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By Andrew Firestone

The Board of Alderman candidates recently chatted with The Somerville News’ Andrew Firestone. Each of their resultant profiles are presented here, in alphabetical order according to their last names.

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John Connolly, Alderman-Extraordinaire

Longest tenured and ready for more

Jack Connolly is a civil servant, born and raised in Somerville, and an Alderman since 1984. Formerly a Ward 6 representative, Connelly was ousted in 2005, but re-elected in 2007 to his current seat as Alderman At Large.

A lifelong resident and father of three, also operator of Woodwedge-Crane and Connolly insurance, and a member of the Finance and Legislative Matters committees, Connolly says that his experience in both the public and private sectors gives him an edge in his re-election bid.

“I probably bring one of the most accomplished and versatile resumes to the job,” he said. “I’ve proven the test of time, that I have adapted and changed as the city has grown and changed.”

“I enjoy doing it, and I’d like to keep continuing as I do make and have made a difference,” he said.

And the difference he has made cannot be denied. Beginning with the facilitation of the Red Line stop in Davis Square, Connolly has made a career of using public policy measures to enact change for the better. His proudest decision over the years? Liquor license reform.

“Although it’s not headline news, it’s something from a quality of life point of view that has made a difference in how the city is perceived and how the city does its business.”

“Back in late ’80s early ’90s we had not barrooms but ‘brawlrooms’ and there were problems, people who owned licenses back then who didn’t live in the city and who were making a lot of money by conducting less than businesses.”

He said that, through working with people and neighborhoods in comprehensive strategy, these violent bars in the city squares gradually got the message that they were not wanted.

“As a result a lot of the bad barrooms left town, were forced out of business, went under and now, with the work of a lot of people, the city has changed,” he said, noting the “more attractive atmospheric restaurants,” that have arisen as the talk of the town.

With state legislators signaling that they might be willing to lift municipal caps on liquor licenses, Connolly said the real work in fostering more business can go forward, but does not fear a return to the rough-and-tumble days. He noted that the non-transferable licenses gives the city licensing board complete control over the distribution, and that is a body he trusts.

As for his toughest decision, Connolly said that the sheer long-term ramifications of the Assembly Square bond vote was his biggest challenge. The area, which would take the place of the former “car theft capitol of the world” that was its former establishment, is currently set for an Orange Line stop, but required a sizeable investment from the city to see it done.

“The DIF [District Improvement Financing] bond expense for the $25 million was probably the toughest, because so much was riding on it, literally, the future of that development,” he said. He called it “probably one of the most important votes that I’ve ever taken,” in his long career.

In response to one of his biggest criticisms, the raising of fees and fines, Connolly said that while disagreeable, it was necessary in order to avoid raising property taxes for residents.

“The city is a business, and like anything else, we have to look at different ways to maintain the quality of services we have,” he said.

“Rather than raise taxes, we’ve looked at fees and fines, because they are the fairest way of doing it. It’s not fair to saddle the taxpayers, who in many cases have done a lot in terms of their own experience with the city. But for those people who are careless overstaying their parking meter or who aren’t careful about putting out trash, there’s ways to remedy that situation,” he said.

Connolly said he was optimistic for Somerville and hoped to be around to see it reach even further heights. “I’m really excited about the future because we’re able to capitalize on our location near Boston, using the public transportation as a big draw for people to be in the community.”

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Desmond works for the Community
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Alderman At Large Bruce Desmond is a man who believes that making a difference in a community begins at its most basic level. After founding Somerville Cares About Prevention (SCAP) to help combat lax liquor stores and poor prevention control, Desmond says that his proudest achievement since his last election came from his helping to found the Somerville Youth Development and Boxing Club.

“It’s a non-profit that addresses a lot of the issues that I’m concerned with in the city,” he said. “I’ve always worked hard to serve substance abuse programs in the city, and prevention programs. This will deal with a lot of that.”

Desmond was elected an Alderman At Large in 2001. For the last ten years, he has worked diligently to help Somerville be a good place to raise a family.

So it was that he has devoted such energy into founding the Club at the Edgerly Education center.

“It’s something that I think over time is going to prove to be a very big asset for the Somerville Youth,” said Desmond. “It’s a about a place to build an alternative to drugs and trouble.”

In his hopes for Somerville’s future, he said he would find ways of attracting more families to Somerville. “A lot of families are moving out. From when I first started back in 1993, when I was first elected to School Committee, there were a lot more families where I lived out on Spring Hill. One by one those families would leave.”

Desmond pointed to rising housing that led to fewer families in lieu of a more transient young professional population.

