The Somerville News Blog

A Huge Week in Politics and Government

By Joseph A. Curtatone (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) From a political perspective, there was a lot going on last week in Massachusetts and in Washington - and all of it will affect Somerville.

"Shape Up Somerville," 2010 Edition - and a Vote for Martha Coakley

By Joseph A. Curtatone (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) In this first column of the New Year, I want to focus on our plans in 2010 to expand the very successful Shape Up Somerville initiative. But first, I want to comment on something completely different:

On Election Day, the Only Real Losers Were the Ones Who Didn't Vote

By Joseph A. Curtatone (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) In my election eve auto-call, I said that every election is important - and I meant it. Through good economic times and bad, in crisis or in calm, every voter has a major impact on the quality of the life, the health, the opportunity and the future of the entire community and everyone in it. While my phone call to Somerville voters was political - I was running unopposed but I still wanted to ask for your vote - it was also intended to get everyone to the polls. Voting is the most fundamental expression of citizenship in a democracy. I don't agree with the old saying, "If you don't vote, you can't complain" (everyone complains anyway, and most office-holders still listen), but it's undeniable that voters get the final word on the direction of public policy.. So what conclusions can we draw from this election? Well, turnout of just over 18 percent of registered voters is pretty low, and reflects the continuing long-term decline in voter participation in non-presidential elections in Somerville. There's really no excuse for this: our local government is about as open and accessible as it gets, yet fewer people are choosing to run and fewer people are choosing to vote. It shouldn't be that way. Our city's population is getting better educated and more affluent. We're seeing gratifying numbers of residents participate in ResiStat and volunteer for community events and projects of all kinds. Yet none of that has translated into direct participation in our most basic act of self-government. I have also heard it said that there may be another factor at work here: in hard economic times, when difficult choices have to be made at every level of government, fewer people want the job of elected official. That troubles me, because at no time are the stakes higher and the need for leadership greater than when we face an economic or social crisis. But that brings me to the positive side of interpreting these election results. Our Board of Aldermen and School Committee have both had to make some hard decisions over the past two years, and they have shown real courage and resolve. The fact that many aldermen and school committee members were unopposed - and that, with one notable exception, those who faced opposition handily defeated their opponents - suggests to me that Somerville is generally satisfied with the quality of leadership it is receiving from its elected officials. In the one close race this year - for the Ward 4 School Committee seat - there were two strong candidates. Both worked hard, with the challenger, Christine Rafal, winning a narrow but convincing victory over my friend, incumbent Jamie Norton. Both candidates can be proud of the level of interest they generated, and there can be no doubt that Christine is a well-qualified and energetic candidate. The day after the election, Jamie wrote on Facebook that he was "sure Christine Rafal will do an excellent job representing Ward 4 on the School Committee." I echo his sentiments. As for my own re-election, I am humbled and honored that - despite the fact that I was unopposed - fully 80 percent of those who cast a ballot last Tuesday took the time to vote for me. The last time I ran unopposed, in 2005, only 70 percent of the participating voters formally affirmed their support for me. It's nice to know that, even when they disagree with me about specific issues, Somerville's voters still have my back. Believe me, I don't take that support for granted, and will continue to do my very best to honor the trust placed in me as mayor. I look forward to working closely with the Board of Aldermen and the School Committee as we face two more challenging and busy years. With the continuing pressures on local budgets, it won't be easy to maintain the progress we've made in improving our schools, expanding city services, and promoting long-term transit and economic development projects like Assembly Square, but we have to try - and I am grateful to be able to work with such a strong, seasoned and courageous group of elected officials. I also want to offer a word of appreciation to the unsuccessful candidates who showed their commitment to our city by standing for office. While they may not have been voted into office, their willingness to serve and their concern for their fellow residents make all of them winners. Last Wednesday night at the annual Chamber of Commerce dinner (a big success, by the way), keynote speaker Darnell Williams, President of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, quoted Theodore Roosevelt's famous observation that "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena . . . who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." The only real losers in this election are the ones who didn't care enough to get involved - or even to vote. I am profoundly grateful to the voters who give us the opportunity and the privilege of serving this great city. No matter how you voted, you are all winners - and I hope your ranks will grow in the difficult years ahead.

Our Endorsements

A Sad State of Affairs

For the first time in 100 years or so there was no need for an election primary in this city. The question has arisen - are people satisfied or complacent? Or maybe are they simply afraid of taking on those already in power? More than likely, the answer is all three.

We couldn't be more bored. With one exception, the challengers in this election are either not viable or being propped up by a wanna-be political machine that shouts buzzwords but is only interested in throwing out one group for their own. It's disappointing given the empowerment so many people supposedly felt after last year's presidential election.

The following endorsements are to be read keeping in mind that the choices are few. The question comes to does one support the sole challenger simply because he or she is new or do you go with the devil you know? This year, we're sticking with the tried and true.

Mayor

While we wish that in a city with as vibrant a community as ours there are multiple choices for elective office, we've been more than pleased with Joe Curtatone's performance as Mayor during his last two terms. Certainly winning the All-America City award had a lot to do with his leadership, and it was a moment that all of Somerville shared.

Ultimately, however, that award means little compared to the actual improvement we've seen in this city. We could not have a more fiercely determined advocate for progress on the Green Line. The final pieces of the police department reorganization are coming together. He certainly hasn't been afraid to make tough decisions, especially during our ongoing budget crisis. He dove headfirst into citywide permit parking, a divisive issue that we're hoping he would have pursued even if he weren't guaranteed a new term.

To keep things interesting, it would be interesting to see a viable challenger discussing the issues with him during the next election cycle - assuming he's not on Capitol Hill by then - but for now we have no problem telling you to vote for the one choice you have. We could do a lot worse.

