Brian Higgins became
severely disabled at three weeks of age, losing his eyesight, ability
to walk or eat independently. Having lived only nine short years,
Brian's perseverance and spirit has had an overwhelming impact on
community and those that surrounded him. Several of the speakers at the
Tot Lot dedication became emotional discussing Brian and the multitude
of challenges he faced, as well as the smile that shone through despite
his adversities.

Brian passed away in 2002 and the Higgins
Foundation was created in his honor. It is a non-profit organization
that seeks to aid families and children with disabilities. 100% of the
proceeds received by the Higgins Foundation go to charities and
individual aid.

Mayor Curtatone, Superintendent Pierantozzi,
Members of the School Committee and several Alderman gave remarks and
thanked the extensive support the Higgins Foundation has dedicated to
members of the community as well as to the city of Somerville. Maureen
Bastardi, Chairperson of the Somerville School Committee and close
friend of the Higgins family choked back tears while paying tribute to
all that the Foundation has accomplished over the years, and all that
the Higgins Family has been through. "I stand here today wearing two
hats," Bastardi said through tears, "That of a good friend of the
Higgins and that of the Chair of the School Committee."

Once the
remarks concluded, the bleary-eyed Higgin's family took the stage to
unveil the plaque that will be affixed to the entrance of the
playground, that officially designates the area as the Brian Higgin's
Tot Lot that reads "A special boy whose smile was contagious."

The
Higgins Foundation, which hosts an annual Trivia Night Fundraiser, has
raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to donate to various causes
such as the Make a Wish Foundation and The Special Olympics as well as
more local organizations like the Somerville Recreation and Youth
Foundation. The Higgins Foundation also helps aid individual families
with their medical bills or equipment that their insurance may not
cover. To learn more about the Higgins Foundation, visit www.brianhigginsfoundation.org

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

Federal
Realty Investment Trust, along with Mayor Joe, will be hosting the 2nd
Annual Fireworks Display on the banks of the Mystic River on Saturday,
October 3rd from 4pm to 8pm – just follow the crowd down behind the
stores at Assembly Square. Great time and show last year, this should
be just as nice – a great way to celebrate the new beginning of
Assembly Square for all of us here in Somerville, thanks to Mayor Joe
Curtatone and Federal Realty.

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

Last
Thursday night at the Board of Alderman meeting the board, along with
the Mayor, honored life-long resident and great guy John McKenzie of
Davis Square. Alderperson Rebekah presented him, along with the Mayor,
a citation for his many years of service to the city. John and Marge
have been married for 62 years, his daughter Joyce who owns Nellie's
Wildflowers on Holland Street were on hand with a large group of
neighbors and family. We know John – he's a great guy – always pleasant
to everyone and a huge smile.

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

Somerville
Chamber of Commerce member Marianne Brown informs us she recently
opened her own law office. Marianne is an experienced trial attorney
committed to helping the Somerville business community resolve today's
challenges. She can be reached at (781) 608-8230, or stop in at her new
office at 22 Mill Street in Arlington. You can also visit
www.marianne-brown.com for more detailed information.

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

We hear some
shuffling of jobs up at City Hall, people moving around taking on new
jobs – Jackie from the mayor's office is moved over to work with Tom
Champion and Carlene Campbell was moved out of CDBG.

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

The
other night one of our newstalkers was out walking around various
streets in the city and handing out copies of The News – and was very
pleased to find out that even those that don't live near the squares
read and like The News. The Farm Team paper is as big as ours is in
pages, but not in original stories. We're going to have a nice big
surprise for all our readers around the city very soon.

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

Condolences
go out to the family of Patricia Leblanc. Patricia sadly passed away
last week. She was the mom of our friend Bobby Leblanc and she was the
nicest lady that you could ever meet. Patricia will be missed by many.

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

This
week will mark the last meeting of the past two years of our own Jamie
Norton as Master of one of the oldest Masonic Lodges in North America –
King Solomon's Lodge. He will preside over his last meeting this
Thursday night to a large gathering of members and on this Saturday the
new Master-Elect, Jose Jorge, will be installed by the Kilwinning Club
of Boston in full Scottish regalia and pipes – the installation is open
to the public at 125 Highland at 4pm.

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

The
Somerville Lion's Club is asking you to please donate your old,
unwanted eye glasses so that they can be given to and reused by those
less fortunate. You can drop them off right at The Somerville News
office located at 21A College Avenue – Monday through Friday 9am to 3pm
– just come in and meet and introduce yourself to our own Cam Toner and
Bobbie Toner and leave your old glasses.

That was
the succession law, simply put. Previous to 2004, the Governor had the
right to appoint an interim Senator, should a vacancy arise – but was
changed because there was a chance, albeit slim, that Senator Kerry
would become President, and then Republican Governor Mitt Romney would
be able to appoint someone from that party to occupy the coveted seat.
Protect thyself, indeed.

The change in the law removing the
right of the Governor to make that appointment didn't go over so well,
and the bill stalled in committee. Until Senator Kennedy started making
personal phone calls and it finally was passed. Now we have the special
election process in place – and let's not even get into how much money
it costs to hold a statewide special election.

There is plenty
of speculation as to the real reasons the Democratic Party
(specifically Ted Kennedy before he passed) would want to change the
law back, so that the (now Democratic) Governor could make the
appointment, even in the short interim between today and the special
election, which has already been scheduled for January.

The easy
answer would be that there would be to ensure Massachusetts has a
second voice in the health care debate currently underway. The more
complex and difficult to swallow answer would be that by having someone
appointed as an interim Senator, the Democrats in the Senate would then
have a 60 vote "filibuster-proof" majority. That is assuming every
Democratic Senator would be a locked-in vote, and that isn't likely.
The easiest answer lies somewhere in the middle of those two – where
Democrat-controlled Senate would push through health-care reform via
the simple, more plausible, majority-only "reconciliation" process.

