After months, first sign of debate in mayor's race

A criminal past and alleged death threat took place of issues

By George P. Hassett

The underdog challenger to Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone showed signs of a campaign this week after several quiet months with little public debate between the candidates.

Suzanne L. Bremer released her campaign’s first press statement last week, more than three months after first declaring that she would run for mayor against Curtatone. In it, she incorrectly said Somerville spent over $435,500 for an Emergency Operations Center inside the city’s public safety building. In fact, according to Police Captain Paul Upton, the city spent only $55,000 of taxpayer money on the new center. The remaining $400,000 was paid for by grants from the federal government provided to bring the city into compliance with national safety guidelines, he said.

“The information [Bremer] is putting out is incorrect,” he said.

Despite factual inaccuracy, the release raised one of the first actual campaign issues in the 2007 race for mayor. Although two challengers competed with him on the ballot, Curtatone has had to put up with little opposition in his bid for a return to City Hall. There has been just one forum in which Curtatone addressed an audience in the presence of his opponent and there are no further debates scheduled. Bremer said she was open to more debates with Curtatone but that he would not agree to them. Curtatone said there was only one debate because of “logistical issues.”

The race stands in stark contrast to the 2003 contest Curtatone won to first become mayor. That year he and another challenger, Tony Lafuente, ousted incumbent mayor Dorothy Kelly Gay in the primary and faced off in a close race in the general election in which Curtatone won with 52 percent of the vote. That election cycle featured four debates and raised issues such as development at Assembly Square and youth gangs in the city.

Conversely, before this year’s primary, most of the attention focused on challenger Rick Scirocco, his criminal past and an alleged death threat from one of his supporters against the mayor.

Scirocco, owner of a construction company, has had four restraining orders taken out against him by four women who alleged he abused them. In one case he pled guilty to bruising a woman’s eye and was ordered to undergo counseling. In 2004 he was arrested for, but eventually acquitted of, buying liquor for underage children. Scirocco said Curtatone was one of the defense lawyers who represented him in court for his legal battles.

During Scirocco’s campaign, the threat of violence continued as one of his supporters, Lenny DiCiccio, told a Curtatone volunteer that Scirocco was going to “bury” the mayor.

Word of the remark got back to Curtatone, two detectives were assigned to interview DiCiccio and a police officer was assigned to a paid detail guarding the mayor for one day at a cost of $1,034.

DiCiccio said the two detectives agreed with him that the statement was an innocent jab about the two competing campaigns and not a threat. “[The Curtatone campaign] tried to pull a cutie on me,” he said. “[The remark] was nothing.”

DiCiccio is an estranged friend of the Curtatone family and claimed he was the mayor’s godfather. However, according to Curtatone, DiCiccio is not his godfather but was his brother Cosmo Curtatone’s confirmation sponsor. Whatever his relation to the Curtatone family, DiCiccio is now a staunch opponent. After the alleged threat was made public DiCiccio promised to “throw some bombs.”

On the day of the primary Scirocco and his supporters de around the city in a stretch limousine touting his candidacy to voters through a bullhorn. But that was not enough to keep him in the race and he received only 467 votes.

The issue-free campaign comes on the heels of a two-year period in which Curtatone has neutralized his strongest and most organized rivals through legal settlements and political negotiation.

The police patrolmen and firefighter unions twice demonstrated outside City Hall together in protest of Curtatone’s public safety policies. Two years ago, the patrol union took out full page ads in both city newspapers harshly criticizing Curtatone’s ultimately successful attempt to increase his presence in the police department by winning the power to appoint the police chief. However, each union has toned down its anti-Curtatone rhetoric and theatrics since agreeing to labor contracts with the city.

In the last year, Curtatone has also appeased another organized foe, the Mystic View Task Force. The grassroots group of Somerville residents had halted development at the city’s most valuable and complex parcel of land, Assembly Square. By 2006 the zoning Curtatone had paid outside lawyers over $700,000 to draft had been struck down by a judge as “invalid” and revenues from the strip mall —- the only part of the development to be built —- were far below city projections at $531,575.

