Council votes down nuclear disarmament resolution 5-4

City Council · Meeting of February 10, 2026

WATERTOWN — The Watertown City Council voted 5-4 to reject a citizen-petitioned nuclear disarmament resolution after a lengthy public hearing. Councilor-At-Large Anthony Palomba, who brought the motion forward, said "when I vote tonight in favor of this resolution, I'm voting to protect residents of Watertown," while Vice President Vincent J. Piccirilli countered that he has "maintained a position to not vote for symbolic legislation" outside city jurisdiction since his election 18 years ago.

Councilors Theophilus Offei, Palomba, Caroline Bays and John G. Gannon voted yes; Piccirilli, Lisa J. Feltner, Nicole Gardner, Emily Izzo and Council President Mark S.

Sideris voted no. Organizers with Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and Environment had gathered over 500 signatures over nearly two years. The same meeting, the council approved $1.2 million in loan orders, including $300,000 and $900,404, for electric vehicle charging infrastructure at the police station.

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Source: the City Council meeting of February 10, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.