Taking place in the
Somerville Library, a modest crowd of about 25 gathered to hear what
Dr. Nardin had to say about the current state of the United States
Healthcare system and how a Single Payer Health Plan may be a feasible
solution to the mounting healthcare costs affecting millions of
Americans every day.

"This is an issue I feel passionate about,"
explained Dr. Nardin. "From the 1970s to the present, the number of
uninsured Americans has been rising steadily. But in my opinion, a
bigger problem is the underinsured."

The underinsured include people who have insurance that does not sufficiently cover the healthcare and costs they require.

According
to Nardin, as of 2007 42% of adults ages 19 – 64 are uninsured or
underinsured. That is equivalent to the population of the 12 largest
states in the U.S.A. combined.

Nardin, using a Powerpoint
presentation filled with graphs and startling statistics went on to
explain that approximately 18,000 adult deaths per year are the direct
result of not being insured. In addition, the United States
consistently has had the lowest life expectancy and highest infant
mortality rate of any industrialized nation over the past decade.

"We
rely on a multiplicity of private insurance companies and this requires
a huge amount of administrative costs," Nardin explained. "We have to
have an army of people at the insurance companies and an army of people
in the hospitals dealing with denials and seeking payments. What we
spend on administrators is far and away more than any other country."

By
some estimates, up to 40% of costs in the healthcare industry are
administrative. Nardin thinks this is frivolous. "There are huge
amounts of money that, I would say, is being wasted on this army of
administrators."

In a Single Payer system, a plan that Nardin
promotes, the "multiplicity" of insurance companies and the plenitude
of administrators are replaced by a Government agency that essentially
becomes the paying mechanism for healthcare costs. It would
theoretically be funded by slight employee and company tax hikes in
addition to current healthcare taxes. The money would then flow into a
Government trust fund that would pay for universal healthcare coverage.

This
system, while similar to the socialist healthcare systems in place in
Canada and England, has one fundamental difference – the hospitals and
doctors would not be government employees. "The payment mechanism is
the only thing that is socialized; not the hospitals or doctors." Said
Nardin.

"With a national system, like with a Single Payer plan,
you can do what you do when you have a system – logical planning. What
we have now is a fragmented system; there's no cost control, no
rationing of resources."

Concerning Barack Obama's proposed
healthcare reform, Nardin said, "It is reform I would call incremental.
It would leave the current system that is bankrupting us in place."

Obama's
plan for healthcare reform would mandate that everyone be insured.
There is also much talk and debate over a 'Public Plan' that would
essentially be a default insurance for anyone who couldn't afford any
other plan. In this scenario, private insurance companies could
continue to compete freely, but some fear too many people would choose
to use the free public plan, driving insurance companies under.

To
Nardin, this reform is incremental in that it does not directly address
the issue of the underinsured. With competitive insurance companies in
place, there will always be the market incentive to deny coverage for
certain people and illnesses to avoid losses; someone will always be
underinsured. With Obama's reform plan, Nardin believes "We are
treating the symptom – the uninsured – but we are ignoring the disease"
which is the system itself.

When the meeting was open to
community discussion an air of deep concern verging on discouragement
permeated the room. The enormity of the problems in the American
healthcare system seemed to be weighing down upon the audience.

"I feel discouraged because there seems to be huge, monumental power
with people who don't want any of this," stated one woman. "I just
don't see how we can get anything done. We're just not going to get
there."

In response to this, someone in the audience took it
upon themselves to quote the immortal Winston Churchill. "Americans can
always be counted on to do the right thing…after they've exhausted
every other option."

This seemed to lighten the mood. Nardin
then said, "Don't get too discouraged. We're not taking to the streets
yet, it might not happen this year or the next; but if we don't do
something we are heading for a disaster. Change will have to come."

Many students enrolled in SCALE's
programs have had to overcome tremendous struggles to receive their
diplomas and certificates, such as raising a family or working two
jobs. This is not an easy task, and the diploma the students receive is
well-earned due to the national standards that have been placed upon
the program. The Adult Diploma Program entails passing the MCAS, which
is mandatory for all high school students nationwide. ADP student
speaker Diana Flores said that enrolling in SCALE was one of the best
decisions of her life.

