Rep. Mike Connolly joined his Cambridge and Somerville colleagues to pass a $1.7 billion housing bond bill to support investments in low and moderate income housing throughout the Commonwealth. The legislation recapitalizes funding for a variety of programs and extends several affordable housing tax credits.

By Jim Clark

Members of the Somerville Police Department Drug Control Unit were conducting routine narcotic interdiction surveillance last week within the East Somerville area.

At 6:00 p.m. Mark Verderber was spotted by the unit walking on Mount Vernon St. heading towards Wheeler St. Verderber is reportedly known to members of the Drug Control Unit due to his reputation involving the personal use of controlled substances.

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)

If you’ve ever trekked to Prospect Hill Tower on a chilly New Year’s Day to witness the raising of the Grand Union Flag or if you’ve gathered at Foss Park as a Paul Revere look alike rides by on horseback, then you may think you know what historic preservation in Somerville is all about. To some degree you’d be right. The historical events put on by the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission are important for our community and serve as ways to come together and keep our history alive. However, they make up only a tiny portion of the important day-to-day work by Historic Preservation staff and the City archivist.

A real estate transfer fee may soon be established for the City of Somerville.

By Jim Clark

A request by the Mayor’s Office that the Somerville Board of Aldermen consider and approve a home rule petition authorizing a real estate transfer fee was presented at last week’s meeting of the Board’s Legislative Matters Committee.

The mayor’s request specifically stated: “To the Honorable Board: I hereby request your consideration and approval of a home rule petition to authorize the City of Somerville to impose a real estate transfer fee.  Please find attached the draft Home Rule Petition, a memorandum with updates on the Real Estate Transfer Charge Task Force, and RKG’s transfer fee impact analysis. My staff will be available to answer any questions you may have. Thank you for your consideration of this matter. Respectfully, Joseph A. Curtatone, Mayor.”

By Alderman At-Large William A. White Jr.

In this year of 2018, I have thought long and hard about whether the name “Board of Aldermen” should be changed to “City Council.” Folks have commented that “Board of Aldermen” is an outdated name which is non-inclusive. Many newer residents and folks from other communities do not even know what an alderman is. Other people say that the City of Somerville has had a Board of Aldermen since our City was established in 1872 and that we should keep it for the sake of our history. The name “alderman” is an old English word that actually means old wise man or patriarch. “Boards of Aldermen” originated in English municipal law and many cities in our country adopted the term, long before women had the right to vote. As of today, women outnumber men in Somerville and the median age of our residents is 31 years, while the median for the entire state is 39. By population, we are one of the youngest communities in Massachusetts. So, in a city which has a majority of women with one of the youngest populations in the State, does it still make sense to name our legislative body after a word that means wise old man?

Join Somerville Local First and more than 40 local artists and makers for their February market being held on Sunday, the 11th, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Arts at the Armory. Just in time for Valentine’s Day (or Galentine’s Day – take your pick) their market is built to spread the love. As always, you’ll be able to sip on drinks and snacks from the Armory while you peruse all the fabulous goods.

By Donald Norton

Completing 29 years of service, Tony Sillari, the city’s Plumbing Inspector retired, this past Friday, February 2.

Nearly 100 friends, family members and co-workers joined in celebrating his many years with the city.

(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)

To the editor:

Somerville YIMBY is writing to express our support for the Clarendon Hill Redevelopment Project. We believe that there is an urgent need for the project to move forward in the development process to ensure that currently committed state funding is not lost.

The Metro-Boston public bike share system, Hubway, is now available at a significant discount to income-eligible families and individuals. The City of Somerville along with Boston, Cambridge, Brookline, the Department of Transitional Assistance, and bike share operator Motivate announced earlier this month the launch of the “SNAP Card to Ride” program.

As it has so often been said, you can’t win them all. In what could only be termed a frustrating match-up, our beloved New England Patriots lost out on the big win last Sunday. But our heartfelt appreciation for their tremendous achievements this past season is indisputable. They played well, and we love them for it.

We congratulate the Philadelphia Eagles for an outstanding season and the tremendous effort that paid off in the championship final. Their players and fans have much to be proud of, and their bragging rights are firmly secured. For now, that is. At any rate, our hats – and helmets – are off to them in honor of their tremendous achievement.