The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

Save the date: Rotary Club’s yummy “Taste of Wellesley” fundraiser, May 4

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Taste of Wellesley, Rotary ClubAfter a three-year pause due to COVID, the Rotary Club of Wellesley is proud to bring back its “Taste of Wellesley” annual fundraiser to support the community. The event will again feature a wide variety of signature dishes from Wellesley restaurants, cafes, caterers, local breweries and wineries, along with live music and auction items that are locally sourced. The event will take place at The Gardens at Elm Bank on Thursday, May 4, 6:30pm-9pm. The event will provide a wonderful evening of food, beverages, live entertainment and opportunities to gather in community. Online tickets here.

Tickets also for sale at:

Roche Bros., 184 Linden Street, Wellesley
The Windsor Press Inc., 356 Washington St., Wellesley Hills
Or contact a Rotary Club member

Purpose of the Taste of Wellesley

[Read more…]

Advertisements:

Linden Square, Wellesley
EXPLO, Wellesley
Wellesley Hills Junior Women's Club

Wellesley schools call for early release due to stormy weather

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From the Wellesley Public Schools:

Based on the timing of the incoming storm, the Wellesley Public Schools will be activating an early release schedule on Tuesday, March 14. These are the dismissal times by level:

  1. PAWS will dismiss at 11:30am.  There will be no afternoon PreK program today.  
  2. Elementary schools will dismiss at 12pm. There will be no afternoon WCCC programs today.
  3. Wellesley Middle School will dismiss at 11:20am.
  4. Wellesley High School will dismiss at 11:30am.

Due to the timing of the release, lunch will not be served today.  All buses will complete their regular routes for dismissal at these times.

All afternoon and evening activities/rentals are cancelled to help ensure that parking lots are cleared for plowing and to help ensure an on-time start on Wednesday. 

Page Waterman, Wellesley
London Harness, Wellesley
Wellesley Lacrosse

Artists sought to paint more Wellesley traffic boxes this spring

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Wellesley is looking for amateur and professional artists interested in making a handful of its plain old traffic boxes beautiful.

The program, overseen by the Wellesley Public Art Committee and Wellesley Police Department, began in late 2020. The deadline to apply for this round is Friday, April 28.

Artists will receive a stipend for their time, transportation, and supplies. Painting must be done during June and July.

The traffic boxes for this round include standard individual boxes at:

  • Weston Road at Linden Street
  • Wellesley College / Central Street & Weston Road
  • Crest Road at Linden Street

A pair of oversized traffic boxes are also offered for this round. These are at Hunnewell Field near the Tot Lot on Washington Street.

electrical box bird wellesley college
Traffic box across from Wellesley College entrance on Rte. 16

Filed Under: Art

Taste of Wellesley, Rotary Club

Wellesley HS Acastock tickets available at the door for Saturday, March 11 show

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WHS Acastock tickets will be available at the door for the Saturday, March 11, 7pm show.
Wellesley High School Acastock
Wellesley High School Acastock

5 great reasons to attend Acastock

  1. Great singing! All four of the WHS a capella groups are tremendous and rival many of the collegiate a cappella groups in the area. You will not be disappointed.
  2. Great education! Come see first-hand what happens when students use what they learn in the choral classroom and make it their own. Acastock is an incredible showcase of student work.
  3. Sense of community. There is nothing like a full house of appreciative audience members celebrating the time and talents of our students.
  4. Tradition and legacy. WHS Acastock has taken place for over 20 years and has consistently been recognized as one of the more popular a cappella events in our state. Come see why.
  5. Support of the WHS performing arts. In 2020 COVID all but eliminated any chance to share the talents of our students in the performing arts. We are rebuilding and reestablishing events that have been treasures for our community. The students have worked exceptionally hard to prepare Acastock, and your support means the world to our students.
We hope to see you at WHS on Saturday, March 11, at 7pm.
Deland, Gibson, Wellesley

Letter to the editor: a WPS teacher and resident supports the “Fair Five”

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To the editor:

As a retired physics teacher at Wellesley High School and member of the Wellesley Educators Association, I would like to point out what initially attracted me to leave a position at nearby school system to work here in Wellesley. At my previous school, the teachers’ union and the School Committee were continually in dispute over contracts, meaning the teachers often worked for years without a contract. The result was a breakdown in trust between the School Committee and administrators, on one hand, and the teachers, on the other.  Trust, once weakened or lost, can be difficult to rebuild. When I came to Wellesley, the situation appeared to be quite different. The relations between administrators and teachers were much healthier, to the extent that the principal at the time was willing to admit to mistakes and promised to do better. One can ask for no more.

