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Here we go again: political sign thefts run rampant in Wellesley

December 3, 2020 by Deborah Brown 5 Comments

At a November 30th Wellesley Select Board meeting during Citizen Speak, a Wellesley resident and a member of the Committee to Preserve Wellesley’s Italian American Heritage spoke about a rash of lawn-sign stealing in town. The signs read, “Italians are people too. Support inclusivity. Vote no on March 2nd,” and they direct people to the ballot committee’s website.

The signs have cropped up as the March 2, 2021 Annual Town Election draws closer. At that time, a non-binding ballot question will be put to voters asking whether  the Select Board should proclaim that the second Monday of October be commemorated as Indigenous Peoples Day and cease to be recognized as Columbus Day in Wellesley. More here.

Italians are people

“I’m here tonight to speak about intolerance and sign theft,” Joanne McIntosh said, telling the Board that over two dozen of the Italians are People Too signs have been stolen from private residences and commercial properties, and that twice she has had signs stolen from her yard.

“Regardless of anyone’s political view about Columbus Day, we don’t think that sign theft should be happening in Wellesley,” McIntosh said. “We feel that these sign thefts are an attack on our free speech and our property rights. There are many Italian Americans in this town like myself who feel their heritage is under attack.”

Under the sign-stealing influence?

Sign stealing reports have been popping up in Wellesley Police logs. McIntosh said Wellesley Police discovered the identities of three young people who stole signs from her front lawn, and that she and her husband had the opportunity to speak to them. “They told us they stole the signs to support Indigenous Peoples Day. We wonder what influences are these young people are being exposed to that encourage them to respond so inappropriately to an intellectual argument over Columbus Day.”

Lt. Marie Cleary confirmed that a WPD officer responded to a call from a resident regarding stolen signs. The reporting party had a security camera, which showed that a white van came onto their property, someone exited the van and removed the sign and then got back into the van and left the property and disposed of the signs in a dumpster. The van then drove away, and the reporting party followed the van and called the police

An officer was dispatched and located the van in the owner’s driveway and knocked on the door of the residence. Lt. Cleary in an email said, “he spoke with a juvenile and then the parent of the juvenile.  There were two other juveniles present and Officer Gaffney asked them to speak to their parents about what had happened and then he followed up with their parents the following day. The juveniles were informed that removing signs from an individual’s property was a theft and if they were associated with the removal of signs in the future they could face criminal charges.”

The arc of history is long

Wellesley has an unfortunate and long history of sign theft. Recent thefts occurred last summer, when Black Lives Matter signs all over town were being torn down, defaced, and stolen. In addition, political candidate signs seem always to be considered fair game, as are signs that encourage voters to cast a “yes” ballot for one issue or a “no” for another.

The leadership of World of Wellesley (WOW), an organization that supports replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day, was dismayed to hear about the theft of the signs. WOW co-presidents Nova Biro and Christina Horner said, “It’s important for all community members to respect each other’s property. Our constituents have also been targeted with repeated thefts of Black Lives Matter signs. Unfortunately, we understand that yard sign thefts are not uncommon in our community. We hope town members will strike a new tone of respect moving forward.”

In light of the Italians are People Too thefts, McIntosh cited the town’s Tolerance Pledge, adopted in 2016, in which the Select Board “reaffirms its position that Wellesley is a town that highly values diversity, dignity and respect for all individuals” and “opposes expressions of hate, intolerance and discrimination.” (You can see the Pledge in its entirety here.

Environmental concerns

“I ask the Select Board what you will do to make sure tolerance is practiced in our community, and what you will do to promote an environment of intellectual diversity and what you will do to make sure everyone feels welcome in our town,” McIntosh said.

Select Board Chair Marjorie Freiman assured McIntosh that continued efforts to embed the Tolerance Pledge’s ideals into all aspects of civic life are happening on a number of fronts.


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Filed Under: 2020 Town Election, Embracing diversity, Government, Politics

Linden Square, Wellesley
Write Ahead

Get office hours with Wellesley Select Board chair before her term ends

November 28, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

Wellesley Town Hall

Wellesley Select Board Chair Marjorie Freiman has announced that she will not seek reelection to the Select Board, which she has served on since 2015. The next election for Board seats is on March 2, 2021, and candidates must take out papers by Jan. 8.

But you can get a chance for some quality time with Freiman on Tuesday, Dec. 1 between 10-11:30am during virtual office hours on Zoom.

Reserve your 15-minute appointment in advance by sending an email directly to her at [email protected]

You will receive a response confirming your reservation, time, and the Zoom meeting information.

More: How to run for local public office (Dec. 2 meeting)


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Filed Under: Government, Politics, Volunteering

Page Waterman, Wellesley
London Harness, Wellesley

How to run for public office in Wellesley

November 18, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The League of Women Voters of Wellesley is offering a virtual event called “How to Run for Local Public Office” on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 7:30 pm. Register for the program to learn how Wellesley’s town government works, what offices will be on the ballot in March, and how to run a campaign.

The 2021 Candidate Handbook will be posted to the League’s website on Nov. 17.


The nomination period for Town elected officials begins on Dec. 2 at noon. The last day to obtain nomination papers for Town-wide office is Jan. 8, 2021. The last day to obtain nomination papers for Town Meeting member is Jan. 22, 2021. The Annual Town Election is scheduled for Tuesday, March 2, 2021.

Due to COVID-19, nomination papers will be available by appointment only at Wellesley Town Hall. Residents interested in running for a Town-wide office or for Town Meeting must contact the Town Clerk’s Office by email at [email protected] by telephone at (781)431-1019, extension 2252.


