Volunteers Needed for Lawsuit

It’s become abundantly clear the MBTA forced density housing plan has housing advocates salivating. So much so that they want to take Star Market in Waverley Square by “eminent domain” and build a massive 6 story housing complex on the site. 

The Good news is communities are pushing back against the constitutionally questionable mandate. Milton and Marshfield have challenged the mandate and now a citizen’s group in Wakefield and another in Rockport are suing their Town’s to fight back against the mandate. The Belmont Select Board is asleep at the wheel on the damage this housing density plan can cause so a lawsuit may be the only way to wake them up. Someone please save our Town. 

Boston Red Sox – Belmont High Grad 

Katie Manganelli, BHS class of 2018, and former BHS softball player is a major contributor to the media coverage of the Boston Red Sox. Manganelli covers the Red Sox and most of her work can be found at www.bosoxinjection.com. 

$10,000 Raffle

The Belmont Lions Club raffle drawing is this Saturday May 4^th, at the Watertown Sons of Italy club, 520 Pleasant Street in Watertown MA opens at 7pm. Tickets are $100 and includes one raffle ticket to win $10,000 but also gets you in the door for a night of Trivia. Light fare and cash bah. 300 tickets will be sold, and 10 tickets will be drawn. Then the fun starts… if all 10 numbers drawn agree to share the pot… each will get $1,000. If just one of them say no, then they remove one ticket at a time until either all agree on splitting the pot or just one remains. Proceeds benefit the Lion’s club a charitable Town club. I have my ticket. Rules and disclosures on back of ticket. 

School Committee Scandal?

The Belmont School Committee funded a Demographic study by McKibben Demographic Research LLC. The report is dated January 2024. Shortly after the Override vote, the School Committee released the findings. The findings show the obvious at least to anyone with a brain. Belmont’s student population is returning to historic norms and will be sub 4,200 by 2034. Why did the School Committee wait to release the January study which was material to the override vote? 

How does the Warrant Committee respond to a shortfall of 600-800 students after years of the school system sucking up a disproportionate share of the budget at the expense of the Town side based on the now debunked explosive enrollment growth expectation? We have and have had a Top 10 school system for decades. The law of diminishing returns clearly applies here. There are plenty of areas outside education that would provide a greater return to residents and the Town overall. It’s long past due to revisit the unsustainable budget split. 

Come back to BPS.

There are rumors about starting a “Return to Belmont” campaign for the 500 or so students who are home schooled or choose to attend private or parochial schools. Apparently, the fancy new $300m+ 7-12 school didn’t make a difference. The problem was never the school buildings… it was the school system. Was it the disabling Covid response by Town and School leaders who should be mocked for their absurdity especially as evidence rolled in that lockdowns were not effective? Maybe it is the extreme progressive political indoctrination pervasive in the schools today, or maybe the “good enough” attitude toward children with varying levels of learning disabilities while the bulk of attention was spent on the elite students for bragging reasons. Plenty of reasons to choose from and none will be addressed.  

Belmont Public Schools Enrollment numbers now and projected over a decade.

Lexington Ma. residents just found out that Governor Healey has chosen Lexington to house 57 illegal immigrant and homeless families. The immediate response from Lexington families was what impact this would have on MCAS results. Rest assured Governor Healey said this is temporary transition housing (sure thing wink/wink). Somehow, I suspect the temporary inhabitants will end up in Framingham or Chelsea just prior to test time. Is Belmont immune… maybe as we have little unoccupied space for now?

Lizzie Speaks 

The Select Board chair is the gift that keeps on giving so “Lizzie Speaks” is becoming a regular headline. 

Lizzie certainly has a bee in her bonnet with longtime Belmont taxpayer/landlord Locatelli properties. Her latest salvo is the absurd threat of using “eminent domain” to seize commercial properties in Belmont that don’t fill the desired wants of the Select Board. What would Lizzie like to see in Belmont… well boutique hotels of course. Does she know the State has been seizing hotels and other facilities to house illegal immigrants and the homeless? Has she talked with Bedford and Concord over the harm those seizures have caused. Does she not understand that Belmont residents are the biggest offenders in not supporting local businesses? Anyways… stay tuned for the next Lizzie speaks headline. You never know what she may say. If any property gets seized by eminent domain, it should be mine. Please, please… you could fit a couple families inside and several tents in the back yard. $1.7m is fair. USD not Bitcoin. 

$39.5 million New Belmont Memorial Library News 

The good news so far is the new Belmont Library project remains on budget according to a spokeswoman at the recent Town Meeting. That is good news. There was no mention of any contamination issues contrary to the rumor in Town that during demolition asbestos in the library walls was released into the nearby brook. That would be an environmental nightmare as the brook feeds into the claypit. I believe the Conservation commission would have oversight and would have alerted the Town if such an issue occurred. Fingers crossed as no one wants an EPA issue.  

Save the “Skip” Rink News

After the new rink committee tried to be everything to everyone in Town… the Skip Viglirolo skating rink is on the verge of becoming a parking lot. Why? The original $29.9m cost ($28.6m after donations) is now expected to cost north of $34.2m. This is what happens when you take a rink that needed replacing and turn it into a sports complex for pickle ball and yoga and place $1.3m solar panels on the roof. The increase is being blamed on bird poop and Bidenflation by committee members although TT sources have implied there is linkage to the BHSMS committee dumping of the work West of Harris field that contributed to the deficit. Worse yet there were rumors the facility would no longer carry the longtime HS Hockey Coach and former Town DPW commissioner’s name. More details will come forward in June. 

Boycott ends.

My 1-year boycott of Bud Light is over. Hopefully, vendors will learn from this and stop pushing political ideologies either way. BTW… the coldest beer available since Jamaica Jeff’s closed is easily the Bud Light draft at the Chateau for those wondering. 

Public Service announcement

In the last edition of TownieTalk it was suggested, home sellers have a 1–3-year window to sell before the crash. Based on new information that window is closer to 9-18 months. Recently, the Boston Globe ran a story about how Belmont real estate experienced a 7% drop in home prices over the 2022-2023 timeframe. The price decline was blamed on the surge in interest rates under the Biden Administration combined with already excessive prices keeping buyers on the sideline. Belmont’s Realtor to the Stars has informed me that prices have rebounded at the start of 2024 but for how long. Belmont has seen a major increase in homes north of $2m on the market and even had a home sell for $6.25m making the $1.7m price tag for my home and TT no more than bubble gum and comic book money. Still no takers but I know progressives only like to spend other people’s money so why not use CPA funds and buy it for some low-income family or to house illegal immigrants. It’s got 5 bedrooms so you could really squeeze dozens of them in and it would help with the school population problem (more later).  

Why did the timeframe change suddenly? Jamie Dimon (JP Morgan Chase CEO) just renewed his belief that STAGFLATION was becoming a higher risk. For those who don’t recall the term it’s because we haven’t experienced it since the late 1970’s under then President Carter. Essentially it means stubbornly high inflation with rising unemployment and slowing or negative growth in GDP. The recent disappointing Q1 GDP growth of 1.6% along with inflationary pressures will likely lead to layoffs and recent college grads are already seeing a less than ideal environment for jobs in their fields. Pay attention folks. 

Why do so many protesters wear Covid masks??

A survey came out recently that showed Anti-Israel campus protests are not having the effect organizers wanted unless uniting antisemites and the LGBTQ movement is a goal. Turns out embracing Hamas and Hezbollah was a bridge too far for most American’s. Americans tend to hold favorable views of Israel and Palestinian people but that opinion sours when terrorist organizations are exulted. 

Protesters are now upset that there are repercussions for their law breaking. Suspensions and expulsions are only part of the punishment… since arrests records are permanent and unmask the masked. The stench of participating in such events will stay with these misguided students forever and will make applying for jobs difficult. 

On a positive note, it appears the Belmont protests have lost interest after public opinion changed when a Katherine Clarke event was disrupted by protesters. 

In Memoriam

Chris Grande was a “Facebook” friend, and I enjoyed reading his contributions to Town and World issues. Chris was a graduate of Arlington Catholic and it showed in his passion and beliefs which served a higher purpose. Chris passed away this week suddenly at the age of 51, leaving behind wife Sophia and two children, Christian and Kimi. It’s a devastating loss for the Grande family and the loss of a valued voice for the community. Rest in Peace Chris.  

Former Belmont Superintendent of Schools, Peter Holland, recently passed away. Holland was instrumental in bringing Belmont into the LABBB Collaborative during his tenure. 

James “Jim” Shaughnessy recently passed. Jim leaves behind his wife Mary, and boys Jay, Michael, and Jeff. Jim was a regular figure in the Belmont sports scene.  

MAC JONES 2.0

I am going on record that drafting Drake Maye (a QB with mobility issues and trouble getting past the first read) is repeating the same mistake Bob Kraft made by forcing Belichek to select Mac Jones. Just because you like the face of the franchise does not excuse the glaring lack of ability to carry a team. They should have traded down and taken Minnesota’s two first round picks and next years first rounder. Build your OL and WR’s up now and draft a QB next year with one of your 2 first round picks. The last few years have exposed that Kraft was the weak link that broke up the dynasty. His forcing bill to trade Jimmy G and then his failure to spend on prized free agents created a wedge between Tom and Bill and here we are.   

