In Memoriam…
James Michael Trodden… Mr. Trodden was my favorite hockey coach growing up. Just a great guy that you wanted to play for. It wasn’t wins and losses with him. He truly wanted all his players to learn and love the sport and many of his sons went on to compete at higher levels of play. Mr. Trodden was a retired US Marine and leaves behind his wife (Maureen) and five children (Arlene, Dan, Brian, Ted, and Mark) … their spouses and 19 grandkids. Good man from a great family. RIP Coach.
Daniel Higgins… BHS class of 1985 and Providence Friar, passed recently after a freak accident. I have known Dan for decades. His gift for gab is only surpassed by his brother John and I would argue his late Father. Dan was a gentle giant whose passion was watching his kids grow. Dan’s son Brendan gave the eulogy and from what I heard Dan has reason to be proud. Taken too soon, Dan leaves behind two children, Brendan and Brietta, and his brother John (wife Kelly) and his niece and nephew. RIP Danny Boy
Mary (McLucas) Daniels… if you grew up in Belmont in the 80’s/90’s you knew at least one of the Daniels kids. Mary was the matriarch of the family and passed in January. She leaves behind her children Elliot, Marshall, Elizabeth Dragone, and Mary Ellen Birnbaum and 9 grandchildren. RIP Mrs. Daniels.
Belmont Hill Development looking at massive HOA increase.
The Woodlands development HOA (former McLean property) turned into high end condo’s, recently notified condo owners that their HOA fees would be rising over the next two years to pay for repairs and replacement of roads and sidewalks in the development as well as growing the contingency fund. How much you ask? Depending on your condo the HOA increase will be between ($2,000 a month for 2 years) to ($3,000 a month for two years). This doesn’t even factor in the impact the debt exclusions and massive override will add.
As I read that keep in mind my house is available for a paltry $1.7 million and there is plenty of parking and no HOA fee. Seriously, isn’t that like a one-month rental in the Hamptons these days. Put an end to my misery please.
Anyways, sources close to Townie Talk indicate a growing number of condo owners are seeking a stop order (arguing the existing infrastructure is fine and 2 years to cover that amount of money in my words is “Grey Poupon” money. Again, this is unrelated to the average $2,500-$3500 property tax increase many of those units can expect with a Yes vote on the override.
Belmont Voice…
Kudos to the Belmont Voice #1. While there certainly is bias in how issues are reported with a leftward slant… they proved their value with breaking a story on how the Town was hiding a very expensive screw up in the Assessors office where an inexperienced Covid hire and/or poorly trained employee in the office failed to pay withholding taxes to the IRS from the Belmont Retirement fund. The mistake has cost over $45,000 in fines with another possible 6 figure fine pending. Pay Attention Folks!
Kudos to Belmont Voice part 2.
Wittingly or not the Belmont Voice March 9th print edition exposed a secret on the override. In the article, Town Administrator Patrice Garvin admits that cuts discussed in prior meetings exceed the actual need. This is precisely what the No campaign is arguing that this is a “fear campaign” based on speculation. This also falls into the comment made by Warrant Committee member Chris Doyle with now Select Board member Elizabeth Dionne nodding in approval that taxpayers must “feel the pain” for the override to be successful.
OBEY!
Borrowed from the “PR guru” in Belmont is simply applied to anything the Select Board says these days. The only Committee with more arrogance in Town is the BHSMS Building Committee. What happens when those two get together… complete dismissive behavior. This week’s victim none other than the Conservation Committee.
The Conservation committee negotiated that the path around Claypit would be fully restored after construction of the new school was finished. This was a condition that the BHSMS Building Committee agreed to so construction could start. Now that the BHSMS building is finished they are looking to receive the final $5m in State funding for the project. This won’t be transferred until the checklist is complete. The path has not been restored (about 40% is not passable) and that is standing in the way of the $5m. The BHSMS building Committee bluntly told the Conservation Committee they will not rebuild the path they destroyed and to pound sand. The BHSMS BC complained to the Select Board that the Town is paying $1,000 a day in interest on a carry loan because the Conservation Committee won’t release the Building Committee from their obligation. Estimated cost is about $300,000 or so.
The Select Board essentially belittled the Conservation Committee as being irresponsible for holding things up and costing the Town money. The Conservation Committee just wants a guarantee from the Select Board the path will be finished. The Select Board told them to pound sand and now the Conservation Committee is on their own to find the money. Good luck.
Pay attention folks…. If you have read Townie Talk consistently you will see a pattern of citizen’s and committees being disrespected and a combination of false intellectual superiority and elitism.
Boston Globe a few weeks late…
Ok, Townie Talk beat the Globe in pointing out the obvious… young professionals want out of High-cost Boston citing rent, home cost, and job availability. A recent survey by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce says 25% intend to move elsewhere in the next 5 years. My advice is move now… it’s not going to get better and the areas they are fleeing to will eventually start seeing rising costs.
Kudos to Coach Kelleher and the Belmont/Watertown Girls Hockey team…
It wasn’t long ago that the BHS girl’s hockey team was scouring the Chenery for players. This season it ended up Middlesex League Champs and just missing a final four appearance. Nicely done Coaches and Ladies.
