Warrant, Dates Set For Belmont Town Meeting

The annual meeting of the town's legislative branch starts on April 29.

A total of 31 articles will be debated and voted on by the approximate 300 representatives at the multi-month edition of Belmont's annual Town Meeting according to the Town Meeting warrant released this week by Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman. Three new bylaws, the creation of a new enterprise fund, the amendment of several existing bylaws and a slew of budgets articles will be presented to the meeting of Belmont's legislative branch beginning Monday, April 29 at Belmont High School. A pdf copy of the warrant is included in this Web page. The dates being reserved for the 2013 Belmont Annual Town Meeting are: • April 29 and May 1, 6, 8, at Belmont High School.  • June 3 and 5 at Chenery Middle School. The final two nights of Town Meeting …

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Belmont Town Election 2013

Sleepy Start to Belmont's Town Election Day

But the importance of the day should not be lost on voters, says Town Clerk.

Tom Flynn vividly remembers last November when nearly 100 people waited in line at Belmont's Precinct 2 polling location to vote. The line of voters extended down the stairway and out the front door of Town Hall for the opportunity to cast their ballot for President and state offices.  It took a while to vote then, said Flynn. No problem this time around.  Flynn of Dundonald Road was the first and only voter waiting at the doors of the Board of Selectmen's Room which was transformed into a polling station.  "I'm just doing my civic duty," said the former Cambridge-resident who has lived in Belmont for the past 15 years. It was a sleepy start to a relatively quiet Belmont Town Election, which, for the first time, is being held on the first …

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With A Week To Go, No Competitive Race for Any Belmont Town-Wide Office

A 2009 Belmont High School graduate has taken out papers to run for School Committee.

With one week remaining before nomination papers are due at the Town Clerk's Office, Belmont voters could find themselves going to the voting booth on Tuesday, April 2 without a single competitive race to vote on. As of Monday, Feb. 4, residents have taken out nomination papers to fill all the town-wide positions up for election this year, according to Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman, with most incumbents seeking re-election.  Cushman said she is currently reviewing the nominating sheets submitted by several of the potential candidates in preparation of certifying the signatures.  In the race for Belmont School Committee, Jamie Kang, a 2009 graduate from Belmont High School, has pulled papers to run for one of the two seats on the School …

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Belmont Joins in 12/12/12 Wedding Craze

Rather then looking for a lucky day, groom wanted an easy anniversary date to remember.

The bride wore her best canvas sneakers and sweats while the groom donned a favorite red "Che" T-shirt. And the Belmont couple came to Belmont Town Hall this afternoon to be married. Alexander Huang and Pallas Sun choose a less than average Wednesday to be married. That's because today, Dec. 12, 2012, creates a "triple 12" – 12/12/12 – making it a very special day to those who believe in luck. In fact, it's a once in a life time event as the next triple date won't be until January 1, 2101 (and that will be 01/01/01). According to an article on Huffington Post's Wedding website, "an estimated 7,500 couples across the U.S. will tie the knot on Wednesday, a huge increase over last year when just 485 pairs married on 12/12/11." In many Asian …

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Election Day Advice: A Great Deal of Patience and Take a Walk

Town Clerk says tomorrow's election could be record setter with competitive races and a Presidential interest.

The doors to the absentee voting area in Belmont Town Hall was closed and locked a minute after noon. Nearly 90 registered voters took the opportunity in the the final four hours that Belmont residents had to opportunity to vote early in the Town Clerk's office for tomorrow's general election, said Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman. "They were waiting out the door into the hallway," she said, noting the interest by the public in Tuesday's election. Since absentee ballots were available in September, about one in eight of the 17,800 voters in town took out applications to vote: 1,999 residents requested applications – including Presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann – while 143 overseas resident and members of the armed forces …

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Am I Able to Vote in November? A Town Clerk Q&A

Questions on absentee voting, inactive voters and are your registered all answered.

Will you be eligible to vote in the presidential election in November? Are the kids who are off at college able to vote in Belmont? What do you need to do to vote if you'll be away in Venice, Afghanistan or Kathmandu? Below is a series of FAQs provided by Town Clerk Ellen Cushman that should answers your quiries about election day, Tuesday, Nov. 6. Q: Are you registered to vote in the Nov. 6 Presidential Election? Town Clerk Ellen Cushman: The voter registration deadline is Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. to the Town Clerk which is located on the first floor of Town Hall. We’ll be open late to accept your registrations, changes and forms. You can check the current voter list on-line to see if you’re registered at your current address by …

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Kale's First Day, Pay Set at $155K

Cambridge's former budget director sworn in to become Belmont's Town Administrator

Like any new employee, David Kale spent his first morning getting to know his way around the place. And that place is Belmont Town Hall as the community's new Town Administrator met with department heads and employees in Town Hall and the Homer Building on Monday, Aug. 20. "It's been a great day," said Kale of the first half-day of his new role leading the day-to-day operation of town departments. "People have been very welcoming and positive and I'm trying to acclimate to the surroundings," said Kale, accompanied by Assistant Town Administrator Kelli Hebert. Kale was selected by the Belmont Board of Selectmen to become Town Administrator in June. Just after lunch, Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman swore in Kale at the Clerk's Office making…

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Razor-Thin: Town Meeting OK's Higher Clerk Salary by Three Votes

Compromise amendment splitting the difference goes down to defeat after debate.

The third time was, in fact, the charm for Belmont Town Clerk Ellen Cushman on the final night of Belmont's 2012 Town Meeting. On a night where more than a third of Belmont representatives went missing, the town's legislative body approved a 25 percent increase to Cushman's salary after defeating an amendment to lower the salary stated in the Town Meeting warrant by the narrowest of margins, 97-94, on a standing count. Cushman will now earn $78,216, up from her current salary of $62,400. The Warrant Committee, the Town Meeting's financial watchdog and which set the salary at $60,000 in 2010, recommended in April Cushman be paid $66,000 in fiscal 2013. Yet the Committee withdrew its recommendation before last night's vote in favor of the …

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