Ward 6 Alderman

This is tough. The Progressive Democrats of Somerville is perhaps the most secretive pseudo-government body in Somerville (besides the Traffic Commission), and Rebekah Gewirtz is without question the center of the group. On the other hand, we would like to support Campano, but his NIMBY attitude really isn't an antidote to Gewirtz's faux-transparency. We're holding out hope that Ward 6 will someday have an alderman more concerned about the well being of constituents than politics.

Maybe next time we'll have a chance to enthusiastically root for one of Gewirtz's challengers. This year, vote blank.

Alderman-at-Large

Here again we run into the same issue: PDS. Luis Morales, their candidate, is a religious leader, which is clearly at odds with much of their agenda (see Ward 5 endorsement below). That means one thing to us: the PDS believes that since this guy is Latino he automatically deserves a seat on the Board.

We don't necessarily disagree that the Board is sorely lacking in diversity, but at the end of the day, the BOA is about effectiveness, and the current crop of aldermen-at-large have been some of the most effective on the Board in a long, long time.

At the risk of seeming like hypocrites for decrying the lack of challengers and then endorsing all the incumbents, we see no reason to vote anyone out in favor of Morales. Maybe if he had run on his own initiative it would be different, but for now we're happy to endorse Jack Connolly, Bruce Desmond, Dennis Sullivan and Bill White.

Each of them brings a unique point of view to the Board. Desmond brings his school committee experience and determination to not let issues get swept under the rug - the Max Pac site is just one example. Sullivan, who will host his 100th office hour on Saturday, is possibly the most accessible member. Connolly brings his experience as a long-time advocate for Davis Square from the days when cafes and all the marks of a beautiful neighborhood were still unknown.

White is easily the most intelligent voice on the Board, and has kept the mayor's office in check more times in the past six months than we can keep count. Out of all of them, White is perhaps the most important voice on the Board. And hey, remember when he was a Republican? Here's proof we agree with a PDS endorsement every once in a while.

Ward 4 School Committee

We're pleased to endorse News Editor-in-Chief Jamie Norton, who has served effectively and passionately since being elected two years ago. Students at the Arthur D. Healey and Winter Hill Community School have benefited from his advocacy. A far cry from his PDS-created opponent, who appears to make things up as she goes along, Jamie has a quiet, yet informed, and very efficient manner about him - and he gets things done.

Norton has been a voice of reason on a committee that often finds itself bogged down in issues beyond its control. For the past two years, he has been a level-headed and hardworking voice for the ward he has lived in his entire life.



Ward 5 School Committee

Mark Niedergang, a so-called Progressive Democrat, has really managed to put his foot in his mouth this year. He came out against religion and patriotism as worthwhile reasons for school holidays, then spent much more time "going negative" (and advising others to go negative) than even our own infamous Newstalkers.

Anna Lavanga, a long-time PTA member, is more than qualified to take his place and we're pleased to endorse her, a non-PDS aligned challenger, who is running for the right reason: our children. Mark Niedergang is only looking out for himself, period.

Reporting from the Public Health Front

By Joseph A. Curtatone (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) As I hope everybody knows by now, President Obama has declared the H1N1 flu outbreak a national emergency. (There's more about President - and former Somerville resident - Obama at the end of this column.) That's an important step for public health planners and administrators around the country -and an upgrade from the "public health emergency" declaration back in April. As a practical matter, it gives hospital officials more authority to separate flu patients from other patients, to set up special emergency areas aimed solely at treating flu, to fast-track the purchase of supplies, and to reduce bureaucratic restrictions on local actions. According to federal officials, the declaration was "preemptive:" most states don't need it yet, but now it's there if they do. Late last week, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MADPH) also acknowledged that H1N1 is now "widespread" in the Commonwealth. Here in Somerville, we've already had a few cases of flu (both H1N1 and seasonal), although we're a long way from emergency mode. But all of the media attention has got everybody on edge - and it hasn't helped that vaccines for both H1N1 and seasonal flu have been in far shorter supply than the federal government originally predicted. That's forced Somerville and quite a few other communities to cancel previously scheduled vaccination clinics - and it's forced us to delay rescheduling until we have more reliable information about when shipments of seasonal and H1N1 vaccine will arrive. Our City Health Department receives regular updates on the vaccine supply chain from MADPH and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We will reschedule clinics as soon as we have the supplies we need. (For the latest updates, call 311 or visit www.somervillema.gov.) We expect that we will eventually have enough vaccine of both types to handle the demand, though those of us not in the priority groups will need to be patient while those most at risk to develop the serious complications associated with each of these types of flu are vaccinated as soon as possible. Here are a few crucial facts to keep in mind: • Most people recover from the flu (both kinds) with no after effects. • The cases leading to serious complications are almost always in patients that already have underlying health problems that make them more susceptible. • Since the large majority of those who suffer from H1N1 influenza are recovering without incident, MADPH is no longer trying to do routine "confirmatory" testing of everyone who gets the flu. They are continuing to watch for cases that end up requiring hospital care, but • Very few cases require hospitalization. • Once vaccine is available, you should get vaccinated. Seasonal and H1N1 influenza season will be with us for many months to come. • Private sources for vaccines tend to be slightly better equipped right now. If you can get a shot from your doctor, from a clinic at CVS, Wal-Mart, Stop and Shop or from other provider - and you're willing and able to pay - go ahead. (Just another reminder of how our current health care system fails us: private insurance systems ration access to vaccine not on the basis of comparative risk or vulnerability - which would also help keep flu from spreading ¬- but on the basis of who can afford to pay.) It's also important to remember that, even if you have to wait for your vaccination, there are several very effective prevention measures that you can take immediately to protect yourself and your family: • Wash your hands often and thoroughly - and use hand sanitizer if you don't have access to soap and water. • Avoid touching your nose, mouth or eyes. • Cover your cough, but use your elbow instead of your hands. And finally, the best thing you can do if you have flu-like symptoms is to isolate yourself to prevent further spread of the flu: Stay home from work or school or other activities where you'll be interacting with lots of people until at least 24 hours after your fever has subsided without the use of fever reducing medications like aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen (Tylenol). You can visit the City of Somerville website and click on the "influenza update" alert to find out more - and if you haven't already done so, please also go to the website or call 311 to find out how to pick up your free City of Somerville prescription drug discount card. Somerville is the first Massachusetts community to offer this discount card program, which was developed by the National League of Cities and has already been a huge success. And now, to close on a completely different note, I want to report that President Obama had very kind words to say about Somerville when I saw him last Friday during his one-day trip to Boston. I hadn't met the President before, so this was my chance to give him his Somerville 2009 All America City Pin and tell him how proud we are that he lived here during his years at Harvard Law School. His reply was, "Mayor, I want you to know that your city treated me very well during my time there." His good memories of Somerville are a tribute to our community spirit - and a reminder that courtesy and neighborliness make a lasting impression. It's just great to have a President who knows firsthand that Somerville Rocks!

