Since 2002, the Dakota Partners has planned to build a
14-unit condo development on property it purchased at 343 Summer
Street. After successfully repelling legal challenges from an abutting
orthodontist that went to the Massachusetts Supreme Court, the
developer has waged its own legal battle against the city to keep the
project moving forward.

The Feb. 4 ZBA meeting would have
brought a ruling on whether the construction permit could be extended
for a year because of hardship faced by the developer.

Dakota
Partners' Attorney Richard DiGirolamo told the board the request for
the extension was based on the hardship faced by the litigation process
against the developer and the refusal of the city to allow them to cut
down a shade tree to place a required fire lane.

Dakota Partners has an ongoing lawsuit against Mayor Joseph Curtatone to force him to remove the tree.

Four
Aldermen and 15 residents tore into DiGirolamo's reasoning, citing
legal records and an unwillingness for the Dakota Partners to work with
neighbors. The property was purchased by the group (then known as
Emerald Development) from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation
Authority in 2002.

According to their website, these condos
would be the company's sixth development project in Somerville, joining
high-end condos built on Park Street, Osgood Street, Weston Avenue,
Belmont Terrace and Broadway.

Ward 6 Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz,
named in the lawsuit instigated by Dakota against the city, said that
as one of the city officials responsible for signing off on the
construction management plan the developer had not submitted a complete
application before attempting litigation to force her to review it.

"It
is worth considering (Dakota Partners') tactics in attempting to strong
arm their way through our processes and their spurious claims of
hardship when they knew all along about environmental factors like the
healthy public shade tree and their requirement to submit an acceptable
plan," Gewirtz said.

At-Large Aldermen Bill White and Dennis Sulllivan and Ward 4 Alderman Walter Pero also spoke against the permit renewal.

The residents' testimony ranged from challenges against the legality of an extension to impassioned diatribes.

"Hardship
has been on the neighbors and you know this," Nancy Iappini said as her
two-minute time limit ran out. "This application is false and
misleading."

Both Alderman Bill White and resident Evdokia
Nikolova raised issues relating to the timeline of the permit, saying
the law prevents the developer from asking for an extension. Assistant
City Solicitor David Shapiro will give his opinion at the Feb. 18 ZBA
meeting.

For his part, DiGirolamo said the testimony against the development had little bearing on the application before the ZBA.

"Dakota
fought and won, played by the rules, and now that the neighbors lost
they want to raise the merits of the case again," he said after the
meeting. "The only real issue is whether or not (Dakota) acted in good
faith."

Dr. Mohamed Hanif Butt, who operates an orthodontist
office at 341 Summer St. and was the plaintiff in the unsuccessful
lawsuit that went to the Massachusetts Supreme Court, said the seven
year battle against the project has cost him $100,000 and taken a toll
on his health.

"To see it going on and on is painful," he said, "but there's hope."

According to the
FBI and unnamed sources close to the case, the FBI, along with the
Massachusetts State Police and various other local, regional and
national law enforcement agencies, have been working together over the
last week – conducting their investigation and executing search
warrants in various spots within the Cambridge and Somerville areas.

Since
the incident in 1982, there have been no suspects charged with the
murders. Rather, one man who was what many believe to be the only
serious suspect to have ever been found by the authorities, was brought
up on charges of extortion and convicted.

This case was and is
truly a tricky one, then and now. James W. Lewis, a resident of 170
Gore Street, Cambridge (by the Somerville line), was charged with and
convicted of extortion relative to the murders in late 1982. Lewis had
sent a letter to Johnson & Johnson (the parent company of Tylenol)
demanding they give him $1 million, with the continuing of the pill
poisonings being the ultimatum. Since the murders, he has been saddled
with the moniker "Tylenol Man."

Authorities across the country
and Lewis are no strangers to one another. According to published
information, Lewis was charged with the killing and dismembering of a
seventy-two year old man back in 1978 in Kansas City, MO, as well as
the kidnapping and rape of a woman in Cambridge in 2004. The murder
case was thrown out because of a lack of evidence, while the rape case
was dropped because the alleged victim refused to testify.

