By The Times Staff

The past year saw many changes and advances in the City of Somerville, from the first term for many new civic leaders, to the further lessening of Covid-19 restrictions, to the eventful completion of the Green Line Extension and much more.

The city’s political hierarchy changed in 2021 when Katjana Ballantyne was sworn in as mayor on January 3. In her inaugural address, the newly elected mayor laid out her vision for an administration that was described as being inclusive and transparent, examining every issue through an equity lens, and striving to ensure progress made in the city that positively affects all residents and businesses.

Ballantyne also promised to announce her 100-day work plan, and she delivered on that promise with the release of the 100 Day Somerville “Progress for All” agenda.

Ballantyne declared that her comprehensive 100-day policy agenda is designed to take on the most pressing issues facing the City of Somerville starting first and foremost with COVID response and recovery, deliver on community priorities, strengthen basic services that impact daily quality of life, and establish the practice of applying an equity lens to all city actions. 

“My vision for Somerville is an inclusive, equitable city where we can all thrive together, and I know that’s the vision this community shares,” according to Ballantyne. “This 100-day agenda is my commitment to our city to get to work on that mission from day one. We face many challenges and our community has many needs and that starts with our intensive focus on COVID response and recovery. But right now, we also have so much opportunity for broader progress. This agenda is how we get our running start. This is how we seize opportunities and move forward our efforts to address the current crisis while also seeking longer-term progress for all.”

Later that month, the Somerville Board of Health held a vote on a vaccine mandate for the city. The Board subsequently rejected this proposal in a 2-1 vote.

During the previous weeks’ meeting, when the vote was originally slated to be held, it had to be abandoned and rescheduled due to a protest organized by Diana Ploss of Peabody.

According to Board of Health Chairman Brian Green, the vaccine mandates are less effective than having to mask and test regularly. “This policy is a really good idea for what we’re facing with Delta, and I’m worried that it’s less of a good policy for Omicron,” Green said.

The proposed plan required patrons at restaurants, bars and other indoor venues to show proof of vaccination. The mandate is similar to ones in place in cities like New York and Boston.

After the vote from the Board of Health, Mayor Ballantyne gave a statement regarding the vote and future steps the current administration seeks to take to deal with the pandemic. “The important takeaway from last night’s hearing is that the Board and the city are in agreement that vaccination is critical to getting this virus under control,” Ballantyne said. “Naturally, we were hoping the Board would support the proposed requirement, but I respect their decision.”

A Zoom event to express gratitude to outgoing Somerville City Councilors Will Mbah, Mark Niedergang, Mary Jo Rossetti and Bill White will be held on January 26. The public was invited to express appreciation to the outgoing Somerville City Councilors and thank them for their service to the City of Somerville and hear memories and congratulations from friends, neighbors and colleagues.

Will Mbah served as At-Large City Councilor for four years. Mark Niedergang was Ward 5 City Councilor for eight years and Ward 5 School Committee member for eight years. Mary Jo Rossetti sat as At-Large City Councilor for eight years, Ward 7 School Committee Member for 14 years and 10 years on various Somerville school and PTA Boards. Bill White held the record for the group as At-Large City Councilor for 24 years.

After many years of planning, controversy, and delayed construction, the new Green Line Extension (GLX) service began operating in the City of Somerville starting on March 21. Other stations along the two main branches were expected to come online later this year, hopefully by summer if not sooner. A grand opening ceremony took place on March 21 at the Union Square station.

The Somerville Board of Health (BOH) voted to extend the city’s residential eviction moratorium to April 30, 2022, at its September 9, 2021 meeting.

“I want to thank the Board of Health for taking this important step to protect public health as this pandemic continues,” said then Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone. “We know about a third of renters who are evicted move in with friends or family, which can cause crowded conditions that help COVID-19 spread. Others go to shelters and similar congregate settings, or to tent encampments which also increase the likelihood of COVID transmission and lethality. Keeping people in their homes is one of the many ways we are trying to limit the spread of this virus.”

Over the course of the pandemic, the city’s Office of Housing Stability (OHS) substantially increased capacity to help renters, homeowners, and landlords access support. The office helped hundreds of tenants to obtain well over $2,000,000 in rental assistance and continues to receive about 60 new requests for assistance each month.

As reported by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, on May 5, former Somerville Police Officer Michael McGrath admitted to sufficient facts in Cambridge District Court to the charge of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon.

McGrath admitted to having pepper-sprayed a handcuffed man on October 1, 2019. When the police administration learned of the incident, McGrath was placed on unpaid leave.

An internal investigation by the Somerville Police Professional Standards Division found McGrath responsible for several violations of Departmental policies and Rules and Regulations including the use of unnecessary force. He was suspended without pay for a period of five days with a recommendation for additional discipline up to and including termination of his employment from the City of Somerville. McGrath resigned prior to the date of the suspension taking effect.

