TownieTalk…
I recently attended a Waltham Historical Society presentation by former Belmont resident Marie Daly and decided her presentation was worthy of a special edition TownieTalk. So Happy Halloween and enjoy.
Instead of saying Trick or Treat… If you really want to scare anyone in State or local government then say: “Diane Dizoglio is waiting in the lobby”. _____________ read_______________
Marie Daly…
Marie is a Townie who like many relocated to Waltham and has become the Richard “Dick” Betts of sorts finding historical tidbits in real estate transactions over the centuries with a focus on the Trapelo corridor (TRAP-elo). I did not get to ask Marie about the Waverly/Waverley dispute or the PQ/Nipmuc missing gold so that is for another time. Marie presented “Incident at Rock Meadow” to a full room including Belmont’s current encyclopedia of history, Victoria Haase. BTW, does anyone have a good GPR(Ground Penetrating radar) and know how to use it?
“Incident at Rock Meadow”
Many of us know Rock Meadow as a place for stoners and creepers. Not a surprise as it is surrounded by mental health institutions that have treated sexual predators over the years and borders the now closed “Hospital of the Seven Teeth” that is forbidden to be spoken of. The presentation focuses on incidents that took place in the 1670’s in and around “Rock Meadow” and a possible escape route South of the Town. The crimes included “fornication”, “murder” and more “fornication”. The presentation is available on the Waltham Historical Society website.
Spoiler alert: There is reasonable evidence that one of these events may have contributed to the start of King Phillips War.
Belmont Police Chief Screening Committee
You can’t fix Stupid as my friend J says. Belmont’s new search committee for the next Police Chief is a true collection of misfit toys. The Town has seen a surge in shootings and can expect more as the once quaint suburban Town is urbanized by outsiders. According to reliable neighbors, at least two of the shootings are gang related and tied to relatives visiting family in Town. Several residents have raised concerns about Cambridge Housing Authority and Federal Section 8 vetting processes as the rise is recent. The fact that all three shootings have occurred at all and worse in residential neighborhoods is deeply disturbing as is the volume of shots fired.
Knowing this and knowing the Police Department suffers from low morale after a concerted effort by the prior Select Board and activists forced their removal from previously negotiated Civil Service protections has made Belmont a less desirable community to work in. One would like to think addressing those two major issues would be the key focus of the screening committee in addition to budgeting etc. That’s not the case from what I gather.
Personally, I feel like the next Chief is walking into a trap. Bill Parcells said if you want me to cook the meal then let me shop for the groceries. If I were Chief, I would want to be certain my success or failure is based on what I thought was good policy and not by catering to activists. The activists caused the morale problem and will just make it worse. You are destined to fail in that situation so caveat emptor.
The Select Board appointed seven people to the Police Chief screening committee. Objections were raised (thank you Ira Morgenstern) and quickly dismissed, which has been common practice by this current Select Board of outsiders. Kings and Queens, you say… nah. Let’s look at the list…
Thomas Browne (current Burlington MA Police Chief)
Patrice Garvin (Town Administrator)
Mauro Lance (former board on Foundation for Belmont Education)
Didier Moise (Belmont Against Racism)
Dr. Jill Geiser (Superintendent of Belmont Schools)
Roy Epstein (Former Select Board)
Mark Paolillo (Appointed to Board of Assessor (2025)/Appointed to Council on Aging (2025), Lost Moderator race (2025))
Let’s start with the morale issue. Both Roy Epstein and Mark Paolillo worked against the Police Unions to take away Civil Service. Do you really think having them involved is anything but a slap to the face and discredits the process among department employees who need to work for the new hire? Patrice Garvin is not in good standing with the Police Unions either but her role as TA is important enough in the process to include her even though she has some tough sledding ahead. She is the Mulligan as a golfer would say.
Let’s look at the crime issue. Dr. Geiser is linked with a scandal in Billerica in which convicted felon Monica Collins-Grant was paid to speak (indoctrinate is my word) to students. Collins-Grant holds extreme views including “Defund the Police”. What is Geiser’s expectation from a new Chief? Didier Moise is President of Belmont Against Racism and while one can’t hold him personally responsible for comments by some BAR members it would be nice to know his thoughts on illegal immigration, restorative justice, if all police are racists and if the system itself is structurally racist? In other words that appointment may scream of political bias which is Ok if offset with someone that doesn’t share any of those views.
