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

After Decades Of Wishful Hopes, First Portion Of Community Path Hits Milestone With Board’s Approval

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Photo: The Belmont Select Board signing the documents to begin the construction phase of the first portion of the Belmont Community Path with a completion date in late-summer 2029

For more than two decades, the idea of a Belmont Community Path, a bike and walk way running through town from Cambridge to Waltham, was seen as a far-fetched hope of advocates and town officials, its reality being far off on the horizon.

That changed this week.

Monday. Aug. 10 was the red-letter day for the long-awaited path as the Select Board signed five documents that open the door for the state to seek bids next month to begin construction this time next year.

“We’re gonna have a path!” said Select Board member Matt Taylor, who has been the board’s representative on the Community Path Project Committee and has been heralding the path for years. 

With the final approvals in hand, the project has a tentative opening day for Phase 1 sometime mid-summer of 2029.

Phase 1 of the Belmont Community Path runs from the Fitchburg Cutoff Path at the Belmont and Cambridge line to the Clark Street Bridge off Pleasant Street. A major component of the first phase is a pedestrian tunnel at Alexander Avenue and St. under the commuter rail track to allow access to Belmont High School and Concord Avenue.

Monday’s main task was acquiring the property rights to do the work formally … to be certified to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and to be funneled to the Federal Highway Administration. 

“The Town’s job is to acquire rights of way, work with the engineers to make sure that the project is planned out, and then the funding gets unlocked through the state government,” said Mina Makarious, Belmont’s town counsel, who presented the documents to the board.

The five acquisitions and uses the Board approved Monday included:

  • Final MBTA lease for Phase 1 along the commuter rail line.
  • Permanent and temporary easements on private property with compensation determined by an independent appraiser.
  • Accepting the donation of land along the commuter rail from the Belmont Citizens Forum.
  • License to use Department of Conservation and Recreation property.
  • Vote for use of School Committee land.

“Taken together, it gives you the acquisition rights for all things you need for the path,” said Makarious. 
“With the unanimous vote, the state will put the path project out to bid on Sept. 5.”

With the approvals and funding in place, a project timeline has been released.

  • Jan. 2027: State puts out bids in early September 2026. It will select a winning bid before the start of 2027.
  • Jan. 2027-Sept. 2027: Construction submittals, including data, drawings, or physical samples provided to architects and engineers for approval before buying or installing materials. 
  • June 2027-June 2028: The procurement process will start including hiring specialized trade subcontractors and ordering material that have long lead times to deliver. 
  • July 2027-August 2028: Preliminary path construction.
  • August 2028: The construction of the Alexander Ave. pedestrian tunnel, which will take one week, during which commuter service on the Fitchburg line will be suspended.
  • August 2028-July 2029: Finishing the path’s construction.

“There’ll be a lot of coordination with drawings, site visits, and walks, and plan review for much of the first six months of 2027,” said Taylor, 

It’s has been a long and dedicated process since the summer of 2019 when Nitsch Engineering was selected to design the Belmont portion of the 104-mile Mass Central Rail Trail that began when its first segment was opened in West Boylston in 1999.

In July, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation approved the town’s $48 million request in the current state Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The community path is part of a rolling five-year capital plan (2027 to 2031) that includes all highway, road, bridge, and transit projects scheduled to receive federal funding within a specific regional planning area.

According to Taylor, putting the final pieces of the community path puzzle in place before a July deadline was dicey, as calculating the easements was conducted late in the process, and this year’s annual Town Meeting, which, as Taylor noted, “was kind of the roller coaster ride” as members were presented a surprise $1 million bill for the easement of a small spur of Alexander Avenue to provide access to the pedestrian tunnel. 

If any of the appraisals and easement determinations were not completed on time or funded by Town Meeting, it was a certainty federal and state funding would have been denied and the path – despite having finished construction blueprints – would have had to restart the process, which would have been a death knell for a future path.

But a late push resulted in the appraisals being completed in July and letters of just compensation to property owners being sent on July 9th. And Town Meeting showed its overwhelming support for the path by digging deep and funding the Alexander Avenue spur.

Sitting in the boardroom Monday was Holly Muson, chair of the Community Path Project Committee, which has overseen the project’s progress. After saying it was an important accomplishment to move a part of the project into the bid process, Muson noted the second phase – from the Clark Street Bridge through Waverley Square to the Waltham city line – will need to go through a similar process with a greater level of complexity in terms of design and obtaining right-of-way easements. 

“But today shows that we keep moving forward,” said Muson.

