Former Warrant Committee Chair Lubien Hired As Belmont’s New CFO

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Photo: Geoff Lubien

Geoff Lubien, the former chair of the Warrant Committee, has been hired to be Belmont’s new Chief Financial Officer, according to Town Administrator Patrice Garvin.

The announcement, made at the start of the Monday, April 6 Select Board meeting, comes after the town spent seven months filling the post held by Jennifer Hewitt, the town’s financial director and assistant town administrator, who left in September. 

The CFO office is a new position in the town’s administrative office. 

“While we poached him from the private sector, [Lubien] has been … instrumental in the past 10 years of municipal finance in the town, while his private sector experience truly made him the outstanding candidate,” said Garvin.

Lubien will start Monday, April 27, just before the start of the annual Belmont Town Meeting. 

Garvin said the process started with 30 applicants, which was then pared down to six.

“We had a lot of good, strong applicants, which is very nice, considering there were some years that we saw the applicant pool decrease a little bit,” said Garvin.

Assisted by the town’s Human Resources Director Kelli King, and with the help of current members of the Warrant Committee, the Board of Trustees for the Library, and a former member of the Select Board, the finalists were interviewed, and three finalists were chosen from whom Lubien was selected.

Lubien comes to the job from his position as a marketing analyst with Bedford-based iRobot. His experience in town government includes serving on the Warrant Committee, the Financial Task Force, and his current post on the Senior Tax Relief Working Group. 

Select Board members were overwhelmingly positive about Lubien’s hiring.

“[Lubien] is the kind of the person who knows Belmont and municipal government really well, [while] also having the background in analytic experience. I’m thrilled,” said Select Board Chair Matt Taylor.

“Geoff’s awesome. I’ve worked with him for 10 years. Nobody knows the talent, finances, and budget better than [Lubien]” said member Elizabeth Dionne.

Speaking to the Belmontonian while working the polls at the Belmont Public Library on Tuesday, April 7, Lubien said taking his talents to the municipal government “is something I’ve been thinking about for a while.”

“I actually talked with Jennifer Hewitt about getting into the municipal government side about a year ago, and started to do some research. And then this opportunity came up.” He reached out to Garvin who encouraged him to apply.

“I’m looking forward to bringing my background with statistics and econometrics to the position. I really like the idea of a job that actually contributes to the greater good and uses everything I’ve learned on the job and works with the town,” he said.

While well versed in the town’s finances, “there’s a learning curve as there are details that I was never privy to because the town folks were working on that. There’s going to be a lot of learning, and I recognize that, and it’s exciting too,” said Lubien.

Lubien already knows there’s one big change with the new job. “Like many people, I’ve worked from home for a while, so I’ll be in the office every day of the week, which is good because I’m ready to get out of the house.”

And it also means a trip to the shops. “I don’t have any work clothes that fit anymore,” Lubien said.

Belmont Town Election Tuesday, April 7: A Return To The Library

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Photo: Go out and vote Tuesday

Belmont’s annual Town Election is Tuesday, April 7!

Registered voters may cast their ballots in person only on Election Day; polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the following polling locations: 

A list of the candidates for town-wide office and Town Meeting can be found in the Belmont League of Women Voters guide.

And on Tuesday, Precinct 1 voters will have both a new and old polling place as the town “returns” to the recently opened Belmont Public Library at 336 Concord Ave. After the old library building was taken down in March 2024, voting took place at Beth El Temple Center.

The precinct locations are:

  • Precinct One: Belmont Public Library, 336 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 Belmont Town Hall after the polls close and on the Town Clerk’s website early Wednesday morning.

Belmont High Southpaw Pair No-Hits Everett In ‘Home’ Opener, First No-No In 26 Seasons

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Photo: A happy Belmont High baseball team celebrates with pitchers Craig Deane and Kyle Ksander who combined for the Marauders first no-hitter since 2000.

