MassVoter.com← WatertownMunicipal votes · 2018–2019 Council
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 2017. At its first meeting, January 9, 2018, the council chose Vincent J. Piccirilli, Jr. as Vice President; Mark S. Sideris is Council President (the president is elected townwide). Caroline Bays and Anthony J. Donato joined the council. Michael F. Dattoli (at-large) resigned effective April 30, 2018 because he was moving; on March 15, 2018 the council appointed former Councilor Susan G. Falkoff to serve out his term (8 to 0, Dattoli recused), and she was sworn in on May 1, 2018. The body was then called the Town Council. Covers 47 meetings, January 9 to December 10, 2019.
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.
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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 47 of 47 meetings
Vice PresidentVincent J. PiccirilliVice President · District C · at 46 of 47 meetings
Caroline BaysCouncilor · At-large · at 47 of 47 meetingsMichael F. DattoliCouncilor · At-large · at 7 of 7 meetings · until Apr 2018Anthony J. DonatoCouncilor · At-large · at 46 of 47 meetingsSusan G. FalkoffCouncilor · At-large · at 37 of 40 meetings · from May 2018
Lisa J. FeltnerCouncilor · District B · at 47 of 47 meetingsAngeline B. KounelisCouncilor · District A · at 47 of 47 meetings
Anthony PalombaCouncilor · At-large · at 46 of 47 meetingsKenneth M. WoodlandCouncilor · District D · at 45 of 47 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.
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.
Dec 10Accept the Proclamation: Proclamation Honoring the Work of Library…Motion: Councilor Falkoff moved to accept the Proclamation;Passed Unanimous, 9 present · see note
December 10, 2019: Accept the Proclamation: Proclamation Honoring the Work of Library Trustee Timothy Tracy
Councilor Falkoff moved to accept the Proclamation;
The minutes record a unanimous voice vote; every councilor present is shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“The motion was adopted unanimously on a voice vote..” (Motion: Falkoff, second: Woodland)
Dec 10Accept the Proclamation: Proclamation Honoring the Work of Penny…Motion: Councilor Falkoff moved to accept the Proclamation;Passed Unanimous, 9 present · see note
December 10, 2019: Accept the Proclamation: Proclamation Honoring the Work of Penny Peoples
Councilor Falkoff moved to accept the Proclamation;
The minutes record a unanimous voice vote; every councilor present is shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“The motion was adopted unanimously on a voice vote C..” (Motion: Falkoff, second: Piccirilli)
Dec 10Approve the grant of location by National Grid to…Motion: Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve the grant of location by National…Passed Unanimous, 9 present · see note
December 10, 2019: Approve the grant of location by National Grid to install and maintain a 6-inch prefabricated regulator with approximately 100 feet of 16-inch gas main and approximately 140 feet of 12-inch…
Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve the grant of location by National Grid to install and maintain a 6-inch prefabricated regulator with approximately 100 feet of 16-inch gas main and approximately 140 feet of 12-inch gas main in Belmont Street (abutting Saint Patrick’s Cemetery) near the intersection of Duff Street, all of which to replace and remove the existing regulator in the intersection of Duff Street and Belmont Street;
The minutes record a unanimous voice vote; every councilor present is shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“The motion was adopted unanimously on a voice vote..” (Motion: Piccirilli, second: Falkoff)
Dec 10Approve a grant of location from NSTAR ELECTRIC COMPANY…Motion: Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve a grant of location from NSTAR…Passed Unanimous, 9 present · see note
December 10, 2019: Approve a grant of location from NSTAR ELECTRIC COMPANY dba EVERSOURCE ENERGY to install 51 feet of conduit in Pleasant Street, southerly from Pole 16/48, approximately 416 feet west of…
Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve a grant of location from NSTAR ELECTRIC COMPANY dba EVERSOURCE ENERGY to install 51 feet of conduit in Pleasant Street, southerly from Pole 16/48, approximately 416 feet west of Waltham Street, a distance of 51 ± Feet – Conduit to Provide Underground Electric to 330 Pleasant Street subject to the following conditions: 1.
The minutes record a unanimous voice vote; every councilor present is shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“The motion was adopted unanimously on a voice vote..” (Motion: Piccirilli, second: Falkoff)
Dec 10Approve a grant of location from NSTAR ELECTRIC COMPANY…Motion: Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve a grant of location from NSTAR…Passed Unanimous, 9 present · see note
December 10, 2019: Approve a grant of location from NSTAR ELECTRIC COMPANY dba EVERSOURCE ENERGY to install 119 feet of Conduit in Pleasant Street, Southerly from Pole 16/45, thence turning northeasterly...
Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve a grant of location from NSTAR ELECTRIC COMPANY dba EVERSOURCE ENERGY to install 119 feet of Conduit in Pleasant Street, Southerly from Pole 16/45, thence turning northeasterly, approximately 104 feet southwest of Waltham Street, a distance of 119 ± feet – conduit;
The minutes record a unanimous voice vote; every councilor present is shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“The motion was adopted unanimously on a voice vote..” (Motion: Piccirilli, second: Falkoff)
Dec 10Approve a grant of location from NSTAR ELECTRIC COMPANY…Motion: Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve a grant of location from NSTAR…Passed Unanimous, 9 present · see note
December 10, 2019: Approve a grant of location from NSTAR ELECTRIC COMPANY dba EVERSOURCE ENERGY to install Northwesterly from pole 16/46, approximately 220 feet Southwest of Waltham Street, a distance of 9 feet…
Councilor Piccirilli moved to approve a grant of location from NSTAR ELECTRIC COMPANY dba EVERSOURCE ENERGY to install Northwesterly from pole 16/46, approximately 220 feet Southwest of Waltham Street, a distance of 9 feet ± of conduit to provide underground electric service to 385 Pleasant Street subject to the condition that as Pole 16/46 is a double pole, the underground conduit may be installed on the new pole, but cables run in the conduit shall not be connected to the primary conductors until all remnants of the old pole are removed, and that Eversource shall coordinate with Verizon and other attachment entities to make this occur;
The minutes record a unanimous voice vote; every councilor present is shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“The motion was adopted unanimously on a voice vote..” (Motion: Piccirilli, second: Falkoff)
Dec 10Adopt the ordinance amending the Town Manager’s CompensationMotion: Councilor Falkoff moved to adopt the ordinance amending the Town Manager’s…Passed Unanimous, 9 present · see note
December 10, 2019: Adopt the ordinance amending the Town Manager’s Compensation
Councilor Falkoff moved to adopt the ordinance amending the Town Manager’s Compensation;
The minutes record this vote as unanimous; every councilor present is shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“the motion was adopted unanimously on a roll call vote..” (Motion: Falkoff, second: Piccirilli)
Dec 10Bring forward for consideration a successor agreement between the…Motion: Councilor Falkoff moved to bring forward for consideration a successor agreement…Passed Unanimous, 9 present · see note
December 10, 2019: Bring forward for consideration a successor agreement between the Town of Watertown and Michael J. Driscoll by February 28, 2020
Councilor Falkoff moved to bring forward for consideration a successor agreement between the Town of Watertown and Michael J. Driscoll by February 28, 2020;
The minutes record a unanimous voice vote; every councilor present is shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“The motion was adopted unanimously on a voice vote..” (Motion: Falkoff, second: Piccirilli)
Dec 10Ratify the amendment of sublease section 4.2 of the…Motion: Councilor Falkoff moved to ratify the amendment of sublease section 4.2…Passed 8–0 · see note
December 10, 2019: Ratify the amendment of sublease section 4.2 of the Tenant’s right to extend the term of the sublease for the total allowed period of 40 years and to approve the…
Councilor Falkoff moved to ratify the amendment of sublease section 4.2 of the Tenant’s right to extend the term of the sublease for the total allowed period of 40 years and to approve the such extension period to start on March 1, 2022 and to direct the Town Attorney to prepare an amendment for signatures by the parties;
Yes: Bays, Donato, Falkoff, Feltner, Kounelis, Palomba, Sideris, WoodlandVincent J. Piccirilli recused and is left out of this vote.
From the minutes
“The motion was adopted unanimously on a voice vote of 8-0;.” (Motion: Falkoff, second: Feltner)
Nov 26Adopt Chapter 64 N Section 3 for a 3%…Motion: He then moved that the Town Council adopt Chapter 64 N…Passed Unanimous, 9 present · see note
November 26, 2019: Adopt Chapter 64 N Section 3 for a 3% Marijuana Sales Tax
He then moved that the Town Council adopt Chapter 64 N Section 3 for a 3% Marijuana Sales Tax;
The minutes record this vote as unanimous; every councilor present is shown voting yes.
From the minutes
“The motion was adopted unanimously on a roll call..” (second: Woodland)
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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