Garvin Nixes Merit Pay Increase … Again After Select Board Gives Town Administrator Outstanding Performance Review

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Photo: Belmont Town Administrator Patrice Garvin

For the second year running, Belmont Town Administrator Patrice Garvin has rejected a merit pay increase voted by the Select Board after giving her an outstanding annual performance review.

“I want to thank the board for recognizing my hard work,” said Garvin of the 1.5 percent bump. “But I would like to let the board know that given the issues with the town in terms of the budgetary constraints, I’d like to waive that merit, have it stay within the salary reserve, and have it go towards police and fire negotiations.”

The increase comes out to approximately $3,300 that will placed in the salary reserve account to be used to fund new public safety contracts. Garvin’s annual salary was set in 2025 at $229,500.

This marks the third time Garvin has passed up a proposed pay hike in her nearly decade long tenure. She refused a two percent annual boost in pay in September 2025 with the funds then supporting the town’s non-union Employee Recognition Program. In June 2020, she nixed a two percent increase “in response to the significant budgetary shortfalls as a result of the unanticipated COVID-19 pandemic.” 

“I think that is incredibly generous and thoughtful of you, Patrice,” said Board Chair Taylor Yates. “So thank you always for thinking of the entire organization.”

The Select Board’s latest recap of Garvin’s annual performance review was similar to past assessments: she’s doing an outstanding job, scoring a 4.7 out of 5 getting high marks for her leadership skills and organization of the town departments.

“I think you are exceptionally organized, and you have led phenomenal drive towards professionalization of the town’s services, which is critical because that’s pretty much the most powerful tool we have to get more for less. And I see it in how you approach your work,” said Yates. He noted Garvin’s list of hires since arriving in Belmont in 2018, pointing to several department heads”[who are] all exceptional at what they do, and they are able to do it by … your excellent work building an organization to serve the residents of Belmont, and that’s a credit to your talented efforts.”

“[Garvin has] an incredible amount of institutional knowledge, the ability to work through difficult situations, and work through pretty much anything that comes up. It really shows your strength,” said Board Vice Chair Carole Berberian. “The financial management ability to restructure and work to increase efficiencies … is all really strong and contributes to the successes in the position.”

“When I did your performance review, what I used as a standard was the field of possible town administrators or town managers. You’re the best,” said Board member Matthew Taylor. “I wish all of our residents could see how much work Patrice does behind the scenes to solve problems, to get to further our relationships with our staff and our unions, [and] to improve our presentations and communications.”

Responding to the comments, Garvin said that she “loves working for the town of Belmont. I love working for the people here. I pretty much in here more than I am at home, so I just feel that my drive and my effort all go goes towards the improvement of this town. And I think over the last eight years, I’ve been able to to do that with thete staff I work with.”

“It’s a great team effort I bring to the town every day. I don’t think I would work as hard as if I didn’t enjoy it as much as I do. I love a problem I need to solve,” she said.

‘Foot Soldiers Of Democracy’: Belmont’s State Senate Recount Reaffirms Brownsberger’s Victory

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Photo: The state senate recount at Belmont Town Hall auditorium

Call it a day of direct democracy.

On Sept. 10, Belmont witnessed democracy in action in the Town Hall auditorium. For more than four hours, a roomful of volunteers, observers, town officials, and a candidate participated in the re-enumeration of the Democratic Party primary election for state senator held on Sept. 1.

In the first go-around of voting the previous week, incumbent and Belmont resident Will Brownsberger eked out a 34-vote advantage district-wide over first-time candidate Daniel Lander of Boston: 12,291 to 12,257. As the closeness of the outcome was within the right to ask for a recount, both candidates submitted signatures from the four communities – Belmont and Watertown and precincts in Boston and Cambridge – represented in the Suffolk and Middlesex District. On Election Night, Brownsberger easily won his hometown, 4,010 to 1,809, although he lost the other three communities he had been representing since 2011.