As far back as November, Belmont High School’s long time baseball manager Jim Brown was talking highly – in his iconic dead pan manner – of the pitching staff he would be sending out to the mound in the spring.

“They’ve been prepping really well in the off-season. Yeah, four who I think are going to impress,” said “Brownie.”

It only took the first game of the campaign to prove Brown’s forecast right as a pair of those arms went out and put up a marker for the rest of the season as senior southpaws Craig Deane and Kyle Ksander combined to no hit Everett, 6-0, in the season opener on Friday, April 3.

Pitching under the lights, Ksander – a 6 foot, 175 lb. returning varsity lefty whose fast ball tops out at 85 mph – struck out eight in four innings while the multi-positional Deane K’d seven in his three innings of action to share Belmont’s first no-hitter in 26 years.

The season’s “home” opener was played at Watertown High School’s turf field due to the soggy conditions at Brendan Grant Field.

The no-hit shutout is a promising start for Belmont coming off a 9-11 ’25 campaign where it got pushed around against “mehe” opposition to miss the MIAA tourney.

After being on the road against Melrose (Monday) and Reading (Wednesday), Belmont will be at the Grant on Friday, April 10 vs Watertown. First pitch is at 4:15 p.m.

Belmont High Girls’ LAX Wins Opener Over Wayland, 13-11, As Mun Rises From The Pitch With 5 Goals

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Photo: Belmont High School senior co-captain Sydney Mun scoring the Marauders’ first goal of the season in the season opener vs. Weston.

It was a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em girls’ lacrosse season opener for co-captain Belmont High’s Sydney Mun as the senior midfielder found herself sprawled on the turf at least a half dozen times.

But like the best fighters, the senior forward picked herself off the canvas to score, collecting five goals, including the game winner, leading Belmont High Girls’ Lacrosse to a 13-11 victory over a stubborn Weston squad at Harris Field on Tuesday, March 31.

The first time Mun hit the deck came with seconds remaining in the opening quarter – with her stick flying skyward as she landed with a thud – resulting in the team’s first tally of the year off the subsequent penalty zone free position.

Belmont’s head coach, Dan O’Brien is not surprised at the times Mun was spun, knocked, and went down during the game. “It happens a lot,” he said. “She plays so aggressively, and she goes hard. She makes good things happen. And we’re gonna need that all year from her, so it’s good.”

While the evening’s focus was on Mun scoring, it was a moment of situational awareness – call it lacrosse IQ – that O’Brien said was Mun’s most important involvement of the game, coming within three minutes from the final whistle after Weston cut the lead to two.

A Belmont sideline pass got loose and headed out of bounds, which would turn over the ball to the Wildcats, giving the visitors an opportunity to cut the lead to a single score. But tracking back to the ball, Mun put herself in position to snag the ball in her stick and gain possession.

[Mun] made a really great, smart, aggressive play, winning that ground ball, then going backwards with it and killing the clock. That’s the type of heady stuff that I’m talking about,” said O’Brien.

For Mun, just the start of the season was a long time coming for the multi-sport student athlete. 

“I think it’s super exciting to be back on the field, and it was really a team effort. Ball movement was a big contributor to finding open players, and it was just really fun,” said Mun. She said her and the team’s quickness was the advantage that provided the win for the Marauders’.

“During practice, we are always doing conditioning, getting the first step, and starting to accelerate in our speed. I think that was very evident in our game,” said Mun.

Tuesday was game one in one of the more difficult schedules a high school girls’ lacrosse team will play this season. The week of the public schools spring break (April 22) will see the Marauders enter a four-game gauntlet against powerful opponents Billerica, Andover, Top 20 North Andover, and defending Division 2 state champions Notre Dame, Hingham.

And Belmont will be facing these powerhouse programs with a newly formed backline. Led by returning starter senior Fiona Rodrigues-Clark, the three newcomers to defense – sophomore Gabriella Carney and juniors Nina Sheth-Voss and Lily Cook – have, while being a work in progress, grown as a cohesive unit.