Cheers,  

PJ Looney

Townie Talk 02478

“AMDG” Never Forget, Never Again

In Memoriam…

The list keeps growing… 

• Gino Villa… dedicated Belmont DPW employee.
• Donald White… Teacher and Coach. 
• John Mangano… BHS 85 grad and always a friendly smile. Rough 12 months for ’85. 
• John Rocca… from Cambridge both a WW2 vet and former Local 30 Cambridge Jake President. 
• Dolores Fairbanks… Mom of Jen ‘86er
• Lawrence “Larry” Furnari… car lover and former resident. 
• Paul Maney… Triple Eagle and longtime resident.
• Jean Tellier… Teacher and part of the Tellier/Almond crew. 
• Robert Rines… Lector at St. Lukes and boat lover
• Election recap

Moderator… 

Winner: Mike Widmer   Loser: Paul Roberts

Roberts will keep his “out of order” nickname as Widmer won easy. Crowley is not a horse to bet on since the brutal damage caused by the School Committees Covid response. 

School Committee…

Winners: Moriarty and Kraft    Loser: Abercrombie

The rub is most people who run for School Committee are running to fix something wrong with the system usually as it relates to their own child. Remember the cat lady wanting a later start for high schoolers. Angus wanted a better relationship between the Teacher Union and School Committee and paid the price. The lad has ambition and drive which is great, but he needs to realize when he is being used as a pawn and by whom. (Hint… it’s not the BEA contrary to opinion). With age comes wisdom for some so keep an eye on him as he matures and determines who he is… people or things. 

Question # 2 Change to appointed Bard of Assessors

This is officially going to a recount in May. How do I know? A source confirmed a great American turned in the signatures on April 11^th on behalf of Democracy and transparency so stay tuned. 

Select Board 

Winner: Taylor Loser: Lubien Spoiler: Howard

This is a watershed moment for Belmont. The last watershed moment was in 2002 when Paul Solomon knocked off the GOAT Bill Monahan for a seat on the Board. Solomon’s win shifted the balance of power from fiscal conservative to liberal. The damage to Belmont’s middle class and fixed income has been constant since. Taylor’s win will take it even further into fantasyland idealism. Epstein will be even more irrelevant as Dionne will be focused on trying to reign in Taylor and then realize that the next board member will be another idealist and she will be irrelevant. There will be attempt to expand the BOS to 5 which will fail. 

Question #1 The $8.4m Override…

Winners: Elitists, Materialists, and low info voters   Losers: See below

I have had some time to think about this and with 50% of the registered voters showing up to vote and a 55-45 vote in favor it’s fair to say the result is representative of the majority in Town. It is also fair to call the Yes voters out for the type of people they are. They are people who prioritize things and wants over their neighbor’s basic well-being. It’s comical when a Yes voter says but “You don’t know me”. No, but I know your vote and that’s exactly what this vote was about. Ms. Dionne was clear a successful override would force out renters and homeowners and that is what you voted for. That was your priority so now own it. You are the evil landlord that you always rooted against in TV and Movies. Elitist and materialistic. 

 A DD pal told me this Town is run by kids who were bullied now getting their revenge for a miserable childhood by creating an aura of exclusivity as adults (some sort of elite nerd club?) I don’t know maybe not getting invited to that Bar Mitzvah in 7^th grade still stings or hearing “Top of the Order” every inning keeps you up at night. I’d like to think its more of a generational thing with Boomers and Millennial’s of the same mindset of wanting things now regardless of having the funds to pay for it. Odd for Boomers as many of them experienced the “layaway” purchasing model. No one knows for sure but according to realtors many homes in Town are being paid for with cash so who knows.  

As a side note… I will take a cash offer of $1,675,000 USD for my home and Townie Talk.  That’s a $25k discount. 

As for the losers… 

Listen, it sucks that people are so selfish, but society has changed, and people don’t know their neighbors like they used too or even care. Here is a list of positives to thing about while preparing to sell your home. 

Real Estate commissions are shrinking. What was once 5% is now negotiable. Some Realtors are using a 2% sell rate and making a commission for the buy side negotiable. So maybe you save 1% or even 2% on the sale versus what was once 5%. Yes, you could sell it on your own, but “quality” realtors can make a difference just like great investment managers can. 

Homes are selling fast as inventory remains limited (when that changes prices will plummet, and it could change quick). Anyone over 50 years of age should recall October 19^th, 1987, otherwise called “Black Monday”. The similarities between today and then are scary. The stock market tanked, and home prices tanked and took a decade to recover (10 years). You don’t want to be on the end of a 30% drop in home prices and a Town like Belmont is much more at risk now.

The Silver Tsunami (when Boomers downsize and move on to independent/assisted living) is upon us. That will free up an estimated 9 million homes. It’s funny that when the obvious is staring you in the face you ignore it.  

Belmont is no longer immune. Covid changed the work environment. You don’t need to live close to your office in many cases making our proximity to Cambridge and Boston less valuable (Don’t believe me then look at Commercial Occupancy rates in Boston where more than 1 in 5 floors sits empty). Belmont is tied to the Education sector more so than other areas… meaning people relocating to Belmont to attend or teach at local Universities is high. The Education sector is under attack by tanking enrollment that is expected to hit in a year or two (the cliff) and strong AI (Artificial Intelligence) is expected to be commonplace between 2030-2037. That will put enormous pressure on Higher Education as many jobs will be replaced including (computer programming) so future higher education will be limited to fewer fields of study meaning less jobs and students. Less likely but under the current Biden administration we could see foreign investors flee the US market as military conflicts continue to arise daily and foreign and domestic threats are growing.  

So… in the positive, it’s a good time to sell. My raw guess is you have 1-3 years to unload. The Town is not what it once was so what are you leaving behind is more memories than reality and maybe the few friends that remain will see the light and follow you. So where do you move to? I have my plan, and you can too just think positive.  

For those Renter’s being forced out… when the pendulum shifts you will reap the benefit. Who knows you may even be able to afford to buy but would you want too here?

Belmont Center 

A new hair salon and a new nail salon will be moving into Belmont Center. Doesn’t do me any good but good luck to the new owners and here’s hoping the Town doesn’t drag its feet on permitting.

Belmont Blunders 

Have you been by the new Brendan Grant baseball field? What a shame how the BHSMS building committee shortchanged it. The netting is so low that most foul balls will end up in the Claypit. The dugouts would be rejected by Mayor Wu as temporary housing for Mass and Cass refugees. The field gives the Underwood deep end a run for depth during rainstorms. 

Have you seen the Waverley MBTA station fire hoses? Faker Charlie Baker pushed a bill driving Belmont to zone thousands of units of new housing but left the MBTA in such disrepair that the Waverley station floods during every storm and the toxic runoff is then fed into the sewer system. Ironically, Belmont just warned homeowners about excess fertilizer runoff from yards causing environmental harm. Do as I say…

The Belmont skating rink architect apparently forgot it takes water to make ice. Rumor says the main water line feed was left out. The reason Harris filed had no lights was another oops. BMLD graciously put up three poles and an electric feed in record time but who is paying for these gaffes? 

Irish Humor to get you past your troubles…

Paddy wants a job, but the foreman won’t hire him until he passes a little math’s test.

Here is your first question, the foreman said. “Without using numbers, represent the number 9.”

“Without numbers?” Paddy says? “Dat’s easy.” And proceeds to draw three trees.

“What’s this?” the boss asks.

“Have you no brain? Tree and tree plus tree make 9” says Paddy.

“Fair enough,” says the boss. “Here’s your second question. Use the same rules, but this time the number is 99.”

Paddy stares into space for a while, then picks up the picture that he has just drawn and makes a smudge on each tree. “Ere ye go.”

The boss scratches his head and says, “How on earth do you get that to represent 99?”

“Each of them trees is dirty now. So, its dirty tree, and dirty tree, plus dirty tree. Dat makes 99.”

The boss is getting worried that he’s going to actually have to hire Paddy, so he says, “All right, last question. Same rules again, but represent the number 100.”

Paddy stares into space some more, then he picks up the picture again and makes a little mark at the base of each tree and says, “Ere ye go. One hundred.

The boss looks at the attempt. “You must be nuts if you think that represents a hundred!”

Paddy leans forward and points to the marks at the base of each tree and whispers, “A little dog came along and pooped by each tree.

So now you got dirty tree and a turd, dirty tree and a turd, and dirty tree and a turd, which makes ONE HUNDRED!”

Dancing with the Stars…

I had Laverty, Tzouvelis, and Mahoney in my trifecta bet on DraftKings. Apparently, Twinkle Toes was the weak link. Maybe next year they can do Drinking with the Stars. I know who I would bet on.

Side Notes… 

The Eclipse just wasted 1 hour of your life or nine hours if you went to NH and tried to return to Massachusetts. Good News EV charging stations were only 6 hour wait times he said sarcastically. 

Tough news…

The evidence behind medical intervention for youth questioning their gender is “remarkably weak”, with some doctors abandoning “normal clinical approaches” to prescribe hormones to teens, a landmark review in the United Kingdom has found.

The long-term health effects of masculinizing and feminizing hormones on teens are “limited and need to be better understood” and such interventions should only be taken with “extreme caution”, the long-awaited review commissioned by England’s National Health Service (NHS) said on Wednesday.

