By Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

Usually I pick a single topic to concentrate on, but Somerville has too many important things going on at the moment to limit myself to one. Instead I am going to touch upon a number of the big issues that face us at this moment.

Entering the GIC – The Board of Aldermen meets tomorrow to vote on accepting entrance into the Group Insurance Commission (GIC). The GIC comprises nearly 400,000 state and municipal employees in Massachusetts. It is the biggest insurance pool in the state, which gives it buying power the City of Somerville cannot begin to match.

The City should save $7.5 million annually in taxpayer money by shifting to the GIC. In addition our employees will save $1.8 million in out of pocket health care costs thanks to lower premiums (and $1.8 million represents the savings after co-pays and deductibles are figured in). That translates to an average of more than $650 a year per subscriber. I understand that people get nervous whenever they are faced with a change in benefits, but this is top tier health care. The Legislature knew that when it recently passed the bill streamlining the entry process into the GIC for communities like Somerville. After all, this is the same health care package our state legislators enjoy.

We are under some tight deadlines to enter the GIC at the start of the New Year. It would cost us $2.3 million if we had to enter three months later, but we currently are on track to deliver the maximum savings for our taxpayers.

Green Line Extension Delay – I cannot stress enough the need for residents and businesses in Somerville to call and write the Governor to demand a transparent, accurate timeline for the Green Line extension. More than 2,000 people have signed our online petition, but make sure you also let the Governor know how you feel via direct contact.

I know how much this project means to this community. I also know how much this project will help the regional economy, unlocking key areas in this city for new development and economic growth. On top of that, the Governor made a promise to break ground on this project that he needs to honor.

At stake here is whether this Commonwealth is ready and willing to move forward on building the 21^st century infrastructure to support a 21^st century economy.

National Economy – A lot people have been asking me how the debt ceiling crisis and the U.S. government’s credit rating downgrade will affect Somerville. Fortunately we have a robust, sustainable and resilient local economy. We proved that in 2008 and 2009 when we fared much better than most of the rest of the state and the nation during the recession.

Yet it would be a blow to this community to see the economy stagnate because the radical wing of one party has decided it does not feel like paying the nation’s debts. We have set the stage for economic growth in this community, and it will happen even if the national economy suffers a blow, but we need to see the government in Washington act responsibly and cast an eye toward the future just like we do at the local level.

One thing that should not be lost in the deficit reduction debate is the need for our federal government to prioritize the repair and modernization of our overlooked domestic infrastructure. Those projects provide direct economic stimulus. They activate the construction industry, which provides immediate jobs and economic activity. And improved infrastructure sets the table for private investment.

You can see where the Assembly Square Drive stimulus project, a new Orange Line station and a local/state/federal plan to build new infrastructure has paved the way for more than a billion dollars of private investment in Assembly Square. This nation needs a lot more of that. The growth we need will not happen by accident.

Senior Picnic – Due to rainy forecast we have moved the annual Senior Picnic at Powderhouse Park to Friday. The good news is the weather should be spectacular for one of the city’s biggest events. I’m looking forward to it. We have been working hard on these other issues. It’s important to play hard too.