Vol. 4, No. 11
June 21, 2004
Contents
1) PUBLIC HEARING ON CITY BUDGET TONIGHT
Further Reorganization Details
During last week's budget meetings, Mayor Curtatone and his staff provided more information
about some of his proposed changes in the organization and management of Somerville city
government.
Conservation Commission
As reported in the last newsletter, the Conservation Commission staff person will be eliminated,
and its annual budget reduced to just over $2,000. James Kostaras, the new Director of what
will be the new Mayor's Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development, says that
when the Commission has work to do, he will assign to it the time of SPCD staff on an "as
needed" basis.
Health Department
The Administration has asked the Board to amend our city Charter and to accept a statute that
would transfer the policy and regulation making functions from our appointed Board of Health
to an appointed Health Commissioner. The statute says that a Health Commissioner must be an
MD who is a public Health Professional. The Mayor, who characterizes his proposal as a means
of "professionalizing" the Health Department, stated last week that he would request special
legislation eliminating the MD requirement from the Somerville Health Commissioner's position.
The Mayor's budget also eliminates from the Health Department the part time position of
Supervisor of School Physicians (about $13,000 a year), with the plan of replacing this position
with $6,000 worth of "contractual services." The budget proposal thus eliminates from the
department the services of two MDs who have long served Somerville and know it well: Dr.
David Osler, the Chairman of the Board of Health, and Dr. David Link, the current Supervisor
of School Physicians.
The Somerville Health Commissioner, under the proposed reorganization, would no longer
supervise the Health Department's five inspectors. These employees inspect housing for Sanitary
Code compliance; inspect restaurants and other businesses for health regulation compliance
(hygiene, rodents, selling tobacco to minors, etc.), and enforce state and local laws protecting
public health. These employees would now be assigned to Inspectional Services Division (ISD),
which will be under SPCD, and will report to the Director of Inspectional Services, who in turn
will be supervised by an as-yet undesignated member of James Kostaras' staff.
The Health Commissioner would be appointed by, and report to, the mayor. The new, appointed
"advisory council of health" would be purely advisory, probably meeting only four times a year.
The Health Commissioner would continue to supervise the Supervisor of school nurses.
Human Rights Commission
This commission would be put under the personnel department, with the Personnel Director
taking over investigative powers and duties for the Commission.
Public Hearing
There will be a public hearing on the fiscal '05 budget at 6:30 pm on Monday, June 21, in the
Aldermen's Chambers. The Home Rule petitions for Charter change will be taken up by
Legislative Matters on Tuesday, June 22, 2004, at 7:30 pm, probably in the Committee Room.
The latter will be an open meeting, but is not scheduled as a public hearing.
2) UPDATE ON PROPOSED GANG ORDINANCE
The Joint Committee on Public Safety of the state legislature continues work on the proposed
"gang loitering" ordinance. Senator Barrios and Rep. Toomey co-chair this committee. You can read
my analysis of the gang ordinance, published in last week's Somerville Journal, as well as
the most current text of the
ordinance itself.
3) ASSEMBLY SQUARE DEVELOPMENT NEWS
The Planning Board has continued its hearing on the proposed mall redevelopment until Tuesday,
June 29, 2004, at 6:00 pm.
4) CLYDE STREET MEETING CANCELLED
The second neighborhood meeting regarding the redevelopment of the former factory sites on
Clyde Street, previously announced for Wednesday, June 23, has been cancelled, and not yet
rescheduled.
5) HEARING TONIGHT ON ORLEANS EXPANSION, 2 AM CLOSINGS
The Somerville Licensing Commission, at its regular meeting on Monday, June 21, 2004, will
take testimony on petitions to expand the premises of the Orleans Restaurant and Bar, at 57
Holland Street, to include outside seating for 32 to 40 seats. One wonders where they expect to
put so many people, and what the neighborhood impacts will be.
The Commission's agenda for that night includes previously advertised petitions to extend
closing hours until 2:00 a.m. for the following establishments: The Independent and Toast, both
in Union Square; P J Ryan's, in Teele Square; Johnny D's, in Davis Square; and Good Times
Billiards, in Assembly Square. I don't know why these items keep reappearing on the agenda
without disposition.
The Commission's meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. in the Academy Room of the Public Safety
Building in Union Square, 220 Washington Street. For questions, contact Joanne Burke at 617-625-6600,or
jburke@ci.somerville.ma.us
copyright 2004 Denise Provost
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