NHS is the equivalent of the US FDA. This is awful news for Parents with children questioning their gender. Most parents just want to do what is best for their kids. Now it appears according to this comprehensive review that only under extreme circumstances should action be taken. Waiting till children reach adulthood is the best course of action (or inaction). Regardless of how you feel on the subject this new report is just brutal for Parents in this situation. Why the story is only making headway in the US as it relates to a JK Rowling controversy is a disappointing indictment of the politicization of American healthcare. We thought the Covid cover up was bad and now this.  

Happy Patriot’s Day     

Just a reminder that on the 19^TH of April in 1775, Brave men fought the battle of Concord, Lexington and Menotomy signaling the start of the American Revolution. A war that was started over taxation without representation. Today, we just hold No signs and vote against Democrats and some establishment Republicans. Just like Memorial Day, the reason for the holiday has been lost and in this case is thought of as Marathon Monday. God Bless the heroic men and women who started this Country and those who continue to defend our freedoms at home and abroad. While many celebrate, many others will be on high alert protecting our citizens from domestic threats. Stay safe. 

Civil War

Can I get a refund? I was looking forward to this movie for months. I thought it would paint a picture of what was dividing this Country and instead spent an hour and a half learning that embedded photographers and journalists are heartless narcissists that only care about the glory and fame. People left stunned at how lacking this movie was. 

Cheers,  

PJ Looney

Townie Talk 02478

“AMDG” Never Forget, Never Again

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 9^th 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 14^th 7pm, Friday the 15^th 7pm, and Saturday the 16^th 2pm and 7pm. This is a fun play and a talented cast. 

April 2^nd 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 5^th 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 12^th 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 17^th   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.”

Cheers, 

PJ Looney

Townie Talk 02478

“AMDG” Never Forget Never Again

Attention Townie Talk readers…

Occasionally, an issue of critical importance to the community will arise that requires immediate notification to the residents. As Townie Talk believes in transparency, below is a letter I received unedited for your consumption. My comments will follow… 

Letter to TownieTalk02478

Hi TownieTalk authors,

Belmont Center is in grave danger of being turned into an Alewife-like monstrosity of 4 story and higher buildings, from Moore to Alexander streets, obliterating the historic center, and destroying the town’s core identity. 

We – a group of Belmont Center abutters – have been talking to the MBTA zoning committee to ask them to take this off their map for rezoning for Subdistrict 5, which they did even for the Star market and car wash plot – a much more likely spot for the new required housing! They refused to do so for Belmont Center, at a meeting with us today.

It is IMPERATIVE that at the public meeting on Thursday Feb 15, 7pm, to review the skewed current zoning “scenarios”, folks who care about the center show up in force and vote for the scenarios that don’t destroy the center. 

Can you please put out a call on your blog? Most people don’t even know this is happening – once in a generation change to obliterate our town center as we know it, happening now.

For informational purposes… there will be a meeting this Thursday at 7pm at the Beech Street Center (Senior Center – 266 Beech Street, Belmont MA). It will not be remote. Public comment will be allowed. 

TownieTalk commentary…

Tomorrow, Milton voters go to the polls to vote on whether to comply with the controversial MBTA community’s law. The law demands communities dramatically increase housing along and near MBTA routes or risk losing State aid. We are talking about potentially adding 1,600-3,000 units in a Town like Belmont that has about 10,000 units. Gov. Healey is maintaining a zero-tolerance attitude even though certain communities will be economically and aesthetically devastated as Belmont will. 

At this moment, the Select Board has refused to consider allowing Belmont to vote on compliance, so the MBTA Zoning committee is forced with creating a plan for which the meeting Thursday solicits more resident feedback. The current committee has some members who want to add as much housing as allowed and damn the consequences (familiar theme in Belmont perhaps?) and others who want to protect as much potential commercial development space as possible in Town who are trying to be creative and balance the intent of the law vs the actual impact on the Town. 

Things to consider…. 

1. To date there has been no fiscal impact analysis study requested by the Select Board on enacting this law. Ditto for environmental. 
2. Leaders talk a good game of increasing commercial revenue… yet this law unless meticulously configured would eat into the little commercial space we have. 
3. Why should Belmont bear the cost of housing and educating residents who overwhelmingly work in Cambridge and Boston while those business taxes go to those cities?  
4. What will Belmont Center, the Squares… Waverley, Palfrey, Cushing, and the key corridors…Pleasant, Brighton/Blanchard, and Belmont Street look like lined with six story units. (If you read the last Townie Talk then you would see the 6-floor housing planned for the Cambridge side of Blanchard Street in the old pepperidge farm site)
5. How many new students will any plan unload on our school system? Could easily exceed 1,000 in a Town with 4,500 currently enrolled.  

Some will say Cambridge and Somerville can do it so can we. That’s fine if you can send your kids to private school, don’t have a car, and don’t mind human excrement on the sidewalks. Some will say it will happen over years… that doesn’t solve the space issue as the Town isn’t getting any new land in the deal. 

Townie Talk is 100% opposed to the new law and believes a change of this magnitude should be in front of the voters. In the meantime, the effort should be focused on the least negative fiscal and aesthetic impact to the Town and preserving commercial revenue space. 

If I recover from my head cold/flu in time, I will stress the fiscal impact study being essential in any planning stages, the need to protect what little commercially zoned space we have, and the erosion of the Town’s historic and suburban aesthetics. If I can’t… someone please raise these issues and reach out to the Select Board ASAP. This is insanity. #GOMILTON. 

PAY ATTENTION FOLKS!!!!

PJ Looney

Townie Talk 02478

“AMDG” Never Forget Never Again

Superbowl 58

The Taylor Swift Chiefs face the SF 49ers. SF is favored by 2 points and the Over/Under is 47.5pts.

What you don’t know… the Vegas sportsbooks as of Thursday need SF to win and in a low scoring game to be in the money. 

My prediction… usually go with the better QB in big games.  

SAVE BELMONT 

www.2Much2Ask.org

A “No Override” committee has been formed to fight this outrageous override request. If Question 1 on the April Town Election Ballot passes the average single family tax bill will increase about $2,353.00 (or 13.8%) in the next fiscal year which includes the Library/Rink and $8.4m override. In the past 5 years, Belmont’s average tax bill increased by 34% driven in part by $370m in debt exclusions.

You may recall Townie Talk consistently warning that all these projects should be scaled back significantly (atriums/expanded services etc) or else we would be unable to pay to staff them. Town leaders intentionally stayed quiet about the budget to get these massive over the top buildings passed and now they are coming back for more but this time threatening a “feel the pain” budget cut approach that shockingly was publicly raised at a Warrant Committee meeting by a WC member with a nodding approval by a current Select Board member. Pay attention as Townie Talk exposes the Yes campaign over the next few months. 

The Invest in Belmont Yes campaign leads with fear…

(Full disclosure… My grandfather, Dan Murphy, was a Cambridge Firefighter and when you attack firefighters who risk life and limb everyday it’s personal). 

The Yes campaign warns of a 20% cut to fire services in FY26 yet the upcoming budget is FY25. Pay attention to their shenanigans. Of course, they also say Prop 2.5 only allows taxes to grow by 2.5% a year but an honest person would admit that number is historically about 3.1% as new growth is included. If you are wondering why the last 5 years taxes went up 34% get ready for some stumbling and Enron math. The reality is they were reckless on capital and short-changed operating and want you to think its normal. It’s not. It’s irresponsible. 

(Current key Override proponent) Cost Saving proposal presented to Structural Change Impact Group on March 4, 2021, Public Forum Transcribed from Zoom recording beginning at 28:48.

We really need to consider closing the Belmont Center Fire Station. We need to consider Fire Department consolidation. We have a new Fire Chief coming in on March 15 and this is an opportunity to rethink the whole Department. We’re only 3 square miles, and also there was a very unfortunate report that came out today from the Department of Revenue Division of Local Services and since I’m pro-override, I’m not going to say where we rank in terms of taxes, but it’s bad. And it worries me, and I think we’ve got to think very creatively so that we’re spending money on our most important priorities. 

Anyway, I’ve discussed this with a number of people and closing the Belmont Center Fire Station…it’s amazing to me how broad the support is. It goes from Progressive to Conservative. There are 4 very key areas where we could save money if we did this. The first is obviously head count. So, salaries we would save money. Second, overtime, which is huge. We spend quite a lot of money on overtime. And in terms of retaining and potentially providing more staffing to the main fire house on, is it Belmont… I forget where it turns from Belmont to Trapelo. We would eliminate our overtime problem; we would reduce our capital spending… we have to allocate a significant amount of money each year on fire truck turnover. I would much rather be putting the new two-million-dollar roof on Chenery than paying for new fire trucks, that’s my personal preference. And then, finally-and this is major and something people don’t understand- but we start paying fire pensions when they turn 55. Firefighters can retire when they are 55. Their average pension is forty-three thousand a year. And that goes on as long as they live. So, we have 4 areas of significant cost savings that would free up significant money to invest in our infrastructure- our buildings, our roads, our streets, our schools. Belmont is only three-square miles, and also there are fire stations on our border. Arlington has a fire station just over Route 2 on Park Avenue. So, I think, this would also be an opportunity to discuss cooperative agreements with our neighboring cities and towns. I have been studying this for a long time, that is our biggest cost savings by an exponential fact, would be if we shut down the Belmont Center fire station. And then, finally, huge advantage, we are so strapped for community space, that space could very quickly be repurposed for office space, for meeting space for community organizations, for teen space, maker space. We are desperate for space. That building would be repurposed in 4 important ways.

