Belmont Town Election: Yates Takes Select Board Race, Crowley Squeaks In As Moderator, Donner Elected To Library Trustees

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Photo: Tyler Yates arrives at Town Hall to hear he was elected to the Belmont Select Board

With more than three of four Belmont voters deciding to take a pass, there was a good chance a few surprises were in store from the 2025 annual Town Election held April 1, April Fool’s Day.

Despite contested races in four town-wide offices, voter participation was just 23.6 percent—the lowest numbers since 2018, when a minuscule 16.5 percent came out to cast ballots, which made the landscape ripe for challengers. In the town-wide races, a long-serving elected official was edged out by just 10 votes by a rival who lost his bid last year by a wide margin. At the same time, a venerable incumbent was outed by a candidate who was unceremoniously dumped from her seat on another committee just five years ago.

Results of the 2025 Belmont Town Elections can be found here

In the race for Select Board, Planning Board Chair Taylor Yates topped each of Belmont’s eight precincts to capture the seat vacated by Roy Epstein, defeating another first-time candidate, Economic Development Committee Chair Paul Joy, 2,533 to 1,738. Several observers noted the similarities of the pair – both relatively recent residents with young children (Yates welcoming a newborn last year) who ran on their accomplishments and new vision – and how this race represents a generational “changing of the guard” in town leadership.

“I feel extraordinary gratitude to all the voters, to my campaign team, the volunteers, the donors, and my family. A lot of people came together to make tonight happen,” said Yates, who witnessed his victory in the packed second-floor lobby of Town Hall. Candidates, observers, four or five children, and a crew from Belmont Media Center came to hear the traditional reading of results just after 9 p.m.

Yates said his positive vision of Belmont’s future brought out voters. “Our best days are ahead of us if we have leaders willing to push forward on our biggest priorities,” he said.

In a bit of an upsetting of the political apple cart, former School Committee member Micheal Crowley in his second go around for the post, squeaked by four-term Select Board member Mark Paolillo by the razor thin of margins, a mere 10 votes, 2,133 to 2,123. While both candidates ran on making changes to the office held for nearly two decades by Mike Widmer, Crowley said he believed voters saw him as the greater reformer.

“I have a great deal of work ahead of me [because] I promised a lot of change,” said Crowley, specifically on the focus of the job, “that the moderator will be much more engaged with the community.” One concrete example will be establishing a citizens’ advisory board and a commitment to virtual Town Meetings.

It was a good night for former School Committee members as Tara Donner placed second in a tight three-way race for two seats on the Board of Library Trustees, defeating long-time member Mike McCarthy, who placed third. Donner lost her school committee seat in the 2021 post-pandemic lockdown election, in which voters locally and nationally placed their frustrations onto incumbents. However, the public school educator and Town Meeting member since 2007 wanted to be involved in town government. With her background teaching English, “libraries have always been a place I love, where I’ve taken my kids and where I have been a heavy user.”

As with the Select Board race, Donner believed “people are just interested in what the next generation of Belmont leaders might bring to the library.” She said that once the new library building opens in early 2026, “we also need to have the programming and have the resources to fill it with the services that people are looking for in Belmont.” Joining Donnor on the committee will be Edward Barker, the candidate who topped the field, in which 142 votes separated the three candidates.

Talking about the school committee, that group now has two new members with newcomers Zehra Abid-Wood, who scored an impressive 45 percent of the total ballots cast with 3,213 votes, and Brian Palmer, each winning a three-year term.

The final competitive race saw Julie LeMay easily securing a fourth term on the Board of Health, defeating first-time candidate Michael Todd Thompson. Thompson also ran for a seat on the School Committee.

The big surprise on the Town Meeting ledger was the number of seats that write-ins will fill: In Precinct 3, Wendy Etkind, Ashley Addington, and Constantin Lichi won three-year terms via write-in votes, while Andrea Carrillo-Rhodes and Franceny Johnson will be attending Town Meeting as write-ins. And in Precinct 7, Mary Rock got 26 of her friends and neighbors to write in her name to secure the 12th spot on the ballot.

Among Town Meeting incumbents, Marie Warner placed 13th in Precinct 6 despite garnering 388 votes, which would have comfortably secured a seat in the seven other precincts.

Write-in Sally Martin took the one-year seat in Precinct 1, while over at Precinct 7, James Reynolds will need to choose whether to select a three-year or a two-year term, as he secured that final spot for a three-year seat and topped the field for a two-year term.

