Dear Members of the Select Board,

Your upcoming vote and apparent decision to gut the Economic Development Committee (EDC)—stripping away dedicated business representation, replacing residents with professional staff, and even suggesting dissolution, as Taylor Yates did, while clinging to two-year terms, as Chair Matt Taylor insists—is a direct affront to our entire town. Timed just before the October 20-29, 2025, Belmont Center zoning overlay vote, this move silences the voices we need most: the small businesses and residents who’ve fought to keep our town vibrant through unprecedented disruptions. How can you dismiss their expertise at this critical moment?

You claim the EDC has “struggled.” That’s not just wrong—it’s a disservice to our record. In 2023-24, under my leadership, we delivered the RKG Associates market analysis, leading to a January 2024 committee vote for town-wide hotel zoning to add up to 200 rooms—a bold step to boost revenue. We secured over $100,000 in state grants, advanced restaurant rezoning, and shaped MBTA 3A zoning to exclude the Purecoat site, preserving local control. These aren’t struggles; they’re successes, driven by the four district-based business seats you now want to erase. Your newly proposed “Economic Development Committee,” active only “when requested,” turns a proactive force into a puppet, sidelining the nuanced perspectives that made Belmont Center thrive.

Consider this. For the past fifteen plus years landlords and businesses have navigated a housing crisis and a pandemic—unprecedented challenges—yet still delivered a small, quaint, perfect mix of shops, restaurants, and services. But your overlay plan risks it all: endless construction from multiple landlords, sky-high rents pushing out local boutiques for chains, parking and traffic chaos at the Claflin lot and on Concord Ave (busy even on slow days), and traffic bottlenecks at the bridge. This isn’t growth driven by market demand—it’s a top-down tax chase that could turn our charming center into a mega construction zone, echoing past failures like Cushing Square’s empty storefronts.

And let’s talk money. How much have you spent on consultants and staff time for this zoning project? How much more will you spend through by the October vote? And how much of it came from grants you could’ve pursued, like the One Stop for Growth funds we’ve ignored for three years? Transparency matters. Belmont deserves to know if its tax dollars are funding studies that drown out the very businesses they’re meant to help.
Your approach—canceling dissenters, refusing debate, acting like the smartest in the room—is not how democracy works. 

Take Chair Taylor’s attack on Marie Warner during her 2024 reappointment, questioning her affiliations without evidence, or your two-year term push, conveniently set to oust her by 2026. This isn’t leadership; it’s control, and it erodes trust. You’re not just sidelining the EDC—you’re sidelining the community that makes us unique.

I don’t want your thanks for my years as EDC Chair; I’d need to believe you had hearts to offer it (which we know you don’t after you tried to cancel Skip and refused to consider Carol Berberian for reappointment to the Planning Board). Instead, if you truly think the EDC is dispensable, dissolve it before the overlay vote. Let voters and duly elected town meeting members see you mute business voices as you decide Belmont Center’s fate—parking, traffic, and all. Watch the fallout when construction drives patrons to Watertown, Fresh Pond, or Harvard Square, or when your hotel revenue drivers fails to materialize. 

Or do better: Restore the four district-based business seats, empower proactive work, and let the EDC advise all boards freely. Eliminate new business parking requirements. Allow drive throughs. Allow hotels in all of Belmont’s business districts. Read the RKG Market analysis—especially their recommendations on hotels for all of Belmont. Invest in a long-overdue full time dedicated economic development coordinator, as businesses begged years ago. And take the time to study the serious implications of artificial intelligence for our town. 

This is your chance to listen and perhaps learn—not dismiss and sideline critical voices. Belmont hangs in the balance. 

Sincerely,
Paul Joy

(Former Chair, Economic Development Committee, Town Meeting Member Pct 7)