Courtesy Kristin Chalmers Photgraphy
Top 5 Ways to Stay Informed and Get Involved
with Arlington Governance and Committees
1) Sign up for newsletters, social media pages, listservs and email lists!*
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Arlington Fights Racism: Email list, Facebook page, and website
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Town of Arlington lists:
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Diversity Task Group website and email: diversitytaskgrouparl@gmail.com
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Human Rights Commission newsletter & email: AHRC@town.arlington.ma.us
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Sustainable Arlington website
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Rainbow Commission website and email: rainbow@town.arlington.ma.us
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Arlington Seniors Association newsletter & email: ArlingtonSeniors@rcn.com
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Arlington Facebook Community:
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Diversity and Inclusion Groups (DIGs) https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentsfordiversity
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SPED Alliance (school specific private group for families with students with IEPs) https://www.facebook.com/groups/ArlingtonSPEDAlliance
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Arlington Mass Ave Vigil https://www.facebook.com/groups/ArlingtonMassAveVigil
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Arlington Resist https://www.facebook.com/groups/253254051773895\
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Arlington Listservs:
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Arlington List arlington@arlingtonlist.org
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Arlington Parents arlingtonparents@googlegroups.com (family/school specific)
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Next Door Neighbors https://nextdoor.com/
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Arlington Dems arlingtondems@five.pairlist.net
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2) Merge your Calendar!
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AFR Google Calendar
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Town Calendar
3) Be Watching!
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Current and past Town and Committee meetings are available on Arlington Community Media (ACMI) Arlington Government Channel: http://acmi.tv/govlive/
4) Attend Meetings and Community Chats! Below are monthly meeting schedules for several (but not all).
Check their individual calendars for more activities and events.
MONDAYS
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Diversity Task Group - 2nd Monday of every month 7:00- 9:00 pm (6:45 social)
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Select Board - generally every other Monday at 7:15 pm but can vary so check calendar
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Redevelopment Board - Mondays at 7:00 pm, 2x a month, check calendar
TUESDAYS
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Building Community series; Connecting and Engaging - 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7:30 - 9:00 pm. Next meeting; January 12
WEDNESDAYS
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Human Rights Commission - 3rd Wednesday of every month 8:00-10:00 pm, check calendar for community chats
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Disability Commission - 3rd Wednesday of the month at 4:00 pm
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Envision Arlington - 2nd Wednesday of every month, 7:30-9:00 pm
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Sustainable Arlington - Third Wednesdays, Dec 16, Jan 20, 7:30-9:00 pm
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Arlington Housing Authority - Dec. 16, 7:00 pm, check calendar for 2021
THURSDAYS
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School Committee - 2nd Thursday of the month at 6:30 pm but can vary, check calendar for working groups’ meetings and community chats.
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LGBTQIA+ Rainbow Commission - 3rd Thursday of the month at 6:30 pm.
5) Keep Learning!
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Town Directory (Lists current Board & Committee representatives & when their terms end)
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ABC’s of Town Government (Describes how our town works with a focus on the Town's management of its finances--composed by Envision's Fiscal ResourcesTask Group)
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Town Organizational Chart (A chart outlining who reports to whom in our town, page 59)
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What is a Warrant Article?
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A Warrant Article is simply a preliminary description of a suggested new bylaw, bylaw change, home rule petition or non-binding resolution (an affirmation of belief).
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A home rule petition is a bylaw or bylaw amendment that requires approval from the state legislature and the governor.
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A resolution is Town Meeting’s affirmation of a certain belief. A recent example was the resolution calling on the Select Board to re-hang the Black Lives Matter banner at Town Hall.
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A Warrant is the advance notification to Town residents that Town Meeting is going to be convened to discuss the specific Articles included in the Warrant.
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A motion is what actually gets voted on by Town Meeting. It is the legal form of your Article that should ideally capture its intent. It is a modified version of your Article written by the Select Board, the Finance Committee or the Redevelopment Board.
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If you feel that the motion presented to Town Meeting does not capture the original intent of your Article, you can submit an amendment to change the motion.
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If the Board/Committee suggests Town Meeting take “no action” on your Article, you can submit a substitute motion to Town Meeting that restates your Article and gives you an opportunity to argue for its passage.
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Top 5 Ways to Implement Change in Arlington
All Town Boards and Committees can be found here:
1) Contact your Town representatives:
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Town Manager: Adam Chapdelaine <achapdelaine@town.arlington.ma.us>
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Select Board: https://www.arlingtonma.gov/town-governance/boards-and-committees/select-board
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Town Meeting Members:
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Find your Town Meeting Members: Let them know how you feel about specific issues in Arlington or on specific warrant articles and ask them to vote a certain way
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Request that they hold quarterly, public precinct meetings
2) Be Heard! - Participate in Meetings during Open Forum and contact your representatives via email:
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School Committee - kfitzgerald@arlington.k12.ma.us
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Select Board - mkrepelka@town.arlington.ma.us
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Redevelopment Board jraitt@town.arlington.ma.us
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For other town committees, go to their website.
3) Apply to be on a Committee
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Committee Openings -find the updated list of what committees and boards have current openings for residents to apply - there is something for everyone!
4) Submit a Warrant Article - It only takes 10 signatures! Learn how!
5) Vote & Run for Office ! - It’s not as big a commitment as you might think!
*Please email Arlington Fights Racism if you would like your organizations to be added to this resource list.