Leading Through Innovation

By Joseph A. Curtatone (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) Last Thursday evening, I led a seminar at the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. I spoke about Somerville's growing reputation for innovation in municipal government, and about how mayors and other elected leaders can foster and drive innovations that improve services, save money and make the best use of new technologies. Somerville has developed a close relationship with the Kennedy School over the past several years. The City has benefited from what amounts to free labor and advice from Kennedy School students and faculty. K-School grads work in a number of city departments, including our Police Department and the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development. I've even been taking some courses there myself - and it's been a valuable experience. With all of that in mind, I was more than willing to develop a presentation that covered SomerStat, 311, ResiStat, Shape Up Somerville, the ACE (Accurate, Courteous, Easy) customer service initiative, our comprehensive police reorganization and all of the other programs and policies that have brought Somerville so much national and regional attention - and played a major role in winning us recognition by the National Civic League as a 2009 All America City. Even though I only had enough time to touch on the highlights, laying out our record for a Kennedy School audience was still a valuable experience: just like the inaugural and mid-term addresses I've given every January for the past five years, the evening provided an opportunity to reflect on how much we have accomplished - and how much more we need to do to fulfill this city's terrific promise and potential. As I talked about the ways we've adopted and adapted best practices from all over the country, I was reminded how quickly something that was once new and exciting becomes a matter of routine. 2004 isn't that long ago, but it's amazing how many changes we've been able to make in technical systems and procedures that make Somerville's government more accountable, transparent and cost-effective. It's also amazing how much you can get done just by paying attention to what's going on outside your own community. As I told my fellow students, you don't need to be an inventor to be an innovator - but you do need to be an adaptor. Somerville has often been the first community in Massachusetts or New England to adopt a new idea, but only because we were the first to figure out a way to do it gradually and inexpensively. We're willing to start out with a basic version of a program like SomerStat or 311, and then expand it gradually by adding new features, more departments or other enhancements until it compares very favorably to fancier and more elaborate versions that come with a much higher price tag. But as my good friend, Mike Shea, likes to say, "In politics, the question is never 'What have you done?' It's always, 'What are you doing now?' And that's just as it should be. As proud as I am of the way we have upgraded our city systems, I am committed to doing even better. We need to get even more data onto our website, and we will. We need to bring even more new technology into play to improve our response time on service and information requests - and we will. We need to do much more to reduce our carbon footprint through more efficient energy usage - and we will. We need to upgrade and rebuild even more of our aging infrastructure, and we will do that, too. Of course, "doing even better" was made much harder by the current state and national fiscal crisis. We've already absorbed the deepest cuts to local aid that anyone can remember, and we may well have to endure another round of cuts in the current fiscal year. It's not going to be pretty. On the other hand, the systems we have already put in place have created efficiencies and savings that have helped us expand services in the past, and will help us preserve services going forward. Combined with the growth in our commercial tax base that is coming with the continued development of Assembly Square, the enhancements to Union and Magoun Squares and to the East Somerville section of Broadway, and - at long last - the construction of the Green Line Extension, our best practices in governmental operations will help us weather these tough economic times and bounce back stronger and faster. Current trends suggest that the national recession is ending, and that Massachusetts will emerge more quickly than in most other parts of the nation. When that happens, look for Somerville to be one of the communities that leads the way - not because we have more wealth or a bigger industrial base than other Massachusetts cities and towns, but because we've been willing to embrace the new ideas and technologies that help us use our resources more efficiently. You can see it every day - in where we've been and in where we're going.

Dental Check-up a Back-to-School Basic

Dr. Doyle Williams (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) Backpack. Check. Pens and pencils. Check. Organizers and notebooks. Check. You've made lists and checked them twice for everything your child needs to go back to school. Despite your child's hemming and hawing, you have probably already made an appointment for their annual physical as well. But there may be a very important item missing from your back-to-school check list: your child's dental check-up. Dental caries, also known as tooth decay, is the most common chronic childhood disease, five times more common than asthma. It's also completely preventable with proper care. Good oral health is an important part of a child's overall well being, especially as they and their teeth are developing. Dental check-ups are crucial to identify risks and help prevent more serious problems from occurring such as tooth decay and gum disease. Dentists can even identify early signs of other diseases like diabetes and vitamin deficiencies. However, without regular dental screenings and prevention measures like sealants on molars, dental disease often goes untreated and can result in cavities, pain and infection. Untreated dental disease can also interfere with learning, speech, and eating, leading to poor nutrition and problems in school. You can also help your child protect their teeth throughout the school year with a few simple tips: - Sugar and acid in soda and sports drinks can eat away tooth's enamel: if your children are drinking these, send them to school with a straw so the liquid will have less contact with their teeth. - Most bottled water doesn't have tooth decay fighting fluoride: you can save money by skipping the bottled water and having your child drink water from the tap using a tap filter or a filtered pitcher. - Chewing gum doesn't have to be bad for your child's teeth. Always use sugarless gum and look for chewing gum with xylitol, the natural sweetener that has been proven to help prevent tooth decay, listed as one of the top three ingredients. - If your child participates in a school sport, make sure he/she wears a mouth guard. According to the American Dental Association, sports-related injuries knock out two million teeth per year. Your child will be 60 times less likely to suffer tooth damage than an athlete without a mouth guard. [Mouth guards are rarely covered by insurance plans because of the wide variation in cost between custom, mouth-formed and stock ones -- any mouth guard is better than none.] Most importantly, schedule an appointment with your child's dentist. Start a positive tradition that will hopefully last them their entire lives. Your child should walk away with a new toothbrush, a sticker and a brighter smile. You will walk away with peace of mind, knowing you have a full picture of your child's overall health and that your son or daughter is truly ready to start the new school year. By Dr. Doyle Williams, chief dental officer of Delta Dental of Massachusetts

