The View From Prospect Hill for the week of Jan. 3

The nation’s first flag was raised in this city. And since that time, history has proven, as Somerville goes, so goes the American city. In the 1950’s we were a tight-knit community of two and three family homes based on simple concepts such as family, shared religion and loyalty. In the 1970’s and 80’s the city experienced an economic decline and watched friends and relatives flee to far way “havens” like Billerica. And, recently, we have experienced a renaissance that threatens to change our city more than any two-faced politician or Winter Hill gangster could ever dream. But time marches on, regardless of how we feel about it and here are seven predictions we feel will come true in 2007.

1. Aldermen President Bob Trane‚Äôs comments will alternate between hysterical and inappropriate during televised public meetings.  Anybody who knows him knows Trane loves an audience and a chance to make us laugh. But in this era of progressive pussy-footing, will he offend the politically correct?

2. Acting Police Chief Robert R. Bradley will not become the department’s permanent leader. Bradley will happily ride off into the sunset on his horse, Wisperone Mr. America, with his pension fattened by his last three years and without becoming the city’s top cop. Bradley will learn what it is like to be in a foxhole with a politician and he will not like it.
3. A police officer will be caught doing something wrong somewhere. In 12 months, try to tell us we were wrong.
4. The world will slip further away from us. The landmarks and people that made Somerville unique will continue to disappear. Speculators and developers will push out the families and businesses that made Somerville so attractive in the first place. It will all be done in the name of progress and improvement, but will be done nonetheless.
5. Curtatone will be re-elected mayor. For all of the boo-birds on www.thesomervillenews.com, Curtatone will defeat Alderman-at-Large Bill White, past hopeful Tony LaFuente or any other challenger to the thrown by at least five points.
6.   More ridiculous press releases will come out of city hall telling us that 70 percent of us think everything is perfect. Meanwhile, most of the city‚Äôs young adults will try to find ways to stay in the city they grew up in. These people will not respond to any city hall surveys. 
7. The Somerville Journal will continue on its downward spiral. Yes it‚Äôs hard to believe, but it is true: the Journal will continue to lose credibility in the city that gave birth to it. By any standards, 2006 was a low point for the Journal. Sold to and controlled by a company 1,000 miles away, the Journal did get the biggest story of the year — wrong! Their huge story of campaign finance impropriety by Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone turned out to be a complete falsification. A local newspaper is the conscience of its community, and in 2007, that conscience will be expressed within the pages of The Somerville News.