The Swellesley Report

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

Wellesley Select Board office hours, August 17th

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Wellesley Town Hall, spring 2021
Wellesley Town Hall, spring 2021

Wellesley Select Board member Ann-Mara Lanza will host office hours on Tuesday, August 17, 11:30am-1pm in the Juliani Room at Town Hall, 525 Washington Street.

Lanza will be available for in-person meetings during the first hour and will hold Zoom meetings from 12:30pm to 1pm.

Ask questions, give input, and share concerns about Town operations, economic development, or other issues.

Please email her directly at [email protected] and indicate if you would like an in-person meeting or a Zoom appointment. You will receive a response confirming your meeting and the Zoom link, if required.

Please note: if you are not vaccinated, you are encouraged to wear a mask when inside Town Hall.

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Linden Square, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley
Watertite Roofing

State Rep. Alice Peisch to hold office hours in Wellesley

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State Rep Alice PeischMassachusetts State Representative Alice Hanlon Peisch will hold office hours in Wellesley on Monday, July 26 at the following time and location:

  • 10am-11am, Juliani Room at Wellesley Town Hall

Constituents may sign up for a 10-minute meeting slot here for an in-person visit with Representative Peisch or a member of her staff.

Any constituent who wishes to speak with Representative Peisch but is unable to attend the office hours may make an appointment for a more convenient time by calling 617-722-2070 or emailing [email protected].  Anyone seeking general legislative information may find it at Representative Peisch’s website at www.alicepeisch.org.

Alice H. Peisch represents Wellesley, Weston, and Precinct 4 in Wayland.

COVID guidelines

[Read more…]

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Page Waterman, Wellesley
London Harness, Wellesley

Wellesley Select Board office hours, May 25th

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Wellesley Town Hall, spring 2021
Wellesley Town Hall, spring 2021

Select Board vice chair Lise Olney will host office hours on Tuesday, May 25, 9am-10:30am.

Ask questions, give input, and share concerns via Zoom about Town operations, Town Meeting, 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.

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John O'Toole, Wellesley

Wellesley High students recognized for ‘Democracy Challenge’ videos

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Wellesley High School students have been honored by the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts for their prolific submissions to the organization’s Democracy Challenge student video content.

Wellesley High earned the Catalyst Award for sending in 25 videos, a compilation of which you can view below. The videos focus on everything from protests to elections to local politics.
Students were invited to submit 30-second videos demonstrating what they learned about democracy in 2020. Organizers say 125 videos were submitted overall.

 

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Wellesley Town election guide

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Wellesley’s Annual Town Election will take place on March 2, 2021. Here is The Swellesley Report’s guide on all you need to know about casting your vote.

Ways to cast your vote in Wellesley

Vote by mail: Completed mail-in ballots may be sent via USPS to the Town Clerk’s Office or brought to the drop box outside of Town Hall. Completed mail-in ballots must be received by the Town Clerk no later than Tuesday, March 2, 2021 by 8pm.

Note: applications to vote by mail are no longer being accepted (the last day to get an app to the Town Clerk was Feb. 24).

Vote in person at the polls:

  • Precincts A (Bates), B (Sprague) and C (Upham) vote at the Municipal Light Plant at 4 Municipal Way.
  • Precincts D (Schofield) and E (Fiske) vote at the Warren Building at 90 Washington Street.
  • Precinct F (Dana Hall) votes at the Wellesley Village Congregational Church at 2 Central Street.
  • Precinct G votes at the Wellesley Free Library at 530 Washington Street.
  •  Precinct H votes at the Tolles Parsons Center – Council on Aging at 500 Washington Street. Polling Locations Map

The polls will be open 7am – 8pm.

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

Wellesley Town Election candidates:

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

  • Select Board (3 candidates, 2 openings—Colette Aufranc; Odessa Sanchez; Ann-Mara Lanza)
  • Housing Authority 5-year seat (3 candidates, 2 openings—Micah O’Neil; Janice Coduri; Odessa Sanchez)
  • Board of Public Works (2 candidates, 1 opening—Scott Bender; John Bubeck)

Uncontested races:

  • Moderator (1 opening—Mark Kaplan)
  • Board of Assessors (1 opening—W. Arthur Garrity, III)
  • Board of Health (1 opening—Marcia Testa Simonson)
  • Trustees of the Wellesley Free Library (2 openings—Diane Savage; Maura Murphy)
  • Natural Resources Commission (2 openings—Laura Robert-Fragasso; Beatrice Bezmalinovic Dhebar)
  • Planning Board (1 opening—Kathleen Elizabeth Woodward)
  • Housing Authority, 1-year term (1 opening—Renee Spencer)
  • Recreation Commission, 3-year term (2 openings—Paul Cramer; Mark Wolfson)
  • Recreation Commission, 1-year term (1 opening—Anthony Munchak, Jr.)
  • School Committee (2 openings—Linda Chow; Leda Murcia Eizenberg)
  • Town Clerk (1 opening—KC Kato)

