By Stephanie Hirsch

Election season is a stressful time in the city, most especially for the people at the center of the storm. This month, I want to give a huge shout-out to the brave and committed people who ran for office the first time. That group included 10 people, and nine of them were women. They shared some reflections on their experiences with me.

Eagle Feathers #194 – Athenaeum

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

Since 1814, Central Hill has been the location of the City Hall, three churches, four schools, a firehouse, the city’s first public park, and four libraries. From early on, many residents agreed that the public library was the focal point of the intellect of the community. Through the years, Somerville has created two main public libraries and over a half dozen satellites that catered to the needs and wishes of her citizens. This is true even in today’s computerized, super-speed networking world.

The shopping is done, the presents are (hopefully) wrapped, and the plans for the big day have been made. Now is the time to slow down, relax and enjoy the holiday and all the finer things that come with it.

Being with family, friends and loved ones and sharing warmth of the occasion is unquestionably at or near the top of the list of things we like most at this time of year.

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Robin Stratton is a dynamo in small press publishing. But this founder of Big Table Publishing extends beyond publishing quality books of fiction and poetry. Now based in San Francisco, she remains a big presence in the Somerville area literary community. I caught up with Stratton recently to talk about her release of two volumes of The Very Best of Big Table Publishing.

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Poet David Daniel grew up in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Daniel has taught at Emerson College in Boston, where he served as editor of Ploughshares. He is the director of undergraduate creative writing at Farleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.

Arrests:
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John Gogos, of 51 Fairmont, Malden, December 10, 8:32 a.m., arrested at Broadway on warrant charges of operation of a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor second offense, carrying a dangerous weapon, and negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

James McKenna, of 31 Cheverus Rd., Dorchester, December 11, 10:03 p.m., arrested at Broadway on a warrant charge of assault and battery.

Please join the Somerville Public Space and Urban Forestry Division, and Ward 3 Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen on Wednesday evening, January 8, 2020, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. for a community meeting to discuss the final landscape plan for the Central Hill Campus (Phase I). The meeting will be held in the Somerville High School cafeteria, 81 Highland Ave. Phase I of the Central Hill Campus Master Plan includes the renovation of Central Hill Playground and the installation of Memorial Walk East, a celebratory walk for the Korean and Vietnam War Memorials, and a new Service Memorial.

The Conway Park meeting previously announced for November 20, has been rescheduled. Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Ward 2 Councilor J.T. Scott, and the City’s Public Space and Urban Forestry Division invite the community to discuss site remediation at Conway Park as well as its future design at a community meeting now scheduled for Monday, December 16. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Public Safety Building, 220 Washington Street. City staff will be joined by consultants from Weston Sampson Associates, who have been developing the site remediation plan in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Federal Environmental Protection Agency.

The Somerville Cambridge Elder Services Board of Directors recently bid a fond farewell to three long-serving members (from left) Neil Winston, Liz Aguilo, and Kathryn Erat. The board is currently taking applications for new members. SCES Executive Director Paul Hollings is also in the photo.

By Leslie Hergert

Want to help a great organization make a difference in the lives of local older adults? Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES) is currently taking applications for several vacancies on our board of directors.

SCES’s mission is to support elders and people with disabilities to live with dignity in the setting of their choice. Here are a few common examples of how we help older adults overcome challenges to independence and well-being: