Last Tuesday night when the mayor submitted his budget to the aldermen, Alderman Bob Trane asked him what was the state aid increase and the Mayor said it was less than 1 percent. Our state delegation headed by Senator (Queen of the Progressives) Jehlen and others had a press release stating there was a 9 percent increase. Who is right?

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Someone owes someone an apology apparently. Last week after a budget meeting up at City Hall, a well-known Somerville activist and an alderman had some words. It all started when the budget meeting had ended and one of the aldermen who was present invited the activist to stay and have bite of food that was spread out on a table in the conference room adjacent to the Chambers. As the activist was serving himself some food, he asked another alderman if he minded that he join in on some food, the alderman‚Äôs response was very nasty and then asked to have the activist removed from the room. Those budget meetings can be very stressful. 

By Lisa Vise

In a residential neighborhood, just past a junkyard for dead cars, a passer-by may be surprised to find the commercial loft space that houses Bay State Fencers. Located at 561 Windsor Road, Bay State Fencers was started in 2004 by Coach Stacy Eddy, who opened the salle (short for the French ‚Äúsalle d’armes‚Äù, meaning fencing room/club), with the ‚Äúdesire to bring fencing back into the city.‚Äù

When it opened Bay State Fencers became the first non-university fencing club established in the area since the 1960s.

By William C. Shelton

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

In this space last month, Mayor Joseph Curtatone began a column by saying, “Over the past four-and-a-half years, Somerville residents have seen their government become more open, more accountable and more participatory.” I was astounded by the bald-faced audacity of this claim. By any measure that I can conceive, Somerville city government has become more secretive, more cliquish, more autocratic, and less accountable.

Public attendance at aldermanic meetings is at an all-time low. There is understandably little interest. The Board no longer initiates capital investments, reforms city policies and departments, question’s the mayor’s performance, or vigorously debates policy choices, as it did in years gone by.

Off The Shelf By Doug Holder

Over 20 years ago Poet Eva Salzman popped over the pond to England after spending her early years in Brooklyn and Long Island. Salzman was a friend of the late poet Sarah Hannah who was interviewed on my show “ Poet to Poet” on Somerville Community Access Television shortly before Hannah took her own life.

Salzman was in town visiting with Hannah’s parents, and gave a reading of her own and Hannah’s work at the Pierre Menard Gallery in Cambridge (hosted by Fulcrum Magazine). Salzman traveled in a drenching rainstorm to the hinterlands of Union Square to be interviewed by yours truly.

By Matthew McLaughlin

Leah Mattson was trapped.  Overwhelmed with expenses, the Somerville native found herself in a pit of debt she couldn’t dig out of.

That was before she took the ‚Äúmoving from debts to assets‚Äù class offered by the Somerville Community Corporation. The class not only offered her a new outlook on how to manage money, it also gave her and 20 other graduates of  $450 each for graduating June 3.

‚ÄúWhen I came to SCC, it was at a point where my back was against the wall,‚Äù Mattson said.  It was easier to just close my eyes and pretend the problem wasn’t there.‚Äù

On The Silly Side By Jimmy Del Ponte

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

One of my favorite topics is talking about the stores that used to be around years ago that are now just memories. Remember a little place in Davis Square called ‚ÄúThe Soda Hut‚Äù? Some may and some may not. How about ‚ÄúSkippy’s Fix-it Shop‚Äù and ‚ÄúHenry the Jeweler‚Äù? Do those places ring a bell? Close to Henry’s and Skippy’s, there used to be a quaint little establishment known as Gigli’s Fruit stand. Ask anyone who remembers it, and they will assure you that it had quite a bit of ‚Äúa-ppeal‚Äù.

By George P. Hassett

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week announced poor air quality conditions throughout Massachusetts and much of New England. But in some parts of Somerville, especially in neighborhoods close to the highway, poor air quality is a part of everyday life.

Wig Zamore, an environmental activist in the city, said poor air quality days such as the ones experienced recently are the result of elevated ozone levels. Combine that with daily conditions in neighborhoods such as East Somerville and you get “a double whammy” for neighborhood residents, he said.

Sticky hot and it’s not even summer yet. Usually our proximity to Boston and the Atlantic Ocean keeps us in line with lower highs and less solid precipitation. Not Tuesday, June 10th – Boston went from a low of 63 to a high of 91, while just a couple of miles away, Somerville ran the range of a low of 68 to a high of 97 – a steady 5 to 6 degrees higher than Boston all day.

So when a few of us decided to skip the Red Sox game because of the weather, we ended up at the Trum Field House ribbon cutting and it was no bargain either. The wind was a tease – just pushing the hot hazy air around like a wet washcloth. If you were there, you had to feel sympathy for those in attendance wearing full dark suits. Or even just a long shirt and a tie.

By Melanie Cordova

After almost two decades of turmoil, the long awaited extension of the Green Line into Somerville and Medford appears to finally be on its way. The project is expected to improve both the city’s economic and environmental conditions. However, some Somerville organizations, such as Somerville Community Corporation, are considering possible dilemmas that the Green Line’s arrival may bring.

‚ÄúUnion Square is the next bubble neighborhood for gentrification,‚Äù SCC’s CEO, Daniel LeBlanc said at Friday’s Somerville News contributors meeting. Established as a consumer advocacy center 40 years ago, SCC has evolved into Somerville’s only community development organization with a large focus on developing affordable housing, he said.

By George P. Hassett

Good Time Emporium will close its doors by June 30 to make way for “a new era in Assembly Square” or more specifically, a giant Swedish furniture store.

Commentary The people I spoke to this week about Good Time’s passing were quick to mention the generosity owner Dan Hayes had always offered the city. Ward 1 Alderman Bill Roche said, ‚ÄúDanny Hayes was the best business neighbor the city ever had or ever will have.‚Äù