2005 Endorsements

The Somerville News Endorsements

Two years ago, when we did our last regular local election endorsements, things were different.  Two highlights for us looking back were that we were still published monthly and for the first time in years we had a “lame duck” mayor with two candidates left to fight it out in the final election.  This turned into a final election that when it was all said and done, did little else but illustrate the two major differences in political thinking in this city at that time.

Since then, there has been a small but significant shift in several elected offices due to the inability or maybe the complete arrogance of some to underestimate the political “far left.”  There is a fundamental difference today between “old school politics” and “old school politicking.”  The more liberal, far left, progressive, whatever they want to be called politicians and their supporters have finally learned how to effectively ground campaign like the good old boys and it’s scaring the hell out of some people and for good reason.

With a more liberal type of representation in one State Rep seat, a very liberal move up from State Rep to State Senate for Pat Jehlen and the number of “progressives” in local races this year as opposed to last year or two years ago, the “good old boys” should be very scared.  There might not be any upsets this local election, but it’s only a matter of time – and remember, there’s still a vacant State Rep seat to fill in early 2006.

A reminder for those readers who don’t know about who we are – unlike the “farm team” paper – the members of Prospect Hill Publishing, Inc. are comprised of several life-long residents, homeowners, taxpayers and business owners of this fair city.  Like you – we have a vested interest in what happens here and it directly affects us on many levels.  Now for the fun stuff.

Nobody for Mayor

This year Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone is opposed by Nobody in his bid for re-election.  Two years ago we stepped up and endorsed Joe Curtatone for Mayor in the Final Election – and the “farm team” endorsed his opponent.  A lot has happened in the past two years, or has it?

It’s apparent that Nobody has remained loyal to supporters and kept campaign promises.  Nobody has put the needs of the youth and elderly ahead of their own political agenda.  Nobody has solved the city’s fiscal crisis.  Nobody has always been accountable and honest about his failures.  Nobody has protected the very people who are entrusted to keep us safe – the Police Department.  And Nobody has been able to build unity across the many political camps and cliques in order to better serve the interests of the entire community.

To say that we, who endorsed Joe two years ago, have been disappointed since then is putting it mildly.  We can only hope that he improves over the next two years – if not, then he deserves to have someone run against him.  Now we know it’d be ridiculous for us to endorse Nobody for Mayor – but it would send this administration a clear message from the voters.

Vote Nobody for Mayor, because no matter what, Nobody will win.

Ward Races

While the unopposed Mayor and the impossibly boring School Committee races display an utter lack of interest in local politics by the general population of registered voters, several Ward Alderman seats and the four Alderman-at-Large seats never cease to enliven the rest of us who actually care.  Like we said two years ago, we need responsible leaders on the Board of Aldermen and School Committee who will best serve our interests and work effectively with the Mayor to secure our future.  The following is a list of the races across the city – we will mention the people we like and our reasons for choosing them. 

Ward 3 Alderman — We have said it before, and we will say it again, Tom Taylor has been a consistent voice for his ward for over 20 years.  His commitment to the residents and his knowledge of both the issues and the process gives the residents of Ward 3 a clear-cut advantage with Tom representing them.  Every ward alderman should work as hard as he does – Tom Taylor deserves your vote to return to the Board of Alderman.

Ward 5 Alderman — We have had our fun at both candidates expense over the past few months and it comes down to this.  Whether you like or dislike incumbent Sean T. O’Donovan, one thing is clear – the streets in Ward 5 are clean, the squares look good and he does deliver when someone calls him with a problem – he knows how to perform constituent services as well as anyone in public office in this city today, and that’s a lot more than some of the unopposed candidates can say.  His opponent is a nice guy with a decent message, but no track record to speak of.

Ward 5 School Committee – Incumbent Megan Foster has shown a true dedication to  the schoolchildren of Somerville during her time on the  board. She has attended every meeting and always  advocates for the entire school district, never pitting one  school’s needs against another – something to be proud of  in these trying fiscal times. Her opponent, the eminently  qualified Mark Niedergang, is energetic and enthusiastic.  But he cannot match Megan’s qualifications for the job  this year. Because of that, Megan Foster deserves to be re- elected to the Ward 5 School Committee seat.

