I was dismayed (and surprised!) to hear claims that the gathering on ‘No Kings Day’ had a negative impact on the businesses in Belmont Center. The shops in Belmont Center are vital in our community. Volunteers acted as crossing guards throughout the rainy morning to ensure traffic never backed up, in and out of the Center.
Lots of things make a town feel like a community, including an engaged citizenry. Look no further than the 288 Town Meeting members, who volunteer hours considering, debating, and voting on critical town issues.
Town Day is a community celebration. Until this year, the Democratic and Republican committees (BDTC and BRTC) were part of the celebration, seen rightfully as having an important role – that of fostering a vibrant civic life.
The decision to exclude the BDTC and BRTC on Town Day feels like a step backward. A knowledgeable and engaged citizenry – in our town and country – is what we should want, not fear.
As an organizer of Belmont’s “No Kings,” I have received over 100 comments from participants saying how proud they were of Belmont and how peaceful the crowd was. I spoke with a young father and his wife and small kids who had moved to Belmont 10 days prior. As he looked at the high-school students, kids, parents, and grandparents, he said how happy he and his wife were that they had moved to such a great community.
Since no vote was taken to come to this decision, perhaps it would be a good idea to rely on that classic form of democracy – letting all businesses in Belmont Center vote. He claimed the tables would make Belmont Town Day feel ‘political’. And his decision is what exactly…?
Nora Huvelle. Somerset Street.