UPDATED, March 15: As the expanding coronavirus outbreak has pushed the town to look into possibly postponing the April 4 election and making changes to the annual Town Meeting, campaigns are going virtual.

On Saturday, March 14, three candidates for major offices as well as some for Town Meeting made statements and fielded questions via Zoom, a videoconferencing platform that you download to your desktop.

Included Michaiah Healy (Select Board), Lynette Martyn (School Committee) and Jo Anne Preston (Housing Authority) plus Precinct 16 and 10 Town Meeting hopefuls. J, a candidate for clerk, was among those in the audience.

Other campaigns with virtual, germ-free options are welcome to let the publisher know for inclusion in a news story >>

Upcoming on Zoom for Arlington Fights Racism candidates

Candidates for Select Board (Healy), School Committee (Martyn) and Arlington Housing Authority (Preston) are at each session:

Wednesday, March 18, 8 to 9 p.m. Also Precinct 14 Town Meeting candidates Wynelle Evans, Guillermo Samuel-Hamlin, Shawn Healy and Mark Rosenthal;

Thursday, March 19, 8 to 9 p.m. Also Precinct 12 Town Meeting candidates Robin Bergman, Lynette Martyn, Caroline Murray and Sanjay Vakil;

Friday, March 20, 8 to 9 p.m. Also Precinct 17 Town Meeting candidate Xavid Pretzer;

Saturday, March 21, 11 to noon Also Precinct 4 Town Meeting candidate Silvia Dominguez;

Saturday, March 21, 8 to 9 p.m. Also Precincts 19 and 21 Town Meeting candidates Melanie Brown (19), Elaine Crowder (19) and Jordan Weinstein (21);

Sunday, March 22, 8 to 9 p.m. Also Precincts 5 Town Meeting candidate Brian McMurray; and

Thursday, March 26, 8 to 9 p.m. Also Precinct 8 Town Meeting candidates Heather Barber, Bill Berkowitz and Elizabeth Dray.

Already held:

Paul Schlichtman, seeking reelection to School Committee, has changed his kickoff, scheduled for 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 15, from a private home to a Facebook live feed >>

Liz Exton, candidate for School Committe is the host for a meet-and-greet at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 15, on Facebook Live >>

Talk with with Select Board candidate Len Diggins via conference call between 4 and 5 p.m. Sunday, March 15. Use your phone to call the free number (605-475-6006) and the access code (481-4541).

Zoom for Arlington Fights Racism candidates

Sunday, March 15, 8 to 9 p.m. Also participating are Precincts 1 and 3 Town Meeting candidates Nada Fouad El-Newahy (1), Paul Jordan (3), Asia Kepka (1), Khaled Mhoktar (1) and Rebecca Persson (1).

Town update: Minimal staffing, food options, meetings, election

The Town of Arlington In a 5 p.m. update Friday, March 13, reported a number of points related to local preparedness efforts and impacts from the ongoing nationwide novel coronavirus.

Town administrative offices are now operating on a minimal staffing plan until further notice. Essential services, such as food and transportation for seniors, continue to be available. Trash pickup throughout the town is not affected.

All town offices will remain open to the public, but residents are asked to either complete transactions online or reach out by phone during regular business hours, if possible, for any services they may need to complete.

Private businesses and private schools in Arlington will make their own decision regarding their operations, and residents are encouraged to contact a business if they would like to inquire about their operations.

“We’re lucky in Arlington to have community services and organizations that are willing to do whatever they can to help make this unique situation easier for our residents,” Health and Human Services Director Christine Bongiorno said in a statement March 134. “We’d like to stress that although many town services have been temporarily adjusted, our residents will still have access to the services they need, such as food delivery, transportation to vital appointments and counseling.”

Health & Human Services: Lunches, EATS

Arlington public schools — closed through March 27 — will be distributing lunches to students beginning Monday, March 16. Meals will be distributed “to-go” in the lobby of the Thompson School, 187 Everett St., from 11 a.m. to noon.
Arlington EATS Market at St. John’s Church, at 75 Pleasant St., expects to be open for their normal pantry distribution times Wednesday, March 18. Their regular hours are 9 to 10:30 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. to 7 p.m. They are receiving extra deliveries from the Greater Boston Food Bank in anticipation of need. Attendees must be Arlington residents and need to provide photo ID and proof of residency. If residents do not have transportation, they can call the Council on Aging at 781-316-3400 to arrange a ride. If residents are not feeling well or are in quarantine and need food, they should call Arlington Eats to explore their options. Measures such as social distancing will be instituted at the market as a precaution.
Meals on Wheels, through Minuteman Senior Services, will continue to operate and additional volunteers are on hand to help the program meet needs during the current COVID-19 situation. Residents should call 781-272-7177 to inquire about Meals on Wheels service.
Food Link is still making normal deliveries to housing locations within Arlington.

Arlington Youth Counseling Center

While normal face-to-face visits with clients are suspended, in accordance with the town mandate, AYCC clinicians will continue to offer their regular counseling and mental health sessions to current clients and client families via phone calls and telemedicine services.

Board, committee meetings: Open Meeting Law

Town administration is reviewing the Governor’s Executive Order aimed at providing temporary relief for meetings conducted under the Open Meeting Law that were scheduled to be conducted during the closure, but have since been canceled. The executive order now allows for remote participation for all members of a public body.

The town is determining whether this relief can be effective to conduct upcoming meetings, including the Select Board’s meeting, which was originally scheduled for Monday, March 23. The town aims to make a decision regarding the use of remote public body meetings next week.

Town election

Town administration is also evaluating the potential impacts of the coronavirus situation on the town election, scheduled for Saturday, April 4. As of now, the election cannot be canceled or postponed without a court order, but town counsel has been working with the Secretary of State’s Office to determine potential avenues for relief.

The secretary of state has filed a request for emergency legislation, which would permit canceling or postponing a local election upon consultation with local officials and expand electronic voting options and other measures in cases of emergency. As the coronavirus situation remains fluid, the town will continue to analyze effects on the election and will provide an update by Wednesday, March 18.

Arlington Police Department

Residents are encouraged to use the online report writing system for non-emergency incidents to file police reports. A police officer or detective will follow up regarding the submission by phone or email.
Residents who would like to request a record or copy of an incident report should call 781-316-3943 or email records at town.arlington.ma.us. The record will be left for pickup at the APD front desk or sent via email.
Voluntary fingerprinting services are suspended until further notice. Call 781-316-3938 for assistance.
The processing of Firearms Applications/Renewals, Hackney Licenses and Solicitor Permits are suspended until further notice. Call 781-316-3943 for immediate assistance.

“We want to encourage residents to stay safe by avoiding large events and practicing good hygiene, but that doesn’t mean you can’t continue many of your daily activities. You can go to the grocery store, order takeout or get a cup of coffee,” Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine said.

The town has staffed a call center from 8 a.m to midnight for the past two days. That service will end on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m., but the town will re-valuate the need for after-hours call center services on a periodic basis.

Tracking Covid-19 via Johns Hopkins site

WHO: It’s a pandemic

Globe, March 15: After Baker declares state of emergency, cases at 164

March 12, 2020: Town’s public schools among 6 districts closing for two weeks

March 11, 2020: In face of threat, town suspends Senior Center programs, postpones library events

March 8, 2012: 2nd resident tests negative for Covid-19

Feb. 28-March 6, 2020: Coronavirus risk remains low in town, health office says in 2nd update

This news announcement was published Friday, March 13, 2020 This edited version was written by Leah Comins of John Guilfoil Public Relations, which provides news releases to the town. It was updated March 15 by Bob Sprague.