Ward 3 Alderman Bob McWatters has big plans for improving the quality of life for his constituents as he begins his tenure on the Board of Alderman.

By Max Sullivan

Newly elected Ward 3 Alderman Bob McWatters said he sees property tax as an issue for Somerville residents. Though he said it’s difficult to lower taxes while maintaining quality government services, he hopes he can help Somerville bring in more commercial property owners, removing some of the property tax burden from the residents’ shoulders.

By Jim Clark

While on patrol in the Davis Sq. area, a police officer caught sight of what he deemed to be suspicious behavior on the part of an individual whose vehicle was parked on Grove St.

The man, later identified as Alex Bilodeau, 26, of Revere, was reportedly observed standing outside of the driver’s side door of a parked SUV. According the reports, Bilodeau was seen tossing a small safe in the air, then picking it up off the ground and throwing it into a nearby trash bin.

The Somerville Theatre Festival’s first outing brought thought provoking theatre to local audiences this past weekend at the Art at the Armory in Somerville.

By Erica Scharn

In 10 minutes or less, each play at the Somerville Theatre Festival delved into issues ranging from gender roles and sexuality to race and relationships to the thoughts of dogs. The plays raised questions like: Who should take out the trash – the man or the woman? Is God a woman? What would a restaurant serving human meat look like?

By Joseph A. Curtatone

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

Our city of Somerville, just like the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and this great country, has greatly benefited from the contributions of immigrants who have sought their dreams here—the same dreams that so many sought before them—while becoming valued members of our community. The famed entrepreneurial, innovative and determined spirit that characterizes Somerville was and continues to be fueled by—to cite only a few nationalities—the Irish, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Salvadoran, Haitian, Nepalese, and Brazilian immigrants who chose this city as the place where their dreams could take root and grow. Today, one-third of Somerville residents are foreign born and more than 50 languages are spoken in our community. Somerville doesn’t belong to any one culture, age group, class or ethnicity. The people of our city, our state and our country are united in aspiring for a better life for our children and ourselves.

Somerville’s Director of School Nursing, Gay Koty, will be testifying at the State House Wednesday, February 5, to provide information to the transportation subcommittee on the outcomes of school based vision screenings done in the SPS.   There will be others from around the Commonwealth providing similar information.

Ian Coffey has a very interesting new job.

By David R. Smith

Ian Coffey is on the road to having one of the more interesting resumes around.

Coffey, 26, currently serves as New York State Senate desk clerk. Beginning next month, though, he will begin his new job as “master model builder” for Legoland Discovery Center Boston following a two-day competition, during which he beat out more than 60 contestants over three rounds of construction challenges during “Brick Factor” at the Boston Public Library this past weekend.

Portions of Somerville High School that were damaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012 will be getting much needed repairs following the BOA’s unanimous decision to allocate $2.6M for the renovations.

By Ariana Mackey

Aldermen unanimously approved the Finance Committee’s request during the BOA’s Jan. 23 meeting to appropriate $2.6 million towards the repair of the Somerville High School auditorium, kitchen and cafeteria.

The bond amount includes paying for architectural and engineering services to repair the damage to the school from Superstorm Sandy in October 2012. The auditorium has not been fit for use since then, and the lunches for the students have been prepared at the Winter Hill Community School and then shipped to the high school out of necessity.

If you haven’t already heard (and if you have, don’t forget), the Board of Aldermen Finance Committee headed by Tony Lafuente is holding a public hearing on the recent tax revaluation that has affected commercial property owners anywhere, in some cases, with increases ranging from 50 to 100 percent. The public is invited to City Hall from 6 to 9 p.m. this coming Tuesday, Feb. 6. This is your chance to be heard and to ask why such a huge increase all at once. Many commercial owners throughout the city got huge bills, and they rent to local businesses, so everyone on the way down the ladder will be affected by these increases.

Addresses double-digit increases
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Chief assessor Marc Levye explained the city’s process for assessing properties to attendees at a public informational session last Thursday.

By David R. Smith

The reports of 50-percent-plus tax increases have been greatly exaggerated, according to the city’s chief assessor, Marc Levye.

And while that may be true, he did not dispute that property owners have experienced varying degrees of sticker shock following the recent state-mandated triennial revaluation of property in Somerville. What he offered to a small group of residents at the West Somerville Community School last week in the way of guidance was an explanation of the appeals process open to property owners and an overview of how the assessments were determined and how those current figures compare to recent history.

Grant to fund innovative job and skills training program for lower-income 18-24-year-olds that uses mobile app and Level Up incentives to drive traditional skills development

Somerville is one of six Massachusetts cities to receive a grant as part of the Working Cities Challenge (WCC), a program designed to fund proposals that will significantly impact the lives of lower-income residents. One of twenty submissions, Somerville’s project aims to support out-of-school “youth” aged 18 to 24 through workforce development training that pairs innovative mobile technology and unique partnerships with the local business community with traditional skills development. A one-year seed award of $100,000 will help the city and its partners get this program off the ground.