Registrars of Voters Chair Bob McGaw

Pairs of community volunteers sat at 20 card tables to re-tally each of the 5,824 ballots submitted at the town’s eight voting precincts and those that were submitted early and through the mail. Managed by Town Clerk Ellen Cushman and her staff and overseen by the Belmont’s Registrars of Voters, each candidate was allowed two “campaign agents” to oversee the recount, and note any challenges to the decision by the reader. And in the hallway outside the hall, Brownsberger waited for the results to be called. 

Each table received a stack of 50 votes, which were counted to be approved by the Registrars, chaired by Bob McGaw in his final year in the post. Kristen Gagalis, an associate with Anderson & Kreiger, kept the proceedings moving by resolving any procedural questions and reminding those assembled to keep the chitchat to a minimum. 

With a steady rhythm, carts of ballots were brought from the Town Clerk’s storage room – once the town’s lockup – and numbers were calculated and approved. And with each enumerated result, the vote advantage Brownsberger held in Belmont never varied by more than a single vote up or down. By 1:30 p.m., all the ballots were read and reaffirmed; Brownsberger would add two votes to his tally, and Landers three extra votes. The final numbers: 4,012 to 1,812, a 2,200-vote margin. 

By the end of the recount, the attorneys for both campaigns had high praise for the process and how it was conducted. 

“This really is what democracy is all about. You guys are the foot soldiers of democracy. You worked hard, and we really appreciate it, and I think everyone should,” said Brownsberger’s Dennis Newman, whose history with recounts included being the lead Democratic attorney observing the critical Palm Beach, Florida, review of votes in the historic Bush/Gore presidential recount of 2000.

“Today was part of our democracy,” said Lander’s attorney, John Gannon. “We fought 250 years ago to have that right to vote, the right to be heard in a democratic process. So this is part and parcel of that process, and I’m truly honored to be part of the process.”

On Friday, the Secretary of the Commonwealth certified the election, and Brownsberger is returning to Beacon Hill with a 35-vote advantage: Brownsberger 12,291, Lander 12,257.

The contest between the long-serving legislator and a neophyte candidate had its origins in a successful effort by Brownsberger and other legislators to deny an effort in 2024 by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu to temporarily raise the commercial real estate tax rate to ease the tax burden on residential taxes. Many saw the rare primary challenges to the long-standing legislators as Wu’s atttempt – with campaign donations and use of political connections – to send a message of her disapproval.

It was Brownsberger who had the final word.

“I wanted to share the good news right away: the recount is complete, and we have prevailed with a final margin of 35 votes,” said Brownsberger in a statement released on Thursday afternoon after the completion of the recount in Cambridge. Watertown and Boston completed their review on Wednesday.

“I am so very grateful for all your work and support in this campaign. I look forward to continuing to serve all of the people in my district, and I am eager to get back to work.”

In his statement, Lander said while the race “did not end as we’d hoped, I am so deeply proud of the campaign we built. I know we have woken up the State Senate and sent a message loud and clear that the days of delay and inaction must end now. Despite the establishment’s best efforts, this campaign won three of the four communities of this district. After being outspent two to one, our grassroots coalition made clear this district is hungry for change.”

Registrars of Voters: Ellen O’Brien Cushman, Ex-Officio, Paul Minor, Kate Foster, and Bob McGaw

Belmont Field Hockey Takes Down Long-Time Nemesis Watertown, 2-1, In Season Opener

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Photo: Teammates surround Belmont High School goalie Zoe Bruce after the Marauders’ 2-1 victory over Watertown.

It was a long time coming.

A pair of goals from senior captain Elsie Lakin-Schultz and a near flawless performance (10 saves) by junior goalie Zoe Bruce (10 saves) highlighted a complete team effort from the 12th-ranked Belmont High Field Hockey in defeating the 22 time state champions and 9th-ranked Watertown High Raiders, 2-1, in the season opener for both teams on Sept. 9.

