Belmont Select Board Declines to Back Internal or External Police Chief Candidate

BELMONT — January 5, 2026 — Belmont Select Board declines to express preference for internal or external police chief, approves liquor license petition. At a January 5 meeting, the three-member board — Chair Matt Taylor, Vice Chair Taylor Yates, and Member Elizabeth Dion — voted unanimously to approve a home rule petition removing minimum and maximum seating requirements from Belmont restaurant liquor licenses, a step toward making the town more competitive with neighboring communities. Two police union leaders had urged the board in public comment to formally back an internal hire for the open chief position: Sergeant Michael Pellerin of the Superior Officers Union cited institutional knowledge and community ties, while Patrol Officer Marco D'Andrea of the Patrol Officers Association warned that an external hire would stifle the advancement path for the department's 27 sworn officers. The board declined, with Taylor saying "the job is too important to hire anybody except for the best candidate." Town Administrator Patrice Garvin flagged a projected drop in Belmont's in-levy debt capacity from roughly $966,000 to $550,000 by fiscal year 2029, and ice rink consultant Dave Fox of Raftelis recommended holding current rates — which Garvin said are already subsidized by roughly $300,000 in annual operating budget spending, plus an estimated $6,000 or more per week in free ice time for Belmont High School hockey — pending a full rate study later in 2026.