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Filed Under: Government, Politics

Stretch Lab, Wellesley

Wellesley Select Board office hours, Nov. 12

November 9, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley Town HallThe Wellesley Select Board will hold virtual office hours on Thur., Nov. 12, noon – 1:30pm. Residents may reserve time to speak via Zoom with Select Board member Beth Sullivan Woods. Ask questions, give input, and share concerns about Town operations, coronavirus, or other issues.

Reserve your 15-minute appointment in advance by sending an email directly to her at [email protected]

You will receive a response confirming your reservation, time, and the Zoom meeting information.

Additional virtual office hour dates for 2020 are: Nov. 24; and Dec. 10 & 22.

Times and appointment information will be announced closer to the scheduled dates.


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Filed Under: Government, Politics

It’s Biden over Trump in all Wellesley precincts (unofficial results)

November 3, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

About three-quarters of Wellesley voters chose Joe Biden over President Donald Trump in Tuesday’s Presidential Election, though the results are unofficial. This is based on ballots cast by 90% of registered voters.

Biden won all eight Wellesley precincts. The same was true for Hillary Clinton in 2016.

This time around the Democratic ticket picked up a couple thousand more votes in Wellesley than it did in 2016, while the Trump-Mike Pence ticket garnered roughly the same number of votes in both years.

Vote, Wellesley

All in-person ballots from Nov. 3, all early in-person ballots, and all vote-by-mail ballots received by 6pm on Nov. 3 were counted in these results. Still to be tallied are vote-by-mail ballots received in the drop box between 6-8pm and via the mail postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by Town Hall by 5pm on Nov.  6.

With so many Wellesley voters casting their ballots early, it made for a relatively quiet day at the polls based on our observations and reports from readers.

In other races, incumbent Sen. Edward Markey topped Kevin O’Connor in Wellesley, and Democrat Jake Auchincloss defeated Julie Hall for the 4th District Congressional seat.

Wellesley’s results were consistent with those of the state as a whole, according to unofficial results.

On the ballot questions, Wellesley went with Yes on Questions 1 (expanded right to repair) and 2 (ranked choice). The state went with Yes on 1, but No on 2, according to the latest results.

As for the bigger picture on the Presidential election, we’ll see…

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Filed Under: Politics

A quiet Presidential Election day 2020 in Wellesley, Mass.

November 3, 2020 by Deborah Brown 2 Comments

During a mid-morning spin around Wellesley to see what I could see on Election Day 2020, what I saw was a whole lot of nothing offset by a sprinkling of candidate stardust.

That’s the way it goes when, according to the Elections Division of the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2.2 million of the state’s 4.8 million registered voters, about 46%, have already voted in advance of the Tuesday election. With so many votes already cast via mail-in or absentee ballots, or through early voting, crowds and lines at the polls were nonexistent here in town. I had a hard time even finding sign holders.

Here are a few pics of voting day in Wellesley:

Vote, Wellesley
Washington Street residents made use of their expansive fence to encourage people to get out the vote.
Presidential Election 2020, Wellesley
Wellesley Village Church at 2 Central Street was one of five polling places in Wellesley. As of mid-morning, there were no lines here or at the Wellesley Free Library, the Tolles Parsons Center, the Municipal Light Plant, or the Warren Building.

 

Presidential Election 2020, Wellesley
Political signs on Election Day, tucked away behind the stone wall on Church Street, wait for the faithful to hold them high.
Presidential Election 2020, Wellesley
Republican candidate for Congress, Julie Hall, stopped by outside of the Wellesley Fire Department headquarters on Route 9 to deliver remarks. Hall is running against Democratic candidate Jake Auchincloss. Kevin O’Connor, Republican candidate for Senate, running against Democratic incumbent Ed Markey, also spoke a few words.

 

Wellesley Election 2020, Ed Markey
Markey swung through Wellesley in August to talk about climate change and tout his Green New Deal.
warren voting
Poll workers reported at steady stream of voters at the Warren building, and no nasty incidents, according to Patrick Rafter, who shared this pic

 

Wellesley Presidential Election, Mrs. Swellesley
Mrs. Swellesley voted at the Wellesley Free Library. At last, a reason to kick the pandemic clothes aside and put on a twirly skirt.
Wellesley Presidential Election
My entourage accompanied me to the polls. Swellesley junior votes in his first presidential election.
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Filed Under: Government, Politics

Everything you need to know about voting on Election Day in Wellesley

November 2, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Vote, WellesleyResidents may continue to drop off ballots at the drop box in front of Town Hall until 8pm until November 3.

Ballots may also be returned by mail. They must be postmarked by November 3 and received by November 6 to be included in the official Town count.

Election Day is November 3rd

On Election Day, voting locations will be open 7am – 8pm. Voters who are in line by 8pm will be allowed to vote.

The Board of Selectmen voted on August 4, 2020 to locate the polling locations at non-school sites.

  • New Polling Locations Map
  • Polling Locations Change Evaluation Report
  • Precincts A (Bates), B (Sprague) and C (Upham) will vote at the Municipal Light Plant at 4 Municipal Way.
  • Precincts D (Schofield) and E (Fiske) will vote at the Warren Building at 90 Washington Street.
  • Precinct F (Dana Hall) will vote at the Wellesley Village Congregational Church at 2 Central Street.

There are no changes at the below precincts:

  • Precinct G will vote at the Wellesley Free Library at 530 Washington Street.
  •  Precinct H will vote at the Tolles Parsons Center – Council on Aging at 500 Washington Street.

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

If you do not know where your voting precinct is, or having any election/voting questions, please call the Town Clerk’s Office at (781) 431-1019 x 2252.

Public schools schedule

Tue., Nov. 3rd is a remote learning day for all students and is an early release day due to Election Day. Dismissal is at noon.

As a result, Wed., Nov. 4th is an in-person full day. Check in with individual schools for more details.


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Filed Under: Government, Politics

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