Legal losses, stagnated development at Assembly Square and an inability to work with Mystic View had played a part in Gay’s loss and now Curtatone was facing a streak of bad publicity surrounding the development. But then negotiations between Mystic View and developers Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRIT) began. Although multiple people who were involved in the negotiations said city officials did not participate, Curtatone was a beneficiary of the eventual settlement.

In media coverage of the event he was able to play a central role in resolving one of the region’s most contentious, divisive and ingrained feuds and reversed some negative press when FRIT agreed to pay the city’s legal bills.

One constant in Curtatone’s tenure as mayor has been strong support from the Board of Aldermen. Curtatone said the board’s job is to “hold his feet to the fire” yet he has only had one proposal defeated by them in four years and he had enough support on the board to get his “invalid” zoning for Assembly Square passed with a super majority, eight of 11 votes. The city’s legislative body has been so cooperative with the mayor, former alderman-at-large and current State Rep. Denise Provost, D-Somerville, has criticized it for a lack of independence.

And after Marty Martinez, who had been endorsed by Provost and Alderman-at-Large William A. White for his potential for independence from Curtaone, lost to John M. Connolly in May activist and attorney Todd S. Kaplan called the board “a rubber stamp for the mayor.”

As Curtatone’s power and popularity have increased, his small but devoted band of detractors has remained stubborn. In 2005 when the Somerville News endorsed Nobody for mayor (Curtatone was running unopposed, or, against Nobody), 24 percent of voters left ballots blank or wrote in Nobody. In the Sept. 25 primary, Curtatone’s two underdog opponents received a combined 24 percent of the vote. And even against candidates such as Scirocco and Bremer, Curtatone could not win the endorsement of the Progressive Democrats of Somerville.

He said disagreements are a natural fact of policy debate and he welcomes different points of view for the city’s future. He said his popularity and smooth working relationship with the Board of Aldermen are due to the work he has done in the city over his four years as mayor.

“Four years ago Somerville was stagnant. City government was not delivering basic services, development at Assembly Square was halted. People had the perception government had stopped working for them. Since then I’ve worked to make this a model city. We have introduced customer service innovations like 311 and SomerStat in City Hall, passed zoning and begun development at Assembly Square and helped make Somerville a great place to live, work and play. I’m flattered and honored for the popularity I’ve experienced in the city but that can always change. Even a right decision can be unpopular,” he said. 

Comments

[Mole Fan]

instead of the amount, she should have used THE MOLE's info on WHO did the work. The place still leaked anyway..

[Rocky Raccoon]

Is it me or is the Mayor peering over his sign with those raccoon circled eyes?

The fact that Joe feels comfortable with the current structure on the BOA is only because of the color GREEN. Let's face it.

Green pastures are always better than browned hay.

[Election]

How do you dare calling those awesome beaten puppy doggy eyes "raccoon eyes" ??? Shame on you.

[Rocky Raccoon]

I was being nice. I could have said, "Those eyes look like they just came out of the #@$"$%' rehab center but I didn't now did I"?

[Election]

Ahahahah! I see your point.

[please]

Rehab? You have a Mayor who runs marathons, works 18 hours a day, and has done more for this city than any Mayor in our lifetime and you criticize. Let me know what you think that he is not doing or where he is failing on any front?

[it *is* funny]

If making fun of the Mayor's appearance is the best you've got, it's no wonder he is so popular. I personally like him and think he's doing a good job and I've told him so in person. I hope he sticks around for a while.

[Ron Newman]

Although just because I like the mayor doesn't mean I'd necessarily vote for other candidates that he supports (e.g. in ward 5)

[please]

Ron,

I'm not sure anyone expects you to automatically vote for candidates that the Mayor supports. However, he has the right to come out and support candidates just as PDS does. Do they even expect 100% of their members to follow??