Belmont’s New Police Chief’s First Hires Upshot From Soaring Applications Coming Outside Civil Service

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Photo: Flanked by her mother and father, Belmont’s newest Police Officer Emily Ricci has her picture taken at her swearing in on Aug. 3 at Belmont’s Town Hall.

The Belmont Police Department welcomed two law enforcement veterans into the department in a Monday, Aug. 3 ceremony. 

Emily Ricci and Robert Ludwig were sworn in by Assistant Town Clerk Meg Piccione in the Town Hall auditorium with Belmont officers, Belmont elected officials, town staff, and family and friends in attendance.

Robert Ludwig (left) and Emily Ricci at their swearing in to be Belmont Police officers on Aug. 3

Four additional police hires began 22 weeks of Recruit Officer Courses, a basic training curriculum overseen by the Municipal Police Training Committee at its Randolph Police Academy. 

“The swearing in is a time-honored tradition that affirms the dedication of a public servant to the protection of the community,” Belmont Police Lt. Paul Cowing to begin the ceremony. “A solemn vow to serve the people based on the law, the Constitution, and what is best for Belmont.

“… [T]his ceremony will mark their commitment to a new community and the start of a new chapter in their professional lives,” said Cowing.

Ricci and Ludwig are lateral/post-certified officers transferring from their previous posts.

A Bedford native, Ricci began her law enforcement career in 2020 with the Richland County (SC) Sheriff’s Department after graduating from the University of South Carolina with a degree in psychology. She was a dispatcher with the Belmont Police Department for the past two years. Ricci joins her brother, a Burlington PD detective, as an officer in Massachusetts.

With Ricci and a candidate at the Academy, Belmont will soon have eight female officers.

Belmont Assistant Town Clerk Meg Piccione issues the oath to Emily Ricci and Robert Ludwig to serve as Belmont Police officers

After serving in the US Air Force, Ludwig began his career with the Dracut Police Department in 2014 before joining the Carlisle Police Department, where he was both a firearms instructor and a patrol officer. He matriculated at UMass Lowell, where he earned a degree in criminal justice. 

This group of a half-dozen successful applicants are the first hires by Belmont’s new Police Chief Shane Smith. 

“It’s such a milestone for me personally,” said Smith. “This was a very competitive process … and these two stood head and shoulders above everyone else.” 

Unlike past police chiefs, Smith was not constrained by the state’s Civil Service system in which applicants take a competitive examination, and those eligible candidates are then rank-listed. Due to Civil Service’s strict adherence to ranked lists, departments are prevented from hiring high-potential or diverse candidates lower down if scoring thresholds interfere. 

“We were having trouble recruiting applicants, given the restraints of Civil Service,” according to Town Administrator Patrice Garvin. In the final four years under the system, Belmont received less than a dozen applicants: four candidates in 2020, three in 2021, two in 2022, and just a single candidate in 2023. 

Belmont Police Chief Shane Smith

The resulting impact was an undermanned department and large yearly budget payouts in overtime, said Garvin. In 2024, Belmont’s Town Meeting voted for the police department to leave the state-run program. 

And this year, the number of applicants has exploded.

“We received 53 applicants to fill the vacancies, and I think it’s a direct result of bringing [Smith] on board,” said Garvin, who praised his ability to use more recruiting avenues “to make sure we have the best applicants.”

“Coming from the agency that never had civil service in New Hampshire, you have to go out and recruit people,” said Smith. Because so many local police departments depend on lists of applicants, they don’t have a culture of actively finding and attracting hiring new people for a job, he said. For Smith, it was second nature.

“I took basically the blueprint that I had from [Salem, NH] that was very successful, and I brought it to Belmont,“ said Smith.

With younger people using apps, Smith focused on PoliceApp.com, a popular law enforcement job site.

“We paid a small fee, which also allowed the site to push Belmont to the top and also push us out over social media. We did our own pushing out as far as Instagram and Facebook and had people share it.” Smith said one of the six who was selected – a recent graduate from the University of New Hampshire – reached out to him on LinkedIn, the Microsoft-owned business and employment-oriented social networking service.

“I said, ‘Are you interested in being a local law enforcement officer?’ because he had a degree in Homeland Security. He said, ‘Absolutely, I am.’ So through a wide array of social media, we get an educated college athlete who is one of your people who will be studying August 3rd in the academy in Randolph.”

“I was beyond pleased with the people who came in for a chief’s interview at the end, and I was blown away by the candidates who were before me. Educated, articulate, well-rounded, from various backgrounds,” said Smith.

