Photo: Belmont Middle and High School in 2023.
After more than a decade of planning, applications, the largest debt exclusion vote in town history and dozens and dozens of public meetings, the inaugural step in the construction of Belmont’s newest school will take place the day after Memorial Day when the Belmont High School Building Committee hosts the groundbreaking ceremony for the Belmont Middle and High School at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 28 at Belmont High School, 221 Concord Ave.
Photo: The view from the moderator’s stand.
If the second time is “lucky” and a third “the charm,” what’s the idiom for a fourth vote on the same article at Town Meeting?
Whatever word you want to use, the marathon debate around a seeming inconsequential request to increase the term of the Town Moderator from one to three years ended a few minutes before 11 p.m. when Town Meeting defeated the article for the third time in four tries by a healthy margin on Monday, May 6
The debate Monday from a town government’s perspective is whether lengthening the term “would create a more effective way for town government [to be run],” said Mark Paolillo, who stepped into the moderator’s chair when Widmer recused himself from the position.
Speaking before the body, Widmer repeated his comments from last week his reasons for bringing forth the article; principally a yes vote would bring the moderator’s position in sync with the three-year terms of other town offices (such as treasurer and town clerk) and town meeting. Today, about half of the communities in Massachusetts have moderators serving three years.
Widmer also commented on the moderator position in town government as a number of members after the first votes on the article felt they knew little of the power it wields.
The most significant role the moderator plays is selecting members of 4 – the warrant, capital budget, permanent building advisory, and bylaw review – of the 30 permanent town committees as well as the numerous building committees in town, said Widmer, who noted this function secures a separation of powers between the Town Meeting and town government.
“All of these are legislative committees and I appoint these … on your behalf,” said Widmer, noting this prevents the town’s administration from having undue influence over the committees.
When appointing the committee members, Widmer said he goes through a comprehensive “checks and balances” process – including asking for volunteers, takings recommendations, speaking to the boards and conducting interviews – “that serves Town Meeting and the town.”
“My hope is simply that ultimately [the discussion] results in an informed discussion and debate,” said Widmer.
The theme whether the moderator has too much power as to trust that it would not be abused by a future office holder.
Elizabeth Dionne, Pct. 2, a member of the Warrant Committee who was selected to the board by Widmer, pointed out “the Board of Selectmen actually does have real power. If we are comfortable with three-year terms for the Board … we should be comfortable with a three-year term for the moderator who has far less power.”
Claus Becker, Pct. 5, said there is an assumption by supporters of the three-year term that the moderator will be a rational person when many examples of leaders on the “national scene” provide examples of those who are willing to “set things on fire and let them burn.” The 50 signature floor to get on the ballot is not a stumbling block for nearly anyone who is willing to take on the position.
Anne Marie Mahoney, Pct. 1, who has been a member of several committees over the years, said a moderator’s appointment to the Capital Budget Committee which she chair’s “will never control [it]” since he has only three selections to the seven-member board. But those three moderator appointees “are the check and balances” to the other members who come from the administrative side of town government.”
“A one-year moderator potentially could appoint many ill-suited folks to these committees and be gone in a year with very little accountability. A three-year moderator has to take the responsibility and the heat for at least three years in his or her appointment,” said Mahoney, who said a vote for a
Alex van Geel, Pct. 7, said committees and boards with multiple members have the ability to check the actions of “that worse person” in the group, which is unavailable when discussing an individual with legislative powers on a single person body.
When the (third) vote on the article is taken, it went down to
Photo: The finish line of the BAA Marathon.
There are some fast neighbors in Belmont as 37 residents completed the 122nd BAA Marathon on a warm and wet Patriots’ Day on Monday, April 16.
They joined a capacity 32,500 runners who traveled the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston on the historic course of the world’s oldest marathon.
This year, three Belmont men broke three hours with 28-year-old Daron Holloway taking the top spot with a 2 hour, 52 minutes and three seconds, a six minute, 34 second per mile pace which placed him 1,285th. Lauren Phillips, 34, ran a stellar 3:09:25 for 430th place among female participants.