You couldn’t dream up a more satisfying start of Head Coach Jessie Smith’s third decade leading the program. Not only did she come off Watertown’s Victory Field having taken down Belmont’s arch rival for the first time in nearly 20 years, the victory was also Smith’s 250th in her stellar career.

“This is a great way to start the season as we’re playing a really hard schedule,” said Smith after the game.

Belmont High Head Coach Jessie Smith

“I think a lot of people are going to be surprised (with the result),” said Smith. “I think when you look at the preseason rankings, people were saying, ‘Belmont, they had their run and they’re kind of done.’ And while our win is great, I don’t want to say, ‘OK, we’re great now.’ That’s one win. We have a long season to go.”

And Belmont’s convincing victory was no fluke, as three days later the Raiders defeated 2nd-ranked Somerset Berkeley, 3-2.

Belmont showed its team strength on both sides of the ball, demonstrating a fluid passing game on offense.

“We have triangles all over the field, looking for each other, and that 10-yard pass is deadly in field hockey, just with changing direction and especially inside the attack area,” said Smith. 

And the Marauders’ pressing midfield defense pressured Watertown for the entire contest, disrupting the Raiders’ offensive flow. 

“We have Elsie pushing up, so she’s almost like a fourth midfielder. And then we were doubling (covering the player with the ball with two defenders) all over the field. I mean, they wanted this game,” Smith said of her team.

Smith pointed out that “at different times in the game, different players stepped up, and we literally relied on every single person on the field today, which was just so great to see.”

Belmont struck first five minutes into the match when first-year defender Lucie Lakin-Schultz fed her sister just inside the 16-meter shooting circle. Elsie Lakin-Schultz drove the ball just inside the near post to put Belmont up 1-0 at the 9:49 mark, giving the Marauders its first-ever lead in Watertown since the mid-2000s. 

It was then up to three-year starter Bruce to hold the fort against Watertown’s midfielders, who found space down the middle of the field. A big pad save two minutes after Belmont scored was followed by three saves in quick succession. Lucie Larkin-Schultz helped Bruce as a last line of stopping a partial breakaway in the final three minutes of the quarter. 

“Zoe was unbelievable today,” said Smith, pointing to a late-game save where a scrambling Bruce got a piece of the ball on the goal line that Smith categorizes as “unreal.” 

“As a third-year starting goalie, she knows to step up and take the ball instead of standing on the line and clearing a save wide and not back into the field,” said Smith. “Those things really matter, and she does it much more automatically. It’s just unbelievable.”

For the majority of the game, the action took place in the center of the field with each team’s midfielders controlling the game. 

“Playing Watertown is always just very hectic; they’re always on the ball, always yelling at each other,” said Mia Smith, Belmont’s junior mid, who was joined in the midfield by senior co-captain Nataile Merrow, sophomore Kate Townsend and first-year Reagan Moulis.

“It’s just a very stressful situation on the field, so you have to drum out the noise and just play your own team’s game. As Belmont, we work together. We don’t yell at each other, and I think that’s just what kept us sticking to our game plan,” said Smith, who celebrated her 17th birthday with the win.

Watertown would break through midway in the third on a shot from in close that beat Bruce’s outstretched stick. But Belmont would retake the lead with 90 seconds remaining in the third quarter off a penalty corner. The Marauders kept the ball in play, and a rebound found its way back to Elsie Laken-Schultz. 

“The ball just popped off off the goalie’s pads and I hit it as hard as I could into the back of the net,” said Lakin-Schultz. “There are a lot of touches from all my teammates, so I really couldn’t have done it without them.”

Elsie Lakin-Schultz (23) scoring the game winner vs. Watertown

“[Elsie] was looking for the corners with each goal, which is what we’ve been working on at practice,” said Smith. “You could see that she was very intentional with her shooting. She took a second to look and finish the job that five other players who had a touched the ball in a circle.” 

