No, this isn’t the final edition, just one of a few endorsements leading up to the end.
Townie Talk endorses Michael Crowley for Town Moderator
This April you will have a choice between Michael Crowley and Mark Paolillo for Town Moderator. Town Moderator essentially runs Town Meeting with the added responsibility of appointing residents to certain committees in Town like the Warrant Committee.
If you are an avid reader of Townie Talk, you would think this is a hard decision seeing both Crowley and Paolillo have been frequent targets of criticism in Townie Talk over the years. Both are die-hard supporters of Overrides and Debt Exclusions, and both failed the Town with overly restrictive Covid policies. However, the responsibility of Town Moderator is very different from Select Board or School Committee.
The reason it isn’t a hard choice is quite frankly the highlighted section below from Michael Crowley’s campaign…
But we can do this better. I will improve Town Meeting—increasing education and outreach to encourage more of our diverse residents to participate, organizing childcare to help parents attend, improving remote and hybrid options, and ensuring discussion and debate are inclusive and free of unnecessary restrictions. “Michael Crowley 3/24 BV”
Countless Americans have died for our right to free speech. It’s so important it was enshrined in our Constitution as the very first Amendment. Unfortunately, free speech has been greatly diminished at Belmont Town Meetings lately.
What do I mean by that? For those of you who attend or view Belmont Town Meeting you know exactly what I mean. I almost had a tear in my eye at Town Meeting when Sue Bass spoke up loudly defending Paul Joy’s right to criticize a board members plan as his first amendment right. Paul Robert’s earned the nickname “Out of Order” for his frequent attempts to criticize Town Government. Heck, Even Cosmo Macero got the heave ho.
Our responsibility as Town Meeting members is to be “fiscal watchdogs and a checks and balance” on Town Government and when you remove criticism from a debate you already failed. In this Town any challenge to the political elite is shut down. In a Town full of over achievers, we are woefully acting like sheep being led to the slaughter.
Why Crowley vs Paolillo?
Michael Crowley campaigns for free speech. Crowley wants a diverse representation at the Town Meeting and appointed boards (no offense to Lawyers and Engineers but we all have value to add). I personally believe that Mike Crowley would have found a way for the Belmont Police Union to speak in their defense at Town Meeting on their forced removal from Civil Service. Something that did not happen and needs to change.
What about Mark? Mark is seen as a follower… as in the path of least resistance. He doesn’t like criticism, especially of the Town Government. Mark told Town Meeting to vote to remove the Police from Civil Service without a replacement plan to consider and without the Police Union being able to defend themselves. Mark literally said, “Trust Us”.
Town Meeting was never intended for blind trust but that is what Mark wanted from us and worries me. The Moderator should seek to hear all voices, especially those most impacted, and that includes those critical. If we continue to allow unnecessary restrictions on speech, we will be worse off.
The Town Moderator also shouldn’t have an agenda and should leave their politics at home. At times it felt like the Town Meeting was strategically set up to be a rubber stamp and the outcomes of certain votes or non-votes were pre-determined.
I will vote for Michael Crowley as a positive force of change. Do your own due diligence, this is how I see it.