Mary Byrne

Mary Byrne

Mary Byrne is a member of The Belmont Voice staff. Mary can be contacted at mbyrne@belmontvoice.org.

Town Meeting Warrant Includes Consent Agenda

April 28, 2026
Thirty-eight articles are expected to be considered by Town Meeting members next month, as annual Town Meeting begins May 4. Among the 38, nine are citizen petitions, of which five are expected to be withdrawn, according to town officials. The rest are…

Belmont Mom Brings Pregnancy, Infant Loss Walk to Boston

April 27, 2026
While grieving the loss of her daughter, Lyla, Belmont resident Heather Toland discovered the podcast “Confessions of a Grieving Mother,” created by the nonprofit organization Emma’s Footprints. “It really helped me listen to other moms tell their stories and made me feel…

Quorum Issues Prompt Change in Human Rights Commission

April 27, 2026
With meeting quorum being a recurring problem, the Belmont Human Rights Commission will vote next month on a revised charge, reducing the maximum number of members from nine to seven. “The larger our group, the harder it is,” said Human Rights Commission…

Farm Boasts Deep Roots in Belmont

April 25, 2026
Nestled away in an unassuming neighborhood abutting the Cambridge line is Belmont Acres Farm, the town’s last remaining connection to its history as a community of fruit farms and market gardens. “We’re really, really fortunate,” said Henry Ogilby, whose family has owned…

Town Rakes in Non-Compliance Complaints for Leaf Blower Bylaw

April 23, 2026
Jan. 1 marked the official end of using combustion-powered leaf blowers in town, yet compliance remains a concern for residents and business owners alike. The leaf blower bylaw, which was written to include multiple stages, went into effect upon approval in February…

Survey Collects Town Meeting Feedback

April 22, 2026
In a survey that garnered responses from nearly half the Town Meeting membership, 71% said Town Meeting should be a hybrid between in-person and remote. Of the 140 responses, 31, or 22%, said hybrid meetings should be offered only to those who…

Bill Aims to Provide Support to Family Caregivers

April 21, 2026
Wendy Drexler had been her husband’s caregiver for several years when she walked into the bathroom to find him brushing his teeth with a razor and some muscle cream. “That was a threshold moment, where it just became clear I couldn’t keep…
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Seeking Savings, Belmont Shifts Health Insurance

April 6, 2026
As health care costs rise nationwide, municipalities around the state are revisiting the question of whether to remain self-insured, or to switch to a state-run health insurance program for public employees that might help to cushion the financial blow. Belmont is no…

Crowley Touts Transparency, Year One Successes

April 4, 2026
In his bid for town moderator, Michael Crowley is hoping to build off the successes he feels he has had in year one of the job. “We’ve seen some pretty fundamental transformational changes,” he said. Among the successes he highlighted was his…