The monthly Somerville Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours reception will be held Thursday, February 5 at Daddy Jones Restaurant & Bar in Magoun Square on Medford Street. FYI we suggest you try out their macaroni and cheese. Very nice, and goes very well with any of the exotic drinks in the house. RSVP President Stephen Mackey at smackey@somervillechamber.org.
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This coming Monday, February 9 6-8 p.m. at one of Assembly Row’s newest sports bar and grilles, “Tony’s C” will be hosting a fundraiser for Alderman At Large Mary Jo Rossetti, a first term Alderman. Mary Jo has, to no one’s surprise, become another very popular Alderman who listens to all the constituents here in the city. She is going to be a candidate for re-election this year. It would be a great time to visit and check out “Tony C” and to show your support for Alderman-Lady Rossetti. We are lucky to have elected officials like Mary Jo and the Board as a whole representing the city.
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Our deepest condolences to the Patrick Sullivan Jr. family of Spring Hill. Patrick was a veteran as well as one of Somerville’s finest Firemen for 38 years. A great family man and resident here in Somerville.
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We heard about a new job opening here in the city and we couldn’t believe it. Has anyone heard of “Director of Constituents’ Services?” We never did, and we tried to open up the fiscal 15 budget to see if it was there, and even though it was boring we couldn’t find that job description.
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Our opinion: We traveled around to Arlington/Medford and Cambridge and found that overall our city’s DPW crew was superior and doing a fantastic job (even though some thought they were in a rodeo). One major complaint is that some of new, younger Somerville Police officers were rude while on duty, especially during the snow clean up. Maybe they didn’t complete the “Social Skills” class 101 how to talk to residents. We actually had a couple of complaints made to us. We referred them to the Police Dept., so hopefully they got the same calls and visits as we did here at The Times.
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We guess the Board of Alderman members were busy shoveling their sidewalks from these past two storms. They cancelled the Public Hearing on the new snow ordinance for Tuesday (yesterday) the 3rd because of the snow. No date given yet for when it will be rescheduled. Is there something wrong with that or is it just us? We will report the new date as soon as they announce it. Look on our web site and on Facebook and Twitter for the new date. Remember, this new ordinance was voted on already by the entire Board of Alderman except for Ward 6 Rebeckah Gerwitz, who was absent. Now they see that many are upset over the ordinance so they call for a Public Hearing after the fact.
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We hear a rumor that Alderman Rebeckah Gerwitz is not going to seek re-election. We also hear if that happens School Committee member in Ward 6, Paul Bockleman, will run for office. We also heard that Alderman Tony LaFaunte of Ward 4 – a former mayoral candidate – might consider running for mayor again with his son Andrew running for his seat in Ward 4. Wouldn’t that be interesting? There is enough of a divide here in Camelot to maybe give long time Mayor Joe Curtatone a problem. What do you think?
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Happy Birthday this week to some here in the city and fans of The Times: Lifelong resident and great lady Ann Dunbar is celebrating this week. We wish her the very best. Alderman and great guy in Ward 3, who is very busy continuing the leadership he was elected to conduct, we salute Alderman Bob McWatters and wish him a very happy birthday. Also, a great lady and former Villen, Eleanor Pye, who grew up here and worked at SCATV for awhile. She now works at Endicott College. We wish her a very happy birthday. Also, happy birthday to an old friend, Tim McGavin, formerly of Medford. Another good friend, Mr. David Olsen is celebrating this week.
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The new zoning ordinances being proposed go to public hearing, scheduled for February 10 at 6 p.m. in the City Hall Alderman Chambers. This is very important if you want to have a say in the new proposal by the mayor and his staff.
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The Boston Science Fiction Film Festival and Marathon (“Boston SciFi”) is an 11-day cinematic event held at the historic Somerville Theatre from February 6th to the 16th. The 2015 edition marks our 40th anniversary as the oldest genre fest in America. The first nine days consist of a film festival that emphasizes emerging directors with distinct visions from around the globe. The Festival concludes with The Marathon (a.k.a., “The ‘Thon”), a 24-hour orgiastic motion picture endurance test featuring classic, new and schlock films. Think of it as binge viewing with 700 close friends. It starts at noon on the 15th and ends at noon on President’s Day. At the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, MA 02144 (617) 625-5700.
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Tickets are on sale for this year’s Somerville High School Musical production of Aida. Three performances of “Aida,” an Elton John/ Tim Rice collaboration, are scheduled for February 2015 at SHS’s newly renovated Centennial Auditorium. Adapted from the four-time TONY award-winning hit, Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida School Edition is an epic tale of love, loyalty and betrayal chronicling the love triangle between Aida, a Nubian princess stolen from her country, Amneris, an Egyptian princess, and Radames, the soldier they both love. Get your tickets before they sell out. For tickets and show information, please visit www.somerville.k12.ma.us/musical http://www.somerville.k12.ma.us/musical. All performances will take place in the beautiful, refurbished SHS Auditorium, 81 Highland Avenue. · Thursday, February 5, 2015 at 7:00 PM · Friday, February 6, 2015 at 7:00 PM · Saturday, February 7, 2015 at 2:00 PM Purchase your tickets in advance and save! Ticket prices are: Adult: $10 advance purchase / $12 at the door. Students (PK-12 and any young child not in school requiring their own seat): $8 advance purchase / $10 at the door. Senior Citizens: $8 advance purchase / $10 at the door. Tickets can be purchased in advance by mailing a check to Rosemary Sears at Somerville High School (81 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143) or by visiting www.ticketstage.com/SHS<http://www.ticketstage.com/SHS> (convenience fee applies to online ticket purchases). Make checks payable to SHS Performing Arts.
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