The score line would stand up for the remaining 16 minutes as Bruce would make a pair of exceptional saves in the final five minutes. When the final horn sounded, the team held a collective on-field celebration worthy of a 20+ year wait.

Postgame, Smith spotlighted the depth of her bench, where “we can take a new person out there, especially in the forward line. We have tons of strong forwards – notably seniors Avery Reinold and Kendall Regan – so we can keep them fresh. They’re also able to really help back defensively but also spring forward with the ball.” 

For co-captain Elsie Lakin-Schultz, she views the victory as “really setting the tone for the rest of the season, and if this is where we’re starting, I can only expect us to get better and better and better.”

Belmont Holding 9/11 Memorial Commemoration On Quarter-Century Anniversary Of Terror Attack

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Photo: Poster of Belmont’s Memorial Event

While one of the most seminal moments in US history, for many members of the Gen Z generation – those born after 1997 – the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 are only hazy memories, if they remember them at all. It’s why many who do remember 9/11 believe the shock, pain, bravery and consequences of that day is essential to recall and commemorate.

Belmont will hold a 25th Anniversary 9/11 Memorial Ceremony to honor the approximate 3,000 victims killed in New York City, Washington DC and Pennsylvania and also remember the first responders of Sept. 11.

The commermoration will take place on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. in the Select Board Meeting Room, Town Hall, 455 Concord Ave. All members of the community are welcome to attend this time of remembrance.

Three Belmont residents were on American Airlines Flight 11 during the 2001 attacks.

  • Paul Friedman, 45, a management consultant.
  • Edward (Ted) R. Hennessy Jr., 35, a business partner and father of two.
  • Carlos Alberto Montoya, 36

For grief support, wellness, and community support resources, visit the Belmont Health Department Resources page at belmont-ma.gov/2072/Health-Department-Resources.

For questions, contact the Belmont Select Board at selectboard@belmont-ma.gov

New Look Girls’ Volleyball Squad Ready To Make Confidence Run In Middlesex League

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Photo: Belmont High Girls’ Volleyball prepping for the coming season

Second-year Belmont High Girls Volleyball Head Coach Raylynn Kauila now has a team that has begun playing under “her” system. With a young team and not as big in the front line as recently, what’s going to drive the team is being poised and positive. 

“My overall philosophy is all about confidence because if they believe they can, they will. But the second they think they can’t do something, they won’t. And so in terms of hitting, playing defense, putting up a block, like, once a player doubts themselves, they are their own worst enemy. They will hold themselves back,” she said.

And Belmont plays in a very competitive Middlesex League where any dip in its conviction, the Marauders, will have its hands full battling playoff contenders headed by Winchester (19-1 last season) and a slew of Division II powerhouses in Wakefield, Burlington, Reading, and Melrose. 

“We’re very young all around,” said Kaulia. The team lost a number of key starters from last year’s team, including record-breaking assist leader Sophia Qin. 

Kauila will use two players in the key role: senior captain Katya Polina and sophomore Sophia Wang. “She’s enormous shoes to fill, but I am confident with who we have ready to step up now.” The pair will be feeding the ball to a pair of returning outside hitters, junior captain Danbi Kim and sophomore Emma Miao.

“Both of them were really big last year. They were really key players. Danbi started a lot, and then Emma did really well coming off the bench,” said Last year, it was intimidating being behind so many senior outsides. But Emma did a good job as a freshman on varsity, like coming off the bench ready. She definitely earned her starting spot this year.

Belmont’s youth will be found in its back line. The one returning varsity player, senior Sofia Pavlou, will be mentoring a group of players who will be on the court.

“Pavlou didn’t play as many games last year because our senior libero last year, Zulal Merdinian, she was just phenomenal. Sophia did a really good job of learning from Zulal. So we’re hoping that her senior leadership will help fill that role there. They are young in terms of varsity experience, but they do a good job of keeping up. They’ve played club. Furthermore, they are putting in the work during practice and outside on their own time.”

