It's election day in Belmont as voters will cast ballots in the special general election to fill the vacant state senate seat in the Second Suffolk and Middlesex district. And while Belmont's Will Brownsberger will be the only name on the ballot, Tommasina Anne Olson from Bay State Road, the town's Republican chairman, will run a last-minute sticker challenge to the eventual winner.  Time Polling places open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Transportation to the polls The League of Women Voters of Belmont is offering rides to the polls from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call 617-771-8500 to schedule transportation. …

'Tip' O'Neill popularized the saying "all politics is local." And at last night's Democratic primary election to succeed Steve Tolman as State Senator in the Second Suffolk and Middlesex District, Will Brownsberger and his team perfected the application of that phrase.  A combination of getting out voters who know him the best, the money committed to that goal and the benefit of a wild card candidate in the home town of his strongest challenger, will allow Brownsberger to exchange the title of State Representative for State Senate come Jan. 11 when he waltzes to a win in an uncontested …

When State Rep. Will Brownsberger walked into his Trapelo Road headquarters a little after 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 13, the many supporters crowded into the room didn’t know what to think. Campaign Manager Kate Foster and Election Day Coordinator Ellen Schreiber, who had been taking results from the four communities – Belmont, Watertown and parts of Cambridge and three Boston neighborhoods – since the polls closed, said they didn’t have all the numbers. And Brownsberger, although elegantly dressed and standing with perfect posture, looked exhausted from the short and intense campaign to …

Before a joyous crowd of campaign workers, friends and Belmont residents, State Rep. Will Brownsberger declared victory in the Special State Senate Primary in an emotional speech 35 minutes after the polls closed on Tuesday, Dec. 13.  "I will be working for you," said Brownsberger who seconds before proclaimed, "We won!" The final vote total from Watertown, Belmont, Cambridge and Boston: Brownsberger  4,958 Hecht 3,849 McCarthy 3,436 Schofield 2,887

If you get to the polls this evening and are told you’re on the “inactive” voters list, don’t panic. You can still participate in today’s primary in the special election to fill the vacant state senate seat in the Second Suffolk and Middlesex district. Just make sure you have identification with you -- such as a driver’s license -- that proves your name and address. Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman confirmed late this afternoon that out of the 16,601 registered voters in Belmont, she sent cards to 4,000 individuals in October alerting them that as of the 6th day of that month they had not …

One thing is for sure as of 3 p.m.: Belmont had come to vote. According to Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman, 2,858 voters, or about 17 percent of the 16,000 registered voters, had cast ballots in Belmont's eight precincts in the Special State Senate primary election by 3 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 13. Cushman said she forecasts that approximately 24 percent or more of Belmont voters will have taken the time to vote for one of the four final candidates – Belmont State Rep. Will Brownsberger, Watertown State Rep. Jonathan Hecht, former state fire fighters union president Robert McCarthy and Brighton …

It's election day in Belmont as voters will cast ballots for the primary in the special election to fill the vacant state senate seat in the Second Suffolk and Middlesex district. Time Polling places open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Transportation to the polls The League of Women Voters of Belmont is offering rides to the polls from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call 617-771-8500 to schedule transportation. Questions about or during voting Most questions – including who is eligible to vote in Belmont – that arise during voting can be answered by the precinct warden at the polling station. Other questions should…

Four Democrats seek to fill the Second Suffolk and Middlesex state senate seat vacated by Steven Tolman. The special preliminary election will be held Tuesday, Dec. 13. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Patch asked all four candidates a set of questions, the same set, to find out more about them. 1 - What areas of the state budget could be altered to make it more efficient, and how? The Commonwealth regularly faces a budget deficit and has taken numerous steps to reduce waste and reform government. It is now clear, however, that we cannot cut our way out of this economic crisis and we …

Four Democrats seek to fill the Second Suffolk and Middlesex state senate seat vacated by Steven Tolman. The special preliminary election will be held Tuesday, Dec. 13. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Patch asked all four candidates a set of questions, the same set, to find out more about them. 1 - What areas of the state budget could be altered to make it more efficient, and how? Local aid should be increased — it is an investment in our future while preventing future layoffs and service reductions. After job creation, I think our first order of business is to focus our attention …

Four Democrats seek to fill the Second Suffolk and Middlesex state senate seat vacated by Steven Tolman. The special preliminary election will be held Tuesday, Dec. 13. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Patch asked all four candidates a set of questions, the same set, to find out more about them. 1 - What areas of the state budget could be altered to make it more efficient, and how? Massachusetts currently collects $20 billion in taxes and allows $24 billion in tax breaks. I sponsored an amendment to last year’s budget that mandates a top to bottom review of every tax break. We need to…

