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Contested Races

As in the past: we’ll focus on the contested races in town and leave the uncontested races for later.

Select Board

Select Board is the Town’s chief executive. A three person committee that hires the Town Administrator and provides oversight of Belmont’s Town Government. Among other things, the Board works with the Town Administrator and other elected Boards to develop the Town Budget, prepare the Town Meeting Warrant, and perform the many other tasks that are necessary to keep the Town running smoothly. It is the gatekeeper for bringing Proposition 2 1/2 overrides and debt exclusions before voters, giving it huge power to influence the Town’s finances.

This year there are two candidates for one open seat on the Select Board: Roy Epstein, the incumbent, and Jeff Lasseter, a challenger.

>>My pick: vote Roy Epstein for Select Board<<

This is an endorsement I didn’t anticipate making – as I’ve more often than not locked horns with sitting Select Board member Roy Epstein.

Alas, progressives in town failed to put forward a candidate of their own. That’s our bad. Still, while I often fail to see eye to eye with Roy on a number of issues (notably his lukewarm attitude towards the Community Path, which I find troubling) I have no question that he takes his responsibilities as a Select Board member seriously, does his homework, looks hard at the numbers and – given his past work in Town – appreciates the complexity of the issues facing our community.

I can’t say the same for his opponent, Mr. Lasseter, who is new to this town government thing and appears to have adopted whole cloth the radical, “never tax” positions of his backers at the conservative Citizens for a Fiscally Responsible Belmont. Jeff’s a hard “No” on the Path – at least as it is currently configured – and his answers on our survey regarding key issues like school funding and the Library reveal a candidate willing to gut Town and School services in the name of low taxes. (Check out my joint opinion piece with School Committee Ralph Jones on Jeff’s proposal to slash $8 million to $10 million from the budget for our public schools and make up the difference with “common sense spending.”) Elections often force you to make hard choices. This one wasn’t that hard.

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Board of Health

The Board of Health is a three-person elected body that sets policy and regulations related to public health in Belmont. The Board is the oversight authority for the Belmont Health Department. Needless to say: this is a critical role as the events of the past two years have shown us. Board of Health races are often not contested here in Town. But, perhaps in response to some of the challenges highlighted by the COVID pandemic – not to mention the multiplying public health and environmental issues facing town – we have a contested race this year, with two candidates: Julie Lemay (candidate for re-election)  and Marina Atlas, a challenger.

>> My pick: vote Marina Atlas for Board of Health<<

I think our Board of Health deserves a lot of credit for navigating the tricky waters of the COVID pandemic. Belmont’s Health Department has done a good job communicating about the public health situation in town and – I think – provided good guidance to both the Town and Schools and was a reliable source of information, vaccines and support for the community. Julie Lemay’s response to the Blogging Belmont survey reflected that good work and communicated a hopeful message that I read: “let’s get back to business as usual,” meaning: health inspections, rodent control and – of course – keeping an eye out for COVID.

Going forward though, I think the mandate of the Board of Health will necessarily shift from “business as usual” to the many issues that have been put on the back burner as the pandemic raged. Chief among them: preparing our Town to survive and thrive in the face of a changing climate. That will increase demands on residents, businesses and our government to address everything from stormwater runoff to flooding to air quality and municipal waste.

Given that, Marina strikes me as the candidate who is ready to expand the portfolio of the Board of Health and who brings a wealth of experience to the role. She’s  a former Environmental Protection Specialist, working for and with the US EPA Region 1-New England and a Criminal Justice Specialist, working for the RI Department of Justice on environmental pollution. She’s a strong candidate with a holistic view of public health. She’s a great pick for Board of Health.

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Municipal Light Board

April 5th marks a milestone in Belmont: the first ever election for our Municipal Light Board. For the last century, Belmont’s Select Board did double duty as its Municipal Light Board. After years of lobbying for an elected light boards – stretching back to Paul Solomon’s Government Reform Committee aa decade ago,  Town Meeting finally voted to approve of Article 2 on May 3, 2021, creating new elected, 5-member Municipal Light Board, separate from the Select Board. Members of that board are being chosen Tuesday, with 2 candidates elected to 3- and 2 year positions and 1 candidate elected to a 1 year position.