Authorities
in Chicago and Arlington Heights, IL have cited how he went by many
aliases while being a resident in those neighborhoods back in the early
1980's, as well as how he posed as being a member of multiple different
professions. While in custody in 1982, after the nationwide manhunt for
the murderer, Lewis even explained to authorities in detail how the
perpetrator may have carried out the poisoning of the pills. In regards
to the extortion letter he sent to Johnson & Johnson, Lewis
described his actions as merely trying to capitalize financially on an
incident that he had no part in.

Lewis hasn't exactly dodged
the silver hammer of the law altogether for the past thirty years or
so. He was incarcerated in a Federal prison between 1983 and 1995,
serving twelve years of a twenty year sentence for the extortion
charges. Shortly after his release, he moved to Cambridge. Nine years
after that, the rape charges occurred, for which he spent three years
in prison awaiting the trial that was eventually thrown out.

Although
the FBI hasn't disclosed any specific information as to why they are
doing this now, one can assume that with the vastly more effective and
accurate forensic technology available, they feel they can finally
apprehend the murderer. The pivotal task will be the finding of enough
supporting evidence to actually file charges this time around, whether
on Lewis or someone else.

The biggest drawback in the case in
1982 was Lewis' ability to prove that he was in New York at the time of
the poisonings. This, coupled with the fact that after a short amount
of time, cyanide poison would basically dissolve the capsules, making
it much more obvious that something was wrong to the consumers that
bought the tainted pills – that time limiter placed Lewis safely away
from the grasp of a murder trial at the time.

This incident
was responsible for the nation-wide adoption of tamper-proof seals on
over the counter drugs. The case lives in infamy because of its
uncharged suspects, lack of hard evidence and general fear that was
experienced by the people across the country in the early 1980's.
Although no arrest has been made at this time, the FBI has stated that
there might possibly be a statement regarding the recent investigation
in the near future.

***************

With a lot of
controversy of what is a Secular Progressive, it was decided to look it
up and believe it or not, if you just simply Google the words "the
meaning of Secular Progressive" – we couldn't find anywhere on the 'net
that says it means a person who is labeled as such wasn't religious, so
is it possible that even the Cardinal can be a secular progressive?
Absolutely. We think that the Progressives Liberals should properly
think before they write stuff, but hey the PDSers are the same group
who were holding secret meetings back over a year ago according to
their own secret emails sent out.

***************

We
heard through the grapevine that a local restaurant owner wants to
bring to Somerville a new "Youth Center" and they're looking at the old
Carey Limousine building on Lower Broadway. Nice to hear it, and we
certainly wish him luck.

***************

Wishing again
Joey Mongiello from John's Auto sales a get well soon! Joey is now home
recovering after a lengthy hospital stay – we wish him well and hope
that he gets back to selling cars again real soon, everyone misses him.

***************

The
Somerville High Adult Education classes are beginning – if you're
interested in the various courses they offer it's a great inexpensive
way to expand your educational horizons – under Mike Ciampa's
leadership, a lot of new classes and instructors have been added this
semester. Call the school at 617 625-6600 or email mike at
mciampa@k12.somerville.ma.us for times, dates and classes being offered.

***************

Congratulations
to Somerville's own Peter L. Miller, who has joined the Castle Group as
a principal. The Boston public relations agency focuses on such market
segments as consumers, financial services and higher education. Peter
will work on business development and corporate strategy. His resume
includes stints as chairman of Massachusetts Communications College in
Boston and he was the chairman of the Somerville Zoning Board of
Appeals for many years.

On Monday,
the suspect was described by police as a young white male, who entered
the bank shortly after 9:00am Monday morning and passed a note to a
teller in which he demanded cash and claimed to have a bomb. The
suspect produced neither bomb nor weapon, and fled the bank on foot
after being handed an undisclosed amount of cash. Although clothing
worn by the suspect was later recovered near Wheatland Street, police
said, a search of the area using a police dog did not produce any clues.

The
Century Bank and Trust is no stranger to armed robbery. The bank has
been robbed around three or four times in the past decade, Deputy Chief
Paul Upton told the Somerville News. Monday's robbery was unusual,
however, in that the suspect claimed to have a bomb. "This is very
unusual," Upton said, explaining that normally bank robbers claim to
have some kind of weapon.

Although the suspect in Monday's
robbery never produced a bomb, or any kind of weapon, Upton explained
that the suspect's threat is taken seriously. "This was an armed
robbery based on the threat made. We assume that he is armed until we
know that he is not."