A Standard Bearer for Massachusetts Politics

Anthony D. Galluccio State Senator (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) Ted Kennedy's loss stirs up many different emotions both personal and political, and in the end they are one in the same. I remember a conversation with Senator Kennedy in his Washington office when I was Mayor of Cambridge. I told him some of the stories my father passed on to me about his brother Jack and the early campaigns in our neighborhood as young returning veterans. Even then it was obvious that Ted had difficulty speaking about his brother. As a human being he aspired to serve his fellow Americans and this came first for him. As a politician he embodied the brand of Massachusetts politics now ingrained in all of us. It is this personal attention to his responsibilities and his constituents that I admire the most. I remember calls to the Mayor's office when my staff would say Senator Kennedy is on the phone and I would pick up and hear "Mr. Mayor, how is everything in Cambridge...". He would then go on to update me on some issue or some funding coming our way. I also loved the Kennedy style of campaigning because Ted obviously ran the show. One summer I received a call late on a Friday to put together a rally in Cambridge for the Senator. I chose the parking lot at Fresh Pond apartments where we had just extended affordability. The location was also across from Russell Field where a home football game was being played. The rally was a huge success with hundreds of people coming out to greet and chat with Senator Kennedy. About a year later, I saw Ted at a reception in Cambridge and he said, "Anthony, I think more people were at that rally for you than for me!" I didn't think he would even remember the rally, but Ted Kennedy didn't miss a thing with local politics. He had a deep respect for local officials who were on the front lines. He remembered names and would pick up the phone to connect, and not just when it was time for his campaign. That standard of respect for public service is what Ted Kennedy embodied. Sacrifice, pain, humility and in the end, affection and love for ALL people is what defined Ted Kennedy for me. He set a standard that has forever changed the face of politics in Massachusetts. A standard we all should aspire to respect and hold true too. I will miss Ted Kennedy but it is my hope that his spirit will live on in all of us. -Anthony Galluccio

Not Necessarily the News

By Joseph A. Curtatone (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) It's hot. No surprises there: after some of the coolest, dampest summer weather in years, it's finally, brutally hot. But do you know what has become one of the "hottest" spots in town this week? It's our cooling center at the Council on Aging: Channel 5, Channel 7. WBZ radio and our local media have all shown up for pictures and interviews. Council Director Cindy Hickey is getting a lot more than fifteen minutes of fame - and she deserves it. Of course, if I got to pick what she should be famous for, I would have chosen all of the wonderful programs she runs for seniors, but she's also a great spokesperson to advise the public on keeping cool and watching out for friends and family members who might show signs of heat-related problems. So I have no complaints. But this latest episode of media attention reminded me of one of the unavoidable realities of city government: no matter how hard you try, you can't always pick what the media decides is news. Overall, we've been lucky here in Somerville that some of our biggest successes - SomerStat, Shape Up Somerville and Assembly Square - have gotten so much media attention both locally and nationally. We have also been lucky that some of our quirkier local stories - the "What the Fluff" festival, U2 dropping in on the Somerville Theatre, and even that piece on NPR about the resident who created a techno-pop remix out of one of our snow alert calls - have helped build the image of Somerville as a fun and exciting place to live, work and raise a family. We haven't always been so lucky: when our Police Department accidentally and uncharacteristically threw out an old desk that still had some stored evidence inside, the story traveled far and wide almost instantaneously, and a lot of people had a good laugh at our expense. And it turns out that, despite five press releases and multiple handouts, folks are just beginning to focus on changes to our parking policies - and much of the information they've picked up is either outdated or just plain wrong. (Please visit the city's website, www.somervillema.gov, for the latest and most accurate information.) So what I'd like to do in the balance of this column is talk about a program that I really hope will get a lot more publicity and participation. It's the comprehensive community planning effort that we're calling "SomerVision." We kicked off this effort back in April with an open house at the Argenziano School in which we highlighted the resources available for the public, and asked them to join us in developing a shared vision of our city's future, along with the many aspects of future development that we need to address. Some of the topics we touched on that day, and which continue to shape our discussions, include the Green Line Extension, the status of the Assembly Square Development, the future of Union Square, Broadway rezoning, the Community Path, the hotel project in Davis Square, and our long-term efforts to build a sustainable community and economy built on Smart Growth principles. Throughout the summer, our Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development has gone on to sponsor a series of public "trends meetings" to cover individual topics that include current and projected changes in demographics, housing, employment industries, transportation, infrastructure, and land use patterns. Six of these meetings have already been held (and the News has done a good job of covering them), but there are four more left: August 25, 2009 at the TAB Building, 167 Holland Street; September 14, 2009 at Capuano Early Education Center, 150 Glen Street; September 22, 2009, also at Capuano; and September 28, 2009 back at the TAB Building. (All meetings start at 6:30; for more information, please check the website or call 311.) We would truly welcome the public's full participation in these events. The whole point is to tap into the creativity, energy and knowledge of our residents to come up with a comprehensive plan that represents all of us and can inform our development decisions and initiatives for the next 20 years. And, speaking of planning and development policy, it was an eye-opening experience to visit California last month to look at development programs and strategies in Oakland, Redwood City and San Jose. I led a delegation there for two reasons. The first reason was that we wanted to learn from California communities about their experience with that state's successful, 40-year-old Tax Increment Financing (TIF) program, which is designed to spur economic development in targeted areas. The second was that our OSPCD Director Monica Lamboy is a former City of Oakland official with good contacts in the region. We ended up with a packed program of meetings and tours that was both intense and fascinating. We learned a tremendous amount about how to get state dollars to underwrite local projects, even in tough economic times. (Massachusetts adopted a similar program called District Improvement Financing - DIF - in 2003, and it's something we want to tap into.) I was therefore very grateful not only to the organizers of the trip but to Thomas Bent of the Somerville Chamber of Commerce, transit advocate Wig Zamore and Aldermen Jack Connolly, Bruce Desmond, Sean O'Donovan, Walter Perot, and Dennis Sullivan for joining me. Come to think of it, we put out a press release on that trip, too - but what the media most wanted to know was how much it cost ($18,000) and who paid for it (business-donated community benefits funds, a federal grant; we all paid for our meals and incidentals; no local tax dollars were used to finance the trip). Like I said, you don't always get to pick what the "news" will be.