Also running yesterday was a chair of a Belmont committee (Russell Leino, Community Path, with the second fastest Belmont male time), a Nobel Prize winner (Wolfgang Ketterle) and a coach (Melissa Hart, Belmont High Girls’ Basketball).
| Daron Holloway | 28 | 2:52:03 |
| Russell Leino | 36 | 2:54:17 |
| Martin Kronbuegel | 42 | 2:58:32 |
| Alfons Marquez | 47 | 3:04:14 |
| Lauren Phillips | 34 | 3:09:25 |
| David Marchefka | 35 | 3:25:42 |
| Laurie Nahigian | 48 | 3:29:59 |
| Becca Pizzi | 39 | 3:31:44 |
| Lynton Karfor | 40 | 3:36:20 |
| Wolfgang Ketterle | 61 | 3:36:28 |
| Jeff Roth | 45 | 3:40:25 |
| Sarah Poplawski | 41 | 3:42:03 |
| Konstantin Tyurin | 51 | 3:45:18 |
| Scott Dedeo | 38 | 3:45:18 |
| Rachid Belhocine | 59 | 3:48:53 |
| Michael Ascione | 47 | 3:49:03 |
| Julie Kellett | 34 | 3:50:40 |
| Katie Brace | 42 | 3:54:20 |
| Michael Thomas | 52 | 4:08:21 |
| Christine Bowe | 32 | 4:14:19 |
| Ed Amer | 49 | 4:19:05 |
| Satomi Kato | 53 | 4:22:52 |
| Alice Rushforth | 57 | 4:36:00 |
| Richard Newton | 30 | 4:41:51 |
| Sarkis Chekijian | 45 | 4:46:01 |
| Young-Jin Cho | 45 | 4:46:58 |
| Paul Firth | 51 | 4:51:05 |
| Melissa Hart | 51 | 4:56:16 |
| Lisa Engler | 41 | 5:01:02 |
| Jennifer Knight | 41 | 5:19:55 |
| Chris Hiserman | 40 | 5:23:24 |
| Kaela Hale | 19 | 5:27:06 |
| Peter Walker | 44 | 5:27:20 |
| Kelly Chiu | 46 | 5:28:34 |
| Kai Saukkonen | 56 | 5:31:47 |
| Alexandra Cellucci | 23 | 5:53:31 |
| Awinja Otiato | 50 | 6:00:04 |
All it took was a single snow day for last classes at Belmont’s six public schools to be dragged over a weekend.
Belmont School Superintendent John Phelan announced at the School Committee meeting held on Tuesday, April 9, the definitive final day of the 2018-2019 school year, no matter what weather related event – June snowstorm, a rain of frogs, – occurs over the next two months.
Naming the final day is, in fact, a state requirement per the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and has to be done in April. At the beginning of the school year, districts schedule 185 school days but only operate 180 of them during a school year.
With this year being “good year” in terms of snow days, Phelan declared Monday, June 17, as the official “school’s out” day in Belmont. If it hadn’t been for the “day off,” the year would have ended on Friday, June 14, sparing children from having to spend an almost summer weekend preparing for another trip to school.
At least that Monday will be a half day for students; not so for staff and educators.
Belmont is on the forefront of local communities who have taken action to reduce its part in global climate change. More than a decade ago, Town Meeting in 2008 adopted a climate action plan to reduce the town’s green house gases by 80 percent by the year 2050. Since then, the town and Town Meeting has pushed policies and measures that has strengthened its role as a leader in mitigating carbon emissions in Belmont.
But according to the Belmont Energy Committee, the town can do better to achieve the goal of becoming a 100 percent carbon free community by 2050.
On Wednesday, April 10 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Belmont Art Gallery, (Homer Building) 19 Moore St., the Energy Committee is holding an educational forum on what are the most important steps residents and the town can take to make a difference in preventing global warming and climate change. Hear from experts about how the world of 2035 can and will differ from the world we know today.
Speakers will include:
George Bachrach: Former president of the Environmental League of Massachusetts and one of the leading environmental voices in Massachusetts. Bachrach is a former state Senator whose district included Belmont.
Peter Fox-Penner: Director of Boston University’s Institute for Sustainable Energy. The Institute’s Smart Cities Initiative focuses on promoting smart, sustainable cities through new methods of urban planning, infrastructure development, mobility, and built environment energy use.
Belmont Energy Committee along with Belmont Light General Manager Chris Roy, will explain Belmont’s Roadmap toward achieving Belmont’s goal of reducing carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050. The presentation will include an explanation of current ongoing action steps, the long-term action plan, and the Climate Change Resolution to be presented to Town Annual Town Meeting in the spring of 2019.
A mid-morning blaze heavily damaged the top floors of a rental residence on Trapelo Road near the intersection of Belmont Street, snarling traffic on the busy thoroughfare on Friday, April 5. No one was injured in the incident.
The two-alarm fire started near or close to the rear porch of the 99-year-old two family owned by a Lexington couple. Belmont Fire Chief David Frizzell said it was too soon to determine what caused the fire that brought mutual aid from Watertown, Arlington
The 10:05 a.m. call reporting the fire to Belmont dispatchers was made by Belmont Fire Lt. Dave Toomey who was off-duty when he passed the structure as heavy plumes of dark, acetic smoke emerged from the house.
