The forces of good triumphed Tuesday night in Ward 7. Robert C. Trane’s progressive challenger Rachel Heller launched an untruthful, negative campaign and got what she deserved: a big L from the voters.

Heller’s attacks are particularly troubling because they are not the work of an independent, lone candidate supported by few in the community (hello Rick Scirocco). No, Heller actually received support from the Progressive Democrats of Somerville (PDS) and State Rep. Carl M. Sciortino. We have to ask: did PDS and Sciortino co-sign Heller’s attacks? Will they denounce negative campaign tactics? Or will they do whatever they have to in order to snatch all the power they can? Unfortunately, we think that despite their alleged lofty ideals the progressives will act much like all the other pols that came before them and do whatever it takes (even mislead voters) to win power.

By George P. Hassett

State Rep. Denise Provost, D-Somerville, has filed a bill that would make the criminal penalties for possession and distribution of oxycontin equal to the laws regulating heroin. In advocating for oxycontin’s change from a class B to a class A drug Provost told state lawmakers about the drug’s deadly effect in Somerville neighborhoods.

“Oxycontin is insidious. It has wreaked terrible havoc in my community. It was particularly insidious because it did not have the stigma or penalties attached to it that heroin did yet it is the functional equivalent,” she said. And Provost’s proposal would make it the legal equivalent also.

By George P. Hassett

A Somerville legislator is pushing a bill to make the penalty for possession of marijuana ‚Äúessentially  equal to a traffic ticket.‚Äù State Sen. Patricia D. Jehlen‚Äôs bill would decriminalize marijuana possession less than one ounce and impose a civil fine on offenders of $250.

Jehlen, D-Somerville, said she first filed the bill as a state representative with her predecessor former state Senator Charles E. Shannon in 2002 after Somerville voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum directing state delegates to work to revise the penalties for marijuana possession.

By George P. Hassett

The immigrant experience has deep roots in Somerville neighborhoods and although city immigrants are diverse and may be separated by language, ethnicity and age, their common experiences have the power to connect, according to a new exhibit at The Somerville Museum.

“Somerville: Immigrant City” pairs the words and images of Somerville residents to express the fear, excitement and anxiety of coming to the city from Ireland, Italy, Greece, Haiti, Brazil and El Salvador. And despite differences in culture and generations, the emotions European immigrants of the early twentieth century felt in coming to a new country and city are similar to what today’s Salvadoran and Haitian immigrants experience, said Aru Manrique, the city’s director of multicultural affairs.

At about 8:00 a.m. this morning, Somerville Police dispatchers received a call, transferred from the State Police, reporting that someone was shooting inside the Kennedy School and that he the caller was hiding under his desk.  Police immediately responded and assisted school personnel who were in the process of following established emergency procedures.

By George P. Hassett

The trial of a former Somerville cop accused of raping a 23-month-old girl begins this week.

Keith Winfield will go on trial for rape of a child with force, indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 and assault and battery with dangerous bodily injury. Winfield became a Somerville police officer in 2000 but was placed on administrative leave from the job in October 2005 when city officials learned he was being investigated for rape of a child. When he was indicted for the crime on August 1, 2006 he agreed to resign. A City Hall source said if he had not resigned Acting Police Chief Robert R. Bradley and Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone were prepared to terminate him.

Another candidate that lost an election has scored big time and moved on out – on October 11, Lawrence Paolella – former candidate and PDS‚Äôer in Ward 3, who lost the election two years ago, moved out of the city to follow the rest. The new Police Commissioner Anthony Holloway and his wife purchased Lawrence‚Äôs home on Oxford Street for a meager $679K – on the market for one day – hmmmmmmm guess the Commissioner can now walk to work since they boast in the listing a short walk to Union Square. It looks like Lawrence was more a capitalist then a Secular Progressive when it comes to cashing in‚Ķwe say good for you Lawrence – some of us will miss your spaghetti dinners though.   

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Tonight, Wednesday evening, don’t forget about United States Navy Band Northeast concert at the High School at 7 p.m. Sponsored by Mayor Joe Curtatone and Veterans Services Office, this is a FREE event and promises to be a very enjoyable evening.

By George P. Hassett

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone will return to office after beating challenger Suzanne Bremer and all three ward aldermen in contested races were victorious in Tuesday’s election. The only race that remained to be decided as of The Somerville News’ presstime was the at-large contest in which Tony Lafuente asked for a recount after falling 12 votes shy of fourth place finisher Bruce Desmond.

In Ward 4 James Norton, the managing editor of this newspaper, was elected to the School Committee in a race in which no candidate was on the ballot but two candidates — Norton and incumbent Charlene Harris — ran sticker campaigns. Harris did not submit the necessary signatures to appear on the ballot because of a family emergency, she said. Norton announced his campaign less than one week before election day and said his main priority is to abolish the School Committee as an elected office. During his weeklong campaign Norton picked up endorsements from his own newspaper and his rival The Somerville Journal. On Tuesday he won by 45 votes.

By George P. Hassett

Tony Lafuente is requesting that today’s ballots be impounded and recounted after he finished fifth in a six person race for four seats and only 12 votes behind fourth place finisher Bruce Desmond.

According to initial returns, Dennis Sullivan received 5999 votes, John M. Connolly received 5412 votes, William A. White Jr. received 5331 votes, Desmond received 4791 votes and Lafuente received 4779 votes.

James Norton has won the race for Ward 4  school committee in that ward. He ran a sticker campaign against incumbent Charlene Harris who was also running a sticker campaign.

All three ward alderman incumbents will return to office base on unofficial election results. In Ward 5 Sean O’Donovan beat Joseph P. Lynch by over 400 votes.  In Ward 7, Robert C. Trane turned back challenger Rachel Heller. And in Ward 6, Rebekah Gewirtz beat Charles Chisholm with 71 percent of the vote.