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 commitment to offering hybrid Town Meetings. Of the four meetings he has moderated, three have been hybrid. The one exception was the special Town Meeting in July for naming the new skating rink, which was held fully remotely.
“When I joined Town Meeting, Town Meeting was middle-aged white homeowners,” Crowley said. “What’s so transformational about hybrid Town Meeting is it directly provides access to people who have difficulty being in the auditorium. That includes parents with small children; it includes many of the elderly — we see many of the elderly members taking advantage.”
The California native spent his career in various federal government roles before retiring and moving to Belmont in 2015. He was quickly involved in local government, serving a stint on the Warrant Committee, as a Town Meeting member, and as a School Committee member. He was elected to serve a one-year term as moderator in 2025.
Crowley is facing former Select Board member Adam Dash for a chance to lead Town Meeting for a second year.
“There are ways in which I think that Town Meeting has fundamentally improved, including that I think debate and discussion is much more respectful than it was in the past,” he said. “I think that goes to the fact I treat everyone with respect. That’s very important.”
Crowley also emphasized his commitment to transparency, touting the newly created Moderator’s Advisory Committee.
Essentially, the committee — which comprises one Town Meeting member from each of the eight precincts — helps interview potential appointees to each of the four committees overseen by the moderator. Those include the Warrant Committee, the Bylaw Review Committee, the Comprehensive Capital Budget Committee, and the Permanent Building Plan Committee.
Other committees with moderator appointments include the Library Building Committee, the Middle and High School Building Committee, and the Municipal Skating Rink Building Committee.
“I’d like to make the Moderator’s Advisory Committee permanent,” he said. “I think it’s been an absolute success in terms of bringing transparency where there has been none before.”
As for Town Meeting itself, Crowley aims to continue his effort to ensure that everyone’s voice at Town Meeting is equal.
“Everybody gets their three minutes,” he said. “There’s nothing in Town Meeting that points to any benefit in favoring certain Town Meeting members over others.”
Crowley said that based on a survey of Town Meeting members completed late last year, “it’s clear” Town Meeting members need new training. He said if elected, he would plan to offer more training and expanded training sessions. “There are things you can do within Town Meeting that allow you to be an active legislator, instead of just sitting on your hands and voting yes or no,” Crowley said.
The election for moderator is the only contested race on the ballot for the April 7 election.