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Government with a smile?
Mayor emphasizes customer service in city government
By Andrea Gregory
The major themes running through Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone’s State of the City Address were customer service and community involvement.
Curtatone said the city had a good year in 2006 and now is the time to take the city further down the right path. However, that doesn’t happen alone, he added.
“Thanks to you Somerville rocks,” said the mayor in his speech on Monday, Jan.1. “Beyond a doubt, our city has been transformed in the past year for the better, and the credit for that transformation belongs to all of us. It belongs to everyone who has invested in Somerville’s future by living here or moving here or working here or raising a family here. It belongs to all of us, and its benefits will be felt across this city in every square and neighborhood for many years to come.”
Also present at Monday night’s meeting was newly elected Lt. Gov. Tim Murray. Murray talked about the state’s overall economic condition, saying he wished he had better news. He said the state is struggling to deliver services on a shrinking budget.
“These have been difficult years,” he said.
However, despite the condition of the Bay State as a whole, there are some towns and cities finding way to thrive and improve overall quality of life issues.
“It is local government on a day-today basis where the rubber meets the road,” he said.
Curtatone said Somerville experienced record economic growth in, bringing in more than $3 million in new municipal revenue in 2006. As a result, many residents will see a reduction on their tax bills in 2007.
The economics of a municipality are important, but equally important are its relationships, said Curtatone. He said officials want to hear and know what’s going on in neighborhoods. Every concern should be addressed.
“Here in Somerville, our close-knit neighborhoods have always helped us and sometimes forced us to appreciate the importance of that shared sense of community, and even at a time when Somerville’s fortunes appear to be on the upswing, our city’s proven ability to work together for the common good will serve us well as we face difficult challenges and hard choices,” he said.
To prepare for what lies ahead, Curtatone announced The ACE Service Project. Ace stands for accurate, courteous and easy. The mission is to respond to constituent needs.
Curtatone began referencing residents as customers in recent months. He has since brought customer service to the forefront of city government. Although the idea may be a little unorthodox, Curtatone said it is this kind of innovative thinking that will help build better solutions and a better city.
“The mission of this project is to respond accurately and efficiently to constituent needs, while treating each customer with courtesy and respect, and constantly improve the ease of doing business with city government,” said Curtatone
The new initiative will expand existing programs, such as the city’s 311 service and introduce new attempts to bring the laypeople into active roles.
The 311 program was introduced to Somerville just over a year ago. Since then, the free information service has fielded more than 30,000 calls and can now help residents in a variety of languages.
The city’s Web site is expected to become more user-friendly, following the hire of a new Web service director. Also, on New Year’s Day, the mayor eliminated the $3 charge for paying parking tickets online effective immediately.
Residents can expect to see ATMs machines at city hall and in the traffic and parking office.
“Mystery shoppers” – a service commonly used to test the retail industry workers on their customer service skills will now test Somerville’s local officials on just how well they treat residents.
The mayor also said forming neighborhood advisory groups is on the agenda.
“These groups will meet monthly with city staff to make key recommendations on neighborhood-specific issues,” he said. “This will be a major and complex undertaking, and it cannot succeed without the active and constructive participation of public-spirited residents prepared to think about how to sustain and expand our city’s positive transformation while preserving all the things we love best about living and working in Somerville.”
Ward 7 Alderman Robert C. Trane was voted in by his peers as the new board president. He pledged to tackle environmental issued in the coming year. Trane said he is trying to form a committee to review brownfield and “environmentally challenged” properties in Somerville. The committee also would work with state and city officials to ensure cleanup.
Trane is further calling for an audit of all of the city’s energy use, followed by a plan to cut back on costs and become more efficient.
“In short, an audit to make us more green to save green, as in your tax dollars,” he said.
Additionally, Trane is hoping for more unity among officials. On the first day of 2007, he asked them “to put aside the self-anointed titles of being the most progressive or the best person to represent new or long term residents,” said Trane. “This city has always been about dealing with change. Let’s change the tone and tenor of the political discourse in 2007 and make Somerville an even better place to live and work.”
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