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Watertown City Council
How the Watertown City Council voted, from the City Clerk's official minutes. 9 councilors: a Council President and 4 councilors elected at large, and one from each of the city’s 4 districts (A to D). Elected November 2025. At its first meeting, January 13, 2026, the council chose Vincent J. Piccirilli, Jr. as Vice President; Mark S. Sideris is Council President. Theophilus Offei (at-large) joined the council. The city has posted minutes through September 8, 2026. The end date (January 2028) is a placeholder for the next council’s first meeting. Covers 15 meetings so far, January 13 to September 8, 2026.
A monthly email on what it voted on, starting in November.
What does the City Council do? It is the city’s lawmaking body. It passes local laws (ordinances), votes on the yearly budget, and approves borrowing and zoning changes.
The council hires the city manager, who runs the city day to day and proposes the budget.
Sources: Mass. General Laws c. 44 § 32 (city budgets)Your Watertown ballot: 13 quizzes, about a minute each.
Start my ballot →Vote Transparency Score
Watertown City Council: 9 out of 10 · Open
How easy Watertown makes it to see, online, how each member votes. It scores the city’s records, not any official. Checked October 10, 2026.
- Minutes postedMinutes are posted for nearly every meeting more than three months old.Full points: 2/2
- Each vote namedWhen councilors split, the minutes list how each one voted.Full points: 3/3
- Posted quicklyMinutes are posted soon after the council approves them, usually within a month.Full points: 2/2
- Past years onlineCity Council minutes going back to 2006 are online.Full points: 1/1
- Readable textThe minutes are text you can search and copy.Full points: 1/1
- Member photosThe city’s website does not show photos of the councilors.No points: 0/1
How the city can raise its score
- Member photos (+1): Show a photo of each member on the board’s web page, with their name, the date their term ends and how to contact them. A group photo of the members, with everyone named in the caption or on the same page, earns half a point.
How we score · Something wrong, or has the city made a change? Email info@massvoter.com and we’ll re-check.
A monthly email on its votes, starting in November. We'll also tell you if this score changes.
Council sessions
Coming up
- Tue, Oct 13Committee on Education and School System Matters - Cable Access Board of Directors Interview →
- Tue, Oct 13City Council Meeting →
- Wed, Oct 14Council on Aging →
- Wed, Oct 14Joint Meeting - Committee on Human Services & Committee on Economic Development and Planning →
- Thu, Oct 15Cunniff Elementary School Site Council Meeting →
From the agendas Watertown posts on its official site. Agendas can change; the posted agenda is the official one.
Councilors
PresidentMark S. SiderisCouncil President · Council President (elected at large) · at 15 of 15 meetings✓ Every meeting 2026
Vice PresidentVincent J. PiccirilliVice President · District C · at 15 of 15 meetings
Caroline BaysCouncilor · At-large · at 15 of 15 meetings✓ Every meeting 2026
Lisa J. FeltnerCouncilor · District B · at 15 of 15 meetings
John G. GannonCouncilor · At-large · at 14 of 15 meetings✓ Every meeting 2026
Nicole GardnerCouncilor · District A · at 15 of 15 meetings✓ Every meeting 2026
Emily IzzoCouncilor · District D · at 15 of 15 meetings
Theophilus OffeiCouncilor · At-large · at 14 of 15 meetings✓ Every meeting 2026
Anthony PalombaCouncilor · At-large · at 15 of 15 meetings"At X of Y meetings" counts the roll call at the start of each meeting in this record. Councilors who step out are listed on each meeting page.
Attendance
15 full-board meetings so far this year, through September 8. Ties share a rank.
1Caroline Bays15 of 15 meetings Every meeting100%1Lisa J. Feltner15 of 15 meetings Every meeting100%1Nicole Gardner15 of 15 meetings Every meeting100%1Emily Izzo15 of 15 meetings Every meeting100%1Anthony Palomba15 of 15 meetings Every meeting100%1Vincent J. Piccirilli15 of 15 meetings Every meeting100%1Mark S. Sideris15 of 15 meetings Every meeting100%8John G. Gannon14 of 15 meetings93%8Theophilus Offei14 of 15 meetings93%24 full-board meetings in 2025. Ties share a rank.