It, therefore, deeply saddens me to see the situation here begin to deteriorate in the same direction. The School Committee needs to take the lead in reversing this decline in trust by not just saying that they value the contributions of all educators, but by clearly showing they do by providing all educators a living wage, adequate support, due process, and time to take care of their own families.

I support the WEA’s “Fair Five.”

Brian Finn
Wellesley resident

Rick Cram, leader

Wellesley Town Election Guide 2023

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Wellesley’s Annual Town Election will take place on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Here is The Swellesley Report’s guide on all you need to know about exercising your right to vote.

Wellesley Town Hall, summer
Wellesley Town Hall

Ways to cast your vote in Wellesley

Vote by mail

Completed mail-in ballots must be RECEIVED by Town Hall, no later than 8pm on Tuesday March 7, 2023. They may be brought to the Town Clerk’s Office or to the drop box outside of Town Hall. Vote by Mail ballots may NOT be dropped off at polling locations.

Note: applications to vote by mail are no longer being accepted. (The last day to get an app to the Town Clerk was February 28 at 5pm.)

Vote in person at the polls

The polls will be open for in-person voting 7am-8pm. Polling map here.

Don’t know which precinct you’re in? Here’s how to find out where to vote in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

  • Precincts A & C: Bates Elementary School, 116 Elmwood Rd.
  • Precinct B: Sprague Elementary School, 401 School St.
  • Precincts D & E: Warren Building, 90 Washington St.
  • Precincts F & G: Shipley Center, Dana Hall School, 142 Grove St.
  • Precinct H: Tolles Parsons Center, Council on Aging, 500 Washington St.

Wellesley Town Election candidates:

Contested races—names are listed in the order on which they appear on the ballot:

  • Select Board—3 candidates, 3-year terms, 2 openings—Odessa Sanchez; Thomas Ulfelder; Elizabeth Sullivan Woods
  • Natural Resources Commission—3 candidates, 3-year terms, 2 openings—Martin Jay McHale; Michael D’Ortenzio; Jaden Crawford
  • School Committee—3 candidates, 3-year terms, 2 openings—Christina Horner; Catherine Mirick; Neal Glick

Uncontested races—names are listed in the order on which they appear on the ballot:

  • Moderator—1 opening, 1-year term—Mark Kaplan
  • Board of Assessors—1 opening, 3-year term—Stephen Burtt
  • Board of Health—1 opening, 3-year term—Shira Doron
  • Housing Authority, 1 opening, 1-year term—Lisa Kaufman Heyison
  • Trustees of the Wellesley Free Library—2 openings, 3-year terms—Anne Rappaport; Linshi Li
  • Planning Board—1 opening, 5-year term—James Roberti
  • Board of Public Works—1 opening, 3-year term—Jeffrey Weschler
  • Recreation Commission—1 opening, 3-year term

Candidates’ Q & A posts

All of the candidates running in contested races took the time to answer questions from The Swellesley Report. For your convenience, below is a round-up of the candidates’ Q&A posts.

 

Town meeting candidates

Town Meeting is the legislative body for the Town of Wellesley. There are 240 voting town meeting members elected by eight precincts. Each precinct has 30 members elected to three-year staggered terms.

In the 2023 election, two of the eight precincts are contested races.

In Precinct B, there are 11 candidates running for 10 open slots, and in Precinct E there are 14 candidates running for 12 open slots.

Sample ballots for each precinct

Precinct A
Precinct B
Precinct C
Precinct D
Precinct E
Precinct F
Precinct G
Precinct H

If you have any election/voting questions, please call the Town Clerk’s Office at (781) 431-1019 x2252.