By 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.)

There was a great piece in the March 18 Boston Globe Magazine entitled “Top 11 Mass. cities and towns for home values.”  The story documented a select group of communities where average home values were higher in 2011 than they were in 2005, and Somerville, with a 3.9 percent gain during that period, made the list. As author Saumya Vaishampayan observed, “Some of the winning communities – such as Somerville, Charlestown, and Jamaica Plain – are especially attractive to young professionals, particularly since home prices in these spots are more within reach (though still well over the state median).”

I admit it: when it comes to the way the world looks at Somerville, I’m more than a little competitive. I always like to see our city score high – or just plain win – whenever or wherever we can. We wouldn’t want to have the highest property values in the state – that’s not the kind of city we want to be – but it’s good to know that, like our unemployment rate of 4.5 percent, our property values haven’t been undercut by the recent recession.

I was also pleased to see Somerville win another important competition last week:  On Friday, March 16, the state’s Community Innovation Challenge Grant program awarded $373,000 to Lowell, Amesbury, Somerville, Woburn, and Worcester so that we can work together to develop and share common standards for performance management and best practices in municipal government. We got the money because the state knows that each of these communities has a strong record for implementing management efficiencies through data-driven management decisions.  SomerStat has been a major success story in controlling costs and improving services for Somerville, and now the state is giving us the resources to export that success to other cities and towns across the Commonwealth.

Another area where we’ve been playing to win is transportation. Over the past two years, we have rolled out a host of highly visible transportation improvements that include: kiosks and meters that take credit cards; eleven new miles of bike lanes; dozens of new metered spaces in and adjacent to our business districts; new business, employee and visitor parking permits that are easier to obtain and use; re-signing, repaving and crosswalk repainting across the city; a new website that simplifies most traffic and parking transactions (and allows credit card payments with no “convenience fees”); an added customer service window and much shorter lines at T&P’s Holland Street offices, and much, much more.

Also on the transportation front, we’ve just announced our intention to pilot a back-in angled parking program for Bow Street in Union Square. It’s a change that not only increases metered visitor parking by a whopping 90 percent but also improves safety for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians. I don’t think we have the space or street configurations to do this everywhere in the city, but in those locations where it’s feasible, it should be a win-win-win innovation for businesses, residents and visitors, no matter how they get around.

But the most important transportation news this week is that we’re announcing a new advisory group that will, along with local business and civic leaders, include some of our brightest local experts, and some of our toughest community critics. The Transportation Research, Innovation and Planning (TRIP) Team will take a look at potential technological and administrative enhancements that can take Somerville to the next level in transportation practice. The TRIP Team will explore everything from extending the duration of visitor permits (beyond the current 48 hours) to setting up demand management with variable parking hours and pricing to optimize availability and usage.

Of course, anything the TRIP Team comes up with will have to be extensively reviewed by the Traffic Commission and the general public, but it will provide a good vehicle for advancing our transportation systems and strategies, not only for cars, but for pedestrians, cyclists, scooter riders, transit riders, Segway riders and everyone else who looking to get around efficiently in our walkable, drive-able, bike-able ‘Ville.

And finally, I can’t talk about playing to win without mentioning two other competitions. On March 31, the city will kick off its third annual Fitness Challenge and I’m holding three spots on my team for volunteers. You don’t need to be an athlete – we want all levels of fitness to be represented – but you have to be at least 18 years old, and willing to try hard. You also have to submit a short explanation (100 words or less) of why you should be part of my team. To find out more about the competition and how to apply, visit the ResiStat log on the web at somervilleresistat.blogspot.com, or call Denise Taylor at 617-625-6600, ext.2103. And hurry: you have to have your entry in by March 26.

Last – and definitely least – be sure to tune in this Thursday morning, March 22, at 9 a.m. to 101.7 WFNX FM radio for the final showdown in the “My Song Is Better than Your Song” Mayoral Challenge. I’ll be facing my longtime nemesis – the wily Rob Dolan, Mayor of Melrose – in a winner-takes-all re-match. And to win, I need your votes by phone, by text message or on Facebook.  Check out the City of Somerville’s official Facebook page for more information. This is the Big One and, as always, I’m playing to win.  I hope you will, too.