Something Rotten
BHS PERFORMING ARTS is putting on a production of “Something Rotten” at the BHS Auditorium.
Tickets go fast so go get them. Thursday March 14th 7pm, Friday the 15th 7pm, and Saturday the 16th 2pm and 7pm. This is a fun play and a talented cast.
April 2nd Election… how I plan to vote. (These are not endorsements just why I am voting how I am)
Question #1 NO
I find it repulsive that I live in a Town that would choose pickle ball courts over firemen, teachers, and Senior Center counselors. Yet, that is exactly the assbackwards way this Town is currently run. We have a spending problem, and a YES vote just encourages more fiscal irresponsibility. The road to recovery starts with a No vote and provides at least some temporary relief to a citizenry that is overburdened as the Town report says and struggling with inflation. The Yes campaign slogan “Invest in Belmont” is insulting to taxpayers who approved $370 million on oversized and luxurious new buildings in the last 5 years.
Question #2 NO
Select Board member Mark Paolillo said one of the top complaints he gets on the Select Board is resident’s complaining about their home assessments. Currently, the Select Board has no say in the makeup of the Board of Assessors and as such they are unable to influence individual home assessments. A Yes vote changes that and puts Select Board members in a position of influence over assessments and that is a recipe for corruption.
Moderator Mike Widmer
Over a decade ago, Mike Widmer interviewed me for a seat on the Warrant committee. He went a different direction (someone with legal or building engineering expertise over my high IQ and great looks). One could argue that was the biggest mistake Mike ever made. Maybe Belmont wouldn’t be so materialistic, and spending wouldn’t be beyond any reasonable means. Regardless, Mike gets my vote. He does a good job running Town meeting but needs to do better with appointments to the Warrant Committee (I would like to see more economic diversity represented like fixed incomes Seniors and middle-income folks).
Unfortunately for Mike Crowley, past performance is a good indicator of future performance. (I sound like Jeff Lasseter) Mike was a member of one of the most destructive School Committee’s in Belmont history. The pain still lingers.
Select Board Geoff Lubien
If Geoff Lubien were an ice cream flavor, I would say he is Vanilla. Not showy or fancy he digs into the numbers, listens, and keeps focused. He is not an ideologue. Of all the candidates I think Geoff is most likely to hear the message voters send on election day which I hope is “enough is enough” and reacts accordingly.
School Committee Meg Moriarty
This may surprise some because I don’t agree with Meg on several priority issues, but Meg was true to her word on academic excellence and supported advanced math classes at the Chenery. On a super “woke” school board that probably was a hard position to take. That earned her my vote.
As for the others I look at things differently then many. I value “quality” Teachers and Staff over “quantity”. I believe a well-paid quality Teacher is much more valuable than 2 less capable lower paid Teachers. I believe there is a push among school committees to dumb down Teaching requirements to increase the pool of Teachers and allow them to pay less for Teachers. Teaching is like health care as in knowledge and experience are critical to success. Great Teachers will identify obstacles and work with Parents early on to make a difference. Is class size more important that we can dumb down pay and education requirements for Teachers? Ask the candidates. In theory, smaller class sizes produce better results with all things equal. In practice, Belmont has done fine with their competitively paid Teachers regardless of class size. That may change if Teachers choose better paying districts.
I would ask the remaining candidates if they would agree with the suggested cuts in the Schools for FY26. Recently, due to heightened interest at the High School and their DEI obsession “AP African American Studies” was added to the curriculum. I know all we hear about are cuts but Yes things get added as well. I get why students want the course as it looks great on the College resume. What I want to know is… is the School Committee as committed to Athletics which has had record student participation since pre-covid? Are sports not education? Does interest not drive offering? I still recall the lukewarm reception by the School Committee to a new rink. Holding signs for the library was a common sight but the rink was an afterthought. Are athletics a priority with any of the other three candidates and if so, get on record now.
Town Meeting Members
I lost a lot of respect for my fellow Town Meeting members when 2/3rds of them voted to remove the Police department from civil service without collective bargaining. It wasn’t just anti-union it was an elitist vote that sent the message you work for us and will “Obey”. With that said I will not vote for any who supported the measure. Their names can be found on belmontbriefing.com under the December 5, 2023, Townie Talk issue “Santa’s Naughty List”.
Belmont Dancing with the Stars…
Limited Tickets are still available for “Dancing with the Belmont Stars” fundraiser by the Belmont Woman’s Club. Friday April 5th at the Beech Street Senior Center. Cash Bah.
Early favorites include Charles “Twinkle Toes” Laverty and Anne Marie “Cha-Cha-Cha” Mahoney. Don’t be surprised if the “Greek Goddess” Joanna Tzouvelis does a Triple Lindy for the upset.
GET THE LED OUT
April Vacation is not just for the kids. Friday April 12th at the Chevalier theater in Medford Ma. one of the better Led Zeppelin tribute bands takes the stage. If you like pure Rock and great guitar and drums… this is your concert to see.
March 17th An Irish Blessing for all
“May God give you… For every storm, a rainbow, For every tear, a smile, For every care, a promise, And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends, A faithful friend to share, For every sigh, a sweet song, And an answer for each prayer.”