Transportation Finance and Reform - Part 3

Op-Ed from State Representative Denise Provost (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) The story so far - when Governor Patrick was sworn into office, he inherited a poorly-maintained, chronically underfunded transportation system. In March, 2007, an expert commission studying transportation finance issued a damning report. In December, 2007, the federal government disapproved the state's official transportation plans, jeopardizing funding. 2008: Actions Short of Solutions, New Problems The one-year anniversary of the Transportation Finance Commission Report arrived in March, 2008, with no signs of action on its recommendations. Instead, the administration was urging the legislature to act quickly on its Transportation Bond Bill, which included authorizations for $600 million for the full estimated cost of the Green Line extension. The bond bill was enacted before the July 2008 end of the legislative session, as gasoline prices climbed to $4.00 a gallon. Despite the high price of gasoline, many in the legislature recognized the need to solve the problem of insufficient revenue to run - and expand - the state's transportation system, which had not yet been addressed. Issuing more debt to build the Green Line extension and other projects represented progress towards making those projects happen. Paying back that debt - with interest - was going to require a revenue stream. Several legislators - including myself - went to work on transportation bills to file when the new legislative session opened. Representatives from Metro West communities organized to forestall expected toll increases for the problem-plagued Massachusetts Turnpike. Meanwhile, the nation's entire financial system - and that of the world - was showing signs of serious meltdown. Still, no proposal for reforming transportation finance came from the administration. Instead there was a surprising announcement: Bernard Cohen would be leaving his post as Secretary of Transportation as of January 2, 2009. He would be replaced by James Aloisi. 2009: Crisis, Opportunity, Retreat The new year was full of transportation initiatives, with several of us in the House filing transportation reform bills in early January. On January 13, the Governor announced that he would view a gas tax increase favorably. On January 14, the Massachusetts Senate announced its plan for comprehensive transportation reform, filing a bill that proposed no new revenue. On February 20, 2009, the Governor held a press conference to announce that he would be filing a transportation reform bill that included a 19 cent per gallon gasoline tax increase, and did so the following week. On January 25, the Speaker of the house, a supporter of a gas tax increase, announced his resignation as of January 27, 2009. With leadership in the House temporarily uncertain, the Senate raised the volume on its insistent message: "reform before revenue." At hearings that the legislative Transportation Committee held around the state on transportation bills, the public testimony was overwhelmingly against a gas tax increase. The public, however, did not know that the federal government had disapproved the state's long term transportation plan (STIP) for insufficient funding, nor, it would seem, did the administration inform legislative leaders about the STIP disapproval, and the consequent jeopardy to expected federal transportation aid. The whole legislative debate on transportation reform occurred without reference to the potential loss of the state's single biggest transportation revenue source: Washington, D.C. Being out of compliance with federal transportation regulations could prove problematic especially in 2009. Federal stimulus money became available for transportation projects this year, yet Massachusetts has only been funding for funding projects that are relatively minor in size and scale, such as road resurfacing. Meanwhile, the state's application for federal grant funding of the important Silver Line 3 project was rejected because of the state's financial problems ("Green Line extension funding in question," Boston Globe, July 21, 2009). The legislature during its budget process did add some funding to transportation projects. Part of the revenue raised by the new sales tax increase will be dedicated to paying transportation system costs. The amount of money involved, however, adds up to a band-aid for our transportation funding shortfall. EOT knew that it had to do something to get state transportation plans federally approved, and federal dollars flowing again. It took the only course left: re-writing the state's Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and shorter term transportation plans to fit the amount of funding available. On July 3, 2009, EOT presented its scaled back plans. These included a proposal for the Green Line extension which delays the College Ave to Route 16 portion until a later date. The project's estimated cost ballooned; pegged at $438 million in 2005, and budgeted for $600 million in last year's transportation bond bill, is now casted in EOT's finance plan at $934 million - and EOT wants to make the project conditional on federal grant funding. What next? On August 20, 2009, EOT's final revised plans will be presented for public comment. The comment period will end September 22, 2009. Anyone concerned with the future of the Green Line extension, or any other affected part of our transportation system, should think about submitting comments. In the longer term, we need to be thinking about what we pay for our transportation infrastructure and services, and what it actually costs to provide the roads, highway, bridge, trains, and public buses that take us where we need to go, everyday.

