Well, spring has arrived. The buds are popping on the trees and the green shoots are peeking out from your flower beds. That must mean its time for Belmont\u2019s annual town election. And this year, we have competitive races up and down the ballot. <\/p>\n
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<\/a>If this is news to you, I\u2019ll remind you that our local election is next Tuesday, April 1st. If you want to look at the ballot for your district or figure out where to cast your ballot, check out our Town Clerk\u2019s website<\/a> where they have all the information you need. <\/p>\n With that in mind, here are my picks for the competitive races<\/span><\/em> in next Tuesday\u2019s election, starting at the top of the ballot. (Note: I\u2019m going to refrain from endorsing candidates in non-competitive races.) <\/p>\n Click the link to view my endorsements for Belmont\u2019s town election! <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n There are two candidates for the position of Moderator \u2013 just the second competitive race for this powerful position in more than two decades. They are: <\/p>\n My pick for this critical role is Michael Crowley<\/strong>. Those of you who follow me online won\u2019t be surprised by this. I\u2019ve been a vocal advocate for Mike\u2019s candidacy for Moderator, as I was last year when he ran against longtime incumbent Mike Widmer. <\/p>\n As I see it: we need change in Belmont\u2019s Town government, not the same rotating cast of characters tilting at the same problems with the same results (or lack thereof). Voting for Mike Crowley is the way to get the change we need. Mike has deep experience in Belmont Town Government, having served on School Committee, Warrant Committee and Town Meeting. And he has an inspiring vision for modernizing the Moderator position: promoting transparency around Moderator appointments, working to promote involvement by a wider swath of Belmont and urging Town Meeting to embrace its role as Belmont\u2019s legislature and cease being a rubber stamp for the Town Administrator and Select Board. These were ideas Mike promoted last year, and has broadened and refined in his latest campaign. Under his leadership, Belmont Town Meeting will reflect the diversity of people, ideas and perspectives that make our town so exceptional. <\/p>\n As for Mr. Paolillo? Like Mike, Mark has a long tenure in Belmont politics and has held numerous positions, including multiple stints on the Town\u2019s Select Board. There\u2019s no questioning Mark\u2019s devotion to Belmont and willingness to donate his time and energy to our Town. My concern is \u2013 again \u2013 the need for Belmont to embrace change and improve how town government operates. Mark has never shown much enthusiasm for challenging the status quo in Belmont. Just the opposite: a clear through line of his time on Select Board was a willingness to defer to Belmont power brokers, even when it meant backing bad ideas, like the ill-conceived plan<\/a> that resulted in Belmont forfeiting millions of dollars in state aid granted to us to build a new Town Library<\/a> back in 2013. That decision ultimately cost Belmont taxpayers tens of millions of dollars<\/em> in added costs when we finally committed to build our new library -without any state aid on the table. That is a bitter and costly lesson that voters should not forget.<\/p>\n We can do better, Belmont. Join me in voting for Mike Crowley to be your next Moderator<\/span><\/strong>. <\/p>\n There are two candidates for a single, open position on Belmont\u2019s Select Board. They are: <\/p>\n My choice for our next Select Board member is Taylor Yates<\/strong>. <\/p>\n My reasoning is simple: Belmont is entering an period of change and uncertainty \u2013 for better and worse. Taylor is the Select Board candidate who is best suited to help us navigate that in the smartest way possible. <\/p>\n We\u2019ve already seen this play out. New laws like the MBTA Communities Act and the Affordable Homes Act were passed down by the state legislature to help solve our state\u2019s crippling housing shortage. Those laws mandated long overdue changes in our NIMBYesque local zoning. They required Belmont\u2019s leadership to rise to the occasion: embracing the changes mandated by state lawmakers and building consensus in the Town to enact changes to our local zoning bylaws in compliance with the state laws. As Chair of the Planning Board, Taylor did an amazing job with