Who We Are
Belmont Better Zoning is a citizens group supporting balanced development that retains the community feel of Belmont. Areas of focus include financial analysis, parking, traffic, impact on local businesses, the scale of development, adequacy of project review, accurate depictions of proposed zoning, problems in zoning language, ensuring proper Town Meeting oversight, and identifying fiscal or legal risks to the town.
Current Participants
Liz Allison - Current Town Meeting Member, Precinct 3. Former chair of Planning Board; former chair of Warrant Committee; Finance Committee, Belmont Historical Society. Previously, Senior Vice President for Planning, McGraw-Hill Companies, Associate Professor of Economics, Harvard.
Peg Callanan - Current Town Meeting Member, Precinct 7. Former member of the School Committee, Warrant Committee, and Beech Street Center Building Committee. Current member of the Council on Aging and the Board of Directors, Belmont Historical Society.
Susanne Croy - Current Town Meeting Member, Precinct 6. Current member of the Warrant Committee (and serving on the Education Subcommittee). Chair of Payson Park Revitalization CPA Project. Past President Wellington PTO. Past member of Wellington, Chenery & Belmont High School Advisory Councils. Lifelong Special Educator and Consultant.
Doug Koplow - Current Town Meeting Member, Precinct 6. Belmont Solid Waste and Recycling Committee (Vice Chair and Chair). Run the Cushing Square Neighborhood Association, established to address challenges with the Bradford development. Three decades of experience evaluating fiscal aspects of government programs and reviewing statutes, regulations, and tax codes to identify both unintended gaps and planned loopholes in the language.
Larry Link - Current Town Meeting Member, Precinct 1. Work on Town’s financial challenges as member of the Comprehensive Capital Budget and Structural Change Implementation Committees. Board member of Library Friends. Previously served on Transportation Advisory Committee, Neighborhood Traffic Working Group, Safe Routes To School and the Belmont Library Foundation. Career spent in financial consulting, investments and resource development, both private and non-profit sectors.
Anne Marie Mahoney - Current Town Meeting Member, Precinct 1, Rink Building Committee and Permanent Building Committee. Former member and chair of Select Board, School Committee, Capital Budget Committee, Major Capital Projects Working Group, Police Station/DPW Building Committee. Former member of Chenery Middle School Building Committee, Government Structure Study Committee and Community Preservation Committee.
Ira Morgenstern - Current Town Meeting Member, Precinct 7. Vision 2020 Committee. Has served in a Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and General Manager role to implement sustained change in companies.
Robert Sarno - Current Town Meeting Member, Precinct 3. Former Vice Chair of Warrant Committee and Education Subcommittee Chair. Over 20 years of experience leading efforts to design and implement performance improvement strategies for state and local governments.
Jeanne Widmer - Current Town Meeting Member, Precinct 5. Former member and chair of Belmont School Committee. Active volunteer on Wellington, Chenery Middle and High School PTO and POMS Boards. Belmont School Volunteer Award. Award-winning columnist for Belmont Citizen Herald. Received award from Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. Long-time teacher, educator and counselor for high school seniors.
Michael Widmer - Current Town Meeting Member, Precinct 5. Former member and chair of the Warrant Committee; long-time Town Moderator. More than four decades of experience in Massachusetts government, politics and public policy. Served for 25 years as president of an independent and widely respected public policy organization focusing on state and municipal finances in Massachusetts.