Townie Talk…. 

The statement above represents the values and priorities of Override proponents. While it may be one person’s statement it is group thought that prevails on the current Select Board and Committees that have forwarded these potential future cuts. If you doubt it, then ask individuals on these Boards and Committees if they agree and support the proposed cuts being used to drive fear. 

The override vote gives voters a chance to say enough is enough by voting No. 

Most of us know Public Safety is more important than any other service in Town as the level and speed of service can often have a direct impact on one’s life and property. The suggestion of closing a fire station or a drastic cut in staff is witless even more so after the recent elitist drunken sailor spending spree on behalf of special interests in Town. The intent of the futuristic threatened cut is a new “Feel the Pain” tactic. Do you share the priorities they have shown in budgeting? Are you frustrated they pushed a massive new HS/MS building based on 5,000 students when we peaked at 4,700 and are getting closer to the historic norms of < 4,300?  Was it wise to build a bigger library with expanded services and then tell the voters we need to reduce library hours without an override? How about building a new $29m Sports facility and then threatening to eliminate High School hockey programs. Do you feel deceived? Were you misinformed at the time of the votes that this was a potential outcome? Who do you hold responsible… those who are now asking for another $8.4m perhaps?  

Horrifying News

President Biden “willfully retained and disclosed classified materials” after he served as vice president. The good news is he won’t be charged as the report also said Biden’s memory was “significantly limited” during his 2023 interviews with the special counsel, and Hur continued to detail more instances of the 81-year-old president’s memory lapses in the report, saying Biden could not remember when he was vice president. Holy Farts. No wonder nothing is being done about the border invasion. Please stop this elder abuse now. This is beyond dangerous as we are on the precipice of a Civil War because of the border invasion and World War 3 because America is not considered a viable deterrence currently. 

Private Church event targeted by protesters…

A private event sponsored by a local Belmont church, that featured US Congressional Rep. Katherine Clarke and Belmont State Senator William Brownsberger, was disrupted by protesters who became unruly and were threatened with arrest if they did not leave. It is believed the protesters were demanding a cease fire in Gaza. Rep Clarke has had a Capitol Police escort with her since becoming House minority whip and she has been accosted regularly by far-left organizations for a variety of reasons. A Belmont Police detail was also on site. The unruly protesters were escorted out and no arrests were made. 

Something new… 

Just got back from Denver… the view of the Mountains looks just like as pictured on a Coor’s Light. Coor’s Light is served in 24oz cans out there and they still have Happy Hour. There are many pot shops, Starbuck’s, and Arby’s. There are also many (more than Boston) illegal immigrants and homeless. It’s an epidemic. Every traffic light has someone trying to squeegee your windshield for a few bucks (not in a threatening way as much as a desperation way) and the homeless are overwhelmingly drug addicts in their teens and 20’s. Very sad and unfortunately a pattern that’s developing in large Democratic run cities across the US. There are not many Dunkin’s out there, but I did find two. The Avalanche and Nuggets are very similar to the Bruins and Celtics except both Denver teams have recent championships. There is a strip club called Shotgun Willie’s that was hosting a “Large Lady strip off” but I made a better choice by spending my money on a Shrimp Cocktail appetizer and a couple Coor’s Lights at Local Jones. If you like Shrimp cocktail and fancy yourself capable of handling extreme spice, then you should order a bottle of St. Elmo’s Steak House Shrimp Cocktail sauce, chill it, and be prepared for pain and ecstasy. Guaranteed your eyes will tear. Fantastic.  

Townies trashed…

Select Board member “Lovey” Liz Dionne at times joined by fellow board member “Professor” Roy Epstein went out of their way to disparage a handful of long-time residents serving the Town of Belmont. At a recent Town meeting, the current victims of Lovey’s “feel the pain” movement, were none other than Bob Reardon, Chuck Laverty, and Patrick Murphy. Those lads represent the current Belmont Board of Assessors and are irresponsive and provide flawed data perhaps per Liz and Roy. To think Moderator Mike said no personal attacks just minutes prior. Have no fear as Liz and Roy want “we the voters” to validate their attacks by voting to have the BOA appointed instead of elected. 

An odd thing though… Liz says her voter friends didn’t even know that the BOA members are voted on. So now she wants those same people voting on changing the process. That’s logical…not. Anyways Question 2 is a solid NO. Easy to remember No on 1 and No on 2.

Select Board member Mark Paolillo probably gave the most obvious reason to vote No. As a Select Board member, a frequent complaint by voters is their homes assessment is too high. His response is simple… assessors are elected not appointed. It keeps funny business from happening. What happens if those changes? Good point Mark.  

Hey, Floyd Carman… please don’t watch Town meeting. Apparently, moving to a Town appointed treasurer created a huge efficiency. Now instead of walking to the nearby bank to deposit checks the office can now scan them. I understand that the savings will enable the Treasurer’s office to order two topping pizzas instead of one for the next Christmas (Holiday party). 

Memo to all residents…. If you have expired foods in your fridge or closet it’s time to retire. This one is from Bob “Mustard” McGaw. Angus “Porta Potty” Abercrombie has started a trend. Bizarre stories at Town meeting

Cambridge sucks…

Yes… it was once a proud city but now is filled with disturbed minds. Did you know that Cambridge plans on building a massive business and residential complex on Blanchard Road next to Comellas. The traffic is already a nightmare on Blanchard but the moon bats in Cambridge don’t believe in cars. It’s a six-story monstrosity on the Belmont border. Pay attention folks.  

Tom Gibson

Just a follow up, sure as a Jets losing season, Townie Talk correctly predicted the 2-2 tie vote by the retirement board on re-appointing long term member Tom Gibson. It was a political decision and just another dedicated Town resident being erased by a power-hungry crew. I have heard from multiple sources Tom took his responsibility to retirees seriously and that is what did him in. Not all change is positive. Pay attention folks. 

Noxious Odor… Oil, Gas, and Farts

The Belmont Skating rink demolition crew struck Oil. Unfortunately, not the type we can sell to get out of the reckless spending by Town Leaders. This oil was from an old storage tank containing 100 or so gallons and it was the tank feed that was struck. In total about 10 gallons escaped and quick remediation prevented further environmental damage. No leakage has been reported into the Claypit pond, so the two headed fish are from prior spills. The cleanup cost (rumor in the low 10’s of thousands is within the contingency fund range). The big question is how does a tank go unnoticed? 

For those wondering if the Belmont Teachers went on strike, the answer is No. Maybe they should.

January 16^th, a teacher at the Winn Brook, reports a smell and complains of a headache. This was allegedly investigated by facilities and the teachers were assured they were safe. Jan 19^th the first evacuation of the Winn Brook school occurred, and the issue was allegedly fixed over the weekend. A second evacuation occurred on January 23^rd with the school then closed the 24^th and 25^th. A third evacuation occurred on January 30^th. Apparently, the issue was traced to two boilers and the Town is now inspecting all buildings. For those long time Townie Talk readers… you will remember the infamous “SprayGate” event when Town employees were exposed to potentially toxic chemicals by the improper use of sanitization sprayers and found out by external sources that it was being investigated. In other words, very few Town/School employees believe anything the Town Leaders say anymore. 

On February 8^th, the Chenery middle school had a report of strong odor in the sixth-grade hallways. Trust me those hallways reek of body odor as middle schoolers and hygiene aren’t synonymous. The odor was identified as a small bottle of “fart spray”. Yes… Fart spray. For those not familiar with the term…

Colloquially, flatulence may be referred to as “farting”, “pumping”, “trumping”, [9] “blowing off”, “pooting”, “passing gas”, “breaking wind”, “backfiring”, or simply (in American English) “gas” or ( British English) “wind”. 

• Wikipedia

This story brought tears to my eyes. We should name a street after this kid. Fart sprays, whoopie cushions, water doorways… the spirit of the young. I declare February 8^th an extra recess day from here on out.  

$1.7 Million

Floyd, Reardon, Laverty, Murphy, Gibson…. all much nicer and reputable gents than I, are being erased by a power-hungry group thought political faction driven by a desire to be the next Lexington. Why, I ask, hasn’t this not-so-secret cabal ponied up the $1.7m so I can leave Town and Townie Talk behind, and you can operate in the shadows. That’s USD not Bitcoin. If it makes you feel better add another million to show off.      

Cheers, 

PJ Looney

Townie Talk 02478

“AMDG” Never Forget, Never Again

Concentration of Power 

A relentless pursuit of concentrated power by the Select Board may be an early indicator that the Town is running out of cash, and they need to find or take funds from wherever they sit.  Conspiracy theory? Let’s peel the onion and let you decide. 

The Recreation Department is now in charge of Adult Ed and oversees the Senior Center. Activity fees from those programs are used to fund the following year activities. Consolidation makes it easier for the Town to borrow (wink/wink) funds from those cash accounts in essence robbing Peter to pay Paul.  

The Treasurer is now a Town appointed position and surprise/surprise there has been a delay in paying Town employees on their contracted catch-up payments due last September. 

The Belmont Retirement Board consists of 5 members. The current chairman, Tom Gibson, is an attorney and 40-year Belmont resident. Gibson has decades of experience in the public employee retirement system including 20 years as Chairman of the Middlesex County Retirement Board and is seeking reappointment. He has the full support of two elected members of the Board, Walter Wellman, and Ross Vona.

