If I May: Belmont’s Word
A small town both in terms of geographical size as well as population, Belmont could reasonably be expected to have a senior population similar to those of surrounding towns and cities where these populations account for 15 – 18% of the total. In fact, Belmont has traditionally had a larger number of seniors than other municipalities. From the late 1960’s until quite recently, people 65 and older made up 18 – 22% of Belmont’s residents. At the current time, Belmont’s seniors account for 25% of the entire population.
A full quarter of a town’s residents is a very big group. Why should this be? Belmont is conveniently located with easy access to culture ― music, theater, libraries ― to the seashore, to mountains and to excellent medical services. The climate, while challenging in the winter, is enjoyable for most of the year. And perhaps more than anything else, Belmont is a place where historically as well as in these bizarre and difficult times, people stay connected; even those seniors who do not have relatives near-by know they have neighbors who care about them and for their part, they return the favor.
Creating Senior Services
Despite all this, seniors have had to lobby their government to get services that should have been made available automatically. Indeed, more often than not, their efforts have resembled a military campaign.
In the late 1960’s, Belmont provided its residents with a few hours a week at the Our Lady of Mercy Recreation Center on the corner of Oakley Road and Lawndale Street. It was only after considerable effort that a senior center built on the grounds of what had been the Kendall School came to be. Funding was provided by $1 million in donations and a $5 million debt exclusion.
Shortly after funds were raised and the debt exclusion was passed, the town attempted to make up for a budget shortfall by using the money for the schools. It would have succeeded had the donors not refused to deliver the funds that had been raised unless the town made a formal commitment to building a center devoted to senior activities.
Needless to say, the loss of trust caused by this effort to highjack the senior center funds was substantial. Consequently, donors insisted on a formal agreement to make sure that the center would, in fact, be built for and used by Belmont’s older residents. To do this, the town of Belmont gave its word in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that: (1) the Beech Street Senior Center would be devoted overwhelmingly to seniors and senior activities until 2049; (2) any other activities would be miniscule; and (3) the building could not be sold or “converted” for other uses without a 2/3 vote of Town Meeting. MOU’s are contracts and have contractual obligations.
Reorganizing Senior Services
Notwithstanding all this, the Town Administrator, with the support of the Select Board, has restructured Belmont’s services, including senior services, so that they are all part of a single unit called Community Services. She maintains that she alone has the right to determine who heads senior services at the Beech Street Center and has placed these services under the direction of the head of the Recreation Department, a person with no prior experience with elderly populations. Recreation activities are already being allowed in the Beech Street Center during hours traditionally allotted to seniors. Not satisfied with these changes, the Town Administrator wants to alter the building apparently to accommodate the recreation activities by adding a doorway and eliminating handicapped parking spaces.
As might be expected, this move has engendered considerable opposition. In fact, over 300 residents signed a petition against it and a Citizens Petition ― Article 4 ― designed to trigger the MOU was placed on the May 21 Special Town Meeting Warrant. Attorneys involved with this effort are emphatic in their view that the MOU has been triggered and that a 2/3 vote of Town Meeting is required if the changes are to be made.
As also might be expected, the Town Administrator, backed by the Select Board, has consulted with the town’s lawyers who insist that the MOU has not been triggered. What this means is that a vote that compels the Town Administrator to back down will not be possible. Instead, it is said that Town Meeting will be allowed the fig-leaf of a non-binding vote on Article 4.
As of this writing, final plans have not been announced. Thus, it is not known whether Town Meeting will be allowed to vote on Article 4 in any form or whether Town Meeting Members (TMMs) will be permitted to have an in-depth discussion of the issues.
What Does Article 4 Really Address?
On the surface, the issues being addressed by Article 4 are the use of the Beech Street Center and physical changes to the building and parking lot. However, Article 4 is not merely about use and physical changes. It is about Belmont’s government and whether the town of Belmont is good for its word.
In recent years, following recommendations provided by the Collins Center for Public Management, Belmont has centralized government functions. The Treasurer has become an appointed official reporting to the Town Administrator. The Board of Assessors is also appointed though it reports to the Select Board. Additionally, as noted above, town departments including senior and other services have been reorganized into a single department reporting to the Town Administrator.
The result is an enormous increase in the Town Administrator’s purview and power. Her actions with respect to the Beech Street Center suggest that centralization and the resulting expansion of the Town Administrator’s power have gone much too far.
Perhaps even more important, Article 4 will determine whether or not Belmont is a town that keeps its word to its citizens. Belmont’s lawyers have suggested that the MOU does not apply to the current circumstances and technically, they may be correct.
Technicalities can be important. In this case, technicalities may give the Town Administrator and the Select Board what they want. But they are also likely to have a negative effect on the way the town’s executive is viewed by many, if not most, in the community. Why will this be the case?
The town promised its citizens that they would have a center devoted to Belmont’s senior population. The town’s executive seems determined not only to change this but to create a setting in which their views must prevail. Allowing Town Meeting to vote on a non-binding article rather than finding a way for Town Meeting to vote on an article which could yield a result they don’t want but must obey, suggests that:
the Select Board and Town Administrator expect to lose a binding vote; and,
even if Article 4 is defeated in a non-binding vote, these officials have no intention of obeying Town Meeting’s instructions.
What Can You Do To Help?
There is still time before Article 4 comes to a vote for the Select Board to rein in the Town Administrator. Here’s how you can help persuade the members to do their duty. The Select Board and TMMs answer to you. Call them or email them.
Tell the Select Board that you want Belmont to keep its word and that it is important that they allow Town Meeting to make the decision on how to use the Beech Street Center.
Tell your TMMs that regardless of whether a vote on Article 4 is binding or non-binding, you want them to vote NO. A list of TMMs is available at:
https://www.belmont-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1964/Town-Meeting-Members---May-1-2025-PDF?bidId=
Should the Select Board fail to rein in the Town Administrator and allow a fair vote on this issue, they will have demonstrated that they can not and indeed, should not be trusted. More, they will have demonstrated that the town of Belmont is no longer good for its word.
Judith Feinleib, a Precinct 6 Town Meeting Member has a doctorate in Political Science and, as an independent consultant, helps people with social media posting, writing and in-house and external corporate communications. Contact her at feinleib@gmail.com Her articles can also be found on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/jfeinleib