Taylor Yates: Let’s Build Belmont’s Future Together

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Photo: Taylor Yates (2nd to the left) and supporters

I’m Taylor Yates, and I’m running for Belmont Select Board. I’m a homeowner, a father of three, and a small business owner.

I moved to Belmont in 2018, just like a lot of you, to make a home for my family in a community that invests in itself. Belmont’s got great schools, it’s close to Boston, and people really put down roots here. This is a town where people stay for decades and generations, and they work together to shape its future.

I dove headfirst into Belmont government. I started on the Vision21 Committee, got elected to Town Meeting, and chaired the successful ‘Yes for Appointed Treasurer’ campaign. I was appointed to the Planning Board and have since been elected Chair. Along the way, I’ve championed key initiatives: I pushed to allow restaurants by right in Belmont; got the MBTA Communities Act passed by one of the largest margins in the state; and have reformed the Planning Board to focus on planning and economic development.

I’m running for Select Board because the next three years are going to determine where we are in 10 years. There are two possible futures:

  1. We’ve run out of time and resources to deal with our thorniest issues and are forced to make some heartbreaking tradeoffs
  2. Belmont is the best it’s ever been, we’ve kept the things we love about our town, enhanced them, and added to them.

When the Select Board makes those decisions I want to be there so I can bring my energy, collaboration, and vision to the table to ensure Belmont’s best days are ahead.

As chair of the Planning Board, I secured funding for a Belmont Center overlay district, a Brighton Street overlay district, and a 10-year comprehensive plan. Our residents are hurting from tax increases and service cuts, which means we need to increase our commercial tax base, boost our small businesses, and make our Town a better place to live.

That’s a lot of work, and we wouldn’t have been able to do it six months ago. When I became Chair, I decided that the Planning Board was going to have the courage to tackle our biggest and most persistent problems. We were going to do the work necessary to give people the choice to decide if we want to move forward or not.

But that was easier said than done. The Planning Board was bogged down with a lack of processes and direction. That meant we spent too much of our time working on the wrong things. I put in a lot of hours to solve that so we can pursue this ambitious 2025 economic agenda.

That’s the kind of leader I am: I start with a vision, break it into actionable steps, and deliver results. 

I believe there’s a shared vision in this Town: a thriving, dynamic town that honors its past while embracing progress. I’ve spoken to thousands of voters in this campaign, I’ve heard you, and I want to be the leader that works with you to actually fix our problems and set us up for a brighter future.

Let’s build Belmont’s future together!

Paul Joy: My Vision For Belmont

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Photo: Paul Joy has a vision for Belmont

Belmont, I’m Paul Joy, and I’m running for Select Board because this isn’t just about me. It’s about us. On Tuesday, April 1, we get to decide what our town becomes. 

I live on Harvard Road with my wife and three kids—Thomas, Lucas, and Alexandra—who attend Chenery and Wellington every school day. My wife, Yuan, is an immigrant and also teaches at the Belmont Co-Op Nursery School. We’re raising our family here, facing the same rising costs—taxes, rent, small business pressures—that is felt across our community all feel. I’ve heard your stories on porches, at games, in shops, over the phone, and they’ve shaped me. Together, we can build a Belmont that thrives for all of us.

What have I done for us? 

  • As Chair of the Economic Development Committee, I’ve fought to fill empty storefronts, bringing jobs and boosting our tax base to ease our burdens: supporting our schools and services. But it’s more than that. 
  • I chaired the Co-Op Nursery School Board, raising funds to keep tuition affordable and give our teachers bonuses, because early education sets our kids up for life. 
  • I’ve coached our kids on Belmont’s soccer fields, and helped organize practices and clinics at the same time. 
  • On the education side, I can’t tell you how proud I am of the work-based learning virtual internship program that Belmont High School students have available to them.  

My family’s roots trace back to Thomas Joy, who built Boston’s first Town House, a place that literally helped shape American democracy. And as an immigrant family today, we bring that legacy forward, proving Belmont is stronger when we embrace our diversity.

What sets me apart? 

  • I don’t just nod along—I ask hard questions and stand firm for what we need. 
  • When others accept “that’s how it’s always been,” I push for better, not quick, fixes, but durable solutions.
  • I’ve seen us struggle with a cost of living crisis, seeing seniors stretched thin, small businesses balancing rent and red tape, and renters and families priced out. I’ve demanded we rethink how we grow and that includes applying every year for every competitive grant opportunity that we can.  
  • I’ve called for a town voice to unite our business owners, amplifying their ideas to keep our downtown vibrant, not drowned out by endless construction or big chains. We need growth that works for us, not against us – in places like Brighton Street and Cushing Square, and South Pleasant St not just Belmont Center – where we can sustain it without losing our charm.