This year, we have contested races for both the 2- and 1-year positions. The candidates are as follows:

Candidates for 3 year positions: David Beavers | Travis Franck 

Candidates for 2 year positions: Jeffrey Geibel | Steve Klionsky | Michael Macrae 

Candidates for 1 year position: Andrew Machado | Christopher William Morri

After consulting with my Light Board savvy friends, the consensus is that we have a strong field of candidates to choose from this year, which is great. That was the point of going to an elected board in the first place. Still, there was a consensus on who were best situated to serve on the Light Board.

My picks:

>> vote David Beavers, and Travis Franck for the 3 year positions<<

>> vote Steve Klionsky and Michael Macrae for the 2 year positions<<

>> vote Andrew Machado for the one year position <<

Together, these candidates bring decades of energy experience to the new elected Board, both in the energy industry and working directly with Belmont Light.

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Town Meeting Precinct 1

⎙ Precinct 1 Voter Reference Card

Precinct 1 is essentially the residential area bounded by the train tracks, the border with Cambridge, Common Street and (roughly) Washington Street. It has historically been a “powerhouse” in local politics, with high turnout (relatively) in local elections and a progressive bent. The decennial census resulted in some reconfiguration of P1’s boundaries, with new folks in the Precinct and others scattered to other precincts. The redrawing of the boundaries also means that the entire P1 slate of candidates has to run for re-election, even if they were just elected last year. We’ll see what that means going forward. For now, however, P1 looks very competitive with 41 candidates (by my count) competing for 36 openings. (Check out the candidates’ survey responses for P1.)

A note on strategy: you may note that we don’t have a full slate of 36 people to vote for in Precinct 1. That’s OK – and please do not feel the need to cast 36 votes just because there are 36 openings to fill. Below are people we want to see elected to Town Meeting. Positions are allotted based on total votes cast for each candidate, so you will hurt a candidate you support by casting a vote for someone you don’t know just to use all your 36 votes!

In other words: vote only for the candidates you support, even if that’s fewer than 36 votes.

Here are my picks for Town Meeting Precinct 1, arranged as they’ll appear on the ballot, with incumbents listed alphabetically by last name first (sucks, I know) followed by challengers:

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Town Meeting Precinct 2

⎙ Precinct 2 Voter Reference Card

Precinct 2, which covers most of Belmont Hill, has historically been one of the more politically conservative precincts in Town. And, while it has historically been smaller population wise than big turnout precincts like 1 and 8, outsized turnout in P2 played a big role in defeating the April 2021 Proposition 2 1/2 override. With the redistricting brought about by the census, however, P2’s boundaries are changing and the Precinct picked up some new folks from adjacent precincts like 8. As with P1: we’ll have to see what that means in terms of turnout and voting patterns in this precinct.

P2 is also quite competitive with 40 candidates for 36 spots on Town Meeting. (Check out the candidates’ survey responses for P2.)

A note on strategy: you may note that we don’t have a full slate of 36 people to vote for in Precinct 2. That’s OK – and please do not feel the need to cast 36 votes just because there are 36 openings to fill. Below are people we want to see elected to Town Meeting. Positions are allotted based on total votes cast for each candidate, so you will hurt a candidate you support by casting a vote for someone you don’t know just to use all your 36 votes!

In other words: vote only for the candidates you support, even if that’s fewer than 36 votes.

Here are my picks for Town Meeting Precinct 2, arranged as they’ll appear on the ballot, with incumbents listed alphabetically by last name first (sucks, I know) followed by challengers:

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Town Meeting Precinct 3

⎙ Precinct 3 Voter Reference Card

Precinct 3 – essentially: the neighborhoods around and about McClean Hospital – was not affected by the redistricting process and so has just a regular slate of 12, 3 year Town Meeting spots open, in addition to two, 2 year openings to fill in vacated spots. Only one candidate has put in papers for the two, 2-year spots, meaning that one spot will be filled either with write- in ballots or at a Precinct 3 caucus after the election.

There are 13 candidates for the 12, 3-year Town Meeting spots in Precinct 3. (Check out the candidates’ survey responses for P3.)

A note on strategy: you may note that we don’t have a full slate of 12 people to vote for in Precinct 3. That’s OK – and please do not feel the need to cast 12 votes just because there are 12 openings to fill. Below are people we want to see elected to Town Meeting. Positions are allotted based on total votes cast for each candidate, so you will hurt a candidate you support by casting a vote for someone you don’t know just to use all your votes!

