There was an extremely low turnout on Election Day yesterday. What with the lack of candidates who wanted to run and the general feeling out there that most people here are not interested in city government, what do you think is the problem? Not that long ago we would have multiple office seekers in every ward and for At Large, but for some reason the citywide elections are of no concern to most folks. So the other day we asked what was the difference in enrollment here in the city. In 2006, according to the election department at City Hall, there were 20,167 registered Democrats, 14,919 registered Independents and 2,247 registered Republicans. This year there are 23,509 registered Democrats, 19,170 registered Independents and 1,817 registered Republicans. A big increase of registered Independents as well as an increase in registered Democrats. In a city of about 75,000 residents, we have a total of 44,496 registered voters and yet fewer than 14% voted. There are times we think that elected city officials owe it to the public to get more participation, especially in our local city government. Don’t you agree?

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

Alderman Bob McWatters received 953 votes in yesterday’s election, the highest vote count of the ward aldermen. Just goes to show you, hard work pays off.

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

We guess Mayor Joe Curtatone, former Superintendent of Schools Anthony Pierantozzi and soccer coach George Scarpelli have been served with a lawsuit regarding the incident that happened back in 2013. It happened out in Western Mass at a summer soccer camp when a young Galileo Mondol was accused of an incident that happened there, but the District’s Attorney’s office has since dropped all the charges against young Mondol and he is now filing a federal law suit against city officials for one million dollars.

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

Inspectional Services Department update: Regarding the missing paperwork, we hear it’s somewhere between DPW and the Law Department (probably by way of Omar, the Mayor’s aide’s office – just saying). Still missing paperwork and still two desks collecting dust and it’s not looking good on filling them any time soon. The latest incident that we heard about is that someone (we can’t say who) went and applied for a permit for work to be done, paid about $2K for the work permit a couple of months ago and they denied him the permit over a lousy $50 trash fine. So we heard the guy of course wanted to pay the fine, but now they lost the record of the fine. They have been looking for a few things around the city lately, haven’t they? And we’re a business friendly city?

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

Guess someone in the Assessors Office was a bit upset over the system being down and was snippy with a taxpayer this week. Maybe that city worker should calm down and be nicer to the general public, or let’s not have someone be at the desk giving assistance with that kind of attitude. Wouldn’t last a day in the private sector.

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

Open House Sunday 1:00-3:00 p.m. at 63 College Avenue. A 9-Room Queen Ann style home for sale, asking $1,690,000. Presented by The Norton Group. This week will feature local artist Diane Blouin showing off her artwork throughout the home during the Open House.

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

Happy Birthdays this week to some of our Villens as well as friends of The Times this week: To our good friend, writer and poet Tim Gager, who is celebrating this week. We wish him the very best. Happy birthday to Paul Foster, who used to work here in the Ville. A good guy. To our good friend and head of ERA Key Realty Services with about 13 offices in the Worcester area, Bruce Taylor. A very good guy who runs a great company. If you’re looking to buy or sell in the Worcester/Franklin/ Milford area, that’s the company. Happy Birthday to Flo McWatters who is also celebrating this week, a nice lady and looks younger all the time.

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

There’s a new website in town. Check it out at www.somervillema.com. The Somerville Times is on the site. Also check out www.medfordma.com.

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

Word of the Week: Psychotic. Delusions are false beliefs, such as thinking that someone is plotting against you or that the TV is sending you secret messages. Hallucinations are false perceptions, such as hearing, seeing, or feeling something that is not there. Schizophrenia is one type of psychotic disorder. Sound familiar?

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

We didn’t have time this week or the space, so if you haven’t voted yet there’s still time to send your votes for “Best of Somerville Awards” in this week and we will publish the list next week. Call in or email and vote for your favorite person, place or profession. Make sure you look over the various categories offered in the past and vote. If you don’t see the category you want just send it in to us with your vote and we will have the committee look it over. Best of Somerville is done every year. You can go online to our website and check out the previous winners, and maybe they will be again?