Martha Bonilla was the ADP Honor Award
recipient and Carolyn Richards received the ADP Special Award. Richards
was honored for her outstanding work as the Director of Guidance and
Testing. She has worked rigorously as the liaison between Somerville
High and SCALE to ensure a secure and safe testing environment. "It has
been an honor and privilege to work with these students," Richards
stated.

SCALE's GED program is very competitive as well. To
ensure that the test is challenging enough, is it tested on sample
groups of graduating seniors all over the country and the test is
considered satisfactory only when 30% of the seniors cannot pass the
test. In other words, the GED recipients should be very proud of
themselves for earning their certificates. Neil McMullen, the GED High
Scorer Award recipient, scored almost a perfect score on the GED exam
and was in the 99th percentile nationwide. Marina Karageorgiou received
the GED Honor Award for her perseverance and positive attitude that
showed in everything that she did.

The Adult Basic Education
student speaker Piere Pacombe, earned his diploma after six years with
SCALE with the support from his three daughters and his wife. Pacombe
was very proud of this accomplishment and caused the whole room to get
goosebumps when he stated, "Nobody on earth can take this away from me."

The
Adult Secondary Education's Program Administrator, Sheryl Lovit, has
been with SCALE for five years and believes the program's success can
be accredited to its caring staff and great support system for the
students.

The English Language Learning program has many classes
for its students to choose from. The students find the ELL program to
be beneficial and claim that it helps them tremendously with learning
the English language. The ELL student speaker Salila Ranjit can attest
to this. "Every time I come to SCALE I learn something new," said
Ranjit. She shared her personal story with the filled auditorium and
explained that it's because of SCALE that she is confident in her
English and knows how to fix a mistake. She is also very proud of her
recent citizenship and gives credit to SCALE for this accomplishment.

Janice
Philpot, the supervisor of SCALE since September 2008, was a brilliant
presence at the ceremony. Hearing the passion she has for SCALE was
truly inspiring and it is clear she is involved in every decision of
the operation. "We really change lives here. It's not just a catch
phrase; it's a reality for us. This is where knowledge blooms." Philpot
went on to decipher how SCALE stands out from other Adult Education
programs. "We have the best program administrators in the industry, and
we have a true Adult Education curriculum. We really know what we're
doing here." Her confidence and pride in SCALE really shined when she
took the stage at the closing of the ceremony. After reading a poem
titled, "Yes We Can," Philpot congratulated the crowd with the
statement, "You have earned the right, respect, and privilege of a
secondary education."

The
All America City competition has been sponsored by the National Civic
League for the last 60 years. Somerville took the honor in 1972. We
were finalists in 2008, and we were victorious in 2009.

Over 30
citizens planned, rehearsed and packed for Tampa Florida on June 17th.
We met in the darkened parking lot of City Hall at 4am. We felt pumped
yet nervous as we boarded a bus that took us to Logan Airport for our
flight. The trip was paid for completely by donations from our fabulous
businesses and citizens. Thank you all.

Our presentation
focused on the Green Line extension with concentrations also on other
key city issues. You can find documentation on the city website.

To
pull off such an extensive project as a trip to the All America City
finals, many people and departments had to pull together. It starts at
the top with Mayor Joe Curtatone, who never let the pain of our defeat
in last years finals leave his soul. He came back 500% stronger and
more determined this year. Jackie Rossetti was at the helm as our
project leader. Once again she proved that anything associated with
Jackie Rossetti ends up successful. There is not an un-positive bone in
her body. The fundraiser that was sponsored by Steve Mackey, Ron Bonney
and the fantastic Chamber of Commerce way back when raised needed
funds. Thanks to the TAB building folks and the SHS library people for
supplying us with rehearsal spaces. Also thanks to Tom Champion and the
Communications Department for sending Joe Constantine and Steve De
Carlo to document it for prosperity.

