I would like to first congratulate Sen. Will Brownsberger on his victory. Second, I want to commend the town clerk and the Election Commission of Belmont for an exceptional recount process.
On Sept.10, I was at Belmont Town Hall, observing the recount on behalf of the Lander campaign, and I was impressed by the organization of the entire operation. Belmont’s attorney did an exceptional job explaining the instructions and ground rules. Meanwhile, the town clerk ran a very tight ship—which I know not everyone always appreciates, but it ensured the process ran smoothly and allowed us to finish by early afternoon.
This is not to say the recount processes in Boston, Cambridge, or Watertown went badly; I also participated in the Watertown recount on Sept. 9th and found it well-run. Rather, it is to highlight that the Belmont officials did a truly exceptional job. If any city or town clerk in the commonwealth wants a master class in how to conduct a recount, these are the people to learn from.
Their work belies the stereotype that government work is inherently sloppy, lazy, or substandard. In fact, I can say from firsthand experience that this process was far superior to corporate performative culture, where words and numbers often look good on the surface but there is nothing of substance or quality underneath. But I digress.
This recount and election resoundingly demonstrated that the fundamentals of elections are sound and showed how subsets of people can compete for their visions without damaging the larger group.
Rita Colafella, Watertown