“That was a brand new defensive unit we have out there,” said O’Brien. “We’ve got to continue to develop their communication and learn how to play as a unit. Lily [Cook] stepped up [against Weston] and played great individual one-on-one defense, and Gabriella [Carney] made a couple of great plays to force turnovers at the end.”

Belmont’s newly constructed defense showed enough promise supporting senior goalie Brooke Whalen, who came up with 11 saves that allowed the Marauders to stay in front for the entire game. “[Whalen] had the big saves when we needed them. It’s always about stealing one or two goals that made the difference tonight,” said O’Brien.

“She’s our Brooke Wall,” said a teammate after the game.

Along with Mun, O’Brien was encouraged that the Marauders’ attack didn’t rely on a single player. And that single player is usually senior midfield All-Star Niamh Lesnik who had a couple of goals, including a solo run taking the draw and storming down the middle of the field to deposit her first of the season. Senior attack Nora Goulding provided three assists, junior mid Ruth Siegert had two goals, and Maddie Tisdale contributed a goal and an assist.

“So I’m happy with the way we’ve taken coaching,” said O’Brien. “Now we have to see continued improvement.”

School Committee OKs Three Year Superintendent Contract; ‘Interim’ Dropped From Student Services Director’s Title

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Photo: Belmont Schools Superinterndent Dr. Jill Geiser

It was smooth sailing for Schools Superintendent Dr. Jill Geiser as the Belmont School Committee voted unanimously to support a second employment agreement with Geiser to continue as the district’s leader for an additional three-year term.

“I want to acknowledge Dr. Geiser leadership and the work underway across the district that she has been spearheading,” said School Committee Chair Meg Moriarty, who noted the contract will run from July 1 through June 30, 2030, with a possible one-year extension. 

“The agreement that we’ve come to reflects that the school committee wishes to support the continuation of that work and your very strong district leadership. I think the contract provides important continuity for the Belmont public schools through June 2030, with a standard one-year extension,” said Moriarty.

Details of Gieser’s contract, including her salary and compensation which is being adjusted in year one, allowing her to be compensated at an equivilent level found in other districts, were not provided by Moriarty. Those changes are based on a third-year superintendent with a doctorate in education, followed by modest, predictable increases that reflect both other contract conditions in the district and the fiscal responsibility expected of the school committee.

After the vote, Geiser called out the committee’s “confidence in my work as a superintendent. I also convey that to the leadership team. It is the people on our team that really make things happen, and I want to extend appreciation in that direction as well.”

Geiser pointed out the experience of being a superintendent in a community where she lives “is really pretty incredible.”

“I get comments like, ‘Is that hard [working in Belmont]?’ I was like, ‘Actually, it’s good.’ It’s because I feel that I have much more investment in it, and it’s not hard to get out to certain events and things like that and see what’s going on,” she said.

“I appreciate very much the opportunity to do that here in Belmont, and I am looking forward to continuing on with the work,” said Geiser.

Libby Given the Full Time Job

The transitional title ‘interim’ was a prefix to Jonathan Libby’s title up until Tuesday, when the School Committee approved Libby’s appointment to be the district’s next full-time Director of Student Services through the coming three years.

The Department of Student Services encompasses guidance, nursing, and special education services from preschool through high school.

“I think that the school committee feels that the agreement supports the continuity and leadership in the Student Services Department, which is critical for many of our students and families,” said Moriarty.

After Self Insuring Employees For A Decade, Belmont Seeks Move To Join State Health Plan

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Photo: Logo for the Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission (GIC)

Belmont Town officials have long said a move from a self-insured health plan for town employees and retirees into the state-run insurance program was a matter of “when, not if.”

Well, that “when” is apparently now, as the Select Board voted Monday, March 23, to join the Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission (GIC) plan, as the headwinds of skyrocketing health costs facing smaller schemes have become too precarious to chance sailing into it alone.