I spent many hours in
Somerville High School's Graphic Communications Department. I spoke to
my old friend Philip Bassett, Director of Vocational Education, who
sent me to Graphic Communications Instructor Chuck Gerlach. Chuck could
not have been more accommodating and helpful, as well as a very funny
guy. He turned simple ideas into colorful, detailed and exciting
posters, that we later had mounted for our presentation. The students
of Somerville are very lucky to have such a dedicated instructor as
Chuck. He not only helped our project, but we came to him at the end of
a very busy school year and to watch him with his students was a
pleasure. By the way, if you haven't seen Somerville High School lately
you are in for a big surprise. The place is awesome!

A huge
thank you also goes out to Headmaster Anthony Ciccariello, and
Superintendent of Schools Tony Pierantozzi. Thanks for your continued
support in all things cultural and civic related.

The Chamber of
Commerce hooked us up with a company called VDA Productions whose
headquarters are on Inner Belt Road. Have you seen the State House and
The gigantic Wally The Green Monster at Jordan's Furniture in Avon?
Well, that's the company! These guys mounted our posters, designed
stands and signs and also shipped everything down to Tampa. Little did
I know that the President of VDA David Breen is my fraternity brother
from Emerson College, and Vice President Bob Russo's family ran
Jasper's rock club (now Choices). The Somerville connection is a
magical thing. I'd also like to thank Maryn Herberg, Harrison Rabel and
Julia Clapper at VDA for all your help. We had a Green Line train with
working lights! We are also indebted to our friends at the Green and
Yellow Cab company. You rock (and roll)!

Here is a list of the
folks who made the trip and took part in the winning presentation.
Maureen Bastardi, Jackie Rossetti, Carrie Dancy, Cheryl Horan, Cindy
Hickey, Cory Mashburn, Delio Susi, me, Ellin Reisner, Gene Brune,
Gretchen Kinder, Holli Banks, Janice Delory, Janine Lotti, Jen
Lawrence, Jack Connolly, Joe Constantine, Steve DeCarlo. Joe Curtatone,
Karen Tamagna, Kimberly Smith-Cofield, Liliane Paiva, Michelle Bowler,
Mimi Graney, Patrick Cain, Patrick Sullivan III, Paul Carroll, Paulo
Gutierrez, Rachel Strutt, Ron Bonney, Ruby Von Dwornick, Sue Fontano,
Talia Mosley, Tom Taylor, Sarah Rossi and Florence Papagno.

We
got to meet new friends in Tampa and spend some fun time with each
other. All our hard work paid off and the whole city can be proud
because it truly took a village.

As I said before, the thing
that makes this All America City Award more sweet is the fact that so
many people helped. It is an award we can all be proud of. Check out
YouTube and the city website for more footage.

I would like to
thank the Mayor and the city for allowing me to be part of one of the
most exciting experiences of my life. To have been part of the losing
delegation last year and to regroup with this year's determined group
was nothing less than a glorious triumph.

Somerville has always
been an All America City. Like the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, who
always had a brain, we always knew we were an All America City. Now we
have a testimonial to prove it.

Also thanks to The Somerville
News who had the story with photos up on their website seconds after we
gave them the good word from Tampa. All Aboard! Somerville Truly Rocks!

According to officials in
Somerville and Cambridge, the spill was never reported to the
Somerville nor the Cambridge Fire Departments and that no fire company
units were ever dispatched on that day to that location.

The students at Prospect Hill Academy participated
in the installation and planting of the green roof as the culmination
of a green roof course. The "Green Roofs for the 21st Century" course
is part of a larger program that teaches students about the engineering
design process by involving them in a community project. The students
have been learning about the many environmental and financial benefits
of green roofs which include more than doubling the life of the roof,
retaining storm water, reducing energy needs, creating habitat,
cleaning the air and improving the quality of life of those around
them. "Our students are thrilled to be a part of the green roof
installation! Exposing high school students to these emerging
technologies while also getting them involved in the community in such
meaningful ways has really been a great experience," said Michael
Moretti, a teacher at Prospect Hill Academy.

"We love working
with the kids and are excited about green roofs becoming more
mainstream," said Charlie Sinkler, a Partner at Apex Green Roofs. "We
believe that education is a big part of what is needed right now. These
roofs make good financial sense in addition to all of the environmental
benefits."