Chad Orufrechuck, is a private sector investment manager with no public sector experience and is also seeking the appointment. He appears to have the support of the other two board members, newest member Brian Antonellis (appointed by the Town) in his first year and Donna Tuccinardi (Ex Officio member). A 2-2 vote will result in the Select Board deciding the appointment. 

The Town having greater control of the retirement board is a “red flag” that they may utilize the retirement funds in a way they were not meant to be and adjust COLA adjustments based on Town needs with no regards to the retired workers. Pay attention folks.

Changing the Board of Assessors from elected to appointed is another attempt at consolidating power and one that comes with greater risk than reward. We have and have had an all-star lineup of assessors for decades. There is no indication Belmont won’t have qualified candidates run. It feels this move is to allow the Town to appoint stooges who will act beyond their regulated capabilities and shake down entities through threats and actions. While many of us agree PILOT payments should be mandated… the reality is I have looked at this for years and it will only occur through legislation. Withholding services and using hardball tactics which may be the intent of the change is below Belmont.  

So now you have seen the inside of the onion. Conspiracy or has Belmont’s excessive spending on Cap Ex and special interest desires finally led to desperate cash grabs just to pay the bills? Are we in pyramid scheme territory?  Removing checks and balances is never a good sign and yet that is what keeps happening. Pay attention folks. 

BHS 2024 ALL-NIGHT Fundraiser

Great turnout for the comedy show. Good to see so many familiar faces showing up. Belmont’s own Jeopardy champion, Kelly Rowan says they raised a good chunk to cover the kegs at the All-Night party. Ok I might have misheard the “keg” part but nice job Parents and supporters. 

Newton Teachers on strike…

Like Belmont, Newton has a spending priority problem. Newton Teachers are on strike looking for a cost-of-living increase to help offset the massive inflation resulting from Biden Administration spending. The issue is not that Newton didn’t pass an Override… the issue is Newton priorities. The failed override was just a $4.5m override in a half billion budget but Newton voters have had enough with high taxes. Newton Schools receive 65% of the budget and allocate about $24k per pupil so there is a problem with budgeting when other competitive districts can do it for 1/3^rd less. Trim the Fat and pay the Teachers competitive wages whether it means cuts or not. 

The mayor refuses to negotiate a contract that will lead to layoffs. This is part of the dumbing down of the teacher workforce that is and will increasingly affect education. Pay teachers less, complain you can’t get teachers, dumb down the requirement for teachers, pay teachers even less, and institute cookie cutter curriculum so you can hire glorified babysitters. Of course, you need to get rid of mandated testing or else parents will realize they are being duped with inflated grades. Newsflash… the level of literacy is embarrassing for Massachusetts schools. It’s not the teachers but rather the tools. A good, qualified teacher is trained to identify the needs of the individual and accommodate their specific learning process. DEI is at odds with this method and parents are experiencing it (more on that in a future issue). 

In the private sector, the 80/20 rule is widely known, 80% of the real work is done by 20% of the workforce. Layoffs are common to cull the lower performers and keep the outperformers with respectable pay. A small teacher to student ratio only matters if the teachers are qualified and well trained. Pay the teachers and make the cuts. 

Governor Healey

Healey announced $350m in budget cuts as revenues collections lag. 

Of course, this was after announcing spending on the mandated right to shelter mainly illegal immigrants had eclipsed $500m. She should immediately push legislation repealing the “Right to Shelter” State designation.

Be aware that the next step for Healey and like-minded “Americans last” politicians will be to pay households with extra bedrooms to shelter illegals. NYC Mayor Adams already implied this. That will be a system riper for abuse than Covid relief funds. Elections have consequences. If you have teens or young adults in your family advise them to plan to find employment away from the Northeast and West Coasts. In a matter of years, it will be all street gangs and look more like the slums of Paris and London. How bad is it… Germany is looking to expel 1,000,000 illegals which would be the equivalent of 4,000,000 in the US. Why you ask would they? Europeans are so welcoming, but everyone has a breaking point, and the new arrivals don’t share Western values. Germany is not alone. It’s happening across Europe.  

As you read this… 

Sweden is preparing for War. Yes… Sweden. The UK and Europe as well. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden who was supposed to bring overseas respect back to America instead has the US going from no conflicts or heightened risk of War to now looking at major threats from Iran, Yemen, Russia, China, and 20% of his own party looking to eradicate Jews and Western Culture. Question is… who is pulling Biden’s strings? The Clinton’s or the Obama’s. I am going to say Clinton at this point because Governor Newsom met with them recently. It’s going to be one hell of a year. 

BHS brawl?

Some kids got into a fight in front of the new $300m HS at bus drop off. Not sure if that means someone used the wrong pronoun, didn’t recycle properly, or truly threw a haymaker. It’s hard to tell these days. Doesn’t matter. Kids need to toughen up quickly in a World that doesn’t care. Repeat offenders should be dealt with swiftly and the school policy should be followed. Otherwise, have them pick up trash around the claypit. 

Superbowl 

I would like to see Detroit vs Buffalo. The NFL wants KC/SF or BAL/SF. They usually get what they want. 

Cheers, 

PJ Looney

Townie Talk 02478

“AMDG”, Never Forget, Never Again

Lies by Omission….

This past week the School Committee and Town Admin started their “Feel the Pain” override campaign. The TA alluded to charging for Trash removal (Pay As you Throw) even though the taxpayers approved an override in 1990 that continues to fully cover Trash removal. Antagonism at its worst.   

April 28, 1990, Override – Solid Waste Collection & Disposal 3027 2558 Passed

Not to be outdone… the SC made their list of cuts ranging from staff to electives, all sports and extra curriculars plus wait for it… the closing of the Burbank School. 

Within the last year voters had two debt exclusions placed on the ballot. A $40m new expanded services Library and a $32m new expanded services Sports complex. A group of responsible residents consistently raised concerns that this largesse spending with the Town facing a looming deficit was negligent. This group sought out an independent expert who determined a limited refurb and modest ADA accommodations could be done at the library for a fraction of the cost (@ $6m). This was met with tongue twisting from Library supporters who never challenged the specific proposal and were offered to publicly debate the subject with yours truly. No response. The rink was determined beyond repair but many of us were adamant that it should be replaced with a bare bone skating rink. It went from rink to sports complex with SC feedback and the price tag grew by several million.  During this time, it was said repeatedly why build a new expanded library if you can’t afford to operate it. Now we know the fear plan is to eliminate the Hockey programs altogether and to reduce library hours. Logical NO. 

At TM last year, after a presentation by the SC, I inquired if the SC was exploring closing an elementary school to save costs seeing the decline in student enrollment created a situation of empty classrooms. The response was they will always look at cost savings that make sense. Keep in mind Belmont had 6 schools pre the new HS/MS but is treating the Upper-level MS as its own school and as such is staffing it as a 7^th School. Eliminating the Burbank would take the Town back to 6 staffed schools and free up $1.5-$2m for use toward Teachers in the classroom. In other word’s this is a rightsizing move based on poor projections by a “Milton” consulting firm. It really is not fair to view it as anything other than rightsizing. 

Raise your hand if you ever heard any of the Select Board or School Committee speak up and warn that both debt exclusions risked public services? Raise your hand if you can name elected or appointed board members who publicly advocated against these projects or even publicly pushed to have them minimized? As the public face of the fix the library vs demolish it campaign, I can say no one reached out to me. 

I can tell you with 100% certainty, I will not support an override this April. I just showed you who is to blame for the problem. Can it be fixed? If we act quickly, we can salvage quite a bit. Here’s how…

Call a special Town Meeting to repeal the CPA fee. This will save taxpayers $1.7m annual.  

Halt demolition of the library and have an independent review of the repair proposal. $2.8m annual

Call an emergency meeting of the rink committee to reduce costs to a basic rink $500k-$700k annual.

Close the Burbank $1.5m+ annual.

This is about $6.5m in savings and to be achieved it will require some work at TM by repealing projects and then replacing those savings amounts with an equivalent override. Technically it would be an added burden to the taxpayers as overrides grow by 2.5% annual, but it would also prioritize people over buildings for once. 

The failure of leadership to clearly inform the public of all these pending issues prior to voting is to me a huge Lie by Omission and as such they have not earned the trust that goes with raising taxes on the already overburdened taxpayer. We will see if they “Let it Ride” on a vote or come to their senses and prioritize. The window is very short for action. Weeks literally.    

BHS 2024 Comedy Night Fundraiser

A reminder the BHS class of 2024 is hosting a comedy night Friday Jan 12^th at the Hibernian Hall, 151 Watertown Street in Watertown. 4 comedians will take the stage. Venmo Kelly Rowan @kelly-rowan-5 and put comedy show in the subject line. $50. Doors open at 7pm and show starts at 8pm. Proceeds will support the Senior All Night Graduation Party

Rest in Peace 

Anthony (Tony) Valenti beloved husband of the late Helen (Rudner) Valenti and Father to 6 daughters passed away January 4^th. Tony who grew up in Medford, MA and was a boxer and restauranteur had a personality that would light up a room. He was old school and said what he thought, and boy did he have wit. Tony will be missed by all who knew him. 

Joseph O’Donnell passed away on January 8^th. A well-known Businessman who personified philanthropy. O’Donnell and wife Kathy were instrumental figures in the fight against Cystic Fibrosis. After losing their young son Joe to CF in the 1970’s, the couple started Joey’s Fund to raise money to seek a cure. Amazing breakthroughs and drugs exist today in large part due to their raising awareness and fundraising efforts leading to a tripling of life expectancy. O’Donnell not surprisingly was a product of the Catholic Conference having attended Malden Catholic. He leaves behind his wife Kathy and two daughters.  