1Caroline Bays24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1John G. Gannon24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Emily Izzo24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Anthony Palomba24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Vincent J. Piccirilli24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Mark S. Sideris24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%7Lisa J. Feltner23 of 24 meetings96%8John M. Airasian22 of 24 meetings92%8Nicole Gardner22 of 24 meetings92%27 full-board meetings in 2024. Ties share a rank.
1John M. Airasian27 of 27 meetings Every meeting100%1Caroline Bays27 of 27 meetings Every meeting100%1Nicole Gardner27 of 27 meetings Every meeting100%1Emily Izzo27 of 27 meetings Every meeting100%1Anthony Palomba27 of 27 meetings Every meeting100%1Vincent J. Piccirilli27 of 27 meetings Every meeting100%1Mark S. Sideris27 of 27 meetings Every meeting100%8Lisa J. Feltner26 of 27 meetings96%9John G. Gannon25 of 27 meetings93%24 full-board meetings in 2023. Ties share a rank.
1Vincent J. Piccirilli24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Mark S. Sideris24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%3John M. Airasian23 of 24 meetings96%3Caroline Bays23 of 24 meetings96%3Lisa J. Feltner23 of 24 meetings96%3John G. Gannon23 of 24 meetings96%3Emily Izzo23 of 24 meetings96%3Anthony Palomba23 of 24 meetings96%9Nicole Gardner22 of 24 meetings92%24 full-board meetings in 2022. Ties share a rank.
1John M. Airasian24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Caroline Bays24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Lisa J. Feltner24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1John G. Gannon24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Nicole Gardner24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Emily Izzo24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Anthony Palomba24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Vincent J. Piccirilli24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Mark S. Sideris24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%24 full-board meetings in 2021. Ties share a rank.
1Caroline Bays24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Anthony J. Donato24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Lisa J. Feltner24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Angeline B. Kounelis24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Anthony Palomba24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Vincent J. Piccirilli24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Mark S. Sideris24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Emily Izzo2 of 2 meetings · served from Nov100%9John G. Gannon23 of 24 meetings96%10Kenneth M. Woodland6 of 7 meetings · served until Mar86%22 full-board meetings in 2020. Ties share a rank.
1Caroline Bays22 of 22 meetings Every meeting100%1Anthony J. Donato22 of 22 meetings Every meeting100%1Lisa J. Feltner22 of 22 meetings Every meeting100%1John G. Gannon22 of 22 meetings Every meeting100%1Angeline B. Kounelis22 of 22 meetings Every meeting100%1Anthony Palomba22 of 22 meetings Every meeting100%1Vincent J. Piccirilli22 of 22 meetings Every meeting100%1Mark S. Sideris22 of 22 meetings Every meeting100%1Kenneth M. Woodland22 of 22 meetings Every meeting100%23 full-board meetings in 2019. Ties share a rank.
1Caroline Bays23 of 23 meetings Every meeting100%1Anthony J. Donato23 of 23 meetings Every meeting100%1Susan G. Falkoff23 of 23 meetings Every meeting100%1Lisa J. Feltner23 of 23 meetings Every meeting100%1Angeline B. Kounelis23 of 23 meetings Every meeting100%1Mark S. Sideris23 of 23 meetings Every meeting100%7Anthony Palomba22 of 23 meetings96%7Vincent J. Piccirilli22 of 23 meetings96%9Kenneth M. Woodland21 of 23 meetings91%24 full-board meetings in 2018. Ties share a rank.
1Caroline Bays24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Lisa J. Feltner24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Angeline B. Kounelis24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Anthony Palomba24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Vincent J. Piccirilli24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Mark S. Sideris24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Kenneth M. Woodland24 of 24 meetings Every meeting100%1Michael F. Dattoli7 of 7 meetings · served until Apr Every meeting100%9Anthony J. Donato23 of 24 meetings96%10Susan G. Falkoff14 of 17 meetings · served from May82%From the official minutes: full-board meetings only (committee meetings are not counted). Members are counted only for meetings held while they served, and arriving late counts as attending. The minutes rarely say why a member was absent.
A monthly email on its votes and who was there, starting in November.
