We are back after a well-needed rest. Our team here at The Times is ready to get started bringing everyone here in Somerville another good year. We wish everyone a very happy new year and hope that 2016 will be bright, prosperous and healthy for everyone.

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Our condolences go out to the family and many friends of Ken Kelly, who recently passed away. He was a man who was very well known here in Somerville and liked by everyone that he met. He was the owner of the Independent in Union Square, The Foundry in Davis Square and recently opened the River Bar in Assembly Square. He employed a lot of people here in Somerville, and was himself a very hard worker and a community activist in Union Square. Ken will be missed and hopefully the city can recognize his contribution to Somerville over these past many years.

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Happy Birthdays to some of our Villens and friends of Villens: Last week we had a few locals who celebrated and we want to mention them before we continue with the current birthdays. Happy birthday and best wishes to Jamie Sue O’Leary of Winter Hill. We hope she and her husband Gus had a great day. Happy birthday to Caroline Koty who also celebrated last week. We’re sure her family helped to make it a great day for her. Happy birthday to an old friend now living in Brockton, but certainly no stranger to Somerville and especially East, Jack Bassett. We hope he had a great day as well. Happy birthday also to Paul Peddle, formerly of East Somerville as well. If you’re looking for real estate in Southern NH, Paul is your guy. He’s very good at what he does. To our good friend, also living now in Brockton but is here in the Ville all the time, Christopher Kenney, who has many friends here. We wish him the very best of birthdays. To a lifelong resident and great lady, Elaine Czesniuk, who is the daughter of one of Somerville’s most popular mayors, Bill Donovan. Elaine is very active in many roles here in the city, but especially the Somerville High School Scholarship Foundation. We hope she had a great day, Happy birthday, Elaine. Happy birthday wishes also to Tom Oliverio, who also grew up here in Winter Hill.

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This week we salute and wish the following a big happy birthday: Big time happy birthday to a great fan and lifelong Villen, John Howe is celebrating this week. We hope he has a great week. Also celebrating this week is the well-known and popular teacher Sophia Carafotes, a nice lady and winner of our Best of Somerville “Teacher of the Year” title this year. Also, a guy who was born and raised in East Somerville who still operates a business in Magoun Square, Dominick Silvestri Jr., who owns a sign company. He’s a great guy, very friendly, and we wish him a happy birthday as well. To all the others celebrating this week who we may have missed, we hope you have a great birthday.

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We don’t usually mention what’s going on outside the city, but we also attended the inaugural ceremony in Medford with the new mayor, who also happens to be the first elected woman mayor in Medford, Stephanie Muccini Burke. The ceremony was held on Sunday at the high school and was packed, standing room only, with guest Sen. Warren and Attorney Gen. Maura Healey, who administered the oath of office. We wish Mayor Burke the best of success as mayor for Medford.

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Meanwhile, here in Somerville this past Monday night, our own city inauguration of this term’s city officials took place. The ceremony, we have to say, was highlighted by the President of the Board of Alderman Bill White who gave a very unusual and nice speech. In comparison, Mayor Joe’s speech was good but the night belonged to Bill White in our opinion. The ceremony was attended by many city employees and department heads. Total attendance was about 150, not a large crowd in comparison with the past.

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Our condolences go out to the family of Louise Leone, the matriarch of the Leone family from Winter Hill, famous for Leone’s Subs and Pizza’s. Over the years, Mrs. Leone was always friendly to everyone who came into the shop to have one of their famous pizzas and subs. She will be missed by her family, and the many customers and friends that she made over the years. Now she will be making those famous pizzas and subs up in heaven. May she rest in peace.

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An update on those two desks that have been empty for a long time in Inspectional Services Department: we heard that one person has been hired and it looks like another maybe hired soon as well.

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It doesn’t look good for the Green Line Extension, with all the heavy costs. We have a suggestion to help cut the costs: why do we need multimillion dollar stations? What’s wrong with lowering the budget on building the huge glass and ornate structures? What’s your suggestion of cutting cost?

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Congratulations for a job well done and her service to the community to Ward 6 Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz, who has left office after 10 years of service to Ward 6 and the residents of Somerville. She was extremely dedicated, and the mere fact that she was reelected five times shows she was liked and respected by her constituents.

Congratulations also to retiring Ward 4 School Committee Member Christine Rafal, who served for six years with three terms in office. She did a great job serving the children and residents of Ward 4. We wish her the very best of luck in the future and we thank her for her service. Congratulations as well to retiring Ward 3 School Committee Member Adam Sweeting who served 8 years, 4-terms of service to the children and residents of Ward 3. He did a great job and for his community. We thank all three for their service to the community. The three of them deserve a big “job well done” by all of us here in Somerville.

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If you haven’t registered to vote yet you have until February 10 to do so to vote in the Presidential Primary coming up in March here in Massachusetts. You can go to the Election Department at City Hall and fill out the form, or better yet you can just go online at https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ovr/. This year’s presidential race is crucial to everyone. There is no excuse as registering to vote can’t be any easier.

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Speaking of elections this year, we hear that maybe – just maybe – there might be more than one who is eyeing the representative seats and the senatorial seat here in the city. We hear that a well-known Medford political figure might be looking into the race. The Green Line Extension will be one subject on the minds of many here in the city, and they will be looking at the state delegation for how effective they can be or not.

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One final note this past week, everyone here at The Times wants to thank those hard working people down at the Somerville District Court, especially those in the clerk’s office, both upstairs and in particular downstairs at the court house. Their hard work is and should be appreciated by the public. We personally thank them for a job well done and the very best for 2016.