And the large number of applicants allowed Smith to be selective about who he wanted in the department.

“I had several certified officers apply. I did not select them. I would only take the best. I’ve learned in my career that if you settle for what’s out there, bad things will happen. Maybe not now. Maybe not in my time here. The last thing I want is a future chief to say, “I cannot believe that Chief Smith hired this person.”

Town Honors Belmont Ruggers On Eighth Straight State Championship

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Photo: The Belmont Select Board honors the Belmont High Girls: (from left) Select Board Chair Taylor Yates, Head Coach Kate McCabe players Adele Goho, Nina Lind, Serena Field, and LeeLee Kozelian with board members Carol Berberian and Matt Taylor.

For this one time, there’s actually no word that describes the accomplishments of the Belmont High School Girls Varsity Rugby team.

“I’ve heard of repeat champs. I’ve heard of repeat, repeat champs. I don’t know what the word is for an eight times champion,” said Taylor Yates, the chair of the Select Board commemorating the girls’ rugby team’s eighth consecutive title after the team defeated Weymouth High School, 36 to 24, in the 2026 MIAA Division I girls rugby state championship on June 11 at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy,

“One of the things that we do here at the select board is recognize exceptional achievements, accomplishments, and contributions by members of our community. And I’d like to congratulate on behalf of the select board, the girls rugby team,” said Yates.

Juniors Adele Goho, Nina Lind, Serena Field, and LeeLee Kozelian joined long-time head coach Kate McCabe in accepting the proclamation from the town.

Part of the citation reads:

“You have set a high standard of excellence, commitment, and dedication, which the youth of our town may follow, and you serve as an inspiration to the citizens of the town of Belmont.”

“The student athletes, coaches, families, and supporters of Belmont’s girls rugby have demonstrated commitment, dedication, perseverance, and pride in representing Belmont High School and the town of Belmont, now therefore it be resolved that the Select Board of the town of Belmont joins with the community in paying tribute to the Belmont High School Girls Varsity Rugby Team for this outstanding achievement.”

Letter To The Editor: Brownsberger, ‘A True Public Servant’

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Photo: Will Brownsberger

To me, Will Brownsberger is the definition of a public servant.

I first met Will in 2017 over a bill I was deeply concerned about. Of all the elected officials I spoke with, he was the only one who truly understood the issue despite the prevailing narratives. 

As an immigrant new to this country, I was self-conscious—not just about my English, but about everything. Will was incredibly encouraging and became a mentor to me. Since then, we’ve worked together on several projects, most recently on dental care coverage for head and neck cancer survivors.

Will is compassionate, thoughtful, and a man of his word. When he says he will do something, he does it. In an era when many people are frustrated by politicians who make big promises but deliver little, Will stands out because you can trust that he means what he says.

I’ve never seen another elected official publish a personal cell phone number in a full-page local newspaper ad, inviting constituents to reach out directly. Even more remarkably, he replies to every email and text—and quickly. I often wonder how he manages to do it.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the local Asian community hosted a cultural celebration. Will was the very first guest to arrive, well before anyone else. It genuinely surprised the organizers and made all of us feel seen and honored.

Will is transparent. He regularly updates constituents through his blog and writes thoughtful analyses on various policy issues. I remember one reader challenged him to read a book presenting an opposing viewpoint. Will accepted the challenge and wrote back with his thoughts. That openness has earned him respect, even from many people who disagree with him.

Will has earned my vote again in Sept. 1.

Ye Zhang Pogue 

Lewis Road

School District Holding Info Forum Monday, Aug. 3 To Answer Residents Questions After Staffer’s Arrest

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Photo: Belmont Middle School

Belmont Public Schools is hosting a hybrid community forum on Monday, August 3, at 4 p.m. in the Town Hall auditorium, a week after the arrest of a long-time educator for the possession of images of child sexual exploitation.

At the Aug. 3 forum, district leadership and members of the Belmont Police Department will answer questions and provide any additional information on the incident.

Leon Dyer, who had been an educator at Belmont Middle School for approximatley 19 years, pleaded not guilty to two counts of possession of child sexual abuse material on Monday, July 27 in Cambridge District Court. Dyer posted bail and was released on Monday.

Residents who want to participate remotely can attend the forum via ZOOM at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89006941103
WEBINAR ID: 890 06941103

“The safety and well-being of our students will always remain our highest priority,” said Belmont Superintendent of Schools Jill Geiser, “Although we do not yet have a complete understanding of this matter, we will continue to share what information we have when we can.”