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

ResiStat meetings this fall will provide updates from city staff as well as the mayor and aldermen regarding ongoing projects and initiatives. Ask questions and share your feedback with neighbors:  Ward 4: Wed., Nov. 4, Healey School, 5 Meacham St.; Ward 6: Thurs., Nov. 5, Somerville Community Baptist Church, 31 College Ave.; Ward 5: Mon., Nov. 9, Kennedy School, 5 Cherry St.; Ward 3: Tues., Nov. 10, Somerville High School, 81 Highland Ave.; Ward 2: Mon., Nov. 16, Argenziano School, 290 Washington St.; Ward 1: Wed., Nov. 18, East Somerville Community School, 50 Cross St. All meetings run from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Come by at 6 p.m. to enjoy pizza and other refreshments while you talk with neighbors.

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

On Election Day in Ward 3, candidate and present alderman Bob McWatters brought refreshments into the precincts on for the election workers. What a nice thing to do. And Bob had no opponent in the race. It wouldn’t matter. He’s a good guy, no matter what. Last week we made a big mistake in the spelling of Alderman Bob’s friend and campaign advisor Zachary Zasloff. It’s not Zasloss like we said last week. Zasloff is the correct spelling. What a nice guy Zac is, and the company which he’s a VP of, www.shoebuy.com, is a great place to buy shoes. Go online and see for yourself. Christmas is coming up so treat yourself or a family member to a great pair of new shoes.

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

Wow. We were surprised that the alderman in Ward 5, Mark Niedergang, was busily involved in other elections here in the city. He was actively involved in the Ward 4 campaign against Jamie Sue O’Leary, and then we hear his name up in Ward 6. But the best was that he actually sent out endorsements for and against incumbents on the Board of Alderman. It’s usually a practice that aldermen don’t get involved in elections for the seats of incumbent aldermen unless it is an empty seat, but to go out against a fellow incumbent could mean that in Ward 5 there just might be a challenger in the next round in two years. That’s the rumor we hear, but then we also heard he was trying to gather support for a run against Mayor Joe.

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

Those who might be interested in obtaining certification for firearms should look up the Lawrence Rod & Gun Club. They offer an extensive program at the end of which you receive certification for Massachusetts/NRA Certified Firearm Safety Classes. They run a class once a month, which is limited to 10 people and we hear that this is the place to go to learn safety when handling guns. Email gunclub@earthlink.net for more information and or go to their website at www.lawrencerodandgunclub.org and read up about the course.

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

Join the Somerville Garden Club for the talk, Botany for Gardeners, on Wednesday, November 18, 7:00–9:00 p.m. Their speaker will be Judith Sumner, a botanist and frequent lecturer for botanical and horticultural organizations. She has taught at the college level, and at botanic gardens including Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, and Garden in the Woods. Her talk is aimed at gardeners who want to understand more about how plants grow. Judith will also cover fertilizers, symbiotic relationships in the soil, and specific adaptations in garden plants. Don’t be intimidated by the topic, Judith is a fantastic speaker, entertaining, humorous, and her talk is bound to be stimulating. The meeting is started by announcements and a round table discussion where attendees can ask questions about their plants and gardens. After the speaker, there’s a raffle of donated plants, books, and sundries that ends the meeting. This meeting will be held at the Tufts Administration Building, 167 Holland Street, Somerville. Meetings are on the second floor, wheelchair accessible. Parking is available on site and the building is a short walk from the Davis Square T station, and is on the #87 bus route. All Somerville Garden Club meetings are free and the public is invited to attend. For additional information please visit www.somervillegardenclub.org.

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

Pursuant to City Charter Section 8, there will be a Public Hearing before the Board of Aldermen on Thursday, December 10, 2015, at 7:00 PM, in the Aldermanic Chambers, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 93 Highland Avenue, on the Order of Alderman William A. White, Jr., President of the Board, for public input on the matter of economic inequality, pursuant to a request for a public hearing on the subject submitted by 195 registered voters to the Board of Aldermen on October 22, 2015 (#200177).