“East Somerville Reunion 17” will be held this year on June 24 at the Somerville City Club. Anyone that grew up in East Somerville is invited to attend to meet and greet old friends and reminisce about your park or the corner you grew up on, and so much more. Come and have some fun. Hook up with old friends. Eat, drink, and dance your ass off to a live band. Tickets are $10 each, available at the City Club bar. $15 at the door. This is an adult only event. No one under 21 allowed. We know what it was like back in the day to grow up in a unique part of Somerville. The last reunion had well over 100 attendees. It looks like this year’s event may be even more successful. Go to the Facebook page “East Somerville 17” and check in if you will be attending. The reunion is the idea of Dan Rogovich and his committee. They have worked hard to make this a success. A big thank you for having Somerville Pride, in particular East Somerville Pride.

************************

Question: definition of “arrogance” – Answer: it seems that Ward 3 School Committee member Lee Erica Palmer, while attending a fundraiser for an alderman last week, was questioned by a local activist, several times asking her why she was spreading lies about Ward 3 Alderman Bob McWatters whom she is saying accepts money from developers. It seems as though she doesn’t like Alderman McWatters and has, according the activist – and as others have told us, been going around saying that Alderman McWatters is taking “money from developers.” This is not hearsay, it’s first hand, hearing the conversation standing right there besides her, we heard the entire thing, and to tell you the truth we were shocked at how it was going down. Her repeated denials that she was lying. She kept insisting that it’s true saying, “It’s not lies.” So the activist (not a public elected official) asked her to prove it, and she said she couldn’t right there. Then the activist reminded her, “You know, Bob helped you to get elected to the School Board,” to which she replied, “I would have won anyway.” Blowing off the comment like it was nothing and that he did not help her get elected, when in fact we know that Alderman McWatters took her around to various places and homes in Ward 3 when she first ran. Any other person would at least fake it and not make that comment, but she showed her ignorance. Now we understand why we heard over the past couple of years that a lot of the School Department personnel don’t like her, not to mention some of her colleagues on the Board. By the way, we checked. He did receive a check from the Somerville Community Corporation Director, who is a lifelong friend and resident of Somerville. SCC is an agency devoted to low income residents here in the city, so we are asking ourselves if Palmer is upset about them, who develop here in Somerville for the low to moderate income residents, not the high price ones. You know, this all begs the question, is it illegal to accept money from a developer? And if so, why is it illegal? I mean, other special interest groups donate to politicians. Let’s say, if Palmer was to receive money from the Massachusetts Teachers Association because she’s on the School Board or the local Teachers Association, wouldn’t that be a conflict? Why would they donate to a School Board member? Maybe to vote their way when contract time comes around? If not, then why not? What’s the difference? Or is it illegal to accept money from LA or NY lawyers, for $1K each? Maybe it’s a good question. We’re going to check into where the School Committee members get their money. Maybe it is the MTA or Somerville Teachers Association?

************************

Good friend and Medford City Councilor Adam Knight is having his campaign kickoff fundraiser Thursday, June 22, at the Post 45 American Legion, 321 Winthrop St. in Medford. Adam is dedicated and is one of Medford’s up and coming elected officials. He learned from one of the best, he used to work for former Senator Charlie Shannon. We hope Adam tops the ticket in Medford. He’s a great guy, smart and dedicated to the city of Medford.

************************

Check out www.ocpf.us and plug in a name to find out who and how local politicians stand in fundraising. We’re looking it over and seeing who contributes to whom. Remember, it’s not illegal to accept money from special interests, including developers, lawyers or unions of any kind.

************************

Happy 40th Anniversary to Tom and Dolly Barry. Tom is one of the best workers at the Somerville Department of Public Works. We hope he and his wife Dolly have a great anniversary. Forty years is remarkable in this day and age, and we hear they are very devoted to each other.

************************

Although this column is mainly about Somerville (yeah, we know we sometimes depart from that), we sometimes like to give a shout out to those outside the city. In this case, to our mini-Somerville with lots of trees, the City of Woburn. In particular, the dedicated firefighters that ride Engine 4 in Woburn. They are the best. We salute firefighter John Fowkes and the guys on Engine 4. We thank them for their service and kindness.

************************

Happy Birthday this week here in the Ville: Lots of well-known and popular individuals are celebrating their birthdays this week. A good guy, Keith MacKinnon over in Cambridge celebrates this week. He’s sort of a curator for the Freemason Building in Porter Square. Keith is a collector and he has collected a huge variety of Masonic regalia from the past. Check out the next Masonic Open House. If you like history, that’s a place to drop in on. Happy birthday to a lady that no one has seen or talked to that we know of, Rose Luciana is celebrating her birthday. Davis Square guy Brendan Mansfield is celebrating his birthday this week. A great lady and good friend for a long time who is from here and is frequently here in Somerville, Muriel White (Berry) is also enjoying her birthday. To all the others celebrating this week, we salute you and wish you the very best, and if you know of someone you’d like to see mentioned here let us know.

************************

We reported on this before, but more and more residents – Winter Hill residents in particular – are appalled at the new the building on the corner of Temple and Broadway. Descriptions such as “cheap looking,” “looks like a Lego building,” etc., are mentioned. The bricks aren’t even real, they’re attached to the building. It looks as if a stiff wind coming up Winter Hill could blow the building down. How can the city justify the owner of the building getting away with it? We hear it’s a developer from China that purchased the land and is building on it. We wonder if it is a client of that lawyer up on Winter Hill who represents some of these people? Speaking of such, how about Patsy’s Pastry Shop being told over two years ago they needed to be out so that the owners could tear it down. The property is still standing and we are out one of the best pastry shops ever in Somerville.

************************

Question: can you name where at least two First National Stores where located in Winter Hill and East Somerville? What current resident and former pizza/sub shop owner (and yes, local cable access show host) owned the Three Bells Pizza and where was it located in Somerville? Hint: around the “bucket of blood” bar.

************************

Posted on our blog are some answers: We said the Car Hop in Wellington was Kelly’s. We were wrong. Its name was Richard’s Car Hop. Thanks for the correction. Now, this week name the location of the Winter Hill First National store on one side of the hill and the A&P store on the other end of Winter Hill. Does anyone remember going there and where they were?

************************

Logan Airport is at it again. Planes are flying low over the city, in particular Ten Hills. So low you can see who you’re waving to. At one point over the weekend, every minute or so in the evening hours.

************************

This week on Real Estate Answers Show (cable channel 3) with Donald Norton of the Norton Group, his guest will be Ward 2 Alderman Maryann Heuston, who will be discussing the zoning proposal and Union Square. Watch for the show Friday night on Channel 3 and first of the week on the website www.nortongroupre.com, where the show will be posted, along with others.

************************

The Endicott Young Writer’s Workshop will be held on June 24-25. This camp-like experience provides students who will be in grades 9-12 in the fall, and who have an interest in creative writing, an opportunity to meet other student writers and to work closely with three of Endicott’s most accomplished professors and writers: Charlotte Gordon, Dan Sklar, and Elizabeth Winthrop. A press release about the workshop from the College’s website is available here: http://www.endicott.edu/News/2017/4-28WritersWorkshop.aspx. To register: https://endicottyoungwritersworkshop.eventbrite.com.