I am outraged by the decision of the Belmont Center Business Association to ban the town’s two political committees from participation in Town Day.
In addition to all of the cogent arguments expressed by Mary Lewis in her recent letter to The Belmont Voice, I would add that Town Day, while organized by the BCBA, takes place right smack in the middle of Leonard Street, which the town closes off for the occasion.
The banner announcing Town Day hangs from the railroad bridge at the underpass we all see on our comings and goings about town. It’s a public event in a public space, supported at least indirectly with public funds.
Moreover, I find it utterly disingenuous to claim that “children and families” need to be insulated from accessing information about these organizations in order to enjoy this event. For my part, I’d rather have no Town Day than have one that is subject to such arbitrary decision-making by a private entity.
Helen Golding, Louise Road