Non-binding referendum question:

Question #1: “Should the Select Board, with the understanding that since 1977 Indigenous people of our country have requested Indigenous Peoples Day as a recognition of their humanity, culture, and history and further, that our country was built on Native lands, proclaim the second Monday of October henceforth be commemorated as Indigenous Peoples’ Day and cease to recognize Columbus Day in Wellesley in recognition of the position of Indigenous Peoples as natives to these lands, and the suffering they faced during and after the European conquest? This question is not binding.”

Vote Yes or No

Links to The Swellesley  Report’s candidate interviews for contested races:

Select Board, 3-year term (3 candidates, 2 openings)

Colette Aufranc

Odessa Sanchez

Ann Mara-Lanza

Housing Authority, 5-year term (3 candidates, 2 openings)

Micah O’Neil

Janice Coduri

Odessa Sanchez

Board of Public Works, 3-year term (2 candidates, 1 opening)

Scott Bender

John Bubeck

Town Meeting, contested precincts

Precinct B—11 candidates for 10 seats

Precinct C—13 candidates for 10 seats

Precinct E—11 candidates for 10 seats

Precinct G—13 candidates for 10 seats

Precinct H—17 candidates for 10 seats

See list of all Town Meeting candidates here.

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Wellesley Select Board issues Statement on Anti-Racism and Anti-Bias

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The Wellesley Select Board on Monday met in part to tackle issues of diversity, equity and inclusion, and come up with strategies for how town government can approach a goal of racial equity. The definition of  racial equity that the Board worked from said that it is achieved when race can no longer be used to predict life outcomes, and outcomes for all groups are improved.

After discussion, the Board voted unanimously on the wording for a newly created official Statement on Anti-Racism and Anti-Bias, which reads:

Wellesley is a town that highly values diversity, dignity and respect for all individuals. As the Chief Executive of the town, the Select Board recognizes its responsibility to make the following declarations:

The Board opposes unequivocally any expression of hate, prejudice, intolerance, or discrimination toward any individual or group;

The Board commits to engaging the Town on race, equity and inclusion through broad and collaborative public engagement; and

The Board denounces any form of racism, discrimination or intolerance as a threat to the safety and well-being of the public. We call upon the entire Wellesley community to welcome every resident, visitor, employee and resident student in the Town.

The Wellesley Tolerance Pledge

The town has since 2016 had a Tolerance Pledge. However, the Statement on Anti-Racism and Anti-Bias does not replace the Pledge. According to Board Chair Marjorie Freiman, the Statement is to be used as a foundation for diversity, equity and inclusion work going forward. “Its purpose is to make it clear to residents that anti-racist and anti-bias values are values that the Board espouses and holds very strongly,” Freiman said.

The Tolerance Pledge reads, “The Wellesley Board of Selectmen reaffirms its position that Wellesley is a town that highly values diversity, dignity, and respect for all individuals. Wellesley strives to be a welcoming town; therefore, the Board opposes expressions of hate, intolerance and discrimination.The Board encourages the entire Wellesley community to continue to exhibit caring and supportive actions in support of our diversity.”

A word on the word “tolerance”

During the Board’s discussions, there was some talk about doing away with the word “tolerance”  in The Tolerance Pledge. Lately the word has been disparaged as outdated language when working toward diversity, equity and inclusion. We tolerate a head cold. We tolerate household chores, or a dull work-day duty. The question has been put forth—Can we do no better than tolerate each other?

The word is considered still helpful by the Board for now, and so it remains. Stay tuned for more changes in language as the Board moves forward.

Below, you can view the Feb. 22 Select Board meeting, recorded by Wellesley Media, as well as a Feb. 19 meeting during which the Board addressed recent racist incidents in town:

 

MORE:

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion update from Wellesley Public Schools

An ask for Wellesley Schools Diversity, Equity & Inclusion budget

Wellesley not selected for Racial Equity Municipal Action Plan grant

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Conversation with the Wellesley candidates

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Sustainable WellesleySustainable Wellesley will hold a virtual Conversation with the Candidates via Zoom on Feb. 24, 7:30pm.

You will be able to access the Zoom meeting via Sustainable Wellesley’s website.

Meet the candidates running for open Board seats in Wellesley, and hear their thoughts on how sustainability should be woven into the fabric of those boards going forward.

Send questions in advance to [email protected].

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