The City of Somerville and Fenway Health held a virtual community forum to discuss a local supervised consumption site (SCS) on June 1. The forum discussed what SCSs are, what the need is in Somerville, and ongoing efforts to explore establishing an SCS.

According to the forum organizers, SCSs are harm reduction interventions that have been implemented in more than 10 countries, including Canada, Australia, and across Europe to prevent fatal overdoses and connect people to services. People who use drugs are allowed to consume substances in the SCS under the supervision of staff who can intervene in the event of an overdose or other medical emergency. Often, additional services like basic health care, housing support, and recovery resources are also offered at an SCS. To date, there have been no reported drug overdose deaths in an SCS anywhere in the world.

The final revisions of the Somerville FY 2023 were decided on June 22 and followed up the next day. Upon reviewing all of the departments, the City Council cut $676,219 from the proposed $292,720,095 budget.

The MBTA held a virtual public hearing on July 26 on the Bus Network Redesign, a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to make bold improvements to the bus network for the people who depend on it most.” At this meeting, MBTA staff provided a presentation on the draft network map and take comments. The draft map network was shared for extensive public feedback throughout May, June, and July.

A small group of concerned residents in Medford and Somerville started a grass-roots effort to notify their neighbors about the proposed changes to the MBTA bus routes in those cities. They put up posters, alerted residents on neighborhood websites and by going door-to-door. They collected over 2,000 signatures from residents in Medford and Somerville since the MBTA released their proposal.

The MBTA announced plans to accelerate major track and maintenance work on the Orange Line during a 30-day shutdown of the entire line from August 19 through September 18 with service resuming on September 19, to improve service, safety, and reliability on a faster timeline.

The major revitalization work that took place on the Orange Line during this 30-day shutdown delivered a number of projects over five years faster than originally planned, and will result in track replacement, upgraded signal systems, and station improvements.

In addition, the MBTA announced in August that the Medford Branch of the Green Line Extension (GLX) was anticipated to open in late November. In order to allow crews to perform final-phase construction work, temporary shuttle buses replaced all Green Line service between Government Center and Union Square stations in both directions beginning Monday, August 22, through Sunday, September 18. This diversion in service was also necessary to allow for continued work at the private Government Center Garage project. Regular Green Line trolley service resumed at these stops on Monday, September 19.

Also in September, a group of business operators located on Holland St. banded together to oppose and inform the public and other local businesses about the city’s plans for removing some 50 parking spots on Holland St., to be replaced by protected bike lanes on both sides of the street.

Earlier in the month, Mayor Ballantyne said in a public statement, “I have directed City staff to prepare a new plan for Holland Street that includes protected bike lanes from Teele Square to Buena Vista Road that will be implemented this fall. This plan would convert parking on one side of the street to allow for protected bike lanes on both sides.”

The city, through its Traffic Commission, hosted a special virtual meeting to hear comments from the community. The proposed protected bike lanes would run along Holland St. from Buena Vista Road to Teele Square in West Somerville. The proposed changes came after a series of pedestrian deaths across Somerville in the past three years.

The rat problem in the city was faced head-on by government officials who claimed a partial victory over rats on November 16. In a status update sent out to residents, the city of Somerville reported that its SMART pilot program has contributed to the capture of 1,050 rats.

The Somerville School Committee officially launched the search for Somerville’s next Superintendent of Schools in November 2022 with the selection of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) to lead the district’s Superintendent search process.

Former Superintendent Mary Skipper announced her departure from the role in summer 2022 following her selection by the Boston School Committee to serve as Boston’s Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Jeff Curley is currently serving as Interim Superintendent in Somerville. A new Superintendent is tentatively slated to begin their term in July 2023, pending the outcome of the search process.

In December, Prince William and Princess Kate visited the Capital of Massachusetts to look into the work that organizations in Boston are doing to construct a more sustainable world and attend the second annual Earth Shot Prize awards ceremony. On Thursday, December 1, the couple visited Greentown Labs, here in Somerville.

Passenger service began on the completed Green Line Extension route on December 12 as crowds gathered to be among the first riders and to participate in this historic event. The Opening Day Celebration at Ball Square Station began at 4:45 a.m., when the First Ride passenger service began.

The rush hour celebration at Ball Square Station was attended by Mayor Ballantyne, former Mayor Joseph Curtatone, State Representatives, advocates, and city staff, who greeted T riders and all interested T fans to celebrate the opening of the full Green Line Extension with a band and free opening day memorabilia.

Among others, those who passed in 2022 and will be sorely missed include Stephenson “Hollywood” Aman, Somerville Police officer Randy Isaacs, and retired chemistry teacher at Somerville High School Joseph “Joe” Tarello.

2022 was a year characterized by the usual accomplishments and controversies that are to be expected in this dynamic City of Somerville. May 2023 bring all the best that the city has to offer.