Special Town Meeting

There is a misperception of the role of the Board of Assessors in Belmont. The Assessors are required to complete State training within a year of appointment and have very little wiggle room in assessing properties as State formulas are rigid. Moving from elected to appointed serves no purpose unless your goal is increasing the Commercial rate significantly and have that litmus test. Doing so may shift the tax burden by a few hundred thousand to commercial properties from residential but it will also shift the burden to the landlord and then to the tenant disproportionately hurting the boutique shops in Town. Don’t fix what isn’t broken. Very few in Town win challenges and it doesn’t matter who you know. Wasted time while Belmont burns. 

Liz “Lovey” Dionne

As soon as we praise Liz for accomplishing something positive for the Town (zoning reform to help restaurants), she verbally slams a longtime Belmont Center landlord at a Select Board meeting without knowing all the facts. Landlords are taxpayers as much as anyone else and disputes between landlords and tenants happen all the time. The verbal attack was picked up by media resulting in the airing of dirty laundry that just made all involved look bad. With that said… her bizarre rant just added to Belmont’s anti-business reputation. 

Harvard…

The damage is done. The inability to immediately remove President Gay has tarnished Harvard grads across multiple industries. The ridiculous assertion that race played a role further undermines the DEI movement. Wokeness killed Harvard plain and simple.   

2024….

This is the year of dread. 

America is not safe, the border is not secure, the economy is teetering (in recession depending what industry you are in), and inflation is out of control. We are in 5 maybe 6 significant conflicts worldwide (Russia, Iran, Gaza, Venezuela, China, North Korea) that at any point could stretch our understaffed military to a breaking point. We have antisemites openly and proudly disrupting college campuses, places of worship, and harassing politicians. We have a President who I can’t criticize anymore because it feels immoral and borders on elder abuse. Who is pulling the strings and when will Biden step aside so we can find out who the Wizard is that has done this too us. We rely on China for everything from medications to computer chips at a time they pose the greatest threat to America and are openly talking about re-unifying with Taiwan by force. 

Too make matters even worse we just lost the Best NFL Coach of all time and will now return to 30 years of mediocrity or worse and now with NH kicked out of first in Nation status we have no political relevancy. Billionaires are building doomsday bunkers and racing to leave this World but first moving to Florida to escape NY and CA and now MA taxes. Taylor Swift was attacked by a NYT hit piece. 

It’s not all bad because the World still has Townie Talk until that $1.7m check shows up. 

Cheers, 

PJ Looney

Townie Talk 02478

“AMDG” Never Forget Never Again

Come and have a pint with….

The BHS Class of 2024 is hosting a fundraiser at the Watertown Hibernian Hall (151 Watertown Street, Watertown) on Saturday January 12^th.  Doors open at 7pm and four top notch comedians will perform starting at 8pm. It’s a great chance to buy Townie Talk a pint at the Cash Bah. Tickets are $50 and proceeds benefit the Senior Class All Night party at BHS this Spring. Jeopardy champion and Belmont resident Kelly Rowan is coordinating the event… tickets can be reserved by VENMO Kelly Rowan @ kelly-rowan-5 with subject line “Comedy Show”. Special Thanks to Mahoney Oil and Avery Dooley and Noone LLP for sponsoring the community event. 

In Memoriam…

Officer Paul Tracey and National Grid Tech Roderick Jackson were killed when a 54-year-old from NH rammed his car into the two men working at a construction site in Waltham. Both leave behind family and friends trying to understand the senselessness of their deaths. Our legal system and the mental health system need immediate fixing to slow the senseless acts of violence we hear too often. 

James Heigham a longtime resident and contributor in many roles to the Town of Belmont passed this November. James was a US veteran and a Lawyer and was the type of person whose voice commanded attention. RIP James. 

Marlene Flewelling also a longtime resident and deeply involved in the Town be it the Senior Center or Library passed this November. She was pre-deceased by her husband “Wally” a former Select Board member. RIP Marlene.

April Election

Early indications are we will have a couple contested seats…. 

Select Board: Geoff Lubien, Matt Taylor, and Alexander Howard have pulled papers to run.

School Committee: Angus Abercrombie and Meg Moriarty are on the ballot and Brian Palmer and Matthew Kraft have pulled papers for the open seats. 

Civil Service fallout… 

In the first I told you so… Belmont Police lost their SRO this week (transferring to Foxboro). A well-liked and respected community member and one of the few female members of the force. Civil Service is not the reason Belmont has trouble hiring officers and/or they leave… Belmont is not a desirable job and that includes pay vs cost of living as well as how Officers are treated by residents and the Town. So much for “hiring can start immediately” once passed. We are worse off today and 100 of us at Town Meeting warned Santa’s naughty list loud and clear. 

BHS Boys Hockey

Just call them the Chiefs. Reliable sources indicate this year’s Pre-season Top 20 team is less finesse and more tough and rough. The Charlestown Chiefs of Hockey let’s say. The Hanson brothers would be proud. The lads spanked Watertown 7-3 in the opener with a strong showing from the Freshmen class. 

Butternut Bakehaus…

The newest addition to Belmont Center has finally opened. One down several to go. 

YEAR IN REVIEW

The major stories ranged from a teen shooting on Olmstead Ave, Concord Ave bike lane changes, arrogance galore from the BHSMS building committee, Floyd Carman retiring, Rat poison killing an American Bald Eagle, the infamous make taxpayers “Feel the Pain” comment by Chris Doyle endorsed by Liz Dionne, a controversial Superintendent hiring, Taylor Swift, Winn Brook UFO sighting, Tatte and Hanami opening and Trinktisch closing, Jamal Saeh reneging on a campaign promise of striving for academic excellence, Will Brownsberger coming out as Bisexual in his Jimmy Carter moment,  the new Sports complex being approved by voters, a brewing sex scandal, an anti-union and/or anti-police vote at Town meeting and of course the failure of Belmont Schools, Elected leaders, and so called human rights and race organizations to stand up for Israel after the barbaric 10/7 attacks by radical Islamists killed hundreds including many Americans.

Farewell White Field House

The White Field House is being torn down this week. The Town named the building after James Paul White, killed on Dec. 21, 1944, while serving in Co. G, in the 26th Infantry 1stDivision at the Battle of Dom Butgenbach in Belgium back in 1948. What a difference 75 years make. Back then Belmont residents sacrificed their lives fighting the Nazi’s and today many are supporting the modern-day Nazi’s. 

Santa Claus Naughty list… 

Harvard University President Claudine Gay when pressed on if calling for the genocide of Jews may or may not violate university rules responded with “it depends on the context”. Now you would think this repulsive response from a supposedly educated person would have resulted in immediate termination. I mean at Harvard using the wrong pronoun is hate speech. The answer is No. The intellectually bankrupt and vile board at Harvard felt keeping this repugnant woman to lead the school was in the best interest. I would add that over 500 faculty at the scandal ridden University, signed on in support of Gay. 

The Harvard hates Jews moniker is accurate and is backed up by the aggressive push to reduce Harvard’s Jewish student population down to 2% by the Administration, the Harvard Crimson endorsement of the Israel hating BDS movement, and more recently supporting antisemitic hate speech. On a positive note, a growing number of employers are abandoning recruitment efforts at the once prestigious University.   

Boston Mayor Wu joins Gay on the naughty list. Turns out the mayor has deep seated hatred of White people. So much so that she decided to hold an “elected people of color” holiday party. The invites went out to the entire City Council (which included White Councilors) and once realized Wu apologized not for the racism but for sending the invites to those not included. The Segregationist Mayor uses the term “affinity” to excuse her race-based exclusion. America isn’t having it, and Santa agrees. BTW when did white not be considered a color? 

Alleged Senator Dick Durbin D-IL Congressional staffer

It is never a good idea to have sex in a US Senate hearing room in DC. It’s even worse to video tape the act and share it on a website. It takes the cake though to cry victim and imply if it wasn’t gay sex, it wouldn’t be an issue. The desecration of these revered buildings be it Cocaine in the WH or sex in the Senate hearing rooms must be nightly skits for the Russian version of SNL.  

Reminder…

TownieTalk is about provoking conversation and providing transparency with subjects affecting Belmont and occasional things I find of interest. Opinion, rumor, and humor is thrown in for free. Politics is fair game, but people’s private lives are not unless it has material impact on resident safety or puts the Town at risk. The same goes for local businesses. I hope other news sites share that view.    

Corbett Pond

It is not for sale. It is volunteer run and has provided free outdoor skating fun to generations of kids and adults when the weather permits. Efforts to make changes to this classic New England Pond skating venue would just turn into another membership fee. Don’t try to fix what isn’t broken. 

Senior Center

The early feedback is the Seniors don’t like the disruption caused by the library relocation. Maybe some of the private Library funds raised could be used to fix the kitchen and toilets at the Senior Center to show appreciation to the Seniors. 

Environmental Zealots…

You know the people… the Al Gore, John Kerry, Bill Nye, and Greta What Eva’s who go around touting the Earth has only years to change or it will be gone nonsense. We failed as a society to keep this cult from indoctrinating the youth of America and now Psychologists say a primary contributor to children and young adults’ depression and anxiety is caused by “climate trauma”.  Don’t make the same mistake letting your kids believe this nonsense as we now know with certainty it is harmful to many children. 