 

Transportation Finance and Reform - Part 2

2007 – From Bad to Worse – Officially (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) Op-Ed from State Representative Denise Provost In March of 2007, details of the scandalous fiscal mess in the transportation sector reached a wide audience. The Massachusetts Transportation Finance Commission issued its long-awaited report, "Transportation Finance in Massachusetts: An Unsustainable System." [http://www.eot.state.ma.us/downloads/tfc/TFC_Findings.pdf] The Commission, established by the legislature in 2004 and composed of a dozen respected experts, found that the state's transportation departments, and independent authorities had relied too much on debt and chronically underfunded maintenance system-wide. The Commission estimated the resulting funding gap to amount to almost $20 billion over 20 years. It found that some practices of transportation agencies, such as employee benefits, were simply too costly to maintain. Yet the Commission didn't suggest that internal reforms and economies alone could put our transportation system back on a sound financial footing. The antidote to years of neglect and excessive borrowing was straightforward. To restore our transportation system to a decent condition, and keep it functional, additional revenues would be required. Prominent among the Commission's recommendations was that the tax on gasoline be increased by twelve cents per gallon. This revenue boost was aimed at bringing maintenance and operations up to an acceptable level of service. It would not fund new construction of either highways or transit - what are known as capital projects. About the latter, the Commission had cautionary words: "The MBTA has a variety of projects in planning that many people would like to move forward. The Silver Line Phase 3 is considered essential by the City of Boston and the Greater Boston business community. The Commonwealth has committed to design the Blue Line/Red Line Connector and to construct the Green Line to Somerville project as part of the Artery mitigation program. No commitments have been made to actually construct these projects, and there is no finance plan for them. And even if these projects were to be built, the MBTA could not afford the additional operating expenses." Their message could not have been clearer that Massachusetts needed to establish a capitol plan for financing transportation improvements. It was especially important to plan financing for the transit improvements that Massachusetts was required to provide as mitigation for the increase in highway travel that the Central Artery project would provide. Massachusetts has been in violation of the Clean Air Act for so long that the fact rarely surfaces in public discourse, but the violation was the basis for a series of successful lawsuits by the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF). CLF secured an agreement that the state actually built the Big Dig Mitigation projects on a fixed schedule - including completion of the Green Line Extension by December 31, 2014. On May 31, 2007, however, Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen asked the legislature to hold off on advancing any transportation bills until the administration could complete its review of the system and its finances. In late November, 2007, the administration filed a Transportation Bond Bill - a three year borrowing plan for the Commonwealth to take on $4.8 billion more in debt, with no clear repayment source. There was still no transportation finance or reform plan in place by the time the other shoe dropped. In early December 2007, Secretary Cohen received a pair of letters from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Federal officials informed the Commonwealth that its State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) for 2008-2011 had been disapproved for lack of adequate state funding. This innocuous-sounding message was in fact a bombshell - it meant that projects in the disapproved program were not eligible for federal funding. Typically, the federal government pays for at least 80% of qualifying transportation projects; the federal share can be even higher if the project has federal earmarks, or qualifies for a grant, so the amount of federal aid in jeopardy was enormous. This federal decision was big news, except that it wasn't in the news; there were no press releases or other publicity. As 2007 turned into 2008, the FTA/FHWA letters stayed buried, viewable on an obscure website by those who knew to look for them there. The administration had still not proposed a transportation finance plan.

Transportation Finance and Reform - Part 1

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) Op-Ed from State Representative Denise Provost Many people were shocked last week to read media reports that the state proposes scaling back the Green Line extension. Most of us in Somerville were feeling fairly confident about our hard-won commitment to build this long overdue project. It wasn't just the Green Line, either. The state, through its Executive office of Transportation (EOT) also proposes to cut Somerville (and Medford) from the Urban Ring project, and to delay construction of the Community Path. Although EOT says that it is still "committed" to building the Green Line extension to Route 16, its official plans call for a scaled-back project, and is conditioned on federal grant funding. Other communities have seen their projects cut, both transit and highway. What could have happened? Were these grim headlines just another sign of the world wide economic collapse? The answer is that transportation funding in Massachusetts has been in a long, slow collapse of its own, that long predates the current crisis in the wider economy. It's a story that goes back for decades. For the sake of simplicity, I'll start telling this tale from the beginning of a recent chapter. 2007: The Sad State of Transportation Finance in Massachusetts In January 2007, Massachusetts greeted a new Democratic Governor into office. Many had high hopes for fundamental changes in state policies and priorities. Those concerned about the state's transportation system looked for action on the new administration's theme of "fixing what was broken" in our Commonwealth. The Governor had inherited a transportation system which was, by 2007, in a sorry state. Most investment in public transit had gone for years into expanding commuter rail service, at great expense, to a relatively low number of riders. The soaring cost of the Central Artery Tunnel project (CA/T or "Big Dig") absorbed most available federal highway funding; the state covered its growing share of Big Dig costs by issuing debt in the form of bonds. The state did have a strategy for repaying principal and interest (the latter is called "debt service") on the billions it was borrowing. Part of its plan was to use future federal grants as a revenue stream - a kind of collateral - to repay this debt. As Secretary of Administration and Finance for Governor Paul Cellucci, Charlie Baker - now a Republican candidate for governor - promised to forego $1.5 billion in federal transportation funds which Massachusetts had not yet received, an obligation of about $150 million a year until 2015 [http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/17/bakers_role_in_big_dig_financing_may_test_for_his_campaign/] Another state tactic for avoiding Big Dig costs was to transfer this debt to the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority (MTA) and to the MBTA. In refinancing its CA/T debt, the MTA in 2001 entered into an unfortunate "credit default swap" agreement with the firm UBS. The collapse of that deal reduced the Turnpike Authority's bonds almost to "junk bond" status, putting the Authority into precarious financial condition. The MBTA, by the start of FY 2007, was bearing $8.1 billion in debt, $2.9 billion in interest alone. Much of this amount was Central Artery debt transferred by the state to the MBTA. The MBTA's debt service costs for 2009 consequently reached $436 million, requiring MBTA to spend a higher proportion of its operating budget for debt service than does any other transit authority in the nation http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/17/bakers_role_in_big_dig_financing_may_test_for_his_campaign/. Complicating the picture, the Governor had made a campaign promise to bring a new rail line to New Bedford and Fall River. He had also taken a position against increasing the gasoline tax. The administration clearly had challenges ahead.