Desmond said his strategy might be to work with Tufts to identify housing that students use, like the many three bedroom houses, and try to shift the lost property value, possibly by offsetting students away from there. In this way, the city could in the future develop apartments more affordable for young families to “stay here and establish roots here.”

Desmond said that his toughest decision was to move healthcare to the GIC, which he lamented in its effect on retirees.

“People that are working have a chance to maybe work some overtime or find a second job, and make up the difference. The retirees don’t and that part of it bothered me. That’s why I want to see their contribution rate reduced if we can do that at all,” he said, adding that he plans on taking it up immediately in January if re-elected.

Desmond supported a Local Hiring Ordinance that is currently being hammered out in the Legislative Matters committee, an ordinance whose presence has garnered controversy over Constitutional measures.

Desmond noted that years of little commercial tax based had led to the homeowners of Somerville taking up a heavier tax load, and new developments that receive public funds should be more aware of such a partnership. “We’re the ones that have painstakingly gone through this whole process to make it work. The residents of Somerville have been carrying the burden of local taxes for quite some time.”

“We build up the commercial tax base, why can’t we also get those people who have been carrying the load a first-chance hire,” he said.

He said that, in terms of the future commercial taxes from Assembly Square, the most important part was to “to make sure that it keeps moving.”

As for the Green Line Extension, the most hotly debated topic, he said that, with the larger political economy at work in Washington, it was Congress that needed to wake up and approve funding.

He said he would work with Congressman Capuano, Governor Patrick, MassDOT and “we have to help point to [the Federal Government] that in this whole region, that there is an economic recovery, a boom if you look at it, that even they can take credit for on their side of the aisle, meaning the republicans, and point to it and say, look at what we did in Boston and Somerville. I think it’s a matter of cooperation, working together as a team.”

“Let’s all push in the same direction and I think we’ll have more success,” he said.

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Todd Easton talks civic engagement
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Todd Easton isn’t your typical candidate for Alderman At Large. He’s been a stay-at-home dad for the last two and a half years, working for many years before as an independent contractor for Travel Collaborative. Easton says that it is his work in the city, in large part due to his raising of his three young children, Emmett, Simon, and Helena, that makes him the ideal replacement for a BOA incumbent.

“Having a young family keeps you engaged and active in a lot of different aspects of the city,” said Easton, resident since 2002.

“I don’t necessarily feel like these guys are in tune. Most of them have had families at some point that have now grown up and moved on from the school systems and what not.”

“The people have said to me that the Board is complacent, they’re not as engaged as they used to be,” he said relating that his experience talking with community members has had him hear many residents who do not believe the BOA is as responsive to the issues as they feel they deserve.

“People are already coming to me,” he said. “I have a network of people that I can go to, resources that I know from being active in the city. I just put people in touch with people who can help them out,” he said, reflecting on the community nature of local politics.

“It’s all about communication.”

As far as the issues go, Easton said that his experience in the services industry, where you can’t let clients be stranded without a solution, is what gives him confidence in dealing with issues he knows and doesn’t know.

“I’m not concerned about those kinds of things because the majority of the guys are sitting on the Board, they didn’t have that experience when they came on the Board. How did they learn about it? They asked questions, they went to people who had that experience already,” he said.

“I rely heavily on my networking,” he said, noting that the diverse and educated workforce Somerville has become a hotbed for has allowed him a network of advisors whom he would wish to serve as Alderman.

For instance, he said that the abandoned Star Market needed better leadership and that the people needed to be engaged and encouraged to engage on the ultimate decision, which he said should have been made long ago.

“There’s lots of issues out there that I know nothing about. But I do have a vast network of people that I can rely on and if it comes up in issues like zoning, I know a fair number of city planners that live here in the city that work in other towns, I know a fair number of architects, I know a fair number of lawyers, that can help me digest and make decisions upon what I need to make decisions upon,” he said.

“There’s lots of things I have opinions about and there’s lots of things I don’t have any opinions about because I haven’t talked about them,” he said, adding that he would commit “due diligence and research” to any and all issues that came before him.

“These are not my decisions, these are the peoples’ decisions,” he said.

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Fitzgerald enters the fray
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As Sean Fitzgerald gears up for his challenge in the Alderman At Large race, he brings with him a vast amount of experience working in Public Policy. Currently a top aide to Representative Jay Kaufman, D – Lexington, Fitzgerald also previously worked with Mayor Dorothy Kelly Gay, and Senator Charles Shannon. After working in municipal and state politics since 1997, after previously running a sports club, Fitzgerald has decided to take “a more formal” role in local politics.

“I think change is good and I think a lot of people that I’ve seen indicate to me that they’re accepting to a change,” said Fitzgerald. “I’d just like to see the Board of Alderman become a more deliberative body. I think they’ve become a little reactionary over time.”