“I was sitting at the light when I saw a plume of smoke,” Toomey told the Belmontonian.
Toomey saw a young man at a first-floor window and told him and his cat to get out. Toomey with the assistance from Belmont Police entered the building where he knocked
Asked if he had any apprehension entering a burning building, Toomey said “I’ve been doing this for 23 years so this is second nature.”
Belmont crews arrived shortly after the call was received. After attacking the flames engulfing the second floor back landing, firefighters cut holes in the roof and broke open windows.
Belmont Street was closed from Pine Street to Payson Road for more than two hours.
Approximately an hour after the first alarm was sent, the fire has nearly knocked down all for some lingering hot spots. Frizzell said the second floor suffered extensive damage of upwards to $100,000.
Photo: Multitasking on the campaign trail with Andrea Prestwich
By Andrea Prestwich
It has been an honor to serve on the School Committee. Belmont’s schools are outstanding because the entire community is behind them: the town, parents, teachers, and students.
My first priority is to maintain excellence in our wonderful schools. That includes careful oversight of the new high school and operational budget. I will advocate for healthy start times in the new high school. Other priorities include access to quality after-school care, appropriate education for all students, including those with special needs and access to quality vocational training. We should strive for a school culture that embraces diversity and I support efforts to make Belmont schools environmentally responsible.
Please see my web page for more details: andrea4belmontschools.com.
Photo: Transgender rights is on the state election ballot Nov. 6.
To the editor:
In 2016, the Massachusetts Legislature and Gov. Charlie Baker affirmed the rights of transgender individuals in Massachusetts to be treated like anyone else: to be free of discrimination in public places. As this issue directly affects the safety and well-being of people in my own family, I was reassured that we had chosen the right place to live. Belmont, in particular, has been a supportive community in which my wife and I can raise our children.
However, there are many in the state and from elsewhere who oppose the very existence of transgender people, and who refuse to acknowledge their need for dignity and safety. They formed a campaign to overturn the existing protections. Their reasoning is flawed and vicious and uses unsupported fears to demonize those who do not fit their strict idea of gender. They’ve raised money from like-minded anti-LGBTQ groups around the country to further their hateful agenda. To my fellow Belmont residents: I ask you to please not let those people win. Vote YES on Question 3 to preserve these basic rights for transgender people, including those in my family.
Over the past few years, we have seen an increase in biased attacks on LGBTQ people, immigrants, Muslims, Jews, and people of color. In an environment where the rhetoric and actions in Washington are accelerating discrimination, it is vital that the people of Massachusetts work to protect those who face systemic bias. A yes vote on Question 3 is one step we can take to do this, but it is only one of many. Reach out to your neighbors, your friends, and your family to increase understanding and compassion. Practice noticing and breaking down your own prejudices. Speak up when you witness someone spreading misinformation or biased statements about a whole group of people.
We are all individuals seeking the space to raise our families, to feel safe in our communities, to help our children have better lives than we have. Let’s help create a world where everyone is able to do that without fear.
Jessie Bennett
Trowbridge Street
Town Meeting Member, Precinct 1
Photo: Ellen Cushman at work, announcing election results.
Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman was awarded Town Clerk of the Year at the Summer Massachusetts Town Clerk’s Association Conference held on Thursday, June 14,
“There are 351 Town Clerks in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and ours was awarded Town Clerk of the Year, a well-deserved honor,” according to a press release dated June 15.
As Town Clerk, Cushman acts as the town’s chief election official, recording officer, registrar of vital records and statistics, public records officer and licensing officer and is the point for general information to Belmont’s inhabitants, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Federal Government and the general public.
In 2017 the Belmont Town Clerk’s Office had 14,300 in person visitors, sent and received 43,878 email, and made and answered phone calls each and every day.
“This office works hard every day to make information available to the public,” read the press release.
“Ellen has always commended her team, and constantly states that the work that she completes would not be possible without her amazing staff. Ellen is joined in her Office by Meg Piccione, Nancy Casale, and Daniel Cane,” said the release.
Photo:
Following the lead by the town, Belmont Light has announced changes to its office hours for the summer.
From June 11 through Aug. 31, Belmont’s electrical utility company will be opening at 7 a.m. weekday, one hour earlier than its normal 8 a.m., in order to better serve our customers, especially those with contractors doing work on their homes, said Aidan Leary, Belmont Light’s executive assistant & communications coordinator.
The new hours will be