In other words: vote only for the candidates you support, even if that’s fewer than 12 votes.

Here are my picks for Town Meeting Precinct 3, arranged as they’ll appear on the ballot, with incumbents listed alphabetically by last name first (sucks, I know) followed by challengers:

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Town Meeting Precinct 4

⎙ Precinct 4 Voter Reference Card

Precinct 4 encompasses the neighborhood around Waverley Square and Belmont Street on the Watertown line. This is the only non-competitive precinct in this year’s Town election, with 12 candidates for 12 spots, and a 1 year spot to fill in the seat of a departing Town Meeting member.

While pretty much everyone on the ballot will get elected, check out the candidates’ survey responses for P4 anyway, just to familiarize yourself with the candidates

Here are my picks for Town Meeting Precinct 4, arranged as they’ll appear on the ballot, with incumbents listed alphabetically by last name first (sucks, I know) followed by challengers:

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Town Meeting Precinct 5

⎙ Precinct 5 Voter Reference Card

Precinct 5, which is the densely packed residential area bounded by Trapelo Road, Beech Street and Common Street, was not affected by redistricting and has a slate of 12 Town Meeting spots to fill. It’s competitive – but just barely – with 13 candidates for the 12 spots. (Check out the candidates’ survey responses for P5.)

A note on strategy: you may note that we don’t have a full slate of 12 people to vote for in Precinct 5. That’s OK – and please do not feel the need to cast 12 votes just because there are 12 openings to fill. Below are people we want to see elected to Town Meeting. Positions are allotted based on total votes cast for each candidate, so you will hurt a candidate you support by casting a vote for someone you don’t know just to use all your votes!

In other words: vote only for the candidates you support, even if that’s fewer than 12 votes.

Here are my picks for Town Meeting Precinct 5, arranged as they’ll appear on the ballot, with incumbents listed alphabetically by last name first (sucks, I know) followed by challengers:

Incumbent

Arto N. Asadoorian
Kristen R. Bell
Mary Bradley
Judith D. Feins
Travis R. Franck
Matthew Garver
Azra Nelson
John Walter Pollock

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Town Meeting Precinct 6

⎙ Precinct 6 Voter Reference Card

Precinct 6 encompasses the neighborhoods around Payson Park, the Chenery Middle School and the reservoir. It is an “up and coming” precinct in terms of Belmont politics and greater (or lesser) turnout there has been decisive in a number of recent elections. That’s expected to increase with the redistricting process, as Precinct 6 lost population over the past decade, and is now taking some neighborhoods from Precinct 1 to even things out.

P6 is competitive with 41 candidates for 36 spots on Town Meeting. (Check out the candidates’ survey responses for P6.)

A note on strategy: you may note that we don’t have a full slate of 36 people to vote for in Precinct 6. That’s OK – and please do not feel the need to cast 36 votes just because there are 36 openings to fill. Below are people we want to see elected to Town Meeting. Positions are allotted based on total votes cast for each candidate, so you will hurt a candidate you support by casting a vote for someone you don’t know just to use all your 36 votes!

In other words: vote only for the candidates you support, even if that’s fewer than 36 votes.

Here are my picks for Town Meeting Precinct 6, arranged as they’ll appear on the ballot, with incumbents listed alphabetically by last name first (sucks, I know) followed by challengers:

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Town Meeting Precinct 7

⎙ Precinct 7 Voter Reference Card

Precinct 7 which comprises the neighborhoods surrounding the Grove Street Playground, has traditionally been pretty quiet in Town Meeting races. Too often, too few candidates stepped forward to run for open TM slots, leading to write-ins and people appointed at caucuses. But all that flipped on its ear this year. P7 is now one of the most competitive in the Town. Though unaffected by redistricting, there are 20 candidates running for just 12 open TM seats. That’s a huge win for voters in P7 who have lots of great candidates to choose from. (Check out the candidates’ survey responses for P7.)

A note on strategy: you may note that we don’t have a full slate of 12 people to vote for in Precinct 7. That’s OK – and please do not feel the need to cast 12 votes just because there are 12 openings to fill. Below are people we want to see elected to Town Meeting. Positions are allotted based on total votes cast for each candidate, so you will hurt a candidate you support by casting a vote for someone you don’t know just to use all your votes!