"We're proud to be including Somerville's first green
roof among the many green measures at St. Polycarp Apartments," said
Danny LeBlanc, CEO of the Somerville Community Corporation.

The
Somerville Community Corporation purchased the former Saint Polycarp
Parish property from the Archdiocese of Boston in 2006. Iric Rex of
Mostue & Associates Architects designed the new complex with a
complete array of the latest techniques to achieve cutting-edge energy
conservation, indoor air quality, and water conservation. The building
is expected to achieve a LEED-NC Silver rating, reflecting the
aggressive goals of 50% energy savings, 40% water savings, and cooling
and filtration of interior air to remove pollutants. Other green
features integrated into the complex include a high percentage of
recycled materials, high-efficiency elevator, energy recovery from
ventilated air and a photovoltaic array to supply the electrical needs
of the common area of the building. The tenants and local community
will benefit from the green development and new urban green spaces
created around the buildings.

Information on the Parties:

Apex
Green Roofs, Inc. (www.apexgreenroofs.com) based in Somerville, is a
leading provider in New England of Green Roof design, engineering,
installation, and maintenance services.

Somerville Community
Corporation (www.somervillecdc.org) is a nonprofit Community
Development Corporation that provides leadership for sustaining the
city of Somerville as a vibrant, diverse and tolerant community. They
achieve this goal through the development and preservation of
affordable housing, as well as by offering services and leading
community organizing that supports low and moderate-income Somerville
residents in their efforts to achieve economic stability and increase
civic participation.

Prospect Hill Academy Charter School
(www.prospecthillacademy.org) is a public school serving more than 900
students in grades Kindergarten through 12 on three campuses in
Cambridge and Somerville, MA.

Laura Kozel is the Director of Sales and Marketing for Apex Green Roofs, her email is: laura@apexgreenroofs.com

On the day we visited the area it was
cloudy with showers and full of the flying critters protecting their
space by the hundreds!

The All America City designation by the National
Civic League was created 60 years ago. Each year for the past several
years, two dozen or so communities from across the country have been
selected as finalists based on the hundreds of award applications
received each year by the NCL.

The City of Somerville was a
finalist in this competition last year, but fell just short – coming in
11th place – the top 10 communities are awarded the designation of All
America City each year. The last time Somerville was awarded this
designation (1972), the Mayor was S. Lester Ralph.

This year's
finalists typically created job opportunities through various methods,
revitalized their business and residential districts, reduced crime,
created more cooperative working environments between public and
private entities – overall, they have displayed innovation through
engagement, collaboration and cooperative endeavors .

According
to the National Civic League, each applicant and subsequent finalist
completed a detailed award application documenting three community
projects that address local challenges such as job creation/economic
development, environmental sustainability, neighborhood revitalization
and disaster recovery. One of the key factors in Somerville being
chosen as a finalist this year was the city administration's adoption
of "SomerStat," a statistically driven process in which the public can
engage city officials and staff about problems, needs and efficiency.
This process was originated and developed in Baltimore, where it was
wildly successful in saving municipal costs there in a very short
period of time, which increased response time of city departments to
resident needs. The twist on Somerville's version of this process, is
that "human interaction" is still a vital part, even though the process
is predominately data-driven.

This year's contingent from
Somerville included elected officials, city employees, business owners
and residents. The overall theme Somerville chose was "Improved
Communication." The skit presentation chosen for the head-to-head
competition was how the development of the Green Line Extension will
affect the sustainability of Somerville for the foreseeable future. The
group traveled to Tampa on Wednesday morning and will be arriving back
in Somerville on Saturday afternoon.

Instead, due in large part to its high residential density, the local economy is predominantly made up of small businesses that cater to the local community. The retail industry alone provides 3,031 jobs, second only to the health services sector. The average wage of a retail worker, however, is only $26,208. These low wages are one of the most worrying elements of the city's economic landscape, said Steven Houdlette. "Four out of the five sectors with the lowest average incomes are in the top five when it comes to the number of jobs they provide." Whereas throughout the city's history, the majority of Somerville's blue collar workers were employed in industries like brickmaking, meatpacking or automobile manufacturing, they now work for much smaller businesses–and smaller paychecks.

