Vaccaro gets squared

By George P. Hassett

The American flag that flies 25 feet above Fremont and Main streets may soon be looking down on a corner named after a former alderman known for his personal responses to neighborhood problems.

At this week’s Board of Aldermen meeting, Ward 4 Alderman Walter Pero proposed the corner be named after former alderman, school committee member and World War II veteran Vito Vaccaro.

The afternoon of the meeting, Vaccaro was perusing through the night’s agenda when he learned of Pero’s tribute.

“I didn’t know they did such things for people who were still alive, I thought they waited until people died to honor them like this,” Vaccaro said. “Tell you the truth I got a little nervous.”

However, Pero said communities should honor their veterans and heroes of the past while they are still with us.  “We have a lot of WWII veterans leaving us and we should honor people like Vito who have fought for the country and served the community while we still have them,” he said.

Vaccaro moved to Somerville 55 years ago and quickly became a part of his new community. In 1972 he ran for an open school committee seat in Ward 4. 

“I thought it would be a nice project the family could work on together,” Vaccaro said.

Vaccaro won and although the position was not paid, he said he enjoyed devoting his energy to the city and its schools.  “It’s just a part of life, you’re supposed to do what you’re supposed to do for other people, almost like the Boy Scouts,” he said.

Vaccaro said his proudest accomplishments on the School Committee was building three schools, including the old Lincoln Park Community School, and creating the Full Circle School, the city’s alternative and moderate special needs school.

In 1978, Vaccaro became the Ward 4 alderman. At the time he was paid $3,500 a year for the job. Pero said he remembers Vaccaro as an alderman who always returned phone calls, walked the streets and responded to constituents.

“I remember Vito sitting in my living room, listening to my concerns when he was an alderman, that was the type of personal touch he had,” Pero said.

Vaccaro said he saw his role as an “ombudsmen for the people.”

“Nobody walked the streets like me, I knew about the smallest potholes in my ward,” Vaccaro said.

During Vaccaro’s tenure as alderman, city politics were marked by scandal and indictments, he said. It was an era when elected officials too often faced trouble with the law, he said. But he never got involved because he was too concerned about “staying square,” for his kids, he said.

“I was never privy to the nonsense. It was more important that my kids think their dad was an honest guy,” he said. “Of course, that didn’t make me the most popular guy on the board.”

One of Vaccaro’s accomplishments as alderman addressed a problem that is as timely today as it ever was --- reducing traffic resulting from Assembly Square development. Vaccaro negotiated with developers of the original Assembly Square mall so that Temple Street and Shore Drive would be closed to the mall and not bear the brunt of traffic, he said.

The only vote he regrets was his vote to keep rent control in the city, he said.  “I was softhearted then, but today I see {the elimination of rent control} sparked a real renaissance in the city and physically cleaned up a lot of the homes here,” he said.

In 1979, Vaccaro lost his alderman’s seat to Joseph K. Mackey.  “Joe was better looking than me, taller than me, he had gone to Harvard and played football, I’ve never been to college or played football,” Vaccaro said. “So I told him, ‘if I wasn’t me, I probably would have voted for you too.”

Although he stays involved in Somerville politics --- Vacarro is a member of the licensing commission and proudly boasts, “I never voted for a 2 a.m. license --- today, he said he spends most days at home with his beloved American flag.

“I love flying that flag.  A lot of the people in our neighborhood come here from all over the world. Whether they’re Haitian, Portuguese, or Brazilian, I like to put the flag up as a way to welcome them and let them know how proud we are of our country,” he said.

Pero said his resolution to name the corner after Vaccaro will next go to a five person commission before it can become official.

Comments

[Kate]

That's nice; I like dedications to our veterans.

[Larry Stevens]

ov. Deval Patrick announced a new state-funded energy efficiency program designed to help Massachusetts cities duplicate a model unveiled Thursday by Cambridge officials.
Cambridge is hoping to become the first city in the nation to adopt energy efficiency measures across the entire community.

When is Somerville going to become a leader. First we ignored Global warming and did not make the cartel cab company buy hybrids. Now we have Peak Oil breaking down our back door and you all still don't what I am talking about! Come on people!

[Born Here]

Larry, maybe you should get an apartment in Cambridge.

[Cambriville News]

CAMBRIVILLE NEWS
Friday, March 30, 2007

McCARTHY GETS STONED..............

The City honored one of the city's last Spanish-American War veterans with the unvailing of a massive granite memorial in front of the Hall of Smoke and Mirrors on the Joseph A. Curtatone Concourse.

The 7x4 gunnite gray granite block was unveiled this week and dedicated to Dr. Mrs. Mary McCarthy of the Little Sisters of the Poor residence. The dedication, conducted by former First Lady Barbara Bush, with benediction by Cardinal Sean O'Malley, will be broadcast on the "E" Television Network this weekend, every hour on the hour and on SCAT next Tuesday at 3:00AM. The international broadcast will be carried on BBC and Al Jezeera.

To see a rendering of the memorial, readers should pick up a copy of this week's SOMERVILLE NEWS.

McCarthy's comments were cut short by the Cardinal when she let fly with obscenities after Veterans Director Frank Senesi(we thought they got rid of him?)presented McCarthy with a $3,496.88 bill to cover the costs of the monument.

The entire ceremony was abruptly ended when a Pat's Towing truck was seen leaving the scene with Barabara Bush's limo dragging behind.

McCarthy refused comment for this article.

In other news..................

Residents began receiving campaign literature this week from the canneddates and figs for Alderman at Large. Confusion reigned at the Daut campaign when it was discovered that half of the brochures, entitled "Vote for Bob", began to fade and the words "Vote for Bob Trane" became visible. No comment from the Daut campaign at press time.

This weekend in Cambriville.........

Get off your asses and start sprucing up the yard and in front of your house. The city looks like crap after this miserable winter.

[heywalterusuc]

wtf walter? your ordanance to name squares after people ONLY after they have died passed the board last year.why in gods name would you submit an order to dedicate a square? r u an idiot or are u just dumb? do ward four a favor an retire. you're finished and you have been for years.....i for one want my old alderman back, run vito run. at least he knows whats up.the first thing he said was i thought they only did this for dead people. Vito i hope you get your square you deserve it.but if you do the ordanance should be changed for all not just one.