IF I MAY: Keeping Belmont’s Democracy Alive

Editor’s Note: The following is a re-post of a blog post by Judith Feinleib. Judith is a Town Meeting Member (P6). Her If I May articles can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jfeinleib or on the If I May website, at www.jfeinleibifimay.com/. As with any op-ed, the opinions expressed in this are Judith’s alone. It is reposted to further Blogging Belmont’s goal of being a platform for the broad diversity of opinions in our town. – Paul.

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In one of the more recent iterations of what appears to be an escalating effort to squelch  differing opinions, Select Board members have dismissed the efforts of Doug Koplow, a Precinct 6 Town Meeting Member (TMM) and head of the Cushing Square Neighborhood Association (CSNA) as obstructionist and even suggested that he does not understand aspects of the proposed Belmont Center Overlay by-law.  

Mr. Koplow’s biggest sin appears to be that he and a number of volunteers have been working to sharpen and correct language used in the proposed bylaw.  They are doing this so that  Belmont does not pass an overlay that inadvertently implements outcomes that were neither anticipated nor desired; Mr. Koplow has noted that the best time to do this is before a law is considered and/or passed.

Mr. Koplow has been engaged in similar efforts over the years and has a long history of helping this town have reasonable zoning laws.  Among the earliest of his efforts was work on the proposal for Cushing Square Village (now The Bradford).  

The Price Of Having Different Opinions  

Alas, Mr. Koplow is one of a group of citizens who have been treated badly by the executive powers-that-be merely because they have different opinions and/or different visions for Belmont.  Much of this has happened under the auspices of the previous Select Board, the current Select Board and, to some extent, the current Moderator.  Belmont is no stranger to passionate disagreements but these are different in that they incorporate malicious attacks on individuals more often than not.  A few examples follow; there are others.    

• Under the previous Select Board, Matt Taylor, the current Chair, refused to reappoint Marie Warner to the Economic Development Committee (EDC), despite strong support from both Paul Joy, then the EDC Chair and Mike Widmer, then the  Moderator; the tenor of his comments was, at best, unfortunate.  Ms. Warner was reappointed and Mr. Taylor eventually apologized for the tone of his remarks but could not ever bring himself to speak of Ms. Warner by name.
• Faced with significant opposition to the Belmont Center Overlay zoning proposal, Elizabeth Dionne, a current Select Board member, labelled many who oppose it “unpersuadables” and appears to have suggested that time should not be wasted on them.  As Mr. Koplow noted in his recent email to CSNA members, many of their concerns as well as the concerns of others can be addressed with the provision of accurate information.    
• At a Select Board meeting, Taylor Yates, the current Select Board Vice Chair, took Deran Mukjian, owner of Belmont Toys and head of the Belmont Center Business Association to task for suggesting that in the interests of preventing heated exchanges neither the Republican nor Democratic parties should have tables at Belmont’s Town Day.  Rather than do this as a member of Belmont’s Select Board, he spoke as a member of the Democratic party.  In addition, he castigated Mr. Mukjian for having a sign supporting his opponent for the Select Board, Paul Joy, in his store window during the campaign period.  As it happens, any merchant or resident is free to provide support for the candidate of his/her choice from the windows his/her store or with yard signs at home.
• Mr. Taylor, now the Select Board Chair, refused to recognize Planning Board Vice Chair and candidate for reappointment Carol Berberian when the Select Board discussed giving her another term.  Because of this, she was unable to correct errors made in what was said about her by Select Board members.  The Select Board did not reappoint her; rather she was given a non-voting seat on the Zoning Board of Appeals.  Ms. Berberian is widely respected throughout Belmont.
• The current Moderator, Michael Crowley, passed over two extremely qualified Warrant Committee candidates, Jeff Birenbaum, the former Planning Board Chair, and Carol Berberian, now a former Planning Board Vice Chair, both of whom had overwhelming support from his newly created Moderator’s Advisory Committee (MAC).  Further, he insisted on leaving one committee seat vacant, something that to this writer’s knowledge has never been done.  This suggests that he will use the MAC to validate appointees who agree with him and that he will wait for applicants who accord with his views rather than draw from the available pool.

The State of the Town

To balance this list of negatives, it should be noted that Belmont has improved over the years.  In fact, it has gone from being overtly reactionary to being mildly progressive.  No longer is that bastion of reactionary thought, the John Birch Society, a resident on Concord Avenue.  Town Meeting members now come from a wide group of races, religions and political views.  And town government is equally as broad.  

But even with these improvements and with the conscious efforts of many to separate themselves from the current national scene, the examples listed above suggest that differences are not being tolerated and that the powers-that-be are taking steps to make sure that the town is run their way.  Not only is their treatment of the individuals mentioned above unacceptable, but in a town that relies on volunteers to provide numerous governmental functions, this approach denies Belmont residents expertise that is sorely needed.  Even worse, many have been so intimidated that they are afraid to speak out for fear of social media sparked abuse.  Whether or not this is the case is irrelevant; the mere fact that people have been made to feel this way is reprehensible.  

Are There Remedies?  

Certainly, the officeholders at fault can be voted out but that won’t happen instantly.  Recall in Belmont is so difficult that it is impractical to attempt it even in cases where it would be appropriate.  Nevertheless, there are a few things that any citizen can do that are extremely effective even though they may seem small.  

• Attend meetings either on line or in person; officials can see the names of everyone attending on line.  
• Make it your business to speak out.  The greater the number of people who speak, the more serious attention officials must give them.  
• Call out officials who refuse to recognize speakers or who limit the total time devoted to citizen comment with letters to “The Belmont Voice,” posts on the various Belmont related chat pages on Facebook or both.
• Do not be afraid to speak.  You’ve got company and should you be treated badly,  post your experience; there are many who will support you.
• And when elections come round in April, make sure you vote.

Democracy stays alive when citizens are active.  It’s our job to keep it alive in Belmont.