If a child is stabbed and no one talks about it did it really happen? Yes!

Superintendent Anthony Pierantozzi’s reluctance to inform parents and school officials of a Feb. 27 incident in which a seventh grade student was jabbed, or stabbed depending on your perspective, with a knife was unfortunate. The hush-hush strategy likely came from a genuine sense of caution in dealing with an uncorroborated version of events told by a child with no adult present. Pierantozzi was allowing a police investigation to take its course and shouting ‚ÄúStabbing!‚Äù at the top of his lungs was not an appropriate action to take.

Still, he and any other school official who failed to make the attack known to parents made a serious mistake.

Don’t they know this is Somerville, where rumors become fact on the third telling? No details were needed but an announcement should have been made saying, if nothing else, ‚ÄúA violent incident occurred between two students. It is being investigated by police and there is no reason to believe other students are at risk.‚Äù

What is so hard about that? In the past Pierantozzi’s dedication to transparency and communication between schools and parents has been touted as his greatest strength. What happened here?

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‚ÄúOnce again Somerville bears the brunt,‚Äù were the words of one alderman when discussing the run-down condition of Washington Street at last week’s Board of Aldermen meeting.

Each day suburbanites use our streets and our city as a thru way on their way to work. They get fat paychecks at the end of the week while we get bumper to bumper traffic and damaged roads.

Fixing the damage on Washington Street would more than consume the city’s entire roadway improvement budget. It is beyond that level of government. We need help from the state and more specifically our state delegation.

Until our progressive delegation delivers some major services to our city, they are going to (fairly or unfairly) be perceived as a band of ineffective liberals quick to vote as far to the left as possible but unable to secure the essential help this community needs. Or as Alderman-at-Large Dennis Sullivan said, “Ideology is great but we need basic services.”