By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

A few years ago at one of our ResiStat neighborhood meetings, a resident brought up an issue with the street sweeping schedule. Because of schedule specifics – and unpredictable New England winters – her side of the street would often miss out on sweeping for months at a time. After she brought this to our attention, we got all the necessary parties at the table and figured out a solution sooner than we probably would have otherwise. And this is just one example of the many ways that residents have helped us improve city services and policy just by showing up. We’re getting ready to kick off this fall’s round of ResiStat meetings, and I hope you too will show up.

We started ResiStat meetings to share the data-based problem-solving discussions that drive decision-making here at City Hall. (That’s where the name comes from. It’s a combination of Residents and Statistics.) The meetings have since evolved to also include a lively question and answer session where topics ranging from potholes to long-range planning come up. They’ve grown so popular and we have so much to cover, that we hold the meetings in each of the seven wards two times per year.

If you come, you’ll find city staff, me, your aldermen and often members of the State delegation in attendance—as well as your neighbors. City staff, the Chief of Police, and I will run through updates on topics like the details of the proposed new high school and how we’ll pay for it, the latest on the Green Line extension, crime and quality of life data from your neighborhoods and more. Then we listen to your concerns and answer questions. It’s this critical back and forth that makes these meetings so important to me.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Data-based decision making is at the core of what we do here at City Hall. But we’re not naïve. We know that the numbers can only tell so much of the story. And that’s why I want to see you at your ResiStat meeting. We need to hear from you—whether during the meeting or via one-on-one conversations during the meet and greet beforehand. We know that you know your streets, your neighborhood, and your priorities better than anyone else, and we need your help to attach anecdotes to the data we collect so that we can make policy decisions informed by the public we serve.

ResiStat meetings are designed to be useful to all residents, no matter how informed or involved you currently are. They offer enough of an overview in just 90 minutes that you could commit to attend just one or two of these meetings per year and still be well informed about city projects, issues, and initiatives. But the hope is that they will entice you to want to learn and speak up more.

I consider it my responsibility to bridge the gap between institutional government and City residents. Getting out into our neighborhoods and communities to start open, honest conversations about the issues at hand and empowering all of our residents to help address those issues is key to realizing our City’s potential. We can’t discuss it all at ResiStat meetings. They offer more of an overview than a deep dive. But they also serve as gateway meetings. Often they are the first meeting a resident attends but not the last. Attendees get an update on a topic and then get inspired to take part in deeper discussions on initiatives like our proposed zoning overhaul, Union Square development, or affordable housing. ResiStat is a pathway to the kind of ground-up leadership and civic contributions that make our city great.

Interpretation into Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Spanish is offered at every ResiStat meeting. We’re also holding a separate Spanish-language meeting, in addition to the seven ward meetings, that all are invited to attend (there will be interpretation into English).

So I’m asking you to come out to your ward ResiStat meeting or to the Spanish-language meeting. Mingle with friends, neighbors, elected officials, and city staff over pizza. Get involved and stay informed. But most importantly, participate.

Visit the ResiStat website at somervilleresistat.blogspot.com to find out when your local meeting is, and in the meantime sign up for the ResiStat email list here at www.somervillema.gov/newsletter.