I have been very curious as to why PDS won't endorse a Mayor who continues to receive recognition throughout the state as one of the most innovative and progressive mayors in the commonwealth. Is it personal?

[Paulie]

Please:

..it is because he is homegrown and it kills em' to think locals could actually be part of the City and the way it is today:>)

[Ron Newman]

At the PDS endorsement meeting, I recall that the mayor got some votes and Suzanne Bremer got some votes, neither one getting enough for PDS's 66% supermajority requirement. Rick Scirocco got no votes.

[please]

Ron,

Thanks for the reply, however, I'm not interested in the 3rd grade math behind how the PDS endorsement is achieved. I'm much more interested in the rationale that the PDS offers for not endorsing him.

You must have some notion as to why a self annointed progressive group will not endorse a candidate that has an undeniable track record as a very progressive mayor. My impression of the PDS is that they like data and information to make decisions and they embrace transparent and open processes. So why can't they enlighten me. I consider myself a very progressive person which is why I ask these questions. The PDS has little credibility with me if they cannot explain why the Mayor can't seem to get this endorsement. There must have been some debate for and against candidates. It would go a long way with many of us if we could understand such a counterintuitive move on the part of PDS.

[Ron Newman]

If it had been just the mayor vs. Scirocco, I'm sure the mayor would have gotten the endorsement. With a three-way race, two progressive candidates split the vote, neither one meeting the threshold required for an endorsement.

[Mr. Blonde]

The PDS has little credibility with me if they cannot explain why the Mayor can't seem to get this endorsement. There must have been some debate for and against candidates. It would go a long way with many of us if we could understand such a counterintuitive move on the part of PDS.

Posted by: please | November 02, 2007 at 07:14 PM

Please, the PDS only backs candidates that are way off the charts leftie moonbats. You need to be a card carrying moveon.org-loving, anti-US, anti-religion nutjob to get their endrosement.

DO NOT VOTE FOR ANY CANDIDATE THEY ENDORSE. I LIKE THE MAYOR AND AM HAPPY HIS DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM THEM. THE PDS IS ANTI-SOMERVILLE.

[New Stalker]

The mayor has sought the endorsement from the PDS "moonbats" several times in the past. Never got it. They might be "moonbats", but they've got his number.

[please]

Ron,

I promise. This is my last attempt at trying to get clarity on why the Mayor doesn't get the PDS endorsement. You have two progressive candidates to consider. One has a strong, demonstrated track record in terms of pushing a progressive agenda as well as valuable on the job experience both as Mayor and as an Alderman. Under the Mayor's stewardship the city has become recognized as a model city for creativity and innovation. The other candidate has no executive experience. I'm sure she is a very nice woman with some interesting skills and talents, however, she seems woefully unqualified to run a city the size of Somerville.

Maybe Mr. Blonde is right. Maybe the Mayor should distance himself from the PDS. I just don't like hypocrites and would like an open, logical and fact based answer on why he comes up short with PDS. If you all have some good reasons why he should not be supported by progressives - let's hear it. This seems like a very simple question to me???

Oh, and New Stalker - what's the Mayor's number. You are as vague as Ron.

[Ron Newman]

You're asking me to read the minds of all the other people who were at that meeting, and who cast secret-ballot votes. I can't do that.

[please]

OK. Open call to PDS members - can anyone step up and answer why they didn't vote to support an endorsement for the Mayor. I know that I'm being stubborn but this is the same group that would be hammering the Mayor or other elected officials that they didn't agree with if they couldn't get specific, well thought out responses to their questions.

I can only conclude that maybe others are correct. Is it because he is homegrown and not a transplant? Is he too ethnic for you? I think that would be tragic coming from a group that poses as a good government, open-minded, progressive group that, I would think, promotes diversity - maybe just certain kinds of diversity though.