I arrived in Belmont five years ago, eager to put down roots, which included getting involved in town government. I quickly found that in Belmont it is hard to get your voice heard. In offline discussions I noticed a shared feeling of disconnect between town government and Belmont residents. To fix this we need an independent moderator on a mission to lift all of Belmont voices.
The moderator is a very powerful position in town government. They appoint key committees with an outsized influence on the budget and run Town Meeting—Belmont’s legislature—that votes on the town’s budget and laws. Historically, this position has been used to concentrate power in the Select Board, our executive branch, rather than empowering the legislative branch the moderator belongs to. I suspect this is due to the close ties between the Select Board and moderator, which is natural given the time the moderator spends with the Select Board organizing Town Meeting. The result: Select Board members have been given carte blanche to insert themselves into Town Meeting debates, drowning out many town residents’ voices in key discussions.
To ensure a healthy democracy, we need an independent and democratically-minded moderator to give all residents a voice and balance out the influence of the Select Board members even when working closely with them. Mike Crowley, as a moderator, will ensure all residents have a voice in our government. He will create transparent processes for committee nominations, ensuring those committees are representative of all of Belmont, including seniors, young parents and renters. He will create a streamlined process to propose Town Meeting amendments, and ensure a fairer debate where Town Meeting Members have just as much opportunity as Select Board members to make a case. Mike is both highly experienced and independent. Vote Crowley! Make your voice heard!
Mark Kagan, Claflin Street