"It's an awful thing," Barry Sloane,
Co-President and Co-CEO of Century Bank and Trust, said of the robbery.
"The rate of robberies nationally has gone up quite a bit in these
difficult economic times, and it's a sad and dangerous thing."

In
reviewing a surveillance camera photo taken during the robbery,
Somerville Detective Mario Oliveira identified the suspect as Michael
Noe. Working with the FBI Violent Crime Task Force, Somerville
Detectives began an aggressive search for Noe in the pre-dawn hours of
Tuesday morning. Their investigation led to Washington D.C. where Noe
was arrested. Noe subsequently made incriminating statements regarding
the robbery. Most of the money believed to have been stolen has already
been recovered.

Somerville Detective John Oliveira, who is
assigned to the Violent Crime Task Force, obtained an arrest warrant
charging Noe with Armed Robbery and Making a False Threat of the
Location of an Explosive Device. He will be arraigned in Somerville
District Court following rendition proceedings.

The exhibit, which hung in
City Hall from mid-November through last week, was a unique expression
of the East Somerville community and all its facets. Only through the
generosity of forty photographers, could everyone who came through City
Hall in the last two months have a new window on East Somerville. As a
volunteer driven organization, we would also like to thank the
exhibit's tireless volunteer curator, Christopher Poteet, for the time
and vision put in to create this for the Somerville community.

And for their support of the exhibit, we would like to thank CameraOne, the Christmas Tree Shop and Stanhope Framers.

Above
all, we are appreciative of the support of our generous host, Mayor
Curtatone, and his staff for so warmly welcoming the exhibit to City
Hall, as well as the Somerville Arts Council for their help in hanging
the show.

It is our hope that the Interpreting East Somerville
exhibition is the first step of many in continuing to discover the
depth of East Somerville. With this, East Somerville Main Streets
continues to invite interpretations and ideas for this amazing
neighborhood:

info@eastsomervillemainstreets.org.

With Appreciation,

Carrie Dancy

Executive Director, East Somerville Main Streets

East Somerville Main Streets

114 Broadway – Suite 112

Somerville, MA 02145

617.623.3869

Support ESMS – Buy an East Somerville Tshirt!

www.eastsomervillemainstreets.org/tshirts.htm

Blog: eastsomervillemainstreets.blogspot.com

"The world will
succeed by mutual respect and solidarity, or it will fail. I believe
that our destiny is shared, but also in peril. Together, can we find
that common purpose?"

Blair spent his forty-five minute address
suggesting, to a rapt audience of more than 1,500 Tufts students and
community members, ways in which world leaders might foster a common
purpose, using his political background and recent experience as a
Middle East envoy to offer both anecdotes and insights.

The
conflict between Israel and Palestine took center stage in Blair's
remarks. A resolution to that conflict, he offered, would set a
powerful precedent for future conflicts in the 21st century.

"If
we were able, in that conflict, to provide the basis for peace, if in
that small strip of land, people actually learnt to live with each
other after all the bitterness and conflict that has gone before, that
would be the single most powerful expression of coexistence there could
be."

But, he explained, that the conflict, like many facing the
world – climate change, the economic crisis, and rampant preventable
diseases like malaria – cannot be resolved according to the traditional
principle of "narrow self-interest."

"Each problem is global,
each requires a global response; in no case is any one country able to
handle them on its own. And this is part of the challenge to us.
Because we have to realize that if indeed we are in an interdependent
and interconnected world, and if it is the case that no one country can
deal with these challenges on its own, then the implications are clear:
to deal with those challenges, we need global alliances."

In order to form such alliances, Blair suggested, new and deeper understandings need to be created.

"A
narrow view of foreign policy conducted according to immediate national
self-interest no longer works effectively. If it is true that we need
global alliances, alliances between different countries with different
cultures, then those alliances cannot come about upon the basis of
imposing one world view on another."

Addressing global problems
requires a more "enlightened" conception of national self-interests,
based upon a recognition of interdependence and of the possibility that
"those countries that are going backwards are not merely harming
themselves, but areas of conflict are spreading."

With these new ways of thinking, a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is within reach, Blair said.

"Take
any reasonable group of Israelis and Palestinians," Blair explained,
"who basically believe in peace, put them in two separate rooms, tell
them to come up with a peace agreement, and the two wouldn't be that
far apart. If we are determined-and Obama has signaled he is – to take
this issue and drive it, guide it, then I believe that peace is
possible."