One bright spot is the thriving health care industry within Somerville. 3,760 jobs alone fall into this category, as health facilities in the area cater to both the local population as well as to the residents of surrounding communities. The average wage of $56,940 is among the highest pay grades in the city. It is, however, one of the few industries in Somerville providing large numbers of high-quality jobs, raising the issue of tax revenues for the city at large.

Supplying just .27 jobs per resident, a third of the amount in neighboring Cambridge, the city does not benefit from the high revenues generated by commercial properties. Already facing a $8 million deficit next year, Somerville is suffering from cuts in state aid. Without commercial districts like Kendall Square in Cambridge, however, it is unknown where large-scale economic development may take place. Keith Craig, of Strategic Planning, emphasized that the studies are in their preliminary stages. "Once we get an understanding of exactly what land is available for which uses, we can decide the sorts of firms that we'd like to attract."

Recently, Brian MacQuarrie, a seasoned reporter at The Boston Globe, published his first book entitled, "The Ride," which hashes out the details of the crime and discusses the transformation of the boy's father, Bob Curley.

MacQuarrie holds a Bachelor of Arts in American studies from Colby College, and a Master of Arts in journalism from the University of Missouri.

What piqued MacQuarrie's interest in this murder? "I was assigned, as part of a team, to cover the murder. We didn't think anything about it at first, but then, I saw that it was a story about a 10-year-old boy who was missing in a neighborhood and the community reaction," he said.

Shortly after having attended Curley's wake, at which he set up an interview, MacQuarrie wrote a story about the family's reaction to the recent death. Additionally, he crafted a story on the fifth anniversary of the child's death.

One day, MacQuarrie received a surprise telephone call. "They called me at my desk one day, two weeks before I was going to go to Afghanistan, and asked me about a book." After having pondered that proposition, he agreed.

Initially, it was assumed that the book would solely discuss the actual crime. However, it "became a story about Bob's journey on the death penalty and about the effect that Jeffery's death had on both the family and the neighborhood."

At the onset, "I didn't want it to be a "woe-is-me" story because it's not. I wanted it to be a book about transformation, about personal growth. I also wanted it to be a book about hope — to bring whatever good we could possibly bring from what happened to Jeff and keep his memory alive," said Curley.

Among the possible positive aspects, which Curley suggested could emerge are: the prevention of another child from being molested, kidnapped, or murdered, as well as saving another person from unjust execution. Additionally, "I never really gave the death penalty much thought, one way or the other, prior to Jeffery getting killed."

After a lengthy period of having not publicized his stance, regarding the death penalty, Curley decided to act. "I wanted to put it out there that I was against the death penalty." Therefore, he contacted New England Cable News for an interview.

Ironically, an anti-death penalty conference at which he spoke, took place at Boston College, the weekend following that interview. "It was a Saturday morning, and it was Jeffery's birthday," he said.

Attempting to lead an active life has helped him to cope. "Sometimes when I'm struggling, just a kind, simple act, works for me." For example, at the first book signing, which took place, at The Globe, "A lot of people told me they remembered, so vividly, that time — what they were doing and how they were feeling. Things like that really keep you going," said Curley.

Curley was acquainted with one of the individuals who were involved in his son's murder. "Salvatore Sicari was from right around the corner. He was just an odd kid — easily influenced. [Charles] Jaynes is a really, really, really bad guy. He's really shrewd. He just kind of used Sicari."

Soon after his son's death, Curley recalls his interaction with Sicari, "I was standing outside on the front stairs, and he was just talking nonsense. He was bringing Jaynes up a lot. I just sensed something [was] wrong."

According to Curley, if he had the opportunity to communicate with the two men who were involved, his reaction "wouldn't be good."

Several weeks prior to his death, the two stole Curley's bicycle. Coincidentally, shortly before Curley's son was killed, an eerily similar incident occurred in East Cambridge. However, that time, Sicari's brother Robert was to blame. Unfortunately, that child was raped in a parking garage near MIT, and it was not publicized.