Select Board Member Elizabeth Dionne said joining the GIC was never a “dogmatic decision, but it would always be a pragmatic one: it would come down to the numbers.”

“I think the math makes it quite clear, and the timing quite urgent, and the comparison similarities of the plans appear to be aligned enough that I don’t think we’re going to find a better window where we can wait to move to the GIC,” said Select Board Chair Matt Taylor as the board made its formal notification of an intent to engage in the process to change health insurance benefits for more than 1,200 Belmont employees under state law Chapter 30, 2b, Sections 21 through 23. 

The town will negotiate with a group comprised of union reps representing school and town employees.

Belmont employees and retirees are currently under a health insurance trust fund, which is a self-insurance mechanism that pays employee health claims directly rather than paying premiums to insurance companies. And Belmont’s self-insured plan has held over the past decade an advantage on premiums and costs over the GIC. 

But that one-time advantage has been stood on its head as the plan underwent a sudden and steep rise in premiums that was extensively previewed at a February public meeting. While Belmont has been able to offset the cost using the plan’s reserve fund, a small municipal plan has more exposure to cost fluctuations, which forces the plan to increasingly dip into the plan’s reserve account to manage the swings in claim expenses from year to year.

“Healthcare costs are affecting everybody,” said Taylor. Many municipalities are referencing it in their budget or override requests, noted Taylor, pointing to neighboring Lexington, where their health care costs have created a significant budget shortfall that is leading them to leave open positions unfulfilled and lay off up to 14 municipal workers. 

And Belmont is not immune to the cost shock. “It’s a real budget driver for fiscal years ’26, ’27, and a surprising one for fiscal year ’25 [as it] showed up mid-year,” said Taylor. Claims have increased from $13 million in fiscal ’21 to a projected $20 million in fiscal ’27, led by a huge jump in prescriptions of GLP-1s like Ozempic, reaching $850,000 in fiscal ’25, and specialty drugs that can cost $700,000 per case. There are also higher costs for technology and administrative positions and the aging population saddled onto plans.

The impact: claims for fiscal ’25 are trending 20 percent higher than the nine percent forecasted, with a corresponding reduction in the Health Trust balance and subsequent higher premiums in the coming fiscal year. 

As dark clouds increasingly hang over Belmont and other small plans, there is increasing pressure to move under the large state-run umbrella. GIC is the state-run insurance program for public employees employed by the state and municipalities, including school districts.

The biggest advantage of the state plan is its bulk. The GIC has approximately 460,000 members, including 100,000 municipal members from more than 50 cities, towns, and regional school districts, including Ashland, Brookline, and Woburn. This larger employee pool gives the plan a greater ability to negotiate for multiple plan options from major carriers.

And the future costs show a clear advantage in joining the GIC. The current town plan will see a 24 percent increase in fiscal year ’27 vs. a nine percent increase under the GIC plan. In the first six months (Jan. 1 to June 30, 2027), while an individual’s monthly premium under both plans will increase by $50 to $258, a family premium under the town plan would increase by $135 to $699, while under GIC, that family premium will jump by $77 to $641.

A transfer will bring savings in total town costs. The projected fiscal ’27 annual increase (starting on Jan. 1, 2027) in the town plan will surge by $3 million, totaling $18.1 million, while under GIC the projected increase will be $2 million to $17.1 million.

“There’s the basic economics of the GIC, which is, insurance generally, the more you pool, the better it works. We have found that there have been some idiosyncrasies in Belmont that made it not work for us historically, but we may have turned a page on that,” said Taylor. 

One of the big advantages this year is the state’s actually throwing in more money to help GIC balance its books as a standalone, self-insuring entity. “We do not have access to that. So at this point, it’s not free money, because it all comes from us. But I’d like to reaccess that money,” said Dionne.

Taylor said this is an ideal time to switch plans, as there are plans that are almost comparable. “As a self-ensuring entity, we’ve not been able to provide the same range of options, so I believe there are now eight plans that employees will be able to choose from.”

