” for the church and community.

The Planning Board did include a condition to its opinion in which the Historic Commission is to review the proposal before a building permit is issued. 

With that caveat in hand, Herosian and his supporters are seeking to sway the Commission to invalidate the Planning Board’s approval by agreeing that the building’s aesthetics will be further compromised if the work the church outlined to the Planning Board is allowed to proceed. 

“They are taking an incredibly important landmark that the town has in the Historic District and are degrading it,” said Herosian. 

For the cellular equipment to function properly will require the existing louvers (wooden shutters with horizontal slats) to be replaced with fiberglass replicas, compounding what Herosian called the “degradation” of the building when the commission approved – against evidence from preservation experts – replacement columns and railings in August 2013  he said was made with composite material and “cheap” plastic covering that has not weathered well over the past three years. 

Screen Shot 2016-02-11 at 8.32.19 PM

Herosian, who lives with his wife, Karen, in a 60-year-old renovated custom ranch across Pleasant Street from the church, said he looks at the church out his sweeping front window every day wondering how a landmark was allowed to make major renovations outside the strict regulations imposed on all property owners.

“We went through the same historic district review, and it saved us from ourselves,” said Herosian as suggestions and rules resulted in a better design and project on his house.

“If this is allowed to stand this will likely have a devastating adverse impact on the fabric of our community, the entire Pleasant Street Historic District and the Belmont Historic Commission itself,” said Ted Hess-Mahan, the Herosian’s attorney who presented their case to the commission.

While the protestors are seeking the reversal of the 2013 Commission decision on the columns and railings as well as a denial of the current changes, Commission Chair Joseph Cornish said overturning an existing ruling “has never happened in our history.”

Herosian said he hoped to work with the church in securing Community Preservation Commission funds to repair and return the building “to its original beauty.” 

The church’s governing board said in a 2014 article in the Belmontonian that a long-term lease – typically lasting more than 20 years and can bring in up to $2,000 to $4,000 a month in rent – will allow the church to renovate the building and expand social service activities. It is not known the contents of the contract signed between Verizon and the church. 

Also, Clancy believes the church and town have done their due diligence on all possible objections, referring to the approvals by the Planning Board in January and three years ago from the Historic District Commission. 

“We are aware of the allegations. I think the Town is on solid ground,” said Clancy.

But Herosian is adamant that supporters will not be pushed aside and ignored as, he claims, opponents were during the Planning Board decision. He has filed a formal complaint against the town stating that required mailed notification of the hearing to abutters was not delivered to several neighbors, reportedly due to errors in the addresses on mailers.

Herosian is seeking the reopening of the Planning Board hearing to allow additional information to be submitted and voicing opinions from the neighborhood. 

But for now, Herosian focus is square on the Historic District Commission.

“This is far from over,” he said.

Town Election Update: Where are Precinct 7’s Candidates? Election Workers Needed

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Photo: Election workers at Precinct 5. 

Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman told the Belmontonian Wednesday that she anticipates by next Tuesday’s deadline there will be at least a dozen candidates seeking the 12 three-year Town Meeting Member seats up for grabs in each precinct at April’s Town Election.

Well, all the precincts except Precinct 7, Belmont’s perennial laggard when it comes to residents running for Town Meeting. And this year the numbers are disappointing by even 7’s minimum standards.

With 15 seats (12 three-year members and three one-year members) up for grabs in Precinct 7 – located in western Belmont abutting the Cambridge city limits – so far only five incumbents are seeking re-election and three residents have been out nomination paper, leaving nearly half the seats wanting of a candidate.

The lack of people running could result in almost a majority of seats being won by just a handful of write-in votes.

That’s not the case in neighboring Precinct 8 where nine incumbents are running while eight residents have taken out nomination papers so voters will have 17 residents to vote for 12 seats.

The same volume of candidates is being seen in Precinct 1 where nine residents want to keep their Town Meeting seats as nine registered voters have taken out papers.

So if anyone in Precinct 7 would like to make a quick decision to run for one of those open seats, here is what you have to do:

To be considered a new candidate for Town Meeting Member, you must be at least 18 years old and a registered Belmont voter. If you are currently serving as a Town Meeting Member, who was elected at a caucus, not by Town ballot, you will need to submit nomination papers as a new candidate.

Signatures of at least 25 registered voters of your precinct are required on the nomination papers. The Town Clerk must certify these signatures, so we always suggest obtaining about 20 percent more just to be safe. Deadline is 5 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 16.

Election Workers Still Needed

The town continues to seek residents who would like to serve as election workers who will properly staff the town’s eight polling locations.