Summer in Somerville: News on Assembly Square, the Green Line and even on Cable TV

By Joseph A. Curtatone (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) June was one of the most challenging months that anybody around here can remember. Between, on the one hand, the state's fiscal crisis and some very hard local budget choices and, on the other hand, taking Somerville home to victory in the All America City competition down in Tampa, you might think that the City was ready for a little down time. But while the weather may be cooler than normal, this has been a hot summer for governmental news and action. On July 20th, Governor Patrick, Senator Kerry, Congressman Capuano and state Economic Development Secretary Gregory Bialecki all came to Somerville to announce that Assembly Square will be receiving a total of $65 million in state and federal money to underwrite fast-track construction of the public roadway, water and sewer infrastructure that must precede the next phase of privately-funded construction. $50 million of that amount will come from the state's Infrastructure Investment Incentive (I-Cubed) program, with the other $15 million coming direct from the federal government's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Highway Transportation Fund. Assembly Square has been moving along steadily despite the economic downturn, but this timely infusion of public dollars will accelerate activity at the site and allow the private developers to put their private dollars to work on the actual retail, housing and office development that will transform the Mystic waterfront into Somerville's newest neighborhood. In the short term, that means hundreds, and even thousands, of construction jobs and a boost for local property values. In the long run, it means thousands of permanent jobs and an increased commercial tax base to help ease the squeeze on Somerville's hard-pressed residential property taxpayers. The news didn't come as a complete surprise. The Governor has been saying for some time that he wants to support Smart Growth, transit-oriented, sustainable projects like Assembly Square - and a when he visited Assembly Square back in February, Senator Kerry pointed out that this project is more than "shovel-ready;" it's shovel-active. Besides, with Congressman Capuano working effectively to secure $25 million in federal funding for a new Assembly Square Orange Line Station, all the moving parts of this project were falling into place, making it the perfect location to get the most bang for the stimulus buck. Until yesterday, however, we had no idea how generous the state and federal support would be. This level of backing at this crucial time is incredibly valuable to our city and our entire region, and we have every reason to be thankful - and hopeful - as Assembly Square moves forward. When it comes to keeping this project on track to realize its full potential for our city and region, it's impossible to overstate the roles played by Governor Patrick, Senator Kerry and Congressman Capuano. Not only have they grasped the value of what we're doing along the Mystic riverfront, but they have invested their vision, clout and political capital in helping make it happen. In this, as in so many other ways, they have earned our thanks and our support - as have the members of our statehouse delegation and our energetic Board of Aldermen. The news on Assembly Square isn't the only reminder that Somerville enjoys the strong support of effective allies at every level of government: A story in the July 21st issue of the Boston Globe raises questions about the state's ability to finance the next generation of regional transit improvements - including the Green Line Extension. But if you look past the misleading headline ("Green Line extension funding in question"), what you learn is that the Green Line from Lechmere to Tufts at College Ave may be the only major new transit project that the state remains firmly committed to building on schedule. True, there are rumblings that the state might be slow in finishing the final leg of the project - from Tufts to Route 16. But nobody is talking about curtailing Somerville's stretch of the Green Line - even at a time when, according to the Globe, "the Urban Ring, the Silver Line bus tunnel, and the Blue Line extension to Lynn [may all be] excluded from the group of projects eligible for federal funding." Somerville has earned a reputation as a dynamic, forward-looking and creative city that knows how to plan and is worth investing in. As we continue our efforts to emerge even stronger and better from a down economy, we're going to depend on that reputation, and we're going to need all the support we can muster - but the signs are good that we have the key backing we need on Beacon Hill and Capitol Hill. And, speaking of Beacon Hill, there's a legislative hearing this week on the latest bill to help Verizon undermine local cable franchising and gain an unfair advantage over its competitors. A statewide coalition of local governments, cable access groups and just plain folks beat down the first version of this legislation back in 2007, but it's back again for another go. We have said publicly that the City would be happy to work with Verizon to bring its FiOS cable and data service to Somerville residents. But it's wrong to create an unequal playing field in which Verizon gets to enter new markets under terms that are very different than those applied to the current cable providers. It's also wrong to take away the authority of local communities to enforce basic license requirements, such as mandating that cable providers serve the whole community or help pay the cost of public access and educational programming. That's why, as chairman of the Massachusetts Mayors Association's Telecommunications Task Force, I have led my colleagues in opposing this type of legislation in the past - and why I continue to oppose it now. Will the pace ever wind down at city hall this summer? The answer is "Probably not." But that's part of the fun of living and working in a truly exciting community like Somerville. I wouldn't want it any other way.