Beyond the depression and anxiety this “climate doom” crap is also impacting the way young people live. They don’t want to have children. They are spending now because they see no long-term future. They are not paying back student loans etc. They are self-loathing for things they never did. 

Common theme here Parents… if you care that kids get good nutrition well you should care just as much about their mental health and the messages, they are receiving don’t always have that interest at heart.   

Happy Birthday!!!

The most celebrated birthday in the World is a week away. There is some uncertainty around which birthday this is for Jesus of Nazareth. Townie Talk sources say this is Christ’s 2,027th birthday. There are others who say it’s his 2,029th. The story goes that back in the day the cheaper wine was reserved for those under 16. On his 14^th birthday Christ was still unaware of his ability to turn water into fine wine and was fed up with the low-end vino. He told festival goers he was 16 and now you know the rest of the story. Happy Birthday Jesus or simpler… Merry Christmas. 

Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year

Cheers, 

PJ Looney

TownieTalk 02478

AMDG, NEVER FORGET, NEVER AGAIN

The Belmont Center Shop local event is this Tuesday December 5^th from 4pm-10pm. Did I mention that “A chocolate dream” was rated best fudge in New England by TownieTalk three years running. 

Menorah Lighting

Yes, there will be a Menorah lighting this Saturday at 6pm. Email luna@jewishab.com to RSVP. The Town Christmas Tree was lit November 30^th with a special appearance by Saint Nick.

Christmas Movies… 

Just an FYI, Eric Stonestreet (Cam Tucker from Modern Family) plays Magnus Antas (Mad Santa) in Season 2 of the Santa Clauses on Netflix. Tim Allen plays Santa. 

Select Board Race

Rumors have Matt Taylor joining the race to replace Mark Paolillo after his tumultuous term ends. That now pits Geoff Lubien (Current WC chair) against Matt Taylor, a relatively new face in Town and recent WC member. 

DEI Strikes again…

If you are a regular reader of Townie Talk then you know to read between the lines. Last issue was a call to action for Parents to pay attention to what’s happening in the schools. An excessive focus on DEI has to date taken away advanced math classes at the middle school and prohibited a statement from the schools acknowledging the ethnic cleansing of Israelis by Hamas. But what else… a new State mandate

Early Literacy Screening. Effective July 1, 2023, each school district shall at least twice per year assess each student’s reading ability and progress in literacy skills, from kindergarten through at least third grade, using a valid, developmentally appropriate screening instrument approved by the Department of Education (DESE). 

Why is this important… This new test requires reporting. Parents whose children fall into the bottom 25^th percentile (Nationally) must be notified by the schools. One would think Belmont with all 4 elementary schools ranked in the top 30 Statewide would have little to worry about. Let’s just say read between the lines. Belmont children deserve better. This is a problem that should be a top priority in any public school but let’s just say the attention of leadership is elsewhere like say DEI materials. TownieTalk can inform but its up to Parents to take back control of their schools. 

Child Rape in Belmont…

Rickland Powell, age 59 of Belmont MA. was charged with two counts of indecent assault and battery of a child under the age of 14, distributing obscene matter to a minor, four counts of aggravated rape of a child, four counts of rape of a child with force, and posing a child in the nude. 

A few comments…

Many of us learned during the Catholic church abuse scandal that so many children were not believed when they spoke up. The courage of this child to speak up and their Parent to go to authorities is beyond commendable. They likely have saved many others from becoming future victims. 

Nearly 70% of child sex offenders have between 1 and 9 victims…at least 20% have 10 to 40 victims. An average serial child molester may have as many as 400 victims in his lifetime. (InPrevOrg) 

The police work was fast and meticulous and even though as a society we need to say “alleged” until proven guilty in a court, the evidence is overwhelming and should lock Powell up in life. There is a lot more to this story that will come out in time.  

Rest in Peace…

Mildred E. (O’Neil) McCarty, 87, a longtime Belmont resident passed Nov 22. Millie grew up in the Kerry Corner section of Cambridge and moved to Belmont with her husband (the late Thomas McCarty Jr.). She was one of the shrinking numbers of people who stuck around once their kids finished school. Rest in Peace Millie. 

Other notable deaths…  

Sandra Day O’Connor who in 1981 became the first female Supreme Court Justice in the USA. 

Rosalyn Carter, wife of US President Jimmy Carter, and huge advocate for mental health.

Henry Kissinger (called Belmont home for many years) and Nobel Peace prize winner back when they mattered.   

Civil Service

Remember House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi saying, 

“We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it.” 

Flash Forward to Belmont November Town Meeting forcing the Belmont Patrolmen and Superior Officers Unions out of Civil service with no say. 

Retiring Select Board member Mark Paolillo on not revealing a replacement plan instead saying…

“Trust Us”

Did it matter that there was no promised replacement plan? Did it matter that there was no financial study to show the new costs associated with leaving a free State run plan? Did it matter that the vote would be a change in contract with the Union without collective bargaining? Did it matter that Swampscott Mass did the same thing and filling positions has been harder?

Maybe some of the reason it’s harder to get candidates to come to Belmont might be that we have a well-founded reputation as being anti-police. This latest union bashing vote doesn’t help our image.  

SANTA’S Naughty List

Roll Call on voting to Exit Civil Service with no financial study or replacement plan presented. Those who voted Yes and their precinct numbers. Anti Labor, Anti Police or just lemmings who do what they are told by the Select Board. Whatever answer they tell you is nonsense because they have no known replacement plan. Bernie Madoff also said to “Trust him”. 

Olumakinde Adeagbo           1 Leslie Aitken                  2 

Claudia Albert           4 Mike Atlas                      7

Jennifer Ausrotas                      1 Ade Baptista                  3

Edward Barker                           2 Jessica Barnard              5

Yes, voters to remove Police from Civil Service continued…

Karen Bauerle     6 Claus Becker                     5

Joe Bernard     3 Marty Bitner                     2

Kathryn Bonfiglio     6 John Bowe                        6

Kathryn Bowers                   7 W. Sumner Brown           2

William Brownsberger    AL m. Patricia Brusch           2

Susan Burgess Cox   2 Laura Burnes                    6

Margaret Callahan             7 Brian Caputo               8

Lauren Caputo   8 Tom Caputo                     2

Nancy Carlson                   5 Amy Checkoway             6

Roger Colton   6 Julia Corbett               2

Clare Crawford                 7 Suzanne Croy                  6

Kevin Cunningham          4 Adam Dash                      1

Corina DelVecchio           7 Katherine Dilawari         8

Elizabeth Dionne             AL Thayer Donham              5

Tara Donner                     6 Nicole Dorn                     1

Christine Doyle                6 Joan Drevins                    7

Theodore Dukas              6 Cabell Eames             6

Jolanta Eckert                  3 Roy Epstein                     6

Stephen Evans                 6 Travis Franck                   5

Roger Fussa                      8 Michael Gao                    8

Alisa Gardner-Todreas   1 Lucia Gates             4

Ron Geiger           2               Elizabeth Gibson            6

Ariane Goodman-Belkadi  3 Laurie Graham             6

Paul Griffin 7 Susan Griffin             7

Kimberly Haley                5 Jordan Hampton           4

Richard Hartley               3 Jessica Hausman           1

Jocelyn Hayes 1 Anne Helgen             2

Rachel Heller 3 Marcie Hirsch             6

Rachel Hirsch 1 Brian Iler             7

Radha Iyengar 8 Ann Jansen             3

Suzanne Johannet 6 Ralph Jones             3

Mary Kennedy 3 Kathy Keohane              2

Jason Ketola 3 Sarah Kirschner             7

Stephen Kilonsky 6 James Knight             1

Lydia Kogler 2 Doug Kolpow             6

Anne Marie Lambert 2 Matt Lennon             6

Jeff Levin-Scherz             2 Linda Levin-Scherz       2

Mary Lewis 1 Priya Licht           6

Caroline Light 6 David Lind           1

Larry Link 1 Barry Lubarsky           2

Geoff Lubien 7 Caitlin Madevu-Matson   8

Anne Marie Mahoney 1 Gail Mann           6

Christa Marsh 3 Paul McDonald           2

Robert McGaw 1 Robert McLaughlin     2

Michael McNamara 7 Ben Meshoulam               7

Kelly Michaud 1 Diane Miller               3

Ella Miller 3 Jeanne Mooney               6

Martha Moore 3 Meg Moriarty               2

Kara Morin 8 Holly Muson               1

Kristin Nelson Patel 1 Jeffrey North               1

Jill Norton 3 Katherine Oates               6

Henry Ogilby 1 Lisa Oter                            3

Mark Paolillo AL Eric Perkins 4

Emily Peterson 1 Stephen Pinkerton 7

John Pollock 5 Lois Pollock 5

Adriana Poole 1 Kathy Posey 4

Andrew Poulsen 2 Lynn Read 8

Roger Read 8 Paul Rickter 8

John Robotham 2 Suzanne Robotham 2

Heather Rubeski 7 Jamal Saeh 1

Brian Saper 6 Ellen Schreiber 8

Joel Semuels 6 Ken Siskind 7

Kevin Smith 4 Vincent Stanton 3

Mary Stearns 3 Ellen Sugarman 8

Matthew Taylor 1 Yvette Tenney 1

Alex Thurston 1 Ted Tieken 8

Heli Tomford 3 Laura VanderHart 4

Mark Wagner 5 Rachel Watson 4

David Webster 4 Julia Weeks 2

Elizabeth Weintraub 2 Jack Weis 1

Jeanne Widmer 5 Roger Wrubel 5

Julie Wu 6 Taylor Yates 2

Gi Yoon Huang 8 Jung Yueh 3

Kristin Zecchi 6 Erica Zidel 8

Breda Zimkus 1 David Zipkin 2

Ralph Jones 

If you run into Ralph Jones, let him know he can sleep easier now that the library has been closed and the “imminent” fire danger will not harm patrons. Yes, it has been 13 months since the fear campaign destroyed a beautiful 57-year young building. Ends justifies the means as Harry Reid poetically mused about fibbing that Mitt Romney paid no taxes. 

Halt the Library construction…

A week ago. I had a dream that the library sits on top of an old Pequossete tribe burial ground. As someone whose lineage traces back to druids, the Town should take this dream seriously and stop all work on the library as there is imminent danger of possibly violating a burial ground. I have a friend who specializes in identifying and confirming such sites and he is available for hire in 2029. Trust me. 

Radical Islam

The bad news is radical Islamists are expanding their attacks around the World with a focus on Catholics now. A bomb was detonated in a Catholic Church in the Philippines killing 5 and wounding 50 and 3 children and a woman were stabbed in Dublin Ireland. 

The good news is there is new evidence that some Palestinians have had enough of Hamas and are turning them in to IDF soldiers. This could be a major turning point in the War on terror. 

State News Gov Healey

The legislature is giving Maura another $250m for the migrant invasion created by President Biden’s “Catch and release” policy. This is on top of the $500 million already allocated and she is expected to ask for more this January. All that money could be going to services for legal citizens like homeless vets and toward mental health clinics. So far Healey has done nothing to stop the flow unlike some of her Democrat counterparts screaming at Biden.    

Who is more annoying?

Liz Cheney or John Kerry

Better Christmas Movie?

“Home Alone” or “A Christmas Story”

Better Holiday Song?

The Chanukah song (Adam Sandler) or You’re a mean one Mr. Grinch (Tyler)

Santa’s Reindeer

Name all 10 including the other one. 

Cheers,

PJ Looney Jr

TownieTalk02478

“AMDG” “Never Again” “Never Forget”

Keeping it short for Thanksgiving….

Belmont Football plays Watertown in the 101^st Thanksgiving match up this Thursday 10am at Victory Field in Watertown. 

Geoff Lubien (Warrant Committee chair) has formed a committee to run for Select Board. Mark Paolillo is the incumbent whose seat is up, and he is not expected to run after a turbulent term. https://www.lubienforbelmont.com/news for more info. 

Belmont US Congress Representative Katherine Clark needed to be ushered to safety after an insurrection by a mob of violent Democrat Socialist of America protesters (advocating for the eradication of Israel) stormed DNC Headquarters. The pendulum is turning against the Socialists here in the US and they are becoming more aggressive and violent as a result. Just yesterday three Synagogues in Mass were the targets of hoax bomb threats. To his credit President Biden is not backing down and continues to support Israel although several staffers and loyalists are abandoning ship. His prior partner in crime (President Obama) has come out on the side of Hamas by implying equivalency exists when in reality if not for Obama allowing Iran to bypass the oil embargo… Hamas would have lacked the money to finance the barbaric assault on Israeli Women and Children. 

Good News… Town Meeting passed a couple of articles that potentially can reduce the burden on residential taxpayers. The first makes it easier for restaurants to open in Town and the other makes Belmont Country Club pay a fairer share in property tax. Small progress but better than nothing.

Christmas Tree Lighting… Mark your calendar as the Town Christmas Tree lighting takes place Thursday November 30^th between 5:30-8pm in Belmont Center. The Town will also host a Holiday Tree Lighting on November 32^nd at 2am somewhere on Mass and Cass street in Boston. 

RIP

Retired Police Chief Ronald Blanchette passed last week. Blanchette began his service in Belmont in 1970 and retired in 2002. 

“Higher home prices and higher taxes keep the riffraff out” was a recent opinion shared to me by a resident in response to why they support overrides. 

Just to clarify … riffraff means disreputable persons.  Apparently, Town Meeting members support the concept as they voted to make future new home development “wicked expensive” by adopting a “specialized energy code” that builders must abide by. One TMM’s decision was based on his belief that global warming/climate change/the environment is the greatest threat to mankind. I wanted to respond the greatest threat to mankind is Radical Islamist’s followed closely by China, but it was his opinion, so I suppressed the urge. 

Angus Abercrombie 

The young lad who is distinguished at Town Meeting by his age and that he wears a suit regularly is rumored to be exploring a run for School Committee.  Angus are you Team Israel or Team Hamas? Pro DEI (mediocrity) or Pro reaching each kid at their own level?

Belmont Elementary Schools

The grossly underfunded?? Belmont Schools were recently rated as follows … Winn Brook #2, Burbank #6, Butler #20, and Wellington #25 in the Top 100 elementary schools in Massachusetts as determined by US News and World report. These rankings again prove what many have been saying about Belmont Schools… the results are a combination of heavily invested Parents and quality Teachers. 

Notice I use the term quality and not quantity. It is one of the reasons I attended and supported the BEA rally when they were being strung along in contract negotiations by the Town. A well-paid Teacher will always strive to do their best whether they have 18 kids in a classroom or 26. A poorly compensated one will quickly reach the frustration point and move on. A highly trained Teacher costs more but the return on investment is greater.   

There is a push among School Committees statewide to dumb down Teacher mandated requirements and eliminate incentives like further education because it will increase the pool of Teachers and lower the cost. The obvious problem is better educated Teachers can identify the specific learning habits of the individual student while glorified substitutes can’t. If we are to accept lesser trained Teachers, we must dumb down the curriculum and focus on the whole and not the individual. We are seeing the early stages of this with one size fits all curriculum programs like Lucy Caulkins and DEI movements that fight against advanced math courses citing equity. The nationwide push to keep parents out of the classroom is not imagined. Pay attention parents as its your tax dollars, your children, and your responsibility. Rampant grade inflation is easily exposed when standardized test results don’t measure up. Your involvement and well trained Teachers are what makes the difference. 

Thanksgiving Dinner topics…

1. There were 8 people on the SS Minnow when it set sail yet only two crew and 5 passengers are mentioned in the theme song. Be creative as to who the 8^th person was and why they are missing? Bonus discussion? How did Mary Ann even afford to be on a cruise with the others? 
2. How did the alphabet get put in the order that it is?
3. For the Butler people…  What breaks as soon as you say its name? 
4. Why do we think people with more degrees are smart when they have to pay to have others teach them to be smart?

More signs…

Is it me or is Concord Ave starting to look like a long line of participation trophies? And School has been open since early September folks… if they don’t get the message to slow down by now the signs aren’t going to help. 

The Nasty….

I am working with Belmont Briefing to have the final roll call vote results for Article 8 posted online. 

This was possibly one of the worst displays of Union bashing and dereliction of responsibility in Town Meeting history. 

The skinny… The Select Board wants the Belmont Police out of Civil Service claiming a dearth of candidates. Chief MacIsaac let slip that 2 of 3 recent candidates chosen to move forward in the hiring process chose not to pursue the Belmont jobs. Their decision speaks volumes but not to a lemming filled Town Meeting. Civil Service was designed to prevent nepotism and excessive concentrated power in local Governments by having a defined and regulated hiring process paid for and performed by the State. Civil Service has guidelines for hiring, firing, and promoting officers and superior officers.

The Select Board commissioned a SCIG report that recommended the Town vote to leave Civil Service upon a successful collective bargaining with the Police Union on a replacement plan and a full analysis of the costs associated with leaving vs staying. Neither of these occurred. Speaker Widmer would not allow discussion on collective bargaining even though it was instrumental by the report’s conclusion and to most of the 100 who voted against the anti-worker action. 

So, at Town Meeting… (no joke here) 160 Town meeting members voted to kick the Belmont Police out of Civil Service with no known replacement plan and no known cost of a replacement plan (someone needs to pay those who are now going to do all the work the State did for free). They voted to remove any leverage the Union had in negotiating this change in contract and they did all this based on as Mark Paolillo said, “trust us”. 

You might wonder if the Yes voters consumed too many mushrooms on their way to selling out the working class by forcing a change in contract without negotiation. You might wonder why they pursued a Town Meeting position (the check and balance entity for the Town) when their actions are just a rubber stamp for the Select Board. Maybe you should ask them yourself. 

Will Townie Talk post the roll call? Yes. Soon and then prior to Town Meeting elections so the good folk can decide for themselves if their neighbors represent their own values and are diligent. Is this the end of the issue… No. More to follow. Police are generally disliked in Town until you need them for an emergency. Then they are the hero’s that keep you safe or comfort you when a loved one has passed. Now they could use your help by emailing the Select Board and expressing your disgust with this action. 

Again… 2023 has been an awful year and 2024 is looking even worse as the consumer cuts back and inflation starts to impact the labor force. Take advantage of celebrating the upcoming holidays. Be smart, be safe and speak up. 

Cheers, 

PJ Looney

Townie Talk 02478

“AMDG” “Never Again” Never Forget”