Meetings
About missing minutes
Loaded: every full City Council meeting with minutes on the city’s meeting portal, from January 9, 2018 through September 8, 2026 (207 meetings: 183 regular, 20 special, and 4 joint meetings with the Planning Board, where only the City Council’s own votes are shown). Watertown is “the City known as the Town of Watertown”; its council was called the Town Council until voters approved charter changes, including the new name, on November 2, 2021. The minutes say City Council from November 23, 2021. Council committee meetings, Committee of the Whole budget hearings and sessions where the council met as the Watertown Redevelopment Authority are not loaded, and committee votes reported in the minutes are not shown as council votes. Minutes files on the portal also contain the agenda, the documents and a roll-call tally sheet for each vote; MassVoter reads the minutes pages and uses a tally sheet only where the minutes do not say how each councilor voted (noted on each vote). The January to September 2023 minutes, and the signed last page of most minutes since late 2023, were posted as scanned images; MassVoter read those pages with text recognition. Not here: minutes the city has not posted for several special and joint meetings (including the special meetings of June 23 and 24, 2020, July 27 and December 1, 2021, January 4, May 2 and May 23, 2023, April 30, 2024, January 21, 2025 and May 12, 2026, the joint meetings with the Planning Board on June 13, June 27 and July 16, 2024, and an executive-session-only meeting on May 25, 2023); MassVoter is asking the Council Clerk for them. Watertown’s minutes record each motion with its mover and seconder and say whether it carried “unanimously in a Voice Vote” or “in a Roll Call Vote”. A unanimous vote shows every councilor present voting yes (or no, when a motion “failed unanimously”). Split votes name the councilors on each side (“passed 7 (…) – 2 (…)”, or in older minutes “All Councilors voted in the affirmative except for Councilor X”); MassVoter shows each councilor’s vote when the names add up to the councilors present, and the count only when they do not. Councilors who arrived late are left out of votes taken before they arrived; when the minutes do not show whether a vote came before or after a late arrival, MassVoter shows the result only. Councilors who recused are left out of that vote. Elections of the Vice President show the result only, with a note. We will ask the Council Clerk to confirm any noted vote.
Votes where councilors disagreed
Most council votes are unanimous. These are the ones where at least one councilor voted no or abstained, newest first.
Sep 8Authorize sending a letter to the USPS: Request for…Motion: Councilor Piccirilli moved to authorize sending a letter to the USPS…Passed Unanimous, 9 present · see note
September 8, 2026: Authorize sending a letter to the USPS: Request for Authorization to Send a Letter to the United States Post Office Regarding the Watertown Square Post Office on Behalf of the…
Councilor Piccirilli moved to authorize sending a letter to the USPS and Councilor Feltner seconded.
The minutes record a unanimous voice vote; every councilor present is shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“The motion carried unanimously in a Voice Vote..” (Motion: Piccirilli, second: Feltner)
Sep 8Approve the loan order: Public Hearing and Vote on…Motion: Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve the loan order and Councilor Feltner…Passed Unanimous, 9 present · see note
September 8, 2026: Approve the loan order: Public Hearing and Vote on Proposed Loan Order Stating that Order No
Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve the loan order and Councilor Feltner seconded.
The minutes record this vote as unanimous; every councilor present is shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“The motion carried unanimously in a Roll Call Vote..” (Motion: Piccirilli, second: Feltner)
Sep 8Approve the loan order: Public Hearing and Vote on…Motion: Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve the loan order and Councilor Feltner…Passed Unanimous, 9 present · see note
September 8, 2026: Approve the loan order: Public Hearing and Vote on a Proposed Loan Order Stating that Order No
Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve the loan order and Councilor Feltner seconded.
The minutes record this vote as unanimous; every councilor present is shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“The motion carried unanimously in a Roll Call Vote..” (Motion: Piccirilli, second: Feltner)
Sep 8Approve the easement order: Order Relative to a Public…Motion: Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve the easement order and Councilor Feltner…Passed Unanimous, 9 present · see note
September 8, 2026: Approve the easement order: Order Relative to a Public Pedestrian Easement at 53 Pleasant Street to be Conveyed to the City of Watertown and Authorizing the City Manager to Execute…
Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve the easement order and Councilor Feltner seconded.
