Voters fill Town Meeting seats across Winchester; four incumbents unseated
The biggest shakeup came in Precinct 7, where two officeholders lost in an 11-person contest, matching Precinct 4 for the busiest race.
Will Dowd | Staff Writer
Winchester’s $11.5M override falls short; Prior returns to Select Board, Bellaire joins School Committee and Beliveau unseats Rossettos
The pattern broke. For seven straight votes stretching back to 2017, Winchester voters had said yes to every Proposition 2½ question put before them — school buildings, operating budgets, capital needs. The Lynch Elementary School project passed in 2023 with 82.4% support, the highest for any school ballot question in
State Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven joins crowded bid to succeed retiring Sen. Jehlen
A Somerville progressive launched a campaign for the Second Middlesex seat.
Winchester Town Meeting to take up major $6.2M solar expansion plan
The expansion would mark a significant leap for a town that has built its solar portfolio incrementally.
Winchester Select Board signals support for 7% water and sewer rate increase
The Winchester Select Board signaled support March 16 for a 7% increase in water and sewer rates for fiscal year 2027, with a formal vote expected at a public hearing scheduled for March 30. Consultant Mark Abrahams of the Abrahams Group presented three rate options to the board during a
For years, Winchester voters rejected nearly every tax override. Then the pattern flipped.
Editor’s note: An interactive visualization of all 33 Proposition 2½ ballot questions in Winchester from 1988 through 2023, including results by decade, override type and individual vote, is available here. From November 1988 through January 2023, Winchester voters went to the polls 25 times to decide 33 Proposition 2½
Process, pace set Prior and Brady apart in Winchester Select Board race
The contest highlights competing governing styles, one emphasizing consensus and process, the other urging faster action and visible dissent.
Yes for Winchester campaign works to build grassroots momentum ahead of March 21 vote
A volunteer campaign called Yes for Winchester is working to build community support for an $11.5 million override on the town’s March 21 election ballot, relying primarily on house parties, lawn signs and neighbor-to-neighbor outreach rather than traditional political infrastructure. The campaign began preliminary planning before the Select
Select Board candidates align on override, diverge on how to grow Winchester’s bottom line
Ahead of the March 21 election, incumbent Michelle Prior and challenger Shamus Brady offered contrasting styles, but frequent agreement at a candidate forum for the Select Board, with both backing the pending override vote while differing on how to generate revenue, speed housing development and attract businesses. The two are
School Committee candidates call for teacher reviews, clearer goals at Winchester forum
John Bellaire and Heather von Mering outlined competing visions for the town’s public schools at a candidate forum, clashing over technology in classrooms, special education access and teacher accountability ahead of the March 21 election. The two are vying for one three-year seat on the Winchester School Committee. The
Cambridge Vice Mayor Burnham Azeem pitches record of results in crowded 2nd Middlesex Senate race
Cambridge Vice Mayor Burhan Azeem says Massachusetts remains a great place to live — but one that too many residents can no longer afford. In an interview, the 29-year-old city councilor returned repeatedly to that tension. It is, he said, the central motivation behind his campaign for the open 2nd Middlesex
Winchester Select Board has full slate for April 27 Town Meeting
With Winchester’s Spring Town Meeting scheduled for April 27, the Select Board has spent weeks hashing out a slate of warrant articles that would commit the town to its most ambitious solar energy program yet, address long-standing drainage and dam infrastructure needs, bolster financial reserves and launch a new
Somerville councilor Matthew McLaughlin runs for 2nd Middlesex Senate seat, citing affordability crisis
Matthew McLaughlin grew up in a Somerville that people called “Slummerville” — a low-income, working-class city that outsiders looked down on and that insiders survived. His father, a custodian like his mother, died when McLaughlin was 12, making him, by his own account, something like the head of a household with
Winchester School Committee candidates bring contrasting backgrounds to Thursday forum
Two candidates for Winchester’s School Committee will face voters at a forum as the district navigates a new literacy curriculum, budget pressures and questions about student mental health. Heather von Mering and John Bellaire are competing for an open seat on the School Committee, which oversees a budget von
Winchester gun owners face new training rules starting April 2
Public safety data How Winchester compares on firearms licenses in comparable Massachusetts communities Active licenses as of Jan. 25, 2025 — Source: Massachusetts Criminal History Systems Board License to carry firearms Firearms identification card Winchester and Marblehead are the focus communities. Peers selected based on comparable population size, demographics and suburban
Winchester Select Board approves overnight parking pilot, permit fees increased
The Winchester Select Board on Feb. 23 approved an overnight parking pilot, raised building permit fees for the first time since 2021, adopted the 2026 outdoor dining policy and directed the town manager to examine reinvesting downtown-generated revenue into town center improvements. The board voted unanimously to implement the overnight