Referencing the recent military operations in the
Gaza strip, Blair stressed the need for urgency. "In the past few
weeks, I've felt the tension rising in the region, felt the fault lines
in the politics of that region go deep. We cannot afford to let another
year pass without substantial progress."

Blair also cited a need
to focus on secular education, asking, "when there are young people
taught in religious madrasahs, from the early hours of the morning into
the evening, religious instruction and nothing but, why are we
surprised when there are some who drift into extremism?"

The
solution, Blair offered, is to "make sure that people of different
faiths find the means to understand each other better, to respect each
other better – not merely to tolerate each other – but to understand
that we have a common destiny and purpose."

Delayed nearly an
hour and a half by an intense and rare snowstorm in London earlier
Monday, the former Prime Minister took only a handful of pre-screened
audience questions after his address.

Asked whether, given
subsequent developments, he could still publicly say that the US
invasion of Iraq was justified, Blair said only that "you face
decisions and you make them. I still don't think that the region would
be more peaceful if Saddam were running Iraq."

"…The new round of anticipated cuts
in local aid means that we have to find a way to close an additional $3
million gap in the current fiscal year," stated Mayor Curtatone. The
fiscal year of 2009 closes on June 30th, making it an all out sprint to
find ways of saving the City of Somerville's budget to lessen the blow
to local government and thereby the various companies and organizations
take on.

According to a press release from Mayor Curtatone's
office, The Financial Advisory Committee will consist of five members:
Samuel Tyler, President of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau;
Jonathan G. Sloane, President and Co-CEO of Century Bancorp; Geoffrey
Hargadon, Sr. Vice President for Investments, UBS Financial Services;
Ronald Bonney, Jr., President of Bonney Automotive and Executive
Committee Member of the Somerville Chamber of Commerce; and Professor
Daniel Richards of the Tufts University Economics Department.

Samuel
Tyler stated "Somerville is a regional leader in adopting municipal
best practices to improve service efficiency, however, the size of the
state aid cuts this year and next will require creative but hard
choices and I am happy to join the Advisory Committee members in
bringing outside thinking to address this challenge."

Thus far,
the most creative decision made by Mayor Curtatone and his
administration has been to bring in this committee of financial
advisors. Although these seasoned financial advisors have a hard task
on their plate, it appears as though Somerville is in good hands.

Mayor
Curtatone states that "Somerville may be in better fiscal shape than
many other cities and towns in Massachusetts, but we're still faced
with some painful choices – and we don't expect much, if any,
improvement in 2010. We could complete this process internally, but why
shouldn't we draw on the wisdom and expertise that's available all
around us? We've never been shy about turning to outside experts for
advice about municipal best practices, and I welcome the fresh
perspective this distinguished outside group will bring."

Mayor
Curtatone also added that the options that Governor Deval Patrick and
the State Government are giving to local cities and towns like
Somerville are not substantial enough to make any large difference.
These include the local meals and hotel taxes, as well as the ousting
of the Telecommunications tax loopholes. "We won't see any new revenue
from these changes until next year," Mayor Curtatone stated, "We need
to act now to make up for these cuts – and we will."

Maryann
Heuston, an Alderman who is also the chair of the Board's Finance
Committee, cited how this Financial Advisory Committee won't be able to
make the decisions for the city, but more so act as an outside source
of guidance for the City of Somerville. "I also think that having an
outside group involved adds an extra measure of transparency to what is
going to be a challenging process," she states, "and that's important
if the public is going to have confidence in the final plan that the
Mayor and the Aldermen develop." Mayor Curtatone expects the Financial
Advisory Committee, who will be convening later this week, to come back
with recommendations by mid-March at the latest.

In addition,
Mayor Curtatone will be in close contact with the leaders of the
various Unions represented in City Government on every level. He stated
that, "We want to partner with organized labor on developing realistic
approaches to keeping costs under control, while maintaining core
services. I anticipate their willing cooperation."

Since the end
of the fiscal year is right on the horizon, this new committee, as well
as city government, must make haste to secure the financial stability
of Somerville. The people of Somerville, as well as the people across
the Commonwealth, must also realize that the responsibility of this
plight doesn't only rest on the shoulders of the elected officials they
voted for, but firmly on themselves as well.