“A larger pool is a more stable, secure environment for a series of idiosyncratic reasons,” said Dionne. “Every year we’ve either formally or informally revisited this, and every year the numbers dictate against joining GIC. As recently as this last summer, we thought that was still the case. And then it not only changed, it changed quickly, and it changed for everybody across the Commonwealth.”

“The math works out … in favor of moving to the group insurance commission,” said Taylor, ultimately giving greater financial stability to the town.

Town officials are now preparing to move forward with the negotiations with the knowledge that they will need to convince employees that they will receive a better deal with the state-run plan.

“I think change comes with some understandable uncertainty and questions from our employees about what this means for me,” said Taylor. “There are plans that are remarkably similar to what the town offers for an HMO and a PPO, and then there are six additional choices. They’re not identical, but they’re pretty close, and I think at no point will it ever be perfectly identical.”

And the town will attempt to make those changes comprehensible.

“We’ve talked about education sessions, we’ve talked about material, and we’ve talked about creating a Web page for employees so they can just be a couple of clicks from getting to the information that they need,” he said. “We hope to have additional support for [Human Resources], as we recognize this is a transition. We are committed to making sure that the employees have all the information.”

Shane Smith Signs Three Year Contract Becoming Belmont Police Chief

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Photo: Shane Smith during his February interview with the Belmont Select Board

The Belmont Select Board unanimously ratified a three-year contract with Shane Smith to be the town’s next Police Chief at its Monday, March 23 meeting.

According to Kelly King, Belmont’s HR director, Smith’s starting salary is $210,000. The contract also requires Smith to establish residency within 15 miles of Belmont by the end of next summer.

Smith starts his new job on May 4, said King. 

“This is great news for Belmont,” said Select Board Chair Matt Taylor. “We got an outstanding new police chief. It’s been great discussing this with our new police chief … [and] we’re really excited to get started.”

The Select Board unanimously selected Smith from two other finalists at a special meeting on Feb. 20.

Smith was recently the deputy chief in Salem, NH, having spent his entire 24-year law enforcement career on the Salem Police Department. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Lowell with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and psychology, Smith attended the prestigious FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va, in 2024.

Smith replaces James MacIsaac, who left in August to become director of Campus Safety and Security at the Middlesex School in Concord, Mass. Assistant Belmont Police Chief Mark Hurley has been the department’s interim head for the past seven months.

Speaking to the Belmontonian after the ratification vote, Smith said his “initial feel for the town, meeting the Select Board, dealing with the town administrator, and HR, has been fantastic. They’re just so welcoming.” 

While waiting for the meeting to start, Smith said he ran into an officer in Belmont Center.

“Today, I went and got a coffee downtown, and I saw an officer there and spoke to the patrolman. He was educated, he was well-spoken, he was genuine, everything I would look for in a patrolman,” said Smith.

Smith said coming from the outside, he will first need to take an inventory of what the police department is, who the people are, and what their culture is, “so there’s not going to be any major changes initially.” 

“I have to figure out what they’re doing right, and then I’m sure there are some areas that we can improve on. But I have to take that inventory first, and then I’m going to meet with every single person within the police department as well as the Select Board and stakeholders within the community and find out what direction that they want to go,” Smith said.

“My plan is to develop a strategic plan so everyone will know the direction the department is going, and I will set some goals of what we intend to do,” he said. 

“What I’m hearing about this police department is that it’s a great group of officers. Also, something that drew me to the job is that the assistant chief and the captain both will be here for a couple of years to help with my transition. So I’m looking forward to making a relationship with them and learning just how the town operates and how the Police Department operates.”

“I know people might be apprehensive [coming from outside the department], so I hope that they give him the opportunity to build that relationship, because that’s where trust comes from—by building relationships first,” said Smith.