Senior captain LeeLee Kozelian will anchor the front line from the middle position. “She’s a force to be reckoned with at the net, whether it’s blocking or hitting. She’s going to be like our true utility player: wherever we need her, she’s ready to go.” Kozelian will be joined up front by Polina “one of our bigger blockers as well” along with our middle blocker, Lucy Warner. 

Belmont starts the league season Tuesday, Sept. 8 vs. Watertown at the Wenner. Not one of the stronger teams, Kauila will not have her charges overlook the Red Raiders or any team they face this season.

“I want us going into every game not underestimating a team. They aren’t the best, but I do know that they will sneak up on us if we’re playing lazy, if we’re not pushing ourselves,” said Kauila. “I want to hold us to a standard, no matter who we are playing against. And so Watertown will show me if the girls are also believing that and holding that standard. And if they aren’t, then they will quickly have to get it together. I’ll play girls who understand that we need to keep that standard, no matter who it is.”

Last year Belmont made the MIAA Division 1 tournament as the 24 seed with a 10-9 record. Does Kauila see a return to the post season?

“I think we could be a tournament team if it’s all going to come down to our confidence,” she said. “Our hitters are there. Our defense is there. Our blocks are there. Our chemistry is coming along, and it’s trusting each other to have each other’s back when playing defense. So if we put it all together throughout the season, I think we could make it to the tournament.”

What’s Open, Close On Labor Day; Trash Pick Up Delayed A Day

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Photo: USPS Labor Day stamps circa 1956

Goodbye, summer. Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7, ends the last big getaway weekend of the warm weather season.

Trash and recycling collection is delayed ONE DAY due to the holiday: If your pickup day is Monday, this week it will be collected on Tuesday, etc.

The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being. 

Before it was a federal holiday, Labor Day was recognized by labor activists and individual states. After municipal ordinances were passed in 1885 and 1886, a movement developed to secure state legislation. New York was the first state to introduce a bill, but Oregon was the first to pass a law recognizing Labor Day in 1887. During that year, Massachusetts joined four other states passing laws creating a Labor Day holiday. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday, and on June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday.

Boston will be holding its Labor Day Parade in downtown Boston at 10 a.m.

Labor Day is one of ten holidays recognized by the federal government, although the feds don’t require employers to pay workers for this holiday. Businesses traditionally provide their employees with a paid holiday as part of a benefits package because most others do the same.

Closed:

Belmont Town offices, Boston Public Schools, Belmont Public Library and Belmont Light are closed.

• US Postal Service offices and regular deliveries.

• Banks; although some branches will be open in some supermarkets.

• MBTA: Operating on a Sunday schedule. See www.mbta.com for details.

What’s Opened:

• Retail stores

• Coffee shops; Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts are open.

• Supermarkets

• Convenience stores and,

• Establishments that sell beer and wine are also allowed to be open.

As Lander Leads Brownsberger By 4 Votes, State Senate Race Heads To District-Wide Recount Set For Thursday

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Photo: Counting teams preparing to for the Belmont Town Moderators recount in 2025

You hear it in every election: ‘Every vote counts.’

And that certainly was the case in the race for the Middlesex and Suffolk state senate seat, where the two candidates in the Democratic primary enter the weekend seperated by the narrowest of margins.

After a topsy-turvey day which saw the lead in the race swiched hands and neither candidate able to pull away, first time challenger Daniel Lander leads incumbent Will Brownsberger by four votes out of approximately 24,000 total ballots tallied.

With the results easily within the state’s threshold for a recount, the outcome between the election nyophite Lander and Beacon Hill veteran Brownsberger will be decided next Thusday, Sept. 10, when ballots will be recounted by volunteers in the four communities – Belmont, Watertown, Cambridge and several Boston neighborhoods – that makes up the district.

And the recall will not simply an exercise of re-reading ballots that have already been counted. Cushman said the town is holding seven uncounted ballots as pervisional as the voter’s party afflictation had not been determined on election night. And Boston reported to have several paper ballots that were damaged when processed through the scanners.

