About Susan Falkoff

Biography of Susan Falkoff

Susan moved to Watertown 34 years ago to raise a family. Initially attracted to Watertown’s proximity to Boston and Cambridge, over the years she has seen the town grow and prosper with new assets such as the Charles River path, quirky and interesting restaurants, and the wonderful Arsenal Center for the Arts. But (she also recognizes that) the true strength of a community lies in its people and Susan is particularly proud to be part of a community that, by speaking truth to power, forced a worldwide reconsideration of the Armenian genocide.

Susan understands that civic participation is essential for strong communities. As an active member of Watertown Citizens for Environmental Safety, Susan spearheaded efforts to hold the Army accountable for environmental restoration at the Watertown Arsenal. Previous to Susan’s involvement, the Army did not seem much concerned with the environmental effect of their activities. An Army official was widely quoted for saying, “We are in the business of defending America, not the environment.” Susan is proud of her part in changing that position by demonstrating that citizens can work cooperatively with public officials when their input is taken seriously. She has become a national spokesperson on constructive citizen involvement in environmental remediation projects. Still, Susan never expected to spend a large part of her adult life considering military toxics. She often says, “To change the world, you have to start somewhere.”

Watertown is very lucky Susan chose our community as a place to make a difference. She was born in Rochester, New York, where her father worked in the furniture business and later became a high school history teacher. Her mother was a tireless fundraiser for the arts. Susan and her sister each chose to work in helping professions and each has served as an elected official in their home communities. In her professional life, Susan is a social worker who has provided therapy to children, adults, and families in a variety of settings. She often finds herself sitting on the floor watching children tell stories as they arrange dollhouse furniture and she occasionally wonders if her family’s background in the furniture business has a hand in the pleasure she takes from this occupation. In her civic roles, Susan finds that her professional training in listening, empowering, and searching for win-win solutions to problems has served her well.

Since she moved to Watertown in 1973, Susan’s home has increased by about 20 times in value. This makes her generally sad because she knows she could never afford to buy a home here today and that many young families are not able to make the choice that she made to live in this diverse and livable community. She feels very lucky that her children could grow up in Watertown. Her son, Sam, was the information technology director for Deval Patrick and is now continuing his political activism in Chicago. Her daughter, Rebecca, lives in California where she is pursuing a graduate degree in Italian studies. While Susan does not speak Italian, she does not give up on a challenge, and has worked for decades to get Spanish verbs right some of the time.

Susan is not giving up on the challenge of bringing positive change to Watertown. If elected to the Council, Susan promises to use a light-hearted approach to achieve the serious goals of fiscal responsibility, open government, and long-range planning. She wants Watertown to be as affordable and vibrant for her children’s and grandchildren’s families as it has been for her.