After Curley was missing, an individual informed his father that Sicari's brother had just scammed another child, in the same manner, shortly before it happened to his son.

Jaynes was only convicted of second-degree murder and is eligible for parole in approximately 10 years, according to MacQuarrie.

Curley believes the reason is Jaynes' having a good lawyer. "No disrespect to public defenders, but Sicari had a public defender, and he got the worst of the deal." He was sentenced to first-degree murder.

"Sicari gave the confession. He confessed to being there to dispose of the body," said MacQuarrrie. Further, "When Jaynes was tried, they couldn't use Sicari's confession."

Do you want to know more about MacQuarrie's book, as well as the writing process?

"As a journalist, we have a way to compartmentalize," said MacQuarrie. He has written copious crime and murder stories, in which emotional investment is not practiced. "The more time that I spent with this subject, the more that I got to know Bob, I became invested, in a way that you don't do when writing newspaper stories."

After having spent a year writing his book proposal, the book "process" consumed 18 months, according to MacQuarrie. "Frankly, I didn't realize I had enough material to write a book until I was well into the interview process."

Curley's initial reaction to the book was positive. "It's nothing that I didn't expect. We talked about it. I wanted him to write the truth, and he did."

Conversely, Sicari and Jaynes' families "weren't receptive," according to MacQuarrie.

After having written one book, which was a "journalistic exercise," MacQuarrie is planning to write another, this time in the genre of historical fiction

Although the memory of his son's murder looms, Curley resides in East Somerville because "I love it here. I don't want to be anywhere else. This is where I was born and raised. I like the Somerville attitude," said Curley.

Curley is proud of his son. "Jeff was 10 years old. They offered him a bike. They offered him $50, and Jeff refused. He knew right from wrong, and he knew enough to stand up for himself."

"The best advice that I ever got, and I can't remember who said it, was, 'It's bad enough that these guys killed Jeffery. Don't let them kill you. Don't let them destroy your life,'" he said.

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

By Brian MacQuarrie

DaCapo Books

261 pages

On October 1, 1997 ten year old Jeffrey Curley of Cambridge, Massachuset
ts took a ride with two adults, Salvatore Sicari and Charles Jaynes under the false pretense of receiving a new bicycle. He was brutally murdered after not accepting their sexual advances, then post-mortally raped, and stuffed into a plastic storage box. Then the container with his body in it was thrown off a bridge into the Great Works River in South Berwick, Maine.

The Ride is the story of that case, one which is familiar to many in the Massachusetts area. The book works its way from the grisly crime to the years afterward. It focuses on the family of Jeffrey, heavily weighted on the life of Cambridge Firefighter Bob Curley, Jeffrey's father. Briefly the book explains Bob Curley's need for vengeance was what kept him going in the dark months following his son's murder. He became a champion in the attempted legalization of the death penalty in Massachusetts. He spoke out at the State House, in the media, often confronting those opposing his beliefs. Years later, Bob meets the father of an Oklahoma City bombing victim and the brother of Ted Kaczynski, gentleman who opposed the death penalty. Through their shared experience, Bob Curley undergoes a remarkable transformation; he becomes an opponent of the very proposed law that he passionately fought for.

Brian MacQuarrie, a Pulitzer Prize Award nominee and Boston Globe writer does a fine detailed and astute job in reporting the facts regarding this case and the lingering affects it had on the Curley family. It is a no-holds barred account of the emotional ups and downs that occur over the years for the family, placing the reader into the edge of their painful abyss. One can not possibly fathom what it must be like to suffer such a tragedy and then turn the pain into such important work on causes the way Bob Curley did. Bob Curley's work on child safety and protection laws is currently on the books in Massachusetts.

Bob Curley's life as portrayed in The Ride is a study of breaking and redemption of human spirit. The rest of the Curley family was and remains shattered by Jeffrey's murder. There are no words that can be written that could convey this by author MacQuarrie. As a writer he handled this impossible task with skill and sensitivity. I recommend this book as an excellent, interesting read and a ride into heavy emotional traffic.