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By Jack Connolly
Jackconnolly422@gmail.com

If you take a look at the previous Ward community meetings over the past several weeks on the city of Somerville website, you see that each one has a significant repeating ‘boilerplate’ theme for these Ward community get-togethers.

Mayor Ballantyne and her team open up with similar prepared remarks and questions for each ward that could easily be covered in one or two-page handout with appropriate names and contacts for all the city departments presenting in the community meeting.

I hope that Mayor Ballantyne and her team of Somerville staffers will emphasize who in her 60 + Economic Development and Planning Dept. are working on improving the empty storefronts in Davis Square?

Perhaps they could also explain the two major projects being developed by Asana and Scape that are now permitted in Davis Square, and what the construction timetable is and will be?

Will somebody from the Somerville Transportation and Mobility Division be on hand to answer why it was so necessary to remove so much Parking from College Ave. and Holland Street? Also, who will be there to answer what programs (if any) are in place to offset the business lost by those small businesses?

Will somebody from DPW or from the Community Development Dept. be on hand to detail when the rest of the sidewalks and crosswalks in Davis Square Will be repaired or replaced?

 By the way, who on the Mayor’s team is in charge of the Davis Sq. planning effort?

Will someone from the Public Health Dept. be on here to explain how the City is planning on handling the homeless folks, and other “urban campers” that are frequenting in Davis Square?

While they are at it, maybe they can also tell us what to do about the discarded needles that are found throughout Davis Sq?

Will acting Somerville Police Chief Femino be on hand to explain why the Community Policing program has fallen out of favor? Anybody seen an officer on a foot patrol these days?

Don’t be surprised if there are a decent number of concerned and disgruntled Ward Six folks attending who are dismayed about the lack of attention being paid to Davis Sq.

No doubt you’ll hear from more than a few on Thursday evening at the Community Baptist Church. Be ready.

Jack Connolly is a native Somervillian, a Davis Sq. resident and insurance agent: He is also a former Somerville Ward Six and At Large Alderman (known now as City Councilor).