According to Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman, the recount will need to be completed by Friday, Sept. 11, with the updated results presented to the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office by 5 p.m.

Both candidates filed for a recount by the Thursday, Sept. 3 3 p.m. deadline with Brownsberger handing in his petition early to Cushman with Lander’s signatures coming in by the afternoon.

Cushman said the next step in the recall will be boundling the ballots into groups of 50 which will make it more efficient to collect and count. On Thursday, Cushman was calling for volunteers to be examiners who will determine which candidate a voter had selected.  

Cushman’s team has recent experience with recalls, including the Town Moderator in 2025.

The recount of nearly 6,000 votes will be conducted at card tables in the Town Hall auditorium by a two-person “counting team” with a reader facing a ‘calculator’. who will tally the votes. The candidates were allowed an observer at each table who an challenge any ballot they feel is incorrectly tabulated. The town’s Board of Registers will judge all disputed ballots.

With clerks and town officials, the auditorium could see 100 people squeezed into the second floor space.

After each 50 ballot bundle is complete, the results will be brought to a table where the Registers will tally the numbers. When all the bundles are counted, a final Belmont vote count will be announced.

The town’s experience with the Town Moderator recall should allow the process to move quickly along, said Cushman.

Update: Too Close To Call As Brownsberger Carves Out 61 Vote Advantage Over Lander In State Senate Race

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Photo: Will Brownsberger

On a night that saw one of the candidates announce he would probably loss than reverse that prediction an hour later and the other declaring victory no matter the decision, just who will be the next state senator representing Belmont remains up in the air.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, 15-year incumbent Will Brownsberger has a minuscule 61-vote advantage – 11,997 to 11,936 – over his opponent first-time candidate Daniel Lander, a former policy advisor for Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.

Neither Associated Press or the Boston Globe have called the Democratic primary race for the Suffolk & Middlesex Senate seat as of 5 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 2.

If Brownsberger does retain his seat he first won in Nov. 2011, it will be due in large part to the strong showing of support from his hometown voters. Belmont was the only segment of the districted he won, as the long-time legislator come up second in Boston, Cambridge and Watertown to the first-time candidate.

Brownsberger took the Town of Homes 3,974 to 1,793, a 2,181 margin that allowed the two decade incumbent to create enough of a cushion to stay in the lead for the majority of the night.

But even after Belmont and Watertown reported, Brownsberger surprisingly told campaign supporters who gathered at Donahue’s Bar and Grill in Watertown that it was not going to be his night.

“[The results are] not looking that good tonight,” Brownsberger told supporter before 10 p.m. “We might have lost,” Brownsberger said, reported the Boston Globe. “I’m not quite saying that yet, but as is my way upfront, that’s what I’m seeing out there.”

A Brownsberger backer from Belmont who attended the victory celebration, said the candidate’s “forthright” announcement took a large segment of the smallish crowd by surprise. “It is sooo early and the [reported] numbers said he is in the lead,” the supporter’s text. “[Brownsberger] must know it’s already over.”

But at the 11th hour, Brownsberger told the crowd his earlier prediction did not include complete Belmont returns – Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman announced the returns at 9:16 p.m. – and the vote count was now “in his favor.”

Lander entered the race with the endorsement and backing of his former boss Wu, who has been in a nasty political spat with Belmont’s veteran legislator over 2024 legislation in which he helped block a tax bill to temporarily shifted more of Boston’s property tax burden on to commercial owners.

Brownsberger would hold a 1,500 vote lead at 11 p.m. only to see the advantage slip away with each Boston precinct being called.

With Brownsberger holding on to a tight 325-vote lead after Boston’s 35 precincts were called, Cambridge votes were the final ones tallied sometime after 2 a.m. And while Landers carried his one-time hometown, he couldn’t close the gap.

It is uncertain if a recount is required or if Lander will ask for one.

