Mayor Joseph A.
Curtatone confirmed today that Police Chief George F. McLean March 7 will
retire city’s police force.

 “Chief McLean gave the city nearly three decades of
dedicated service,” the mayor said. “He
led the department through difficult times when budget cuts put a strain on
every city department. His service is
much appreciated by the entire community.”

 An acting
chief would be appointed by early next week at the latest, he said.

by Neil W. McCabe

Multiple sources have told The Somerville News that Police Chief  George F. McLean is negotiating the terms of his departure with Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone.

If McLean stayed on until May, he would retire with  the maximum allowable pension.  However, if the mayor wants the chief to leave now, he could allow McLean to stay on the books in an in-active status until May.

Sources also confirm that the leading candidate to replace McLean is Capt. Robert R. Bradley, the head of the police department traffic and parking division.

The matter may be resolved in time for the Board of Aldermen’s meeting tonight at 7 p.m. in City Hall’s Aldermanic Chambers.

by Neil W. McCabe

One of the founding leaders of the Progressive Democrats of Somerville and a former aide to State Rep. Patricia D. Jehlen, D-Somerville, announced today her candidacy for the Ward 6 alderman seat held by John M. “Jack” Connolly.

“I’m excited to take on this new challenge,” said Rebekah Gewirtz, who is now a community organizer for the Commonwealth Coalition, a grassroots organization that supports progressive candidates and issues.

by Neil W. McCabe

The incumbent Ward 6 alderman, who is serving in his
11^th  two-year term, told The Somerville News
he is ready for the challenge from Rebekah Gewirtz, who announced her candidacy
today.

 “I’ll concede two points right off. She’s better looking
than I am and she is younger,” said John M. “Jack” Connolly, who owns  Davis  Square’s Wedgewood-Crane & Connolly Insurance
Agency. “I will just run on my record as I have in the past.”

by Julia C. Reischel

 
The Boston area’s last remaining lesbian club night, which has
drawn hundreds of women to  Somerville  on Thursdays for the past 15 months, is  facing an uncertain future.

“The promoter was let
go,” said Ken Kelly, the owner of Union Sqaure’s Toast Lounge. “However, Ladies’ Night has absolutely not
closed."

On any given day, at the Sherman café, in Union Square, you are bound to run into any number of poets, writers, and artists nursing their respective cups of java.

Our poet for this edition of the “Lyrical” is the late Ron Schreiber. Schreiber was a founding editor of the “Hanging Loose Press,” a U/Mass professor, a Gay activist, and for a long time a Somerville resident before he moved to Cambridge.The poem we selected “Somerville Saturday Night,” was from the anthology “Present Tense: Poets In The World,” (Hanging Loose Press, 2004). For more information about this book go to: www.hangingloosepress.com. To have your poems considered for the “Lyrical Somerville” send them to: Doug Holder 25 School St. Somerville, Mass. 02143 dougholder@post. harvard.edu