BHS Girls Hoop dominant start to season…
Ranked #1 in the MIAA Division 1 power rankings and sporting a 12-4 record, new Coach Shantel Jeter, and assistant Jamel Langston, focused on building each girls confidence and it has paid off big. Senior co-captains Sophie McDevitt and Kiley Meringer (currently injured) have delivered big in the leadership category and are keeping the team focused. Tuesday Feb 7th, at Wenner Field House, is Senior night when the Seniors including Maggie Healey and Tori Nilson will get recognized and Townie Talk sources have information injured Senior Kaia Sheehey is expected to take the court as they take on the Spy Ponders from Arlington.
Junior Mia Ferrari the teams starting point guard has been setting the tempo with help from fellow Juniors Julia Herlihy and Emily Donahue. The current team is stacked with sophomores each contributing at key moments throughout the season. Brynn Connolly, Courtney Howell, Symone Jackson, Linda Sheng, Ryan Shapazian, and Sarah Yu. In case you were wondering if there are any freshman on the team that would be Sophia McClendon who has started each game.
Townie Talk will keep you posted as the Lady Marauders get ready for the State Tourney. For now, make your way over to Wenner Field House, Tuesday, to support the Seniors.
Kudos to Belmont Light…
It was freaking cold out Friday night through Saturday and there was a power outage in Belmont. BMLD responded immediately and had power back up within 90 minutes. The main reason we don’t need generators in Belmont is because we have a municipal light department that gets the job done and fast.
The 68TH Percent…
Kudos to our Police, Fire, Public Safety and DPW workers for working through the flash freeze. We expect nothing less from the “top of the bottom third” paid workers. Please hold off on transferring till someone takes me up on my $1.7m offer to sell.
BHS Boys Hockey…
Do I give unfair coverage to the Boys Hockey team… probably. Currently ranked #4 in the State and coming off a tough semifinal overtime loss to Arlington in the Ed Burns tourney, there is something special about this team. Like the “Idiots” Sox team in 2004, it just feels like after getting shafted by the “Scamdemic” and a couple near misses that this is the year. Friendly advice to BHS Hockey… don’t get injured goofing off playing other sports the next 6 weeks. Haha.
New Superintendent Search committee…
TT will join a group providing feedback on qualities we would like to see in the next Superintendent.
Details will follow in the next TT.
Legislators give Middle Finger to Belmont. Where are Brownsberger and Rogers at this time of need?
The morons in Massachusetts government continue to seek to add housing in over densified areas close to Boston and Cambridge instead of in areas that could benefit from it like Western MA. They say you can’t fix stupid and this is another example of it. Housing isn’t affordable near Boston because they ignore developing transportation from the areas housing is affordable like Western MA. Extending the green line to Somerville is a prime example. Belmont is screwed and I mean big time.
Per the State, Belmont is designated as a “Commuter Rail community” and must create new multi-family zoning districts “as of right”. In lay terms… the Town must create housing districts that support 1,632 new unit, housed in Multi Dwelling Units, with over half within 0.5 miles of a commuter rail station (Belmont Center and Waverley Square). In perspective this would add 16% to our current housing stock.
What this means? … Developers can buy up properties around Commuter rail stations and knock down one or two family homes and build massive complexes like the one that caused all the uproar on Beatrice Circle. The new housing will add additional burden to a Town that needs more commercial revenue and less housing. Belmont will go from a home of trees to a Somerville like city as property owners are lured by developers to sell at a premium. BTW there is not enough space in those two areas to support the housing so districts outside that area will be added. You want to see a debate on equity wait until the districts are announced. Some will say we just need to create the districts and the housing is optional. Developers will salivate at buying a single family and turning it into a 15 unit condo bypassing local zoning. The character of the Town will be changed permanently.
Roy Epstein has said there is little we can do as they expect Towns who resist to face more push back from the State. Roy maybe right but Townie Talk says fight these morons in the State and tell them to close the two commuter rail stations. We can’t afford it. The addition of these units will almost assuredly send the Town into receivership if we don’t end up there as is in the next few years.
This is the biggest disruptive event to hit Belmont in my lifetime.
Town Meeting votes….
Town Meeting voted to put a referendum on the April ballot making the Town Treasurer a Town Administrator appointed position instead of an elected position. It’s no use talking logic at TM. A Treasurer hired by a TA is going to follow their boss if they like their job. A simple example would be the Town Administrator wants the Town to pass a Debt Exclusion for say a new Community Center. An elected Treasurer would have no problem advising residents and TM that borrowing such funds could impact our credit rating. An appointed Treasurer is less likely to raise that objection knowing their job is on the line. Residents will get the chance to decide come April. BTW Floyd Carman was opposed to the measure and supported keeping the position elected. Another TMM suggested it be a SB appointed position. Neither mattered as the rubber stamp to receivership continues.