Wouldn’t it be great to know before an appointment if a committee member thinks it’s ok to denigrate Federal Immigration and Custom Enforcement Officers. Wouldn’t it be great to know if a member thinks the Police Chief needs to cater to activists. Isn’t this how the chaos started in Portland and San Franscisco? We do have one member’s thoughts as scary as they are… what about the others? I would like to think the Select Board vetted these people although it seems when in doubt just appoint Abercrombie or Paolillo. 😉
Belmontonian: What qualities and qualifications are you looking for in a candidate?”
Paolillo: “I’m looking for someone that can do the job, similar to what Chief McIsaac did and also Chief Paul McLaughlin. I think what’s so important within our town, because it is such an activist community, is someone that reaches out to the community, listens to the concerns and has a presence in town. And particularly individuals who are empathetic to what’s taking place at a national level. We’re all against, of course, any ICE agents coming into our community and trying to do what they’ve been doing in other communities. I would hope that would be someone who would listen to our concerns about that as well.”(The Belmontonian 10/23/25 Franklin Tucker “Select Board Designates Belmont Police Chief Screening Committee; Q+A with a member”)
Stop the War on America’s workforce
As I write this, the American Federation of Government Employees, Air Traffic Controller’s Union, and the Washington Post are all calling for Senator Charles Schumer to stop the Government shutdown and vote for the clean continuing resolution bill that he has previously rejected 12 straight times. About 600,000 American workers are without paychecks and another 40 million are about to lose their food stamps (SNAP). Not surprisingly, the party that was once pro-worker and pro-union uses them as disposable collateral.
Belmont’s Congressional Representative Katherine Clark:
“Shutdowns are terrible, and of course there will be families that are going to suffer,” she told Fox News Thursday. “We take that responsibility very seriously. But it is one of the few leverage times we have.”
Anybody else seeing a pattern here…. continued
“We always have to be cognizant of the burden on taxpayers,” Dionne said. “I do not feel good about the fact that for some people, this marginal expense will be the final straw that drives them out of town. That is not something I’m happy about, that we should be proud of … That said, I don’t see an alternative.”
Belmont Voice, Mary Byrne, 2/02/24 “Select Board votes to request $8.4 million override request”
So, in 2024, it was the fixed income we sacrificed. Now in 2025, It’s Town and School employees again.
In simple terms, screw the fixed income people and screw the Town and School employees as its on their backs is how Belmont balances its budget. Overrides and cheap labor. This allows for the spending needed on the obscene opulence you will see with the new library opening, the new BHSMS school, private school level offerings at BHS, green energy boondoggle spending, and of course the community path that has drawn millions but has not seen groundbreaking. Yes, some at Dunks kid the Overrides keep the riff raff out. Of course, when the shots were fired on Channing Road that was getting too close to home, and suddenly, the MBTA act and Belmont Center Overlay plan became problematic.
Does anyone recall a Select Board member or School Committee member openly warning that we can’t afford these buildings? At best, I recall, Meg Moriarty being ambivalent on the Skip rink but not a peep with the library and she is the only one I can recall. Where was the leadership calling for reductions in size and scope on these projects knowing full well the operating budget’s reliance on Overrides would be jeopardized.
So as the School Committee and Town leaders plant their stories about how we can’t afford salaries to keep up with inflation for Town employees and the Teachers prepare to strike… go grab a coffee and sit in that wonderful new atrium at the Library and ponder how much we were Ok with spending on imported wood for aesthetics on the Wellington school among other luxuries and don’t forget to pass the grey poupon.
Belmont Center Overlay: “Here’s another fine mess you’ve gotten us into“
From Laurel and Hardy… to Taylor Yates and Elizabeth Dionne on the Overlay plan disaster.
When your entire campaign was about closing the gap between residential and commercial tax collections and you end up likely creating and or overseeing a greater divergence than you started with. Maybe you should replace all your so-called subject matter experts and spend some time at Dunks. Trapelo or Pleasant but watch out for the grifters at Trapelo. A guy on a bicycle asking for gas money is an indicator.
Anonymous…
To the anonymous sender of the so called “poison pen” letter regarding Roy Epstein’s appointment to the screening committee. Next time use the bat signal and someone from Belmont Briefing can hunt me down. Clearly, the Civil Service debacle was not one of Roy’s better moments or as they say in “Hubie Halloween” it was a big boner. I bet Roy would have responded to it if given the proper venue.