Ward 6 Alderman — Jack Connolly has been an outstanding voice for the people of Ward 6 and the entire Davis Square community for over 20 years.  His level of commitment to the people of his ward and the entire city has been steady and strong.  His determination to deal with issues and not care about whether you like him personally has earned him respect and should earn him your vote.  His opponent, while fresh-faced and progressive, didn’t even have her “function” in the ward, which was perplexing at best.  Jack Connolly, without a doubt, deserves to be returned as your Ward 6 Alderman.

Ward 6 School Committee — Paul Bockelman and Jim Thomas are vying for the seat Carolyn Taylor decided to relinquish. Each is intelligent and sincere, but Bockelman is the more qualified candidate. He worked 13 years as Town Manager for Manchester-By-The Sea. After four years of decreasing state aid for our schools, it is imperative to have financial expertise on the school committee. Paul Bockelman has that expertise and he should have your vote for Ward 6 School Committee November 8. 

Ward 7 – School Committee – Mary Jo Rossetti is being challenged for her seat by Herby
Duverne. Herby is a bright, likable candidate with a lot of valuable ideas. But Mary Jo has done more than enough to retain her seat. Bringing the discussion of funding Somerville schools to the State House in September was a sign of Mary Jo’s expertise and commitment to the city’s students. For that reason, and many more, Mary Jo Rossetti is the wise choice for your vote on Nov. 8.

Alderman at Large

Typically more than four or five people run for the four Alderman-at-Large seats when there is a vacancy, but this has proven to be a different kind of election year.  With no open vacancies in the At-Large race and seven candidates, there has been a lot of handshaking, door-knocking and sign holding going on for the past couple of months.  Having to represent the entire city is a difficult job, and more often than not has more to do with personalities and general politics than with specific issues.  Strong citywide leadership and representation of ideals is better suited to this type of elected office.  This year we have seven people running for four seats.  The difficult thing when there are seven decent candidates running for four seats is while we might like them all for one reason or another, we can only recommend or endorse four realistically.  The following is a list of the four we are recommending and then the three that while we aren’t recommending for a vote, deserve to be mentioned.

Bill White – A native Somervillian, local attorney, graduate of Somerville High School and current Alderman-at-Large, Bill has taken the role of public service to new heights.  His strong, intelligent and effective leadership has set the new standard of what our elected officials should do for us.  We have said it before and we will say it again – Bill is probably the smartest elected official this city has ever seen.  Vote to re-elect Bill White because we need his smart and honest representation.

Bruce Desmond – A former member of the School Committee and long time resident, Bruce has taken his experience from the School Committee and his commitment to the community to become an effective Alderman-at-Large.  He listens to residents all over the city and has a good fundamental knowledge of how municipal government operates.  Vote to re-elect Bruce Desmond so he can continue to do a good job for us.

Dennis Sullivan – A former member of the School Committee and life-long resident of Somerville, Dennis has delivered in his first term as an Alderman-at-Large.  His dedication to residents across this city has been clearly evident by his constant involvement with every possible issue and his “mobile office hours” which has easily earned him respect for his accessibility.  This is a no-brainer.  Vote to re-elect Dennis Sullivan so he can continue to be an approachable and effective Alderman-at-Large.

Steven A. Glines – A local attorney with an approachable personality and a willingness to listen and not just spout off about how he’d change the wheel, Steve brings a fresh new face to the local political scene.  Steve is a nice guy with some good ideas and a good grasp on the issues at hand that affect a wide variety of people in this city.  He sets himself apart from other recent newcomers by not sounding so “prepped” and by not having professional election consultants at his disposal.  Vote for Steve Glines because we need another fresh face with the right ideas and the drive to get things done.

We are left with the three other candidates in the Alderman-at-Large race.  As we said before, while we aren’t specifically endorsing these candidates, they deserve to be mentioned.

Denise Provost – a current Alderman-at-Large, she has experience on the board and she represents a specific segment of the voting population really well, but in our opinion she falls just short on broader, more balanced citywide views that affect us all.

Marty Martinez – an outspoken, likable candidate with strong liberal (sorry “progressive”) political beliefs, Marty has taken his message to the streets and has the earned respect of those who might not agree with his political views.  While we like him personally, we feel his message isn’t as accessible enough to the entire voting population to gain a nod to this citywide forum.  We honestly do hope he becomes more mainstream/middle of the road politically and takes another stab at local elected office.

Kim Foster-Hirsch – Kim is a life-long resident of the city and is a well spoken, attractive and hard working attorney who may one day be a better candidate for public office.  Having said that, we hope someday she will be able to present herself as a viable candidate without having to disingenuously hire a high powered political consultant to produce such cookie cutter reading material.