Sept. 4, 2026

Good morning,

Max Woolf here.

Some people think a community keeps its “character” by remaining unchanged.

But go visit the new Watertown High School, a jaw-dropping, state-of-the-art $219 million investment in the city's young people. You'll realize a community's character is reflected in its willingness to invest in what's next.

Among its many features: labs for robotics, carpentry, culinary arts, medical assisting, pre-engineering and digital media; a performance arts area with a traditional auditorium and a black box theater; a multi-court gymnasium with a walking track and fitness center; and an underground garage.

It's also the first LEED Platinum 4.0 and Net Zero Energy high school in the United States, a building that will produce as much energy as it uses over the course of a year.

City leadership, led by City Council President Mark Sideris — who chaired the building committee through 92 meetings over a decade — built the new facility without a property tax override, just as the city previously built three new elementary schools without a tax hike.

Congratulations to all who made it happen, including Vertex, Ai3 and Brait Builders, the Mass School Building Authority, and especially Watertown residents, employees and leadership who recognize that the way to protect a community's character is through evolution.

Classes in the new facility begin on Tuesday.

It doesn’t always work that way

While Watertown’s new high school came without a tax override, Needham taxpayers are being asked to pay yet again for another school building project, this time a new Pollard Middle School.

See how much your business or residential property taxes would increase if the November debt exclusion override passes using the town’s new tax calculator.

Incumbency, incumbency, incumbency

That was the name of the game in this year’s Massachusetts primary, where incumbents won comfortably across much of the state.

With one very notable exception in our backyard.

The Watertown State Senate race between number two in the Senate, Will Brownsberger and former Michelle Wu aide Daniel Lander is headed toward a recount. And close your eyes for the rest of this sentence if you forgot to cast your ballot, because as of last night, Lander leads by just three votes.

Big picture, though, the results feel all too familiar. Massachusetts remains a place where the old adage often holds: incumbents don’t lose; they retire, die or get indicted.

Whether that is necessarily a good or bad thing, we’ll leave it to you. But if you are looking for a change from our tradition of incumbency supremacy, you might find one on November’s ballot.

Question 3 would abolish partisan primaries for state and federal offices and replace them with one all-party primary. Under this system, every candidate would appear on the same ballot, and the top two finishers — regardless of party — would advance to the general election.

In our very blue corner of Massachusetts, that could mean a November election between two Democrats rather than having the decisive contest occur in September.

Supporters argue that could make incumbency a little less powerful. Local Democratic consultant Joe Caiazzo told the Boston Globe the system would “increase competition and decrease the advantages of incumbents” because challengers would have a better shot at surviving until November.

Read more about what the research says about Question 3.

Three numbers on the health of Watertown biotech

Sam Ghilardi of Watertown BIO dug into MassBio’s latest industry snapshot to see what the numbers tell us about the health of Watertown’s life sciences. 

Three stats stood out to us.

$403 million: That’s how much Watertown biotech companies raised in venture capital during the first half of 2026, which is a new city record and 20 times the same period last year. More importantly, it shows that Watertown is in a clear top tier statewide. Their fundraising ranked third behind Cambridge and Boston, while 4th-place Framingham raised 4 times less.

44%: That’s Watertown’s lab vacancy rate. While that still looks high — and it is — there’s reason for optimism. Watertown’s vacancy rate fell nearly 10 percentage points over the past year, from 53.8% to 44%, bucking a statewide trend that saw vacancy continue to rise. 

356: That’s the less encouraging number. Watertown lost 356 biotech jobs, or 17%, between 2024 and 2025, mirroring the broader statewide downturn. Employment data lags, however, so we’ll be watching to see whether the city’s recent fundraising, leasing and company growth begin translating into jobs.

Friday grab bag

• The Village Bank is hosting a blood drive on Wed. Sept 30 (9-2:30 p.m.) at 320 Needham Street in Newton. Appointments are required and can be scheduled online.
  
  
• Incumbent John Lawn once again defeated Newton City Councilor Allison Leary in this week’s primary — and much more comfortably than in their 2020 matchup. Lawn carried Watertown, Waltham and even Leary’s hometown of Newton. (Watertown News)
  
  
• Gov. Maura Healey came to Newton’s Hammond Pond Sunday to make the case for Question 6 on this year’s ballot, which would redirect existing sales-tax revenue from sporting goods to conservation projects. The measure could steer as much as $100 million a year from the state’s general fund toward protecting drinking water, forests, parks and other natural areas. (Fig City News)
  
  
• Massachusetts has spent millions helping Haitian immigrants learn English, train for jobs and enter the workforce. Now, with TPS protections ending, some are taking those skills — and badly needed labor — to Canada, including workers in health care and other sectors already struggling to hire. (Boston Globe)
  
  
• The Carroll Center for the Blind’s 90th Anniversary celebration will take place on Saturday, Nov. 7, with an Open House from 1 to 4 p.m. at their campus, located at 770 Centre Street, Newton.
  
  
• In a restaurant roundtable, Watertown’s Buttermilk & Bourbon owner Jason Santos said the World Cup was largely a wash for full-service restaurants, even as nightlife boomed. More broadly, he argued restaurants are being pushed to become more experiential and Instagrammable as diners increasingly expect more than just good food and service. (BBJ)
  
  
• Today is the last day to save $100 on a reserved table at our Fall Business Breakfast taking place on the morning of Nov 13 at the Newton Marriott. 
  
  
• Yes, that was Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll getting coffee yesterday at the French Press in Needham.
  
  
• Country clubs emerged from the pandemic on a much firmer financial footing, with nearly half having waitlists in 2025. Clubs are now investing in restaurants, technology and family-friendly amenities to attract younger members, while trying not to overbuild for a boom that may not last forever. (BBJ)
  
  
• The Asian Business Empowerment Council is launching a free statewide directory of AAPI-owned businesses to help connect them with customers, corporate buyers and community partners. Business owners can add themselves by completing a short profile with basic information about their company and services.

How would you make Wellesley Square better?

The Town of Wellesley is embarking on a process to beautify and improve Wellesley Square, with a focus on making the town’s primary commercial district safer, easier to navigate and more inviting.

The Wellesley Square Improvement Project will look at everything from pedestrian safety and traffic flow to public spaces and amenities, with design options to be developed based in part on community feedback.

Businesses, residents and visitors can weigh in now through the town’s Wellesley Square Survey, sharing safety concerns and ideas for improvements.

The town will also hold its first “Square 1” public meeting on Oct. 14, 6:30 p.m. at Hunnewell Elementary School. The process is expected to culminate in a request for project funding at Town Meeting in 2027 or 2028.

Needham’s parking meters finally join the smartphone era

Photo credit: Needham Local

To the frustration of many Needham shoppers and employees, the town’s parking meters have long been coin-only.

Unlike anywhere else in our Charles River Regional Chamber footprint, forgetting to bring change could mean risking a ticket. It feels especially outdated in a society that is quite literally killing its coinage. 

Starting today (Sept. 4), meters in Needham Center and Needham Heights will finally offer a mobile payment option through the HotSpot app.  

We are a little frustrated that such a simple, common-sense fix took this long (and that the app chosen is not widely used), but better late than never.

And those who enjoy scrambling for change stuck between your car seat, need not worry. Needham’s meters will continue accepting coins indefinitely.

That’s what you need to know for today, unless you need to know why you should be on your best behavior today.

Max Woolf (he, him)

Public Policy and Government Affairs Manager

Charles River Regional Chamber

617-431-6101

Greg Reibman contributed to today’s newsletter.