Elections for the Primary are this coming Tuesday, Sept. 25 ‚Äì the only citywide primary is for mayor. We don‚Äôt think we‚Äôre going too far out on a limb here, but we predict Joe Curtatone with about 65-70 percent and Suzanne Bremer in second and Rick Scirocco in third‚Ķyou think he will ask for a recount? The only other race is another slam-dunk with Rebekah Gewirtz (we can‚Äôt say Princess anyone, the Progressives get all upset with that moniker) and we predict candidate Charles Chisholm to nominate along with her easily in Ward 6. There will be a low turnout ‚Äì too bad there weren‚Äôt primaries elsewhere in the city.    

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Last Saturday morning, Ronaine Quigley Рlifelong resident of Winter Hill Рwas rushed to the Mt. Auburn Hospital and on Sunday was operated on. We hope she is home and mending real soon. Ronaine and John Quigley are very popular at St. Ann’s and in the Winter Hill neighborhood – they’re very nice people – and we are praying for her here at The News.

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At ‚ÄúThe Urban Public Safety Alliance‚Äù (Alliance for minority Police Officers in Massachusetts) dinner on Saturday evening at the IBEW Local 103 Banquet Hall in Dorchester, Governor Deval Patrick and our own Mayor Joe Curtatone were both guest speakers. Also there (and sitting at The Somerville News table with us) was Register of Probate John Buonomo, Governor‚Äôs Councilor Mike Callahan and State Rep. Tim Toomey. We all had a great night.    

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By the way, we heard it from reliable souces that Somerville isn‚Äôt really a ‚ÄúSanctuary City‚Äù – although it was voted and approved in the mid 80‚Äôs, it was supposedly voted out by the board in the early 90‚Äôs. So we‚Äôre wondering now how come no one has officially come out and acknowledged this?    

   
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Congratulations to Registrar of Motor Vehicles Anne L. Collins, who was recently reappointed by Gov. Patrick. Ms. Collins is from Winter Hill originally and her Chief of Staff – Gretchen Lucas Рis also from Hudson Street originally. Both of these ladies are nice, down to earth individuals, as well as total professionals in their jobs – and hey, they’re both from Somerville Рwhich is always good to know.

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Speaking of long time residents ‚Äì Ron Craven – of Benton Road (his uncle was former Alderman George Cooley), seems he has interviewed twice and hopefully will get the job as ‚ÄúPlayer Development Director‚Äù for the Seattle Supersonics. A lot of us here in Somerville hope that he gets the job – we think he deserves it.      

 
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Condolences go out to the family of Sheila Boyle, who lost her father – Robert Boyle – to cancer this past Sunday. Robert was a nice guy and he will be missed.

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We were wrong when we said Bank of America was coming to Winter Hill – it’s Citibank – at the former Palmer Video Store directly across from the Barracuda of Winter Hill Bank. Just what Winter Hill needs is another bank!

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We hear from sources at City Hall that former Alderman Ken Joyce (old time hack?) from Ward 2 is being recommended for the City Hearing Officer’s job, we’re wondering what the requirements are for that job Рis it being a former alderman? He must not like the pay scale he gets on the Condo Review Board and wants an upgrade – by the way, the last person to have the job was Jack Connolly.

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Update for those so-called “Progressives” (now down to 12 at their last endorsement meeting) РThe Somerville News Web site has now reached over 1,100 daily visitors – this is directly from TypePad – the hoster of the site. From what we hear, the so-called “Progressives” couldn’t get 1,100 people in a room if they were giving out free four course vegan meals.

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Now that Gov. Patrick has come out and endorsed the idea of three casinos in the state and one right here in Boston, wouldn‚Äôt it be nice to have it right down behind the Holiday Inn? That huge strip of land going all the way to the old Prison Point Bridge would make a nice place for a casino.   

                        
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The “Ball Square Breakfast Club War” is off and running. First it was the new Sound Bites opening a few months and this week it was the opening of the new Ball Square Café, owned and operated by the Moccia family – which owns everyone’s favorite lunch spot – Victor’s – right next door. Mike Moccia and his entire family were there this past Sunday for a “soft opening” for friends and special invitations and the food was out of this world! We also know that the Boston Globe is now doing a story on the “Ball Square Breakfast Club War.” There’s always a huge turnout on front of Kelly’s, Sound Bites and now Ball Square Café – we here at NewsTalk want to say that the Moccia family did a great job on the new place, it really looks awesome!

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Somerville Democrats have finally united! Well, on a new Web site that is. Users of the new site, www.SomDems.org can request voter registration forms from the city, learn about current office holders and upcoming neighborhood meetings. In the future the committee plans to include a database of unregistered citizens in the city so their neighbors can help them register to vote — as Democrats.

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Alderman-at-large candidate Frederick Berman is getting some strong support from our state delegates. On October 15, Pat Jehlen, Denise Provost and Carl Sciortino are jointly hosting a fundraiser for Berman. It‚Äôs good to have friends and Berman obviously has some powerful ones, but the quality of the candidate is what counts on election day. Here at NewsTalk, we‚Äôre wondering if Berman‚Äôs association with the Mystic My View Task Force will hurt him with the voters. The My View Task Force, after all, has not always been popular with the people. We‚Äôll see.