We’re back at the _third_ installment of Belmont’s annual Town Meeting. This time we’re at the lovely Chenery Middle School auditorium, so there will be no pictures of dilapidated infrastructure. Sorry. There’s air conditioning too. Lovely.
Author: bloggingbelmont
BloggingBelmont.com is a citizen-powered blog for Belmont, Massachusetts. Launched in 2007, BB providse a progressive voice in Belmont town politics.
This week in crazy: students punished for riding bikes to school in Michigan
When you live in a compact, walkable town like Belmont, its easy to forget that many, many other communities across the country are what you might call “car bound.” They’re sprawling, decentralized, with poor access to critical services and lacking even the basic infrastructure, like sidewalks and bike lanes, to support citizens who choose to go car free. No surprise, also, that in these communities the collective memory of things like walking or biking places or riding the bus has disappeared, making those once normal activities seem foreign or downright dangerous. Thus, the news item that flashed across my computer screen today about high school seniors in Michigan being punished for riding their bikes to school. Crazy, no?
Town Meeting Live Blog – Extended Dance Mix – May 16
t’s a love-in at Town Meeting where everyone is tickled about our healthy town budget. Catch your breath, ’cause 2014’s gonna be HAIRY.
Town Meeting Live Blog – Budget Hoedown- May 14
We’re back at the annual Town Meeting to discuss a myriad of budget issues. Pour yourself a drink of something.
Live Blogging Town Meeting
Live blogging here from Spring Town Meeting. We’ve been here for close to two hours and are still snagged in debate of the first substantive issue: approval of a new stabilization fund for Minuteman Technical. The idea here is to…
Lougee, Griffiths Win For School Committee, Rojas On Top In Selectman’s Race By 32 Votes (Will There Be A Recount)?
As reported by the Belmont Patch: the Selectman’s race turned into an unbelievably close race. After the ballots were counted, Planning Board member Andy Rojas came out on top in the race to fill the seat of a retiring Angelo Firenze…
For School Committee: Lougee and Griffiths Are The Clear Choice
There’s no more important institution in Belmont than our public schools. There’s no more important elected body than the School Committee, which is the community’s voice to the School Administration. In this year’s School Committee race, I think there are two clear choices for the two open spots: Anne Lougee and Pascha Griffiths. I’ll be voting for both at the polls tomorrow.
Vote Scharfman For Selectman On Monday
I think there’s an abundance of evidence that Dan Scharfman is the right choice in the Selectman’s race, and what Belmont needs to move the Board Of Selectman (and Belmont) into the future. His intelligence, patience, work ethic, and his preference for facts over ideology will be a welcome addition to our understaffed and overtaxed Board. Dan’s talent for bridging political divides and finding consensus among opposing constituencies may mean that he’s nobody’s darling, politically. But it also makes him a perfect fit for the job of Belmont Selectman.
Proposition 2 1/2 Overrides: 1999 to 2011- How Does Belmont Compare?
In Belmont, April 2, 2012 will mark 10 years since the passage of the last non debt-exclusion Proposition 2 1/2 override. That’s a long time, but its useful here to compare our drought with those of our peer communities. That’s what I’ve tried to do here: using some simple data visualization tools, I’ve created a graphic that shows which of the top towns – Belmont’s peers — have passed Proposition 2 1/2 Overrides, when and for how much. (Note: debt exclusions for capital projects – like our own vote for the Wellington – are not included here). I chose these towns by looking at the top performing districts, state wide, on the SAT tests. And I’ve thrown in close neighbors (like Arlington) for good measure.
The Benefits of Bilingualism (Hint: It Makes Your Kids Smarter!)
An interesting article on the benefits of being bilingual. Besides being able to talk to more folks – it makes you smarter and your brain more resilient, according to recent studies. Read the New York Times article on the latest findings.