We’ve got a vision worth fighting for: a Belmont where our commercial tax base grows so our wallets don’t shrink, where our kids learn in strong schools, and our seniors stay in homes they’ve built. I’ve got the experience, as a teacher, consultant, and coach, to make it real, tackling problems with data, grit, and heart. I’ve always sought zoning changes with our entire community in mind, cut red tape like parking, and listened to you. We can partner with our shop owners, not steamroll them, and plan finances that last, not just patch holes.

Some say we should settle, that change is too messy. I say we’re tougher than that. We’re the town that shovels each other’s driveways, cheers our kids on, and keeps our shops alive. We don’t back down, we rise. My ancestor Thomas Joy didn’t just build a building; he built a place for us to stand up and demand more. I’m here to do the same, not for me, but for us. On April 1, we choose: a Belmont that builds, grows, and thrives together.

So, Belmont, let’s do this. Grab your neighbor, your friend, your family—head to the polls on April 1, and Vote Joy. Check out joyforbelmont.com to see our plans—because this is our campaign. We’re not just voting for a person; we’re voting for us: a town where we all belong, prosper, and shine.

Let’s make it happen, together. Thank you.

Belmont Election Ballot Set With Competitive Contests In Five Town-Wide Races

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Photo: Voting will take place on April Fool’s Day

Belmont voters will have their hands full with five competitive races for town-wide posts at this year’s town election on Tuesday, April 1.

Two of the top contests will have new comers seeking to fill seats for Town Moderator and Select Board, while incumbents are running to retain their posts against opponents for Board of Health, Board of Health and the School Committee where four are running for two spots.

Candidates for town-wide races included:

Town Moderator (Vote for not more than one for 1 Year)
MICHAEL F. CROWLEY 119 Farnham St.
MARK A. PAOLILLO 42 Pilgrim Rd.

Select Board (Vote for not more than one for 3 Years)
PAUL ROBERT JOY 9 Harvard RD.
TAYLOR YATES 85 LAWRENCE LANE

Town Clerk Vote for not more than one for 3 Years
ELLEN O’BRIEN CUSHMAN 38 Scott Rd. (Candidate for Re-election)

Board of Cemetery Commissioners (Vote for not more than one for 3 Years)
WILLIAM JOSEPH CHEMELLI 11 Ripley Rd. (Candidate for Re-election)

Board of Health (Vote for not more than one for 3 Years)
JULIE C. LEMAY 37 Statler Rd. (Candidate for Re-election)
MICHAEL TODD THOMPSON 9 Jonathan St.

Members of the Housing Authority (Vote for not more than one for 5 Years)
SARAH M. BILODEAU 203 Trapelo Rd. (Candidate for Re-election)

Trustees of the Public Library (Vote for not more than two for 3 Years)
MARK CARTHY 21 Stone Rd. (Candidate for Re-election)
EDWARD P. BARKER, JR. 21 Garfield Rd.
TARA DONNER 47 Payson Rd.

Municipal Light Board (Vote for not more than two for 3 Years)
DAVID BEAVERS 316 Trapelo Rd. (Candidate for Re-election)
JESSICA KIT HARRISON 29 Williow St.

School Committee (Vote for not more than two for 3 Years)
JEFFREY W. LIBERTY 43 Worcester St. (Candidate for Re-election)
ZEHRA ABID-WOOD 306 Pleasant St.

BRIAN L. PALMER 210 Clifton St.
MICHAEL TODD THOMPSON 9 Jonathan St.

In the race to replace long-serving Town Moderator Mike Widmer, former School Committee member Mike Crowley who sought the post last year, will meet Mark Paolillo, who served four-terms on the town’s Select Board.

The race for Select Board will see a pair of newcomers as Planning Board Chair Taylor Yates who shepherd the MBTA Communities By-law through Town Meeting is taking on Paul Joy, the chair of the Economic Development Committee who led the effort to change the Select Board from a three to a five member policy-based entity.

With School Committee member Amy Checkoway deciding not to run for a third term, incumbent Jeff Liberty, Zehra Abid-Wood, Brian Palmer and Michael Todd Thompson are seeking election to the two seats up for grabs.

And, no, you aren’t seeing double as Thompson is also running against three-time incumbent Julie Lemay for the lone spot on the Board of Health. There is no provision in the town’s bylaws from running for as many posts as one wishes.

And there will be a lively race for the one seat on the Library Trustees as incumbent Mark McCarthy is running against former School Committee member Tara Donner and Edward Barker, president of the Belmont Library Foundation.