Staying open to new ideas

By Joseph A. Curtatone (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) So, Boston is planning an iPhone application that lets some residents send pictures of municipal problems to the Mayor's Office of Constituent Services for follow-up. That's an interesting concept and I will look forward to seeing it in action. But I have to say I'm concerned about the long-term prospects for the new application, because Boston has never built up the constituent service infrastructure to deliver the timely coordination, tracking, responsiveness and accountability needed to support this new technology. (And I'm also worried because it won't work unless you have an iPhone: Verizon, Sprint and Cingular customers need not apply.) It'll be cute, but will it be widely adopted and successful without a full-blown 311 and stat program to back it up? Boston has so far shied away from such programs. Meanwhile, over in Newton, SomerStat has become an issue in the budget debate and the mayoral campaign. An independent Citizens Advisory Group has recommended that Newton start developing a "stat"-style performance management program on the Somerville model (which we adapted from the Baltimore CitiStat model), but some aldermen are resistant to adding analytical staff to the mayor's office. By contrast, all four candidates to replace outgoing Newton Mayor David Cohen have endorsed the performance management concept and are now arguing about who would be best qualified to make it work. Given the great results for Somerville and other communities that have adopted 311 and stat programs, you might wonder why some local elected officials remain so resistant to these cost-effective innovations. In both Boston and Newton, one possible explanation is "Not Invented Here" (NIH) syndrome. If you look up "Not Invented Here" on Wikipedia, here's what you'll find: "a term used to describe persistent social, corporate or institutional culture that avoids using or buying already existing products, research or knowledge because of its different origins. It is normally used in a pejorative sense." Harvard Business School professor Henry Chesbrough says that a crucial key to success in our technology-driven era is to take the opposite approach, which he calls "open innovation." That's why Somerville is so willing to borrow best practices from other municipalities and adapt them to the needs of our community. A good idea is a good idea, wherever it comes from - and we shouldn't be shy about giving credit to others, and sharing ideas we know can work. In fact, one of the reasons that Somerville was named a 2009 All-America City (like "President Barack Obama," "2009 All-America City" is a phrase I never get tired of repeating) is that we have taken good ideas from other communities and made them our own in ways that hold lessons for other small and mid-sized cities across the state and nation. For example, prior to our adoption of the 311 concept in 2006, it was considered to be a service that only the biggest cities could deliver: it had a multi-million dollar price tag and required expensive proprietary software. Similarly, the "stat"-style performance management program, which collects and uses data to manage allocation of service resources in real time, was once considered too technically complex and analytically demanding to be deployed in communities that lacked sophisticated IT and number-crunching resources. I was still an alderman back in 2003 when I saw Baltimore's CitiStat and 311 programs in action (Baltimore's Mayor at the time was Martin O'Malley, who is now Maryland's Governor). I immediately recognized their potential to make Somerville government more efficient, more accountable, and more transparent - and I made them part of my campaign platform. Six years later, I can say that the success of these programs has exceeded even my high expectations. SomerStat has transformed our budget process. It has helped us create a goal-based budget with measurable goals and outputs, giving our Board of Aldermen and our resident more ability to scrutinize and understand the way we spend money. In good times, SomerStat has helped us expand services while controlling costs. Today - even in the midst of a serious state and national fiscal crisis - it's helped us cut spending while reallocating resources to preserve core services. At the same time, 311 has become the cornerstone of all our customer service programming. Back in January of 2006, it started out as a service that tracked resident inputs to only one department: Public Works. It only worked with landlines (no cell phones), had full operational capacity only in the daytime and had limited language capacity in Spanish and Portuguese. Today, 311 works from any phone in Somerville, including mobile phones; it provides service in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Haitian Creole; it fully supports DPW and Traffic and Parking while handling most constituent queries for Inspectional Services, the City Clerk's Office and many other City Departments. 311 representatives staff the very popular Welcome Desk at the entrance to City Hall and they update the City's award-winning website. But best of all, 311 tracks the nature and the outcome of thousands of requests for information and service each month, providing a vital stream of data to SomerStat, and helping senior managers throughout City government (and taxpayers and their elected leaders) hold government more accountable to the residents they serve. And 311 does all these things for less than $600,000 per year - less than four tenths of one percent of the City's budget. That's a great achievement and a terrific bargain - even if it wasn't invented here.

Transportation in Somerville: The best of times and the worst of times

Ellin Reisner (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) Unless there are problems, most people take transportation for granted. When it works we do not think about the importance of being able to move from place to place for our personal and work lives as well as our economy. Today, news about transportation in Somerville reflects both the best of times and the worst of times. It is the best of times because after over 20 years of increasing traffic on local streets and highways, and no improvements in transit services Somerville is on the brink of securing greatly improved public transportation with the extension of the Green Line that will connect East and West Somerville and a new Orange Line station at Assembly Square. In 2013 Somervillians will be able to get out of their cars and hop on the Green Line to get to places within the city and in the metro area. Among the changes that will come about will be high school students taking the Green Line to school; reducing the traffic jams around the high school and make transferring from buses to the Green Line at Lechmere a thing of the past. When completed, these projects will mean that 85% of Somerville residents will be within ½ mile of the Red, Green or Orange Line. A series of neighborhood station area meetings are getting underway for people living near the proposed Green Line station. The meetings are being held to enable Somerville residents to talk about their vision of how the Green Line can and will change their use of public transportation, green space and open space and the station design and amenities. There will be opportunities to talk about making sure that the Green Line is accessible for people of all ages and levels of mobility. The meetings are being sponsored by the Community Corridor Planning Project, a collaborative effort by Groundwork Somerville, the Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership (STEP), the Somerville Community Corporation (SCC) and the Somerville Health Agenda (SHA). [ See table below or http://www.somervillecdc.org/GetInvolved/takeaction.html or www.somervillestep.org for the schedule and meeting locations]. For most of the proposed Green Line stations the character of the neighborhoods will not change. However, for Inner Belt, Brickbottom and Boynton Yards, the Union Square and Lowell Line Green Line extensions will provide the city with opportunities for economic development that could improve the local economy, bring jobs to the city, increase the city's commercial tax revenue and reduce the city's dependence on property taxes and local aid from the state. It takes many years and the involvement of community residents working with the city to plan and construct transit improvements as the people who lived through the construction of the Davis Square T station can attest. Their involvement throughout the process was critical in making the project a success. The Davis Square experience of greater than expected use of the Community Path for West Somerville and Cambridge residents to get to the T has made the extension of the community path a high priority in planning the Green Line extensions. The Somerville Bicycle Committee, the Friends of the Community Path, STEP and the City have collaborated to secure the commitment from the Executive Office of Transportation to include the engineering design of the extension of the Community Path from Lowell Street all the way into Boston alongside the Green Line because we know in Somerville that the large numbers of people will use the community path to access Green Line stations. While all this is in the planning phase, work is underway to extend the path from Cedar Street to Lowell St. All of these upcoming improvