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.)

Many look back to Somerville‚Äôs 60s, 70s, and early 80s as the ‚Äúbad old days‚Äù of corrupt city government.  It is true that patronage was common then, but no more so than now.  And the fact that more officials got caught with their fingers in the public cookie jar is not, of itself, proof of less corruption today.  Those very scandals produced legislative initiatives by a Board of Aldermen that was much more proactive then than it is now.

The city charter gives the board only two real powers:  budget approval and creation of ordinances.  For reasons that I‚Äôll save for another column, the budgetary power is illusory.

After spinning its wheels and not getting anywhere for the better part of three years, KSS Realty finally got approval this past week for just under 200 units to be developed at the Max Pak site.

Even Stephen (Kennedy) Smith, who once referred to his experience as moving through the “dark forest of Somerville” seemed relieved last Thursday night.

He should be ‚Äì but at what cost?  What kind of ‚Äúreal‚Äù profit can they expect to make in a real estate market already flooded with condominium units?

By George P. Hassett

Suzanne Bremer is running for mayor for two reasons. One is from her gut and one is from her mind.

The Tufts University librarian who took out the necessary forms to run for the city’s executive office against Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone this week was inspired by the recent special election in which John M. Connolly defeated Marty Martinez for alderman at large. Bremer, who volunteered for Martinez, said Connolly’s last minute negative campaign pushed her to stand up and run for office.

By George P. Hassett

A change in state law has caused an influx of discarded needles to find their way onto Somerville streets, according to Noreen Burke the city’s health director. Burke and Tammy Freitas da Rocha, director of Somerville Cares About Prevention, presented aldermen with a plan to address the growing problem at a June 5 Legislative Matters Board of Aldermen committee meeting.

‚Äú[Used, discarded needles] is a huge public health issue across the country not just in Somerville,‚Äù Burke said at the meeting. In September of 2006, Burke said the state instituted the Massachusetts syringe access law which allows individuals  to buy and carry hypodermic needles without a prescription.

By George P. Hassett

Aldermen passed zoning June 6 to allow as many as 199 units to be built on the 5 acre patch of land that once housed the MaxPak paper factory. The move marked the end   of three years of community negotiations and could mean the beginning of a new era in the neighborhood adjacent to the development known as ‚Äúthe patch.‚Äù

“The patch” is the area on the Clyde Street side of the development once populated with close knit families and Italian immigrants, said Ralph Russo who has lived in neighborhood for 71 years. The area is experiencing a major change and is now “in play” for real estate speculators and transient residents, he said.

“It’s changed a lot here, it used to be everybody knew everybody else on the block and looked out for each other. If you were born here you died here,” he said.

Reality Bites by James  Norton

(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.)

Life is funny sometimes and the people we encounter as we navigate through it are even funnier.  In years past, I would be less tolerant than I am of people now and I look back and laugh at some of the situations my own sense of ‚Äúpride‚Äù put me in.

Today, as I close in on 40 years above-ground, I can say that other than some obvious common sense issues I have never resolved, I am wiser and more diplomatic when it comes to human interaction.  Now don‚Äôt get it all twisted ‚Äì I won‚Äôt be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize anytime soon, but, after what I‚Äôve been through personally – especially in the last year, I think I have emerged with a fairly level headed sense of reason.

Other than in Ward 5 this year Рmaybe Ward 6 – it looks pretty quiet for the next round of municipal elections and it looks like it will be boring – thanks to Marty Martinez losing the special election.

                                                                     **********

The ‚ÄúAlderman with a Table‚Äù is on the run again and will soon be on a corner close to you!  Yes, that‚Äôs right, Alderman at Large Dennis Sullivan will be traveling around the city this summer again in various locations setting up ‚Äúoutside‚Äù office hour table sessions.  We just hope he gets into the Teele and Ball Square areas this time around.  Speaking of Dennis, he‚Äôs having a fundraiser sort of campaign kickoff at Olde Magoun Saloon on Wednesday June 27th from 6 to 8.

Police arrested a 26 year old Ten Hills man yesterday in connection with a bank robbery at Citizens Bank at 338 Broadway.
  Brian Marshall, allegedly entered the bank around 12:30 p.m. Monday and passed a note to a teller demanding money. He left the bank on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to police. Bank surveillance cameras captured several pictures of Marshall, dressed in a white tank top.
  Later in the day, police were responding to a call reporting a disturbance in Ten Hills and found Marshall, who they recognized from the bank surveillance photos. Police arrested Marshall for drug possession and unarmed robbery.

By Doug Holder

   
While driving down Elm Street on a hot June day, I noticed Three Geese in Flight.  No, not our honking avian friends, but a new bookstore with the intriguing name Three Geese in Flight Books.

The store located just down the block from  the Porter Square Shopping Center specializes in Arthurian and Celtic Literature. Arthurian literature for the uninformed concerns anything to do with the legend of King Arthur; very specialized indeed.

By George P. Hassett

Murals painted on walls and under bridges help to inform and shape the political activism in Somerville, said a panel of artists and activists at the Somerville Museum Sunday.

The panel discussion was a piece of the museum’s latest exhibit, “Imagining Somerville: Discovering a city through art.” The exhibit aims to explore the role of Somerville in the creative life of its artists by presenting works that use the city and its neighborhoods.

Sunday’s event, “How art grows from community activism,” explored the relationship between community organizing and the artistic process. Mystic View Task Force (MVTF) member and beginning artist Lawrence Paolella said grassroots development activists, such as the members of MVTF, and creative artists must share certain skills.