The minutes record this vote as unanimous; every councilor present is shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“The motion carried unanimously in a Roll Call Vote..” (Motion: Piccirilli, second: Feltner)
Sep 8Authorize the gift and expenditure of funds: Resolution Authorizing…Motion: Councilor Piccirilli moved to authorize the gift and expenditure of funds…Passed Unanimous, 9 present · see note
September 8, 2026: Authorize the gift and expenditure of funds: Resolution Authorizing the Acceptance and Expenditure of Gifts of Funds in the amount of $12,188.36 to the Watertown Food Pantry
Councilor Piccirilli moved to authorize the gift and expenditure of funds and Councilor Feltner seconded.
The minutes record a unanimous voice vote; every councilor present is shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“The motion carried unanimously in a Voice Vote..” (Motion: Piccirilli, second: Feltner)
Sep 8Approve the repurpose of funds: Resolution Requesting to Repurpose…Motion: Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve the repurpose of funds and Councilor…Passed Unanimous, 9 present · see note
September 8, 2026: Approve the repurpose of funds: Resolution Requesting to Repurpose Funds in the amount of $150,000 in Tax Revenue from Line 64 of the Fiscal Year 2027 - 2031 Capital Improvement…
Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve the repurpose of funds and Councilor Feltner seconded.
The minutes record a unanimous voice vote; every councilor present is shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“The motion carried unanimously in a Voice Vote..” (Motion: Piccirilli, second: Feltner)
Sep 8Approve the transfer of funds: Resolution Authorizing a Transfer…Motion: Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve the transfer of funds and Councilor…Passed Unanimous, 9 present · see note
September 8, 2026: Approve the transfer of funds: Resolution Authorizing a Transfer of Funds in the amount of $8,600 from the Fiscal Year 2027 City Council Reserve to the Fiscal Year 2027 City…
Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve the transfer of funds and Councilor Feltner seconded.
The minutes record a unanimous voice vote; every councilor present is shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“The motion carried unanimously in a Voice Vote..” (Motion: Piccirilli, second: Feltner)
Sep 8Approve the exemption: Consideration and Approval of Exemptions of…Motion: Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve the exemption and Councilor Feltner seconded.Passed Unanimous, 9 present · see note
September 8, 2026: Approve the exemption: Consideration and Approval of Exemptions of Interests of Existing City Employees in Contracts with the City Including Summer, Winter, Holiday, and After-School Program...
Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve the exemption and Councilor Feltner seconded.
The minutes record a unanimous voice vote; every councilor present is shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“The motion carried unanimously in a Voice Vote..” (Motion: Piccirilli, second: Feltner)
Aug 11Adopt the resolution: Proposed Resolution regarding the Fiscal Year…Motion: Councilor Piccirilli moved to adopt the resolution and Councilor Feltner seconded.Passed Unanimous, 9 present · see note
August 11, 2026: Adopt the resolution: Proposed Resolution regarding the Fiscal Year 2028 Budget Process
Councilor Piccirilli moved to adopt the resolution and Councilor Feltner seconded.
The minutes record a unanimous voice vote; every councilor present is shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“The motion carried unanimously in a Voice Vote..” (Motion: Piccirilli, second: Feltner)
Aug 11Approve the salary adjustment: Public Hearing and Vote on…Motion: Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve the salary adjustment and Councilor Feltner…Passed Unanimous, 9 present · see note
August 11, 2026: Approve the salary adjustment: Public Hearing and Vote on a Proposed Ordinance Adjusting the City Auditor's Salary
Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve the salary adjustment and Councilor Feltner seconded.
The minutes record a unanimous voice vote; every councilor present is shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“The motion carried unanimously in a Voice Vote..” (Motion: Piccirilli, second: Feltner)
From the Watertown City Council’s official minutes, posted on the city’s meeting portal (linked from the City Council page on watertown-ma.gov). We check every vote against the councilors present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Photos: Watertown News (watertownmanews.com) candidate Q&As, candidate letters and articles that name each councilor; Mark Sideris photo by Charlie Breitrose. The city’s website has no councilor photos.
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