In other words: vote only for the candidates you support, even if that’s fewer than 12 votes.

Here are my picks for Town Meeting Precinct 7, arranged as they’ll appear on the ballot, with incumbents listed alphabetically by last name first (sucks, I know) followed by challengers:

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Town Meeting Precinct 8

⎙ Precinct 8 Voter Reference Card

Precinct 8 is another electoral powerhouse in town. It was also the precinct that saw the largest population growth since the last census – a reflection of very active turnover in the Winn Brook neighborhood, with lots of new families moving into town. Because of redistricting, P8 lost some of its territory to P2.

All that new blood may account for the huge interest in seeking town office this season. P8 is the most competitive in town with 46 candidates for 36 spots on Town Meeting. (Check out the candidates’ survey responses for P8.)

A note on strategy: you may note that we don’t have a full slate of 36 people to vote for in Precinct 8. That’s OK – and please do not feel the need to cast 36 votes just because there are 36 openings to fill. Below are people we want to see elected to Town Meeting. Positions are allotted based on total votes cast for each candidate, so you will hurt a candidate you support by casting a vote for someone you don’t know just to use all your 36 votes!

In other words: vote only for the candidates you support, even if that’s fewer than 36 votes.

Here are my picks for Town Meeting Precinct 8, arranged as they’ll appear on the ballot, with incumbents listed alphabetically by last name first (sucks, I know) followed by challengers:

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Uncontested Races

As is often the case, a number of Town-wide races are not contested. Here are the races for which there are not competitive races.

Moderator

Moderator is a critical position. In fact, former Select Board member Angelo Firenze used to quip that it was the most powerful position in Belmont – and I don’t disagree. As I note here, the Moderator not only runs Town Meeting and sets the agenda, s/he also has considerable appointment powers: appointing the entire Warrant Committee as well as a majority of the Bylaw Review Committee, members of the Permanent Building Advisory Committee and any special purpose committees, such as the Belmont Middle and High School Building Committee.

This election, as has been the case for more than a decade, there is no competitive race for moderator. Mike Widmer, our current moderator is running for his 11th(?) 12th(?) one year term. He’s served the town ably and -in the tradition in Belmont – served a long tenure. I’d like to see some competition for this office, as I do think it is time for change and new ideas. But this isn’t the year.

You won’t do the Town wrong by voting for Mike, but he’ll win re-election regardless of how you vote, so chew on that. 😛

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School Committee

The Belmont School Committee is an unpaid six-member board. Members are elected to overlapping, three-year terms with two members elected each year. By state law (chap 71, State Law Chapter 71, the School Committee is the policy setting entity for the public schools.  It also appoints the Superintendent, approves several other key positions, approves the budget, and negotiates with school unions.

The Warrant Committee recommends and, ultimately, Town Meeting appropriates, a yearly budget for the school system as a single line item. The School Committee has full control over how that money is spent.

There are two School Committee seats up this April, and two candidates for those spots:
Amy Checkoway (candidate for re-election) and Jeffrey Liberty. I think highly of both and will vote for them with enthusiasm!!

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Town Clerk

The Town Clerk is the brains of Belmont’s Town government: the Town’s chief election official, recording officer, registrar of vital records and statistics, public records officer and licensing officer and is the point for general information to Belmont’s inhabitants, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Federal Government and the general public. The Town Clerk also plays a key role in facilitating Town Meeting and other government activity.

Ellen O’Brien Cushman is running unopposed for re-election. We don’t always agree, but she does great work and runs a tight ship. Vote for her!

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Trustees of the Public Library

The Board of Trustees of the Public Library is a six member Board. Members are elected to overlapping terms of three years, with two members elected in each year. The Trustees responsibility is the care and management of the public library and any public library branches. They appoint the Town Librarian and other library employees. They are also responsible for managing the Library’s budget and all appropriations made by the Town for the purposes of operating the library.

This year there are two spots open on the Board and two candidates running for them, both incumbents: Mark Carthy (candidate for re-election) and Mary Donahue Stearns (candidate for re-election). Both are excellent and – with a debt exclusion vote for construction of a new Library likely this year – having these two experienced Board members re-elected will help make sure that vote goes the right way!

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