Four Democrats seek to fill the Second Suffolk and Middlesex state senate seat vacated by Steven Tolman. The special preliminary election will be held Tuesday, Dec. 13. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Patch asked all four candidates a set of questions, the same set, to find out more about them. 1 - What areas of the state budget could be altered to make it more efficient, and how? Waste and inefficiency is marbled into state agencies. One has to attack the problems on a job-by-job basis, so the challenge really belongs to managers in the executive and judicial branch, not legislators…

"Money is the mother's milk of politics" said Jesse Unruh, the longtime California state treasurer. And for some of the candidates who attended the Belmont League of Women Voters candidates forum held Dec. 6 at the Chenery Middle School's auditorium, that milk is coming from a diary outside the confines of the city neighbors and towns the men are hoping to represent. With a week before the special primary election on Dec. 13, two of the candidates – former state firefighters union president Robert McCarthy and Brighton attorney Tim Schofield – said that despite obtaining a large portion of …

It appears that Robert McCarthy won't get all the high-profile endorsements in the four-way race to be state senator from the Second Suffolk and Middlesex. Boston's Mayor Tom Menino announced today, Dec. 6, that he is backing Brighton Attorney Tim Schofield in next week’s special election to replace former State Senator Steve Tolman up on Beacon Hill. "I’m supporting Tim Schofield for State Senate because he will put peopleahead of politics," said Menino in a press release from the Schofield campaign. The endorsement comes days after McCarthy, the former head of the state's professional …

In a race with no incumbent, the four candidates running for the Second Suffolk and Middlesex State Senate seat – who will meet at a Candidate's Forum tonight at the Chenery Middle School at 7:30 p.m. – have split into two groups. Current state representatives Will Brownsberger of Belmont and Jonathan Hecht of Watertown touting their experience on Beacon Hill, and former state firefighters union president Bob McCarthy and Brighton attorney Tim Schofield talking about ways they would shake up things in Senate. The candidates got their first chance to face each other in public last Tuesday …

Saying that "(t)here is no better person to send to the Massachusetts Senate," former US Rep. Joseph Kennedy has thrown his support to former state firefighters union president Robert McCarthy in the upcoming Tuesday, Dec. 13 Democrat primary to fill the seat held by long-time State Sen. Steve Tolman, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. "This is a man who has the heart and courage of a lion. He has fought his entire life to make things better for working men and women, for those who play by the rules," said Kennedy in a press release from the McCarthy campaign.  "Bob and I stood side by …

As the Dec. 13 special election approaches, I'd like to summarize what I bring to my candidacy for state senate – a deep commitment to making government work for the people, the skills, experience and vision to deliver on that commitment and a record of results to offer as proof. Eight years building financial back-office software taught me how deeply technology can change organizations. It also taught me how tough the business world is and how rapidly business organizations have to change in order to survive. Public sector organizations should not be exempt. Nine years running the Town of …

The four Democrats running for the Second Suffolk and Middlesex State Senate seat sounded off on issues such as jobs, the economy, taxes and in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants at Tuesday’s candidate forum. The four senate hopefuls — State Rep. Will Brownsberger of Belmont, State Rep. Jonathan Hecht of Watertown, former state firefighters union president Bob McCarthy and Brighton attorney Tim Schofield — shared their views with a packed house at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Watertown. Jobs, Taxes and the Economy While he opposes fees to parents for their kids to play sports or …

On the heels of an opponent's significant endorsement from the past office holder, two challengers for the special State Senate election are touting their own announcements on the day of the first debate with the four candidates for the Democratic primary.  A day after the popular former office holder Steve Tolman gave his personal blessing to Watertown's Robert McCarthy campaign to succeed him representing the Second Suffolk and Middlesex senate district, Tim Schofield and Jonathan Hecht each pointed to those who are backing their campaigns.  Their announcements come as the candidates – also…

In the heart of the hometown of one of his primary candidates, Steve Tolman stood side-by-side with the man he sees as his successor "caring about working people  At a press conference in front of Belmont's Beech Street Center attended by the Boston Globe, The Boston Phoenix and the Watertown weekly, the former long-time state senator heaped praise on Robert McCarthy, the former Watertown Fire Department captain and past head of the state's fire fighters union who is challenging three candidates with campaign and legislative experience. "I am honored to be with you here today and I am going …

State Sen. candidate Robert McCarthy will receive the all-important endorsement of Steve Tolman, the popular long-time senator who the Watertown resident is seeking to succeed on Beacon Hill. According to a press release from McCarthy's campaign, the annoucement will take place at noon on Monday, Nov. 28, at Belmont's Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St. The primary election will be held on Dec. 13. The four candidates in the race include McCarthy, State reps Will Brownsberger and Jon Hecht and Brighton attorney Tim Schofield. McCarthy who is a retired fire fighter and was the head of the state…