Fitzgerald, a resident since 2004 says that, while he approves of many policies supported by the BOA, including switching healthcare to the GIC, which he as a state employee is on, and approving the Assembly Square bond, he says that far too many votes are near unanimous and cites this as an example of poor public process.

“The Board has seen some very good plans put forth by the mayor and his team, but that’s not going to happen forever. When a new mayor comes in, we’re going to need a Board that is going to be proactive and challenging the mayor, and trying to get the best deal, not only for the residents but for the city as a whole,” he said.

Fitzgerald said he would look into consolidating city properties, such as those that are not in use or accruing taxes, as well as those offices that are not easily accessible to the public, such as the Evergreen Street offices. The Evergreen Street offices hold many departments, including the Heath Board, Somerville Arts Council, and Retirement Board.

Fitzgerald said he also had interest in beautifying the city, building and improving parks and community space.

“It’s a community oriented city,” said Fitzgerald on why he loved Somerville. “Neighbors know each other and people take pride in Somerville.”

Residential tax burdens are also one of his concerns, and he said he would like the ratio of revenue to go from 65 percent residential to 50.

He said that he would look for the best way to ease residential tax burdens and follow the path of development, not only large-scale, but smaller businesses too to take up the community squares, such as finding “those family mom-and-pop businesses and try to relocate them to Somerville to try to foster and increase our commercial tax base.”

Fitzgerald is married to Rachel with two children, 9 and 11, who are enrolled in the West Somerville Neighborhood School. He is a member of the PTA.

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Nionakis won’t back down

FRIT is ‘nickel and diming’ city

Michael Nionakis, born, raised and educated in the city of Somerville, holds his opinions strong and hard. An assistant Deputy Superintendent for the Middlesex Sheriff’s Department, Nionakis says he has entered the race for Alderman At Large over one glaring issue, he thinks the Board of Aldermen have been doing an “average job.”

“To let the city borrow $27.5 million for the infrastructure down on Assembly Square, to me that’s not doing their job,” said Nionakis, referring to the $25 million bond requisition taken out by the city for the tri-party agreement.

“[Developer Federal Realty Investment Trust] is a four billion dollar company, and they’re nickel and diming us for that money, when they could have absorbed it themselves. They have a $375 million dollar operating budget, and I believe they have over $400 million in revenue every year, so why should we be footing the bill for that?”

Describing himself as a family man who will not back down from his beliefs, Nionakis said that he brings a fresh perspective to the city that is badly needed if the challenges facing it are to be met successfully.

Another decision Nionakis would not abide sitting down was the city’s decision to move their employees and retirees to the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) earlier this year, a switch which lowered the city’s healthcare costs, but raised co-pays for many.

“I’m with the GIC right now,” said Nionakis, an employee of the state. He recalled once that two years ago, after he went in for a physical “I got a letter from the GIC saying, ‘as of right now, you have a $250 deductible for certain lab work.’”

Claiming he received the price hike without warning, Nionakis made his feelings plain. “The GIC, to me, is unregulated. They can just turn around and send you a letter one day, and as of the day you receive [it], the changes they put in [your insurance structure] are in effect.”

As for his desired work on the Board of Aldermen, Nionakis said he would work to keep housing affordable in Somerville, especially with the projected rise of property values due to the future completion of the GLX.

While the city currently has a 12.5 percent cap on affordable housing, Nionakis said that once it was clear the GLX would be arriving, “I would immediately try to make an enactment where [the cap] would go to 15 percent.”

“[Development] is going to force some residents out of the city once everything is complete. Deep down, bringing the affordable housing up to 15 percent on new construction, I think that’ll work out, because corporations are going to make money. It’s not much, they can absorb that,” he said.

As for the Green Line Extension, “this is money that the state promised us, we should have had it 10 years ago and they haven’t fulfilled their obligation, and I believe that that falls on the part of the legislative body that we have up on Beacon Hill. They should have been fighting for that right from the get go,” he said.

“They fell asleep at the wheel on it.”

Nionakis lives on Mansfield St. with his wife Susan, son, Michael, 4, and his daughter Michaela, 22, a junior at Bay State College.

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Sullivan touts outreach

Brings ‘city hall to neighborhoods’

Alderman At Large Dennis Sullivan is someone who practices what he preaches. An eight-year tenure on the BOA, with six years previous on the School Committee has led Sullivan deeper and deeper into the community, and that, he says, is where his main strength lies.

“What I’m most proud of is my outreach to the community,” he said. “People say that they only see their elected officials during an election year; they can’t say that about me. I’ve conducted over 100 office hours,” he said ranging from spring, fall, summer and winter. He called the residents and their input a “vital, sounding board” in making decisions on issues legislative to licensing related.

