Letters to the Editor

LETTER: Former Arlington Selectman Endorses Margaret Hegarty for State Rep

A Letter to the Editor in support of Margaret Hegarty, a candidate for state representative in the 24th Middlesex District. Hegarty will face fellow Democrats Dave Rogers and Bobby Reardon in the state primary on Thursday, Sept. 6.

The following is a Letter to the Editor from Arlington resident Clarissa Rowe, a former Arlington selectman. The 24th Middlesex District is lucky to have three qualified Democrats running to represent us. After much thought and conversation with the candidates, I have decided to endorse Margaret Hegarty. We need more women legislators on Beacon Hill. In 2011, only 23.5 percent of the House was women. We need to do better.  Anne Paulsen of Belmont represented us on the Hill for a long time, and we were very well served during her tenure. Margaret is ready to take up her mantle. Margaret comes from a politically active family in Belmont. Her 10-year-old daughter and her parents often join her on the campaign trail. I am confident that …

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Douglass Davidoff

10:24 am on Thursday, September 6, 2012

Margaret Hegarty is very impressive. Let's hope the voters see it that way today at the polls for the state primary election!   more ›

LaCourt Serves at Last Meeting

Selectman Annie LaCourt was praised by her colleagues for her energy, relentlessness, honesty and integrity.

Selectman Annie LaCourt, known for her expertise with the town’s finances, served at her last board meeting Monday. “It’s been a great seven years,” she said at the meeting. “I feel like we’ve really accomplished a lot.” LaCourt and chairwoman Clarissa Rowe are both not seeking reelection. However, Rowe will be at the board’s next meeting on April 9, a day before the Town Elections on Tuesday, April 10, LaCourt will not, due to a scheduling conflict. Five candidates are running for the two open seats – Steven M. Byrne, Joseph E. Curran, Joseph A. Curro Jr., Maria A. Romano and Robert L. Tosi Jr. – which is a testament to the departing selectmen, according to fellow selectman Kevin F. Greeley. “You both made the job seem attractive,” he …

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Byrne Kicks Off Campaign for Board of Selectmen

Several town leaders come out to support new candidate.

Editor's note: The following is a statement from Arlington resident Steven Byrne's campaign for Board of Selectmen. Board of Selectmen candidate Steven Byrne on Friday kicked off his campaign at the Sons of Italy in Arlington. Byrne was introduced to a packed house by Selectman Kevin Greeley, Housing Authority Board member Nicholas Mitropoulos, Mary Winstanley-O’Connor and Kevin Feeley of the Board of Assessors, and longtime friend and lifelong Arlington resident Marc McCabe, who all spoke of his knowledge, experience, passion and ability.  Byrne thanked everyone for coming out and in particular singled out his parents, Michael and Jane Byrne, his brother Jon Henry, and his grandparents Donald and Phyllis Byrne, who celebrated their 61st …

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Selectmen Chair: "Proud of Arlington"

Clarissa Rowe, chair of the Board of Selectmen, shares a few words of thanks to Arlington's town workers.

Chair Clarissa Rowe on Jan. 10 said she won’t seek another term on the Board of Selectmen. Back then, Rowe thanked her coworkers at Town Hall, who she tearfully said were a “wonderful bunch of people.” “You have been very well served by the men and women of Arlington who work for the town,” she said then. “They make me proud.” In an email, she told Arlington Patch, "I am really proud of all our town workers, not just the ones that work in Town Hall." The following is an email containing more of Rowe's words for the residents of Arlington: "I am proud of our teachers in their respective schools, I am proud of our police men and women who are based in the Community Safety Building, I am proud of our firemen who are based in our fire stations…

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Board of Selectmen Chair Won't Seek Another Term

Clarissa Rowe said Monday evening she will not run for re-election after completing a second term in 2012.

Chair Clarissa Rowe won’t seek another term on the Board of Selectmen, leaving a second seat open for contention in this year’s town elections. “I’m going to be 64 in April and I can’t do two full-time jobs anymore,” said Rowe, who was first elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2009. “I’m going to stay with the one that pays me a little bit more and, more importantly, doesn’t have as many night meetings.” Rowe announced her intentions to not seek re-election at the selectmen’s first meeting of the year on Monday night. She said she wants to continue as a Town Meeting member representing Precinct 4, where she moved recently. The chairwoman added she is not going to be a “lame duck” in her last few months. Especially, Rowe said, in face of the …

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