that: soliciting input from both experts and residents and, ultimately, winning strong Town Meeting support for changes that brought Belmont into compliance with both laws \u2013 with among the highest levels of support in the entire state. <\/p>\n Going forward, that kind of stewardship will serve us well on the Select Board, with the need for revamped commercial tax base as homeowners grow desperate for alternatives to residential property tax hikes as our \u201cgo to\u201d for addressing our structural budget shortfalls. And then there\u2019s the chaos sweeping the federal government and sudden, unexpected changes in federal funding that our town and others have long relied on. Now is the time for smart, responsible and consistent leadership, and that\u2019s Taylor Yates. <\/p>\n Mr. Joy has been a strong advocate for some issues that I support, including the Community Path. And I like that he\u2019s unafraid to be contrarian and take on big issues (such as our crimped, balky three person Select Board) that other Town officials are all too willing to ignore. But Paul\u2019s track record in pursuing and achieving the changes he seeks \u2013 say by building consensus on the issues and ideas he supports- is less consistent. That makes me wonder how his time on Select Board would actually play out. <\/p>\n Join me in voting for Taylor Yates to be your new Select Board member<\/span><\/strong>. <\/p>\n There are three candidates for two, open positions on Belmont\u2019s School Committee. They are: <\/p>\n My choices for our School Committee are: Zehra Abid-Wood and Brian Palmer. <\/strong><\/p>\n First, there\u2019s Ms. Abid-Wood,<\/a> who I had the chance to meet and speak with. She\u2019s a longtime\u00a0Belmont resident and\u00a0mother of two boys at Chenery Upper Elementary School. In her professional life, Zehra has a long track record stretching across high tech, higher education and non-profits. She currently\u00a0manages the senior living community on the campus of Lasell University. Zehra struck me as a smart and thoughtful member of the BPS community who has experienced first hand some of the challenges wrought by our resource constrained district. Having her management skills and perspective as an active BPS parent on the School Committee will be vital as it works to help our public schools navigate the stormy fiscal waters ahead and achieve their strategic goals and vision for BPS.\u00a0<\/p>\n I have not had the chance to meet with Mr. Palmer, but I have read his campaign web page Mr. Todd Thompson\u2019s profile in the Voice<\/a> includes some ideas I agree with, like having School Committee do a better job notifying the community of the time and place of SC meetings. His background in the sciences and medicine and focus on mental health issues are also of interest and could be valuable for School Committee. <\/p>\n However, one of his recommendations is closer cooperation between the Board of Health and School Committee \u2013 an idea reinforced by Mr. Todd Thompson\u2019s decision to throw his hat in the ring for both, open positions on this year\u2019s ballot. That confused me. While there is likely opportunity for more engagement between School Committee and the Board of Health, I\u2019m not sure a fusion of those two bodies is needed or advisable, nor is it practical given the time demands of both positions. <\/p>\n Join me in voting for Zehra Abid-Wood and Brian Palmer to be your next School Committee members<\/span><\/strong>. <\/p>\n There are three candidates for two, open positions on Belmont\u2019s Trustees of the Public Library. They are: <\/p>\n Alas, as the Library Board\u2019s appointee to the IT Advisory Committee, I don\u2019t think its appropriate for me to weigh in on this race. So I\u2019m going to pass on endorsements for the Library Board of Trustees race. Sorry. <\/p>\n
\nTown Moderator<\/h2>\n
\nSelect Board<\/h2>\n
\nSchool Committee<\/h2>\n
(the only candidate page among the three, from what I can tell)<\/s>* and read his profile in the Belmont Voice<\/a>. He\u2019s a 25 year town resident who saw five children through the public schools and now has grandchildren in the district. Brian\u2019s volunteer work in town, including on Warrant Committee, and his training as an economist will be welcome additions to the School Committee. Finally, my inquiries with other, progressive friends in Town have revealed Brian and Zehra to be the consensus candidates.<\/p>\n
\nLibrary Board of Trustees<\/h2>\n