By David R. Smith

The year that was will continue to shape Somerville well into the new year and beyond.

Large-scale plans for revitalizing whole sections of the city took steps – sometimes small and sometimes large – towards becoming reality. And changes made in 2013 to who will represent Somerville and its residents, whether through resignations or elections, will no doubt influence the direction of where the city goes over the next 12 months and beyond.

Like every other city and town, and like every other person, we experienced both tragedies and good times and, in the end, hopefully more victories than losses. With that in mind, here are just a few of the issues that took center stage over the last year.

Bob Publicover passed and a city mourned its loss.

Remembering Bob ‘Pub’ Publicover

The new year started on a sad note with the Dec. 31, 2012, passing of lifelong Somerville resident and longtime Somerville News Publisher Bob Publicover at age 63.

He was a co-founder of the Somerville High Scholarship Fund, a member of the Somerville Home Board of Trustees and was both prominent and respected in local politics. He was a proud member of the Masons (King Solomon’s Lodge) and a much-adored Dad Advisor with the Boston Chapter of DeMolay.

He fought a decades-long battle with AIDS and was a vocal and active advocate for AIDS research funding. He was also a published author, writing both a children’s book and book of poetry.

Sean Collier made posthumous Somerville police officerThe terror and tragedy of the April 15 Boston Marathon terrorist bombings barely had time to sink in when 27-year-old Somerville resident Sean Collier, an MIT police officer, was fatally shot while on duty April 18 allegedly by the accused bombers, Tamerlan and Dzhokar Tsarnaev.

Collier, who friends and family said wanted to be a police officer, was slated to join the Somerville Police Department June 3. Through local and state-level legislative action, Collier was posthumously appointed a Somerville police officer this past summer.

Ward 5’s Courtney O’Keefe is but one of many who will be stepping down as Aldermen in the coming year.

A year of resignations, replacements and new faces

Nearly half of the seats on the 11-member Board of Aldermen will be held by new members in the new year.

Ward 1 Alderman Bill Roche resigned at the end of last year to take a job with the city as interim part-time personnel director. He was appointed to the full-time permanent position in March. School Committee member Maureen Bastardi filled his seat in the interim but lost the election this past November to Matt Mclaughlin.

Ward 5 Alderman Sean O’Donovan had also resigned, and Courtney O’Keefe, who was appointed to his seat for the remainder of his term, lost in the election to Mark Neidergang.

Three aldermen did not seek re-election. Ward 3 Alderman Tom Trane announced in a resignation letter in May that health issues prompted his decision not to run again after 27 years on the board, which makes him the longest-serving alderman in the city’s history. Robert McWatters will take his seat. Ward 7 Alderman Bob Trane’s seat will be filled by Katjana Ballantyne, and the position held by Alderman-at-Large Bruce Desmond will now be held by former School Committee Chairman Mary Jo Rossetti.

Incumbents Maryann Heuston (Ward 2), Tony Lafuente (Ward 4) and Rebekah Gewirtz all ran unopposed.

A summer of arsons

House fires are not necessarily uncommon, but beginning this past summer and going into the fall, Somerville saw more than its fair share, and in many of those cases, arson was clearly the cause.

Of more than a dozen house fires beginning June 27, several were deemed suspicious and at least four were ruled arson. The last case of clear arson occurred Sept. 6 on Laurel Terrace. While there have been house fires since, none appear connected to the arson cases.

The Assembly Row development took great strides forward in 2013.

Assembly Row development

The development of Assembly Row as a mixed-use site continued in 2013.

The state’s largest private employer, Partners HealthCare, will be the first major industry tenant to take up occupancy at the site. The nonprofit healthcare provider plans to build up to 1.1 million square feet of new mixed-use office space in several phases on the former IKEA parcel in Assembly Square. Approximately 4,500 administrative employees are scheduled to move by late 2016 into the first two buildings.

Assembly Row will also be home to Legoland Discovery Center Boston. A groundbreaking for the indoor facility, measuring some 44,000 square feet, was held in October. Legoland is slated to open in May 2014.

The 56-acre Assembly Row development will include 1.75 million square feet of commercial space, 500,000 square feet of retail, a 12-screen AMC Theater, a hotel and 2,100 residential units.

Cavalia’s Odysseo thrilled audiences at Assembly Row last year.

While all of that is in the future, Assembly Row has already served as an entertainment and recreational destination in 2013. In addition to the annual Rivefest that was held there this past September at the newly renovated Baxter Park, the Montreal-based entertainment group Cavalia launched the U.S. premiere of its show Odysseo at Assembly Row this past August. The event, featuring equestrian-based entertainment mixed with high-tech theatrical performances proved so popular at the site that its run was extended by five more shows.