By Nuria Chantre

A candidate in the special election for alderman-at-large drew from personal and
professional experiences to highlight the importance of education, law enforcement and youth opportunities, at The Somerville News contributors’ meeting March 15.

“I think what separates me from the other candidates is my totality of experiences; my experience as a mentor to youth gives me a unique perspective,” said Robert Daut, one of three contenders for the citywide position.

A native of the uptown area of Chicago, Daut worked as a prosecutor in a number of district courts, supervised juvenile crime and, in the process familiarized himself with the police of Somerville, where he has lived for more than a decade. His experiences, he said, taught him the importance of intervention and of involving as many community groups as possible to fight juvenile crime.

‚ÄúThe police used to make an effort in Chicago to talk with the kids. I think that could be an important component in law enforcement,‚Äù said Daut.  ‚ÄúThe very essence of my job was to be able to work with law enforcement in each of the towns and districts I worked.  I‚Äôve got very good relations with the police and to try to find what can be middle ground,‚Äù he said.

Since he moved to Somerville, Daut said he has mentored children as a way to give back to all the people who have made a difference in his life.  Daut grew up in state-run facilities after he became a ward of the court in Chicago at 11-yearsold, he said. One of his teachers challenged him enough to want to succeed academically, and Daut eventually went on to attend Georgetown University and Harvard Law School, where he became a mentor and ran the Big Brother program, he said.

Meanwhile, he also participated in soup kitchens, food banks and worked with boy scouts for the mentally disabled, he said.  As a Somerville resident, Daut has lived in areas such as Ball Square and has noticed the different needs in the different parts of the city; there are bigger and smaller scale issues to be dealt with, he said. One such issue is the plan for the development of a path in Assembly Square and its effect on Ten Hills residents.

‚ÄúI want to look at integrating the police and the fire [departments] before the project is underway,‚Äù he said.  ‚ÄúThe development of Assembly Square and Union Square is going to be central and key to the future of Somerville. I think that Somerville will continue to grow as a vital city outside of Boston,‚Äù Daut said.

Residents are concerned with property tax increases, affordability of housing in terms of purchase and rent, particularly because of recent growth in Teele Square and Davis Square, he said.

Daut pointed to housing developments where, he said, drug activity and youth violence were once prevalent but today are “substantially under control.”

“I’ve seen how developing recreational facilities and giving kids places to go, how that can be beneficial in keeping kids focused on positive things and away from the negative,” he said.

Daut, who calls himself an independent voice, said it will take negotiation, compromising and finding a win-win situation to work within Somerville politics.  As a prosecutor and litigator, he said, he‚Äôs used to being able to present the arguments and respond to them. The key, he said, is in how to build consensus.

“I see Somerville as a city in transition, in development and change. Not as one that has lost its past but one that is finding its future,” said Daut.