In the other legislative race for the 24th Middlesex (The ABC District has it covers Arlington, Belmont, and Cambridge,} state Rep. Dave Rogers used his tireless retail campaign style to return to Beacon Hill as he defeated another first-time candidate Nomita Ganguly, 6,906 to 2,867. Rogers received 3,462 votes to Ganguly’s 2,043.

Middlesex District Attorney and Belmont’s own Marian Ryan will continue to uphold the law as she defeated David Marc Solet easily.

Early results: Brownsberger Says ‘[Election] Not Looking That Good Tonight’ As Hometown Comes Out Big For Long-Time Senator

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Photo: Will Brownsberger

With nearly 40 percent of precincts tallied, State Sen. Will Brownsberger could see the writing on the wall.

“[The results are] not looking that good tonight,” Brownsberger told supporters gathered at Donahue’s in Watertown just before 10 p.m. on state primary night, Sept. 1.

“We might have lost,” Brownsberger said, reported the Boston Globe. “I’m not quite saying that yet, but as is my way upfront, that’s what I’m seeing out there.”

Brownsberger’s reaction came just a half-an-hour after Belmont voters showed its support for the long-standing legislator. Town Clerk Ellen Cushman reported Brownsberger received 3,974 votes to his opponant Daniel Lander who garnered 1,793, a more than a two-to-one margin.

But Brownsberger isn’t rounding up that same level of support in the rest of the district, being edged out in his birthplace of Watertown and running behind in early returns in his Boston precincts where Lander had the advantage of the endorsement of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.

Final results are expected soon.

Belmont Candidates On The Sept. 1 State Primary Ballots As Party Faithful Select Candidates For General Election

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Photo: State Sen. Will Brownsberger, State Rep. Dave Rogers and Gov. Maura Healey in Belmont Sunday.

Belmont residents both past and present and those connected to the town will be prominently on display on both the Democratic and Republican ballots as the party faithful pick the candidates for November’s general election.

Voting in the Massachusetts State Primary Election takes place Tuesday, Sept. 1, with the polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Registered voters may cast their ballots in person only on Election Day; at the following polling locations: 

  • Precinct One: Belmont Public Library, 366 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 Rd., enter from Cross Street.

If you are wondering if you are a registered voter and your voting precinct, go to the Town Clerk’s web page or phone the Town Clerk’s office at 617-993-2600.

Election results for town wide and Town Meeting races will be announced at Town Hall after the polls close and are located on the Town Clerk’s website early Wednesday morning.

Both of Belmont’s reps on Beacon Hill find themselves with opponents on the Democratic ballot.

In one of the featured races of the night, long-standing incumbent Will Brownsberger faces his stiffest challenge since being elected state senator in December 2011 from new comer Daniel Landers, a former policy advisor to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. Landers has roots in the town as his parents are longtime members of Beth El Temple on Concord Avenue.

Landers has the endorsement and backing of his former boss Wu, who has been in a nasty political spat with the veteran legislator over 2024 legislation blocking a property tax bill that would have temporarily shifted more of Boston’s property tax burden on to commercial owners.

The importance of the election was highlighted as Gov. Maura Healey spent this past Sunday rallying Brownsberger’s volunteers before a final day of campaigning in the district.

In a much more quiet affair, State Rep. Dave Rogers seeks to retain his seat against first time candidate Nomita Ganguly of Belmont. It’s been a good natured campaign with a great deal of retail, face-to-face politicking.

Last year Elizabeth Dionne was steering Belmont’s town government as a member of the Select Board. Today, Dionne is running unopposed to be the Republican candidate for state Treasurer and take on Democrat Deb Goldberg.

Many will remember Brian Shortsleeve as a reporter and anchor on local Boston television. The former Belmont native is running to be the Republican candidate for governor against wealthy businessman Michael Minogue, who has aligned himself with President Donald Trump.

And incumbent Marian Ryan seeks to continue as Middlesex County District Attorney as she faces challenger David Marc Solet