The
problem is now changing back something from that suited the Party so
well in 2004, to what we once had, which suits the Party so well in
2009. That presents a number of problems politically in this day and
age of "transparency" – especially for Governor Patrick, who campaigned
against "politics as usual" when he ran for his seat. The Legislature
has it easy – all they have to do is say "hey, it shouldn't have been
changed to begin with." And bumble along whilst people's heads nod in
agreement.

The funny part about the discussion now, isn't that
the law should be changed back – everyone involved has come to the
conclusion that even if it smacks of self-serving politicism, it will
happen. The issue now is how to word the change back so that somehow
whomever is appointed, won't be able to run in the special election.

On Friday, Somerville residents, policemen, firemen,
and elected officials joined to honor those lost to the tragic fate of
September 11. They came together at the Cedar Street entrance to the
Community Bike Path to commemorate the day our nation lost thousands of
innocent lives. The grey skies set a somber tone and while the mood was
heavy, it wasn't a burden that was unwelcome. It was an honor to carry
a candle and hold each other up under the weight of the memory of lost
loved ones and brave servicemen and women.

This seventh annual
memorial followed the community path behind the bagpipes, played
elegantly by Patrick McDonnell, who has played them each September at
this event. The colorguard led a group of police and firemen with Old
Glory held high. Somerville residents turned out to carry candles and
march alongside Mayor Curtatone in quiet remembrance.

As
candles were lit and the march began, people quietly shared their
stories of 9/11, where they were that day, who they knew that passed
away, and why they came to march. As we walked, crowds gathered
alongside the bike path, many looking down in prayer, some crying, and
several saluting. The procession made its way into Davis Square and
onto the main median where a permanent memorial to September 11 stands.
Mayor Curtatone said a few words, reminding all who had gathered that
this was the spot where the people of Somerville gathered on that
tragic day. "We are here to continue that tradition, to say our thanks
to the Fire Department and the Police Department and all others who
serve their community." He urged all to remember those who have been
lost and carry on their spirit, their inspiration, and their
dedication.

The final moments of the memorial included a
prayer led by Betty Walker, Spiritual Leader at the Somerville Unity
Church of God, and a blessing by Judy Kohatsu that encouraged all to
remember the strength of the men and women who fought to save lives on
that September day, and to "go with that strength and do good."

"A lot of people came out to represent from the Red
and Blue," she said, referring to the Haitian flag colors. "It's
wonderful to be sharing ideas and culture."

Brown was among
over 150 people who met at Union Square Plaza for La Grande Fête: A
Celebration of Haitian Culture, sponsored by the Somerville Arts
Council as part of its ArtsUnion project series, and in conjunction
with the Haitian Coalition.

The event included Haitian music and
dance, art, literature readings, a documentary viewing, authentic
Haitian cuisine catered by local restaurants and a Haitian food table
lined with traditional ingredients used in Creole cooking.

Brown
is the director of Books of Hope, an organization at the Mystic
Learning Center that creates opportunities for self-expression and
advocacy through creative writing for young people. Teenagers like
Jessica Jean-Louis, 18, who presided over the Books of Hope table at
the festival, get together on Thursday nights to write. A group of
young Haitian writers from Books of Hope read their work from the stage
on Sunday night.

"It's good for the Haitian community to come
out and to celebrate our shared culture," Jean-Louis said. Jean-Louis
never used to take her writing very seriously, until she joined the
group. Working with others encouraged her to improve upon her writing
and appreciate the skill. After three years being in the program and
participating in public readings, she doesn't get nervous anymore. It's
all about communicating ideas.

Brown added that it was
wonderful to see the half dozen Haitian teens come to the event. It's
important for them to celebrate their heritage since they tend to
assimilate quickly and adopt American traditions, more so than their
parents.

Carey Dardompre, a local artist, liked that the event
was family oriented and less raucous than some ethnic festivals around
town. It was also nice to see familiar faces in the square, as he used
to have a gallery down the road in Cambridge.

"It's great to
see people express themselves through singing, drumming, writing and
painting," said Jean Brice, who sat at a Haitian paintings table.
"Tonight we celebrate our culture through art."

Marie Louise
Jean-Baptiste, who moved to the United States from Haiti in 1982 and
who teaches Haitian cooking classes, appreciated the Haitian food
table. Judith Laguerre, who volunteered to teach people about Haitian
cooking, displayed the traditional Haitian ingredients that one will
find in just about any dish: hot peppers, sweet bell peppers, garlic,
shallots, chives and parsley. Laguerre also displayed Haitian
specialties, like djon-djon mushrooms and malanga and ńame roots.

Jean-Baptiste
looked over the table approvingly, relating to the importance of
Laguerre's traditional method of making everything painstakingly from
scratch.

At the board's Sept. 10 meeting Taylor
asked both the Traffic Commission and the mayor-appointed Parking
Solutions Task Force to find a way to give short-term residents in
Somerville access to parking permits.

"I just want to make sure
these individuals are considered when it comes to these policies,"
Taylor said, adding later he still opposes citywide permit parking as a
whole.

Ward 6 Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz, a member of the
Parking Solutions Task Force, said one resident told her she may no
longer be able to rent a room to visiting graduate students who are
left out of a law permitting students to avoid registering their
vehicles in Massachusetts.

"It's very important not to overlook
this issue," Gewirtz said. "We can do better than that in Somerville,
and I demand we do better than that on the Parking Solutions Task
Force."

In another resolution passed on Sept. 10, the board
asked the city to make parking permits and visitor passes available at
senior housing complexes.