League Of Women Voters Remote Candidates’ Night This Wednesday, March 25

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Photo: Candidates’ night is Wednesday

The League of Women Voters of Belmont is holding its annual Candidates’ Night on Wednesday, March 25 at 7 p.m. The event will be remote.

The night will start with a video “parade” by precinct of Town Meeting candidates, followed by short speeches and a Q&A with the town-wide candidates.

And just remember: Town Election Day is Tuesday, April 7.

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After Three Spring Postponements, Belmont Town Day Scheduled For Saturday, May 16

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Photo: Join the crowd at Belmont Town Day on May 16.

Fourth time’s the charm as the Belmont Center Business Association will come to the Belmont School Board on Monday, March 23 for permission to hold its 37th Annual Town Day on Saturday, May 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Last year marked the third consecutive year that a forecast of rain caused the postponement of the annual Belmont Town Day to September.

Leonard Street from Channing Road to Pleasant Street will be closed from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

There will be multiple tables and tents along the Leonard Street occupied by local groups, non-profits, town departments, retailers and restaurants. There will be kiddie rides, basketball hoops, and, as always, the popular dunk tank.

The yearly Belmont Garden Club Flower and Plant Sale is expected to take place on May 16 from 9 a.m. to noon outside the Belmont Lions Club at the WWI memorial on Common Street and Royal Road.

Belmont School Committee OKs $88.3M Budget For FY ’27, A 9.3 Percent Annual Increase

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Photo: FY ’27 School Committee budget

The Belmont School Committee unanimously approved an $88.3 million fiscal year 2027 budget at its March 10 meeting.

The committee will ask the annual Town Meeting to approve the $74.0 million allocated to the schools from the town’s general fund. The remaining $14.3 million is made up of grants, revolving funds, and other accounts.

The all-in budget (the general fund and the other fund sources) is 9.3 percent above last fiscal year’s amount, while the town’s general funds allocation to the schools rose 4.8 percent, or $3.38 million.

There are two big-ticket items: educator and staff salaries making up three-quarters of the budget, followed by salaries, tuition, and transportation supporting special education at 18 percent.

“You’d see the vast majority of our funds are for staff salaries, which is typical for a [school] district in general,” said Tony DiCologero, director of Finance, Business and Operations.

“So after you look at those two categories together, that’s 93 percent of the school budget coming from the general fund. It doesn’t leave us a lot to do much beyond that,” said Amy Zuccarello, who chairs the finance subcommittee. “I do applaud that we’ve been able to do so much with so little, and I think it is due to where our focus has been.” 

The number of Belmont’s Full-Time Equivalent (FTEs) teaching and staff positions will exceed 600 in FY ’27, with the addition of 19 FTE’s from all sources, as the figure reaches 613.6.

Unlike pre-pandemic budgets, which were inherently completed late in the fiscal year as the town administration and school district sweated out final state-based local aid amounts, there is no surprise of what the school’s allocation will be after the town adopted a revenue-first budget process three years ago. 

There will be two one-time appropriations in the fiscal ’27 budget: $46,000 for the implementation of a Student Information System and funding for the continued adoption of the elementary-level curriculum plan, noted DiCologero.

Revolving funds – individual accounts for specific activities such as athletics, food services, and bus fees – will come in at $4.6 million, an increase of $700,000 from fiscal year ’26, reflecting greater
reliance on the fees for student activities and visual and performing arts, and so reducing the general
fund to this area.

The ’27 fiscal year will see the return of the federal and state grants line item account. During the COVID pandemic era, the district received a significant amount of one-time federal funds along with state recurring grants. That line item has been a considerable jump from $6.3 million to $9.5 million, which is largely due to the anticipated reimbursement and the district’s reliance on state “circuit breaker” funds based on Belmont’s special education tuition and transportation expenses, said DiCologero. 

“Ultimately, I think that this is a very good budget in light of what our available resources are,” said Zuccarello. “We can never predict exactly what the future is going to look like, but this is an educated, informed budget that I feel very happy to support.”