In National news… Biden now has US in proxy war with Russia and China…
The shooting down of a Chinese Spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina is more evidence that the proxy war with China over Taiwan is escalating. Unlike Ukraine, Taiwan is of crucial interest to the United States as Taiwan accounts for 92% of the most advanced semi-conductor manufacturing in the World. While the US is working to build semi-conductor plants domestically it will take several years or even a decade for self sufficiency so defending Taiwan is a must.
There is risk the recent invasion of US airspace will stoke anti-Asian-American sentiment as we witnessed with Covid. While it shouldn’t be necessary… as the American part of Asian American should be obvious… remember to watch the backs of our fellow Americans.
Congresswoman Katherine Clarke…
People say Hate is learned. Which is problematic as Mrs. Clarkes son was arrested for spray painting “All Cops are Bastards” on State property and then assaulting a police officer. Oddly, I haven’t heard of Mrs. Clarke planning a march in support of police officers or sending a letter to law officers and their families. To be fair, I also don’t know what happened to Charlie Baker’s son who was arrested for groping a woman on a flight. The ultimate fairness… Where is Jeffrey Epstein’s client list?
Not fun facts…
Belmont taxpayers pay on average 16% of their income on property taxes. A first-place finish but not a good one.
Based on a presentation at the Warrant Committee meeting, taxpayers would expect to se a $1,900 increase in their property tax bill next year factoring in the prop 2.5 levy, New Library debt exclusion, and an $8m override. I apologize because my robocall last Fall only said an $1,800 increase. Under this scenario the average property tax bill on a single family home would rise into the mid $18,000 range and taxpayers would be paying over 18% of their income on property taxes.
BTW the anticipated deficit is $13m for FY25 so even with that $1,900 increase approximately 56 full time equivalent positions would need to be cut. Take that info back to your neighbors who said the No on Library campaign was fear mongering. Ends justifies the means won that vote (imminent fire danger library?) The SB could still call an emergency meeting to kill the library project based on the extenuating circumstance that the Town is in fiscal crisis mode but we know better.
Belmont MENSA meeting…
Members of the class of ’86 have the highest percentage of MENSA members in the United States per the GSOA. There is a pending event Saturday the 11th for the special ones. Email TT for details. Members only.
Some great discussion topics…
Population (more or less) …
Elon Musk and others believe we need greater population. Elon seems to be taking it personally with a bus load of his own kids. Bill Gates believes we need to greatly reduce the population.
The argument for more immigration is we need workers to fill the spots of the aged-out Boomers and to support the Boomers during retirement. I think that is a popular answer that hides the real motive which is that Social Security and Pensions were built on an ever increasing population and without it we have a Trillion plus dollar problem. Think of it as the Boomers at the top of the Pyramid scheme looking for more to invest in their retirement.
However, the Boomers will be fading out in a decade or two and the advancement of AI will unlike prior technology advances eliminate more jobs than create them as AI is designed to replace humans. Sure META (Facebook) believes that the Metaverse will fill the void and people can get jobs in the virtual world but that is a bridge too far for me. Gates believes the world is over populated and its harming the planet. A growing number of millennials share his vision and are child averse.
More population or less and why?
Jobs boom leaving White collar behind…
The latest jobs report was a gain of a whopping 500k new hires in January. What’s behind the numbers is a little more concerning for Belmont. The jobs are coming overwhelmingly in the hospitality and service areas. Not the white collar positions many grads from Belmont pursue. As a matter of fact many companies are laying off or having hiring freezes as evident in the Boston Globe business section almost daily. Technology layoffs rose 41% y/y and financial companies are not far behind. On the positive side I guess, first year student enrollment in universities is down 150,000 from averages so getting in to some schools is less challenging.
Will the fewer opportunities for white collar jobs eventually result in less service sector jobs?
In remembrance….
20 years ago, the Space shuttle Columbia imploded just minutes from landing due to a damaged heat shield. The heat shield was damaged on take off by a piece of foam that broke away. The problem was known by NASA for years but not acted on till too late. Hmnn?
2 years ago, Henry Tapia was murdered (allegedly since the trial is pending) in Belmont by what can only be described in my opinion as an evil act by an evil person. It just shows that evil can lurk anywhere at anytime and that includes sleepy streets in Belmont. A march in Henry’s memory was attended by a hundred or so people last weekend.
Good News…
Arlington Police arrested three men pulling a contractor scam and another man doing the same over the last few weeks. Victims more often than not are the elderly and the scams run into the 10’s of thousands. Best advice is don’t open the door to unsolicited visitors (girls scouts and youth fundraisers aside). I know I am being hypocritical on that. Contact Police if you see this happening in your neighborhood because often the scammers have unlicensed plates on their non logo trucks.