But while major foundations victimized by
Madoff start to plan for an uncertain future, one thing is certain:
this scheme might ruin countless smaller organizations that rely on
funding and grants from the bigger foundations Madoff has jeopardized.

Two such smaller organizations that may face future troubles from the Madoff scandal reside in Somerville.

Youthbuild
U.S.A. is a national non-profit organization dedicated to bettering
low-income communities by employing local youth in rebuilding and
renovating properties in their community. There are more than 225
Youthbuild centers and programs in the United States, including one
located in Somerville.

Founded in Harlem in 1978, Youthbuild
U.S.A., then called the Youth Action Program, began its mission by
using local youth to renovate East Harlem tenements. By the early
1990's, the program had been replicated in 14 cities and in 1994,
Youthbuild received their first federal grant of $40 million from the
US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The continued
success and growth of Youthbuild U.S.A. relies on grants and donations
from major organizations, including JEHT – a major private funder of
Youthbuild, who has recently suspended all grants due to the Madoff
scandal.

JEHT, an acronym for Justice, Equality, Human Dignity
and Tolerance, was a philanthropic foundation established in 2000.
According to its website, JEHT's mission was to "support programs that
promoted reform of criminal and juvenile justice systems, ensured U.S.
adherence to international law, and work to improve the voting process."

This
mission statement has since been eclipsed by the Madoff Scandal. As of
January 2009, JEHT's loss of heavy investments entrusted to Bernard L.
Madoff investment securities, has forced JEHT to close its doors and
suspend all grant making.

In October of 2004 and December of
2006, JEHT made two-year grants to Youthbuild U.S.A. totaling $625,000.
How the suspension of any future grants towards Youthbuild U.S.A. will
affect the organization have yet to be announced.

Another
Somerville based organization that may soon feel the consequence of the
Madoff scandal is the Somerville Arts Council. Serving as the local
cultural council for the city of Somerville, the Somerville Arts
Council relies on the contributions of local businesses, corporation
and foundations to fund its various art programs.

Approximately 45% of the Arts Council's budget is derived from such sponsored donations.

One
such sponsor of the Somerville Arts Council is The Carl and Ruth
Shapiro Family Foundation, another philanthropic organization that has
fallen victim to the Madoff scandal.

With assets over $320
million, it is projected that the Shapiro Family Foundation may have
lost $145 million to Madoff. Carl and Ruth Shapiro have declined to
comment about their investments and close ties to Madoff. It has been
reported Carl Shapiro considered Madoff to be a friend.

The
foundation did release a statement explaining that the organization
would not be awarding any new grants or capitol pledges in 2009. But
the statement did say that the foundation will honor its current grant
commitments and that it remains "deeply committed to playing a
continued role as a philanthropic supporter of important programs in
Greater Boston."

The Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation
sponsor a Somerville Arts Council program – "Books of Hope," a creative
writing workshop for Somerville teens in which they write, edit and
publish original works.

The Shapiro Family Foundation has
promised to help sponsor "Books of Hope" from July 2008 to June 2009.
After that timeframe, the foundation will likely be unable to continue
its sponsorship.

How the small, Somerville-based organizations
like Youthbuild U.S.A. and the Somerville Arts Council will ultimately
be affected by the rippling consequences of Madoff's ponzi scheme is
unknown. Although their continuation is not directly threatened, if
future funding becomes scarce there may be an exodus of non-profit
Somerville organizations.

With a shaky economy causing most Americans to pinch pennies, the Madoff scandal could not have come to light at a worse time.

Madoff
was arrested on December 11th 2008, after admitting to his sons that
the asset management arm of his firm was "one big lie," based on
investment fraud. He is now living under house arrest awaiting his
indictment, which is expected to occur sometime this month.

The
caucuses are open to all registered Democrats that reside in each
respective Ward. Additional details will be explained at the location
and day/time indicated below or you can contact the Ward Chair through
the Democratic City Committee online at www.somdems.org.

Wards 1, 2, 3 and 7 will meet on Thursday, February 5th at 7pm at the Argenziano School on Washington Street.

Ward 5 will meet on Thursday, February 5th at 8pm at the Argenziano School on Washington Street.

Ward
4 will meet on Saturday, February 7th at 10am at the Winter Hill
Community School (115 Sycamore Street). Ward Chair is Jim McCallum
(617) 776-3154.