by Kate A. Hecht

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone marked his 100th day in office April 14 and sat for an interview with the Somerville News for a look back.

“The most important word you need to understand as the mayor is the word ‘no.’ You have to be able to say no, and you have to be able to make decisions whether they are right or wrong,” said Curtatone when describing his first days in office.

Although not surprised by the number of decisions he must make daily, Curtatone still emphasized how challenging it is to be pressed for a decision. “You always have to make a decision and you have to make it fast. So the sheer number of decisions is a lot of work. You come into it thinking, ‘I know it’s a lot of work; it’s a tough job; it’s long hours and I accept that;’ but the realization still hits you,” said Curtatone.

Curtatone said he is quite aware of the controversy surrounding the recent smoking ban, and that although he is in support of the ban, he believes that the timing of it could have been better. “The timing wasn’t done equitably, but the Board of Health is its own independent body that makes its decisions independently. My job is to appoint qualified individuals,” said Curtatone.

The mayor said that Dr. David C. Osler, now serving as chairman of the Board of Health, is a holdover appointee who serves at the mayor’s discretion and can be replaced at any time. “I could call him in and say, ‘Thank you for your service, your appointment is up. Have a nice day,’” said Curtatone.

Curtatone said that his plans for the future of Somerville involve the implementation of SomerStat—a computerized platform that facilitates universal accounting for the performance of all city services, modeled on Baltimore’s CityStat design.

“We’ve laid the groundwork for SomerStat, and you will see it reflected in the budget presented to the Board of Aldermen. We’re setting the parameters on SomerStat and we have a SomerStat intern coming off from the Kennedy School of Government that we partnered up with. The one confirmed intern and the potential of two more, paid by the Kennedy School for ten weeks starting June first, will help us develop the rest of our framework and templates for SomerStat,” said the mayor.

The mayor said he hopes that by the end of the calendar year at the very latest, every city department will have a SomerStat template. “Also, we already started laying the groundwork for 311, and we hope by sometime next year 311 will be fully optimal. So you will be able to call in for city services by dialing 311, including non-emergency police services,” said Curtatone.

Mayor Curtatone has a meeting May 3 at the state house with the governor. And although previous administrations have had a strained relationship with the governor, Curtatone said that access and communication have been available.

“We do disagree with some of his agenda, but he is the governor. You have to deal with reality and the parameters that are set forth. We’re meeting with the lieutenant governor regarding open space and capital issues. We are looking for resources on top of the access,” he said.

As for the financial state of the city the mayor said there is a $4.5 million budget gap. “It’s been a situation where we come in, we’re evaluating, we’re moving things around, and trying to make better use of money,” said Curtatone.

The mayor intends to deliver the budget to the Board of Aldermen in June. “You will see proposals in the budget that take time and you’ll see it reflected as we go on in the months ahead,” said the mayor.

One of the mayor’s plans for the summer is to implement programs and activities to provide Somerville youth with the means to stay occupied—particularly through youth jobs, he said.

“We’re working with private businesses and the Chamber of Commerce so we can get as many young people off the streets as possible and involved in very productive activity. We’re focused on using some public service grant money that we set aside, and we also looked into tapping some of our business partners here in the city to either employ young people, or to provide slots for employment of young people such as internships. We’re looking to get as many as 100 people off the street between park jobs, youth jobs and the like,” said Curtatone.

The mayor recalled that his favorite summer job was working at Logan Airport. “I worked at the airport one summer. I taxied planes and stuff like that. I waved the planes in and one time I brought a DC9 in crooked—I had to push it back out,” said the mayor.

The mayor said he did not suffer any hearing loss from that summer job, but his friend did get his foot run over by a plane. “He blew his foot right off of the sides,” said Curtatone. The foot did eventually heal.

Looking ahead to his next 100 days in office, Curtatone said he hoped to maintain his momentum and build on it. “I try to make as many decisions as possible without being entirely consumed by them,” he said.

“I like to move with a sense of urgency. The decisions don’t just stop. If you want to sit here behind the doors and let business come at you, nothing will get done,” Curtatone said