Well, it’s April and that means one thing: election season! I know you’re like “Whaat?! Since when is April ‘election season’??!” But here in Massachusetts, towns typically vote in the springtime to elect local governments, while cities vote in the more typical November cycle. That can make it hard for local communities to inspire significant turnout for local elections.

One way to increase turnout is to spread the word and make people aware that voting is taking place. You’re already in the small group of residents that are interested in- and follow local politics. (That’s why you’re reading this.) Your assignment now: share this link and remind five of your friends here in Belmont about the Town Election next Tuesday, April 7th.

As you get ready to head to the polls, I thought I’d share my picks for this year’s local election where we have contested races -which is only the moderator’s race at the top of the ballot and Town Meeting precincts (including write-in candidates).

For the uncontested races (Select Board, School Committee, etc.) I thank those who are running and volunteering their time to benefit Belmont. I don’t think it is premature to offer you congratulations on your win!

Polls open at 7:00 and close at 20:00 aka 8:00 PM. You can find the location of polling stations, sample ballots for each of our Town’s 8 precincts and other information on the Town Clerk’s website.

For the contested races, here are my recommendations for:

• Town Moderator
• Town Meeting Members
  • Precinct 1
  • Precinct 2
  • Precinct 3
  • Precinct 4
  • Precinct 5
  • Precinct 6
  • Precinct 7
  • Precinct 8

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Town Moderator

As I noted in this recent Blogging Belmont post: I strongly urge you to vote to re-elect Mike Crowley as Belmont’s Town Moderator. As voters, we face a choice between Moderator Crowley’s community-focused (“we”) approach and his opponent Adam Dash, whose primary motivation in running appears to be reinstating himself among Belmont’s political elite (aka “me”).

Voters elect people to execute on their campaign promises. And that’s what Mike did in his first year in office: restoring hybrid Town Meetings to expand participation; improving transparency through a Moderator’s Advisory Committee; and running effective, inclusive meetings.

Mr. Dash’s claims of “chaos” at Town Meetings just don’t reflect what actually happened at Town Meeting, and he’s been hard put to explain why he’s challenging Mike at all or what he’d do differently. (The answer: Belmont’s old guard political elite urged him to run and have funded his campaign.)

As I see it, Mike has already made good on his promises to make Town Meeting more independent and respectful of rank and file members. And he’s demonstrated real effectiveness as Town Moderator, even amidst highly contested debates. His vision for the future of Town Meeting is also inspiring. That’s why I urge you to continue backing Mike’s reforms by re-electing him as your Moderator.

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Pro tip: because only the top 12 overall vote getters for each precinct will be elected, it is important to remember to vote for who you want to see on Town Meeting – but no one else. If you have 12 people you’d like to see elected? Great! You can use all your votes. If you only have 4, vote for them but no more – as you don’t want to aid candidates you don’t support and hurt the candidates you do just to cast the 12 allowed votes.

This year a number of precincts did not receive enough candidates to fill all 12 available slots. In those cases, write-in candidates are proposed. I have endorsed a number of these below. When you vote, be sure to write the candidate’s name and address on the ballot as that is required by the town’s bylaws!

Click the link below to view my recommendations for: