Attention members of Local 103 of the Electrical Union in Boston: voting is this coming Saturday May 6. We hope you elect a real good guy, Kevin Molineaux, for one of the six seats on the Executive Board. Over the past few years Kevin has worked hard for the union in many capacities, we hope that all those that vote this weekend mark your ballot for Kevin Molineaux.

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Happy birthday wishes this week here in the Ville: To the best carpenter here in Somerville, we wish Sal Ferro III a very special happy birthday. A good guy, he can build a house from outside to inside! Happy birthday to Florence Pulsifer-Lewis, who is celebrating this week. We hope she has a great birthday. A nice lady who is well known, especially down in East Somerville. Happy birthday to Anthony Fraser, a good guy who grew up here in the city. We hope he has a great birthday. Happy birthday to an old friend and local, Aida Sousa-Braga, who is celebrating this week as well. Happy birthday to Linda (Norton) Beebe who celebrates this week. We wish her a happy birthday. To all others that are celebrating this week, we wish you the very best of birthdays.

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Ward 3 Alderman Bob McWatters will be having his campaign kickoff/fundraiser at Sally O’Brien’s on May 16, where he packs them in all the time. He’s not called the constituents alderman for nothing, constantly out walking the ward, talking to the residents. We hear that Bob might have an opponent who, despite their efforts from another alderman or two, will find they misjudged Bob’s popularity and his genuine hard work efforts. We predict that those two Aldermen who have been working putting in candidates in the various wards will find Ward 3 a hard one to win. We predict that those two aldermen might themselves be kept busy this year. If he does have an opponent for sure, we hope that guy is ready to have a few fundraisers. So far, Bob has had fewer fundraisers since being elected and has the largest alderman funds raised in the city. FYI, Bob has never accepted any money from developers.

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Somerville Council of PTA’s is having its 43rd Annual PTA Scholarship Dinner Dance on Friday, May 19 at Anthony’s of Malden, celebrating the accomplishments of the honorees and scholarship recipients. Another great Somerville scholarship program. For information and tickets contact Leah Arredondo, Treasurer, 10 Harvard Place, Somerville, MA 02143.

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The annual Somerville High Scholarship Foundation fundraiser is once again upon us, with the chance to win $10K CASH, plus up to 24 prizes of $100 each. Friday, May 12 at the high school’s Highlander Café. Tickets for the $10K drawing are $100 each and only 250 tickets will be sold. A great cause serving the students from Somerville. Over the years the foundation committee has raised over a million dollars and each year many students from Somerville High benefit from the generosity of the foundation and those that support it. Contact Eugene Brune or mail a check for $100 to SHS Raffle c/o Joseph Favaloro, P.O. Box 440275 Somerville 02144.

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For those that might be interested in obtaining certification for firearms should look up the Lawrence Rod & Gun Club. They provide an extensive program at the end of which you receive certification for Massachusetts/NRA Certified Firearm Safety Classes. They run a class once a month, which is limited to 10 people and we hear that this is the place to go to learn safety when handling guns. Email gunclub@earthlink.net for more information and or go to their website at www.lawrencerodandgunclub.org and read up about the course. We’ve been told that the course has seen a major increase in people applying for it, especially women. We can tell you first hand here that it’s a great course and quite thorough. The same goes for this in Newstalk.

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It’s 2017 and Demet’s Donuts over on Mystic Avenue is the best. We’re noticing more and more Somerville residents over there getting their coffee and donuts to start the day. The ladies working there are fantastic and always smiling. If you’re in the mood for a huge, great tasting donut drop over early since they disappear as the day gets on.

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On June 24, the Second Annual East Somerville Reunion will happen at the Somerville City Club on Innerbelt Road, across from Holiday Inn. The last event two years ago was very successful, and many have asked for another. All those that grew up in East Somerville in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s are cordially invited to come enjoy and reacquaint yourself with old friends. On Facebook go to the page “Somerville reunion 17” and let them know you’re attending. Come and have some fun. Hook up with old friends. Eat, drink, and dance your ass off to a live band. Tickets available at City Club Bar. $10 each at the door. This is an adults only event. No one under 21 allowed.

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More than a few people have commented on the new City of Somerville’s website, and how its complicated to use, especially compared to the last site the city had. So one of us here at The Times went online to renew a permit and to see if there were any outstanding tickets owed. The time it took to get on and stay on trying to make it work was ridiculous. Next, the person went up to the Traffic and Parking Dept. and the place was packed. It was “take a number” from the machine facing the door. Five windows and at no time were all five open at the same time. People were waiting up to half hour. So the obvious question to those in the room was, “Did you try to go online to do your business with the city?” Everyone asked (about 6 people) remarked about how difficult it was to operate and then to go to the office and wait around to be waited on (lunch hour is just that, an hour in the private sector). Then to tell our person from The Times that his license wasn’t registered to him but to another member of the family, which had been dead for over 17 years. After some discussion among the staff, our person finally got his permit. Try online for yourself to pay a ticket or to get a permit: www.somervillema.gov. We bet if a poll were taken of the people using it, the Traffic & Parking Dept. would be declared the worst run city department. What do you think?

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Welcome home to our paper’s publisher, Ross Blouin. He’s back from Mt. Auburn for a short stay and operation. Resting comfortably, he should be back to work at Colony Real Estate real soon.

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Congratulations to Charlie Chisholm who, while still in the hospital since December 11, still managed to buy a home in the lovely suburbs of Stoneham. After all these years, another Somerville somebody in the past has moved on. We wish him the very best in his new home.