I am a data scientist with 10 years of experience in a top tech firm, proudly serving on Belmont’s Warrant Committee. This committee, though little known to those not involved in town government, has a crucial role to play in decisions made in Belmont’s government.
The Warrant Committee’s role is to analyze the fiscal impact of the by-law changes that Town Meeting (the town’s legislative branch) votes on. The committee is a key source of independent fiscal analysis, and its recommendation carries weight with town meeting members. As it is a part of our legislative branch, the moderator, not the select board, appoints warrant committee members.
As fiscal problems continue to plague Belmont, and its government officials make difficult decisions leading to tense political debates, it is more crucial than ever to have independent fiscal analysis, to inform Town Meeting members and Belmont residents. Mike Crowley’s vision is to build a Warrant Committee of volunteers who possess the analytical skills and a willingness to apply them to the town’s most politically charged issues. Since Mike has made his first appointments, three of his appointees have performed analysis to quantify the impact of the Belmont Center overlay. I am particularly proud of one meeting where three members of the committee put a spreadsheet on the screen and examined data assumptions for school costs. In the modern day and age with people increasingly talking past each other, a constructive, data-driven discussion was refreshing.
If we are to have more data-oriented volunteers on the Warrant Committee, it is crucial that we continue having a moderator with a vision for a constructive, politically independent, and fact-focusedWarrant Committee. Join me in voting for Mike Crowley, to ensure Belmont has a modern data-driven government!
Mark Kagan, Claflin Road