This week Somerville Rotary is having their annual Giggles Comedy Night at Giggles Comedy Club, Rt. 1 in Saugus, on March 29, at 6:00 p.m. It’s a great event and lots of fun. Professional comedians, plus an auction and raffles throughout the night. Proceeds to benefit the many local Somerville charities. The ticket price is $30. Contact Donald Norton at 617-623-6600 for tickets (also at the door) or for further information.

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Make sure that the Board of Aldermen and the Curtatone administration hears from you at the public hearing on the 1% tax on selling your home here in Somerville on Wednesday, April 4, 6:00 p.m., at City Hall. We hear that this new Board of Aldermen just might find out that they will have awakened some who might disagree with them going for another tax grab. It seems l-ike all the city can do since Joe Curtatone has been elected is not only raise your taxes but find even new ways to tax us, now including if you want to sell your home. The new Board leans very heavily to the left and they want as much money as they can grab from the residents. Show up for the public hearing and let your voices be heard, either way. But we have a suggestion if what the Board wants to do is to help middle income families stay: they can ask the state for more Section 8 housing grants. We think it’s too late to save the middle incomers here in Somerville. Soon it will be two different classes of residents, the very poor and the very rich. Again, the middle income population will run from the city because of all the taxes that keep pounding the residents. The City of Cambridge City Council was proposing the same 1% tax on home sales that could also have been 2%, but the Cambridge property owners showed up at public hearings and made their voices heard and the Council voted the proposal down. Maybe the same thing will happen here in Somerville. Again, we think that no longer can voices go silent. Show the administration and the left leaning Board who it is they work for. It’s called a transfer tax. Remember, once they vote on a tax affirmatively they will never do away with it. And aren’t you upset that the sales tax was increased so that now the city of Somerville gets a part of the sales tax directly? Ask yourself how much more in taxes you want to pay.

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We hear that when several – if not all – of the police cadets that were approved by the city’s Personnel Department were going through the last round with the Board of Alderman subcommittee on appointments, the chairman of the committee, as well as other committee members, asked some very unusual political questions on their views and various stances while being interviewed. Could this be illegal? Questions that are political in nature, instead of being about qualifications needed for the job. Is that how it’s supposed to be? Do they just put members on a committee without giving them some sort of guidance and advice? Especially new Board of Aldermen members. If this is true there could be major problems with the Board violating federal laws. Possible complaints against the aldermen are being considered by a few individuals. This has to be a mistake. How is it possible that grown adults who represent the city can ask political questions of individuals who want to work for the city government? This is not a good road to go down. Hopefully there is another explanation.

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The Somerville Homeless Coalition has announced the retirement of Mark Alston-Follansbee, the Executive Director, who has headed the agency here for the past 18 years. Mark has led the agency well, helping thousands of individuals who were in need. He, along with his staff, has made the agency one of Somerville’s best known sources for the homeless. Mark and his staff worked hard over the past 18 years to ensure that those in need were taken care of with the dignity and quality of service that that everyone deserves. He will be missed as a fixture in the community as a whole, but we’re sure he will still be seen around the city. The agency is in the process of finding a replacement. These are pretty big shoes to fill, but we’re sure they can do it. We wish the agency the best of luck. Mark is said to be retiring officially in June. We wish him the very best of luck in the future. He’s a good man, with a good heart and does a great job for the agency. Many in Somerville will miss him.

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Sadly, another year goes by and the murder of Deanna Jean Cremins continues to go unsolved here in Somerville. Deanna was only 17-years-old and still in high school. On March 30, 1995, her body was found behind the Jaques Street elderly complex. An active investigation continues to try and find out who did this awful thing. We hope that sometime in the near future the murderer is found out and is prosecuted. A reward is being offered for information leading to the finding of her killer. Call the Somerville Police Department.

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A lot residents are very upset over the so-called cancelling of school a day ahead of time, and the snow emergency many hours before the first flake fell. Would someone tell DPW Commissioner Stan Koty and the Superintendent of Schools that we live in New England. We’re supposed to get snow. Years ago, before the weather forecasters had all the latest radar and stuff, they would not call a school day off. Maybe this administration doesn’t see from the angle of private sector parents who can’t afford to stay home because the city has decided to cancel school the day before, while their employers didn’t cancel. What’s wrong with these people? Get a grip. Represent the people that elected you. Stop and consider the consequences of your actions when you cancel school for a storm that never happens. At least don’t call a snow emergency before people get home from work and they have to hunt down a parking space in a city that has over 60,000 cars, while parking on only one side. Does anyone remember the horn that would go off, with everyone in the city hearing it, meaning no school? They did this the morning of the storm, so there wouldn’t be any miscalls. The administration likes to pull out their facts and figures on how much things cost. Do they stop and realize how much the cost is to the parents of these kids when they can’t go to work? Good thing it’s spring time, but we also know it’s New England and we’ve had a few storms in April before. Get ready!

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Happy birthday this week to the following: Happy birthday to John Kendzierski of Gilman Square, a nice guy. We hope he gets over the flu so he and his lovely wife can go out and celebrate. Happy birthday to local guy, Jimmy Halloran. We hope he has a great celebration. Happy birthday to Diane O’Brien, who is one of the best tax preparation and accounting specialists here in Somerville. We hope she has a great birthday as well. Happy birthday to Mario Borges, a nice guy. We hope he has a great birthday.

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Last week it was pointed out that we missed a few birthdays, so here goes in wishing the following a very happy belated birthday: to Mariagabriella LoRusso, who first of all is a very smart young lady who speaks a few languages fluently and gets high marks in school. We want to make sure she is recognized. We bet her mom made a very special cake for her and she deserves it. Also, happy belated birthday to a former East Somerville guy who turned 70 last weekend, Richard Lambert. A nice guy, and his wife Bonnie is the best. Both childhood sweethearts here in Somerville in school. We wish Richard the very best of birthdays. Happy belated birthday to both Linda and Diana, formerly Cassaro, who are twins and grew up in the City Hall area. Two very nice ladies. We wish them the very best as well. Finally, we can’t believe it, but Nick Clark turned 14 last week. He’s the son of Cliff Clark and the grandson of Paula Clark here in Somerville. We wish Nick the very best of belated birthdays and we hope he got everything he wanted. Knowing his grandmother and father, he probably did.

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For as long as we can remember, even before cable days, when a city employee in any department or well-known person in the various wards passed on, the Board of Aldermen would show due respect and hold a moment of silence in their memory. Not anymore. We guess the aldermen either don’t know about these individuals that dedicated themselves to our community or they have decided that it’s not worthwhile to recognize them. It’s sad that several police officers have passed on recently with no mention of their names. A former lifelong resident in his 90’s passed on, as well as a World War II veteran, with no recognition at all. Maybe some of the new aldermen are too busy with their socialist agenda, trying to find ways to raise taxes on us. Very sad days in Somerville. Like we said, this has been a tradition for many years. Lack of respect by the city for those who have contributed so much over the years is a sad thing.

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Names are already popping up as potential candidates in various races next year here in the city. We heard that the mayor just might have a formidable candidate running against him, since he spent so much money on his re-election and his opponent still received over 30% of the vote. Any candidates for local elections on the state level this year? Give us a call!