By Nuria Chantre

A state legislator discussed her top priorities in the senate, during The Somerville News contributors‚Äô meeting March 22. 

“The exciting thing about being a state senator is there is more ability to make things happen,” said Patricia D. Jehlen, D-Somerville.

Jehlen, who said she planned to vote for a state bond releasing funds for a Green Line extension to Somerville, pinpointed her main priorities as emphasizing elderly services, the upcoming lead-based paint legislature and the schools’ population decline.

Jehlen said she wants more funding for local teen employment and senior service programs. These concerns have already been addressed by new senate president Therese Murray, she said. The Equal Choice bill, which expands Medicaid education has already been passed, she said. 

While certain services are only available to Medicaid recipients, Jehlen said she would like to make adequate home care more easily available for senior citizens.  At the same time however, she said, ‚Äúwe need to make sure people don‚Äôt get services they don‚Äôt want.‚Äù

Jehlen said local aid should be divided evenly between community care and personal care. But, she said, a lack of qualified employees to provide personal care is a barrier.

‚ÄúWe don‚Äôt have enough people to do direct care and we need adequate wages,‚Äù she said. 

Jehlen recently introduced a bill regulating lead paint testing in homes, though she said, it is ‚Äúnot yet ready for primetime.‚Äù  Jehlen said it is essential to require landlords to do more to remove lead paint from apartments rented to families.  Jehlen said she was inspired to introduce the legislation after hearing stories of children who had contracted lead poisoning from their homes. 

Another pressing concern for young children in Somerville is the rapidly declining population in Somerville public schools.  In the past five years there has been a drop of 4,900 students in enrollment, she said. 

‚ÄúThat‚Äôs a big concern to me,‚Äù said Jehlen adding who said the city should invest in the schools‚Äô Web sites to encourage enrollment.  ‚ÄúIf we were selling our schools this wouldn‚Äôt be happening. My experience has been that you can get a good education in Somerville.  But there‚Äôs almost no formula that will protect you if you‚Äôre losing kids at this rate.‚Äù Each of Jehlen‚Äôs children attended city public schools.