Applicants must be registered to vote in Belmont. Training is provided in advance of every election: You’ll learn how elections work. 

Poll workers earn $10 per hour.  Typically there are two shifts on Election Day: 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., and  1 p.m. to approximately 9 p.m.  Workers are not required to work every election – you let us know which dates & shifts you are available. It’s a great way to meet new people and learn about elections from the inside.   

The elections this year are:

  • Tuesday, March 1: Presidential Primary Election 
  • Tuesday, April 5: Annual Town Election 
  • Thursday, Sept. 8: State Primary Election
  • Tuesday, Nov. 8: Presidential General Election. 

If you are interested, visit the town’s web page, select Town Clerk, Elections: Information for Residents and Media or go directly to:

http://www.belmont-ma.gov/town-clerk/pages/election-workers

or email to townclerk@belmont-ma.gov for more information.

 

 

 

Town Election Update: One Week Left to Get Signatures, Paolillo is In, Four Possible for Housing

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Photo: Selectman Mark Paolillo and his mom, Mary, as he turns in his nomination papers to Town Clerk Ellen Cushman.

One Week to Turn in Nomination Papers

You’ll likely have neighbors stalking the streets with pen and clipboard in hand this weekend as residents who took out nomination papers for town-wide elected office and Town Meeting have one week to turn them into Town Clerk Ellen Cushman. 

The deadline to bring signatures into Town Hall is 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 16. Residents seeking town-wide office will need 50 certified signatures of registered Belmont voters, 25 certified signatures of Belmont registered voters dwelling in the appropriate precinct are required for Town Meeting. 

Paolillo Makes It Official: He’s on the Ballot

Belmont Board of Selectman Mark Paolillo will in all likelihood be on the April Town Election ballot as the two-term incumbent turned in more than 100 signatures to Town Clerk Ellen Cushman at noon, Tuesday, Feb. 9 at Town Hall. 

Accompanied by his mom, Mary, Paolillo said he is looking forward to running “one final time” for town-wide election, noting that he will not seek a fourth term if elected in April.

“We accomplished a lot in the past six years but there is more to do,” said Paolillo. He pointed to finishing the work of the Financial Task Force, the need to finalize a community path through the community and take a hard look at a renovated Belmont High School and other municipal buildings.

“I talked to many supporters in town and former selectmen and they really encouraged me to run and stay on the board for another three years,” he said.

Alexandra Ruban of Claflin Street has also taken out nomination papers for the board.

A Quartet for Housing Authority

Add another person with papers out seeking one of two seats on the Belmont Housing Authority. 

Paul Rickter of 119 Cross St. came drudging through yesterday’s snow storm to pick up nomination papers, making it a possible quartet running town-wide for the places on the body which manages programs providing housing assistance for low-income families, veterans, and the elderly.

Also taking out papers are Anne Mahon and Tomi Olson while Matt Sullivan has already submitted his paperwork.

Wednesday, Feb. 10 Deadline to Register, Change Parties for Mar. 1 Presidential Primary

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Photo: Register to vote.
The Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman reminds residents that tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb 10 is the deadline to register to vote if they wish to participate in the Massachusetts Presidential Primary on March 1.
 
Feb. 10 is also the deadline for registered voters who wish to change party enrollment either to another party or to “unenrolled,” which is commonly referred to as “independent.” This should not be confused with the United Independent Party (UIP); a party that will have ballots available but with no candidates printed on them. Voters registered in UIP will NOT be eligible to take a Democratic, Republican, or Green-Rainbow ballot, according to Cushman. 
 
“With spirited contests in both parties, pervasive advertising and intense coverage in early primary states, some voters may want to vote for a candidate in a different party from the one they are registered in now,” said Cushman.
 
To do that, however, the voter must switch to the other party or to “unenrolled” status by 8 p.m. Wednesday. 
 
Unenrolled voters or voters enrolled in political designations can ask for any party ballot on Primary Day, but someone registered in a party can only vote on that party’s ballot. A Democrat cannot take a Republican ballot, and a Republican cannot take a Democratic one.
 
The Belmont Town Clerk’s office at Town Hall will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10 for voters who wish to change their party registration status or for persons wishing to register for the first time.
Persons who are United States Citizens, residents of Massachusetts, and who will be at least 18 years old on or before March 1st are eligible to register to vote. Those meeting these qualifications who have a Massachusetts Driver’s License can submit their registration online. Those registering by mail should have their form hand-canceled by the Post Office to ensure it is postmarked before the deadline.
 
For more information, feel free to contact the Belmont Town Clerk’s Office at townclerk@belmont-ma.gov or 617-993-2600.