5 Things You Need To Know Today

Special Town Meeting Warrant, Reports Now Online

The Special Town Meeting commences at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10, in Town Hall.

Today is Thursday, Oct. 4. Here are five things you need to know: 1. The Special Town Meeting Warrant, Board of Selectmen Report and Finance Committee Report (attached) are now online. The meeting will be held at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10, in Town Hall. For more information, see the town’s Town Meeting website. 2. From the town: Overnight on Mass. Ave. (Schouler Court to Brattle Street): The town’s contractor D&R Paving will be performing overnight road paving on Mass. Ave. (Schouler Court to Brattle Street), for one night, starting on Thursday, Oct. 4, at 8 p.m. to Friday, Oct. 5, at 5 a.m. (weather permitting). Performing this work at night will decrease potential public safety issues inherent with large equipment and commuter traffic as…

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Selectmen Favor Leaf-Blower Committee Over Fall Compromise

The Board of Selectmen unanimously agreed Monday that a proposed leaf-blower compromise wasn't ready for the Special Town Meeting on Oct. 10 and that a Town Meeting leaf-blower committee is the way to go.

After much deliberation Monday, the Board of Selectmen agreed to ask Town Meeting members to form a new leaf-blower committee at the Special Town Meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 10, instead of asking them to act on a new leaf-blower “compromise.” At Monday’s meeting, board chairman Kevin Greeley brought forth a proposed warrant article (below), which was crafted from input at the first leaf-blower subcommittee meeting last week and replaced the seasonal ban on gas-powered leaf blowers with seasonal restrictions. However, after a lengthy discussion, the board unanimously voted to go the committee route instead, as selectmen, namely Daniel Dunn, believed the article needed “too many refinements.” For one, Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine said the …

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Upcoming Special Town Meeting Warrant

The Special Town Meeting is set for 8 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 10., in Town Hall. The two leaf-blower articles are expected to generate the most buzz.

For more on the Special Town Meeting: "Selectmen Reluctantly Schedule Special Town Meeting on Seasonal Leaf-Blower Ban."

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Letters to the Editor

LETTER: Harrington's Rebuttal to Selectmen's Frustrations

Stephen Harrington, a Town Meeting member from Precinct 13, responds to Selectmen who recently criticized his decision to submit a petition for a Special Town Meeting on Arlington's seasonal ban on gas-powered leaf blowers.

The following is a Letter to the Editor from Arlington resident Stephen Harrington, a Town Meeting member from Precinct 13. Harrington recently submitted a petition for a Special Town Meeting regarding Arlington's seasonal ban on gas-powered leaf blowers. His decision to submit the petition was criticized by Selectmen at their Monday meeting. The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) is a private non-profit that has served, since 1972, the communities of Somerville, Medford and Arlington to  protect and restore the Mystic River by mobilizing volunteers. A laudable mission. Most of  MyRWA's funding comes from State and local grants of which 20 percent is given in compensation to the executive director, according to the most recent IRS …

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Stephen H

12:40 am on Thursday, September 20, 2012

There is so much wasted spending, money to special interests, money to political supporters, money to hire relatives and friends, that it is hard to focus on just one. Why don't you run with this problem and instead of merely being "concerned", become involved.   more ›

Selectmen Reluctantly Schedule Special Town Meeting on Seasonal Leaf-Blower Ban

With 'hands tied,' selectmen called the meeting for Wednesday, Oct. 10.

The Board of Selectmen scheduled a Special Town Meeting Monday to address Arlington’s seasonal ban on gas-powered leaf blowers, but make no mistake, they didn’t want to. “If there was anyway I could vote against this, I certainly would,” Selectman Steven Byrne said before the vote, which set the meeting for Wednesday, Oct. 10. “I find this (Special Town Meeting) to be a waste of town resources.” Byrne’s sentiments were echoed by his colleagues. “I wish I could vote against it too,” the board’s chairman, Kevin Greeley, said, “but our hands our tied.” The board had to call the Special Town Meeting because of a citizen petition submitted by Stephen Harrington, a Town Meeting member from Precinct 13. ----- Do you agree with Selectman Steven …

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Petition Submitted for Special Town Meeting on Seasonal Leaf-Blower Ban

The day after the Board of Selectmen unanimously agreed to establish a committee to review the ban, a Town Meeting member took matters into his own hands.

A Town Meeting member submitted a petition to the town Tuesday to call a Special Town Meeting regarding Arlington’s seasonal ban on gas-powered leaf blowers. Stephen Harrington, of Precinct 13, who opposes the ban, said nearly 250 registered voters in Arlington signed his petition – only 200 signatures are needed to force a Special Town Meeting. ----- Do you support Harrington’s petition for a Special Town Meeting? Let us know by posting a comment below. ----- If Harrington’s petition is validated by the town, the Special Town Meeting would be the second attempt to repeal the ban, which was passed at Town Meeting in April. A group of landscapers collected more than 1,400 signatures in May to force a Special Election. At the Special …

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Letters to the Editor

LETTER: Town Meeting Members Need to be Held More Accountable

Arlington resident Rich Carreiro, a former Precinct 19 Town Meeting member, writes that members have near-zero accountability for their actions due to the current voting structure.

The following is a Letter to the Editor from Arlington resident, Rich Carreiro, a former Precinct 19 Town Meeting member. July 19th's vote on the leaf-blower ban once again shows what many of us have known for years -- Arlington's "representative" town meeting is anything but. Why? Because Town Meeting Members have near-zero accountability for their actions. If you want to know how your TMMs voted, the only way to even begin to have a chance to find out is to get a seat in the gallery at Town Meeting, hope that you can see your TMMs from where you are sitting, and when a counted vote comes along, see which way they vote. Good luck! Now, having said that I am nonethless firmly convinced that Arlington's Town Meeting is a far better form of …

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Seasonal Leaf-Blower Ban Upheld in Arlington

Opponents of the ban fell 241 "No" votes shy of a repeal.

Despite taking Thursday’s vote by more than a 2-to-1 margin, opponents of Arlington’s seasonal ban on gas-powered leaf blowers, which was passed at Town Meeting in April, fell 241 “No” votes shy of repealing the ban. State law required opponents to get at least 5,780 “No” votes, which represents 20 percent of Arlington’s 28,898 registered voters, in order to overturn the action of Town Meeting. Instead, they got 5,539, or roughly 68 percent of the 8,158 votes cast. There were 2,619 “Yes” votes. Thursday’s Special Election had 28 percent voter turnout overall. By comparison, April’s Town Elections, which featured hotly contested races for both the Board of Selectmen and School Committee, as well as numerous Town Meeting member races due to …

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