“I’ve taken government out of City Hall, and brought it to the neighborhoods,” he said.

Sullivan, a sergeant in the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, sits as the chairman of the licensing and permits committee, a seat he says he uses to the best of his ability to balance the needs of businesses and members of the community respectively.

“I think I’ve created an environment that is business friendly, but not at the cost of the residents and neighborhoods,” he said.

Looking forward, he says, the Winter Hill neighborhood is in disarray, and needs desperately to be rezoned in order to maximize its potential.

“I think we need to rezone Winter Hill,” he said. “I think we need to take that zoning that has happened on lower Broadway and push it up Broadway into Winter Hill. It’s somewhat of a neglected area, and I think it needs attention,” he said, adding that the former Star Market lot is still vacant.

Of his toughest decision, Sullivan said that the GIC vote was what ultimately gave him worries, despite the necessity of passing such a switch for city employees.

“It was going to change the health plans especially among retirees. It was going to decrease their premium but it was going to up their co-pays, so it was changing their circumstances,” he said.

“Given the climate that we’re in, we couldn’t afford to continue without the GIC. We couldn’t continue on the health plan that we had. So I recognize that it did effect people and it was a tough vote.”

Of his decision to vote to raise the fees on parking, Sullivan said that the city balanced a need to take care of their services without cutting quality of life.

“People want services. Any time services are cut, whether it be services in the schools, trash pick up, the fire service, the police service, we need to cover those services,” he said.

“Some of the fees needed to be adjusted. If you look at it, tickets being handed out were down over the last few years,” he said.

Sullivan, who lives in East Somerville with his wife, Melissa, has recently garnered endorsements from the Sierra Club for his work in promoting single-stream recycling and the Progressive Democrats of Somerville.

Sullivan was also quick to defend the public school system, which he says is unfairly criticized given how burdened they are by various media outlets.

“Right now, we have over 50 languages spoken at the High School,” he said. “I think we do a good job given the population that we serve.”

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White sees tough road ahead

Community development contingent on commercial

Incumbent Bill White is a man who prizes issues at heart, and in his 14 years serving on the Board of Aldermen, he has made those prevalent, long-ranging ones his causes. As Vice-Chair of the legislative Matters Committee, chair of Public Health and Safety, Chair of land use and a seat on the Finance Committee, he says it is only through due diligence and tough decisions that the city has managed to keep afloat and run smoothly.

But he says the planning is what needs to be there, and sensible application is what he will strive for if re-elected.

“I grew up in this city, and I remember when there were slaughterhouses, alright. I grew up near a slaughterhouse. I found out what the effects of bad planning are on people,” he said.

After years of fighting, White says that the only thing that irks him is the delay in the Green Line Extension, an idea he remembers from as far back as 1985 when he was a lawyer at a private firm in Boston. He previously referred to the delay as a “middle finger” from the state.

He also noted the adverse effects of air quality due to I-93, and the history of poor planning that the state has hoisted upon Somerville, most recently due to the GLX.

“We’ve paid for that,” he said. “Our people have, our city has and it wasn’t a commitment that was delayed two years or three. That was supposed to be up and operating by 2011. We made plans to develop the areas and spend tens of thousands of dollars and tens of thousands of people hours changing the zoning, looking at Union Square, looking at the Inner Belt, looking at Brickbottom, thinking of ways to further develop there, using Union Square as an anchor. With the T delaying us now, that puts us behind financially, I think. Very far behind.”

Commercial development, it seems, is what White believes would be best for the city, which is why he looks to the future Assembly Square site as a beacon of development for the city.

“As the economy gets worse, the Green Line gets delayed, that’s the only place where I think in the foreseeable future, you can actually see a place that’s going to create jobs and tax revenue,” he said.

“When you have cutbacks in federal funding and cutbacks in the state as well it falls on communities like Somerville,” he said, as Somerville relies heavily upon aid due to a lack of commercial development. “We’re a combination of many different types of folks in the city,” he qualified, listing the diverse population of young professionals, students, immigrants and working class.

What he would not do, he said, was further burden the working class and senior populations by raising their taxes any higher.

On his toughest decision since last elected, White said that joining the employees and retirees to the Group Insurance Commission healthcare was a particularly difficult one for him.

“When I get calls from schoolteachers that I had that are in their ’80s now, that’s a personal decision,” he said.

“It’s not only facts and figures, it is how does this affect people. I’ve seen a lot of the retirees who are going to get hit by it. In a personal sense, folks who have worked their entire lives for the city, it’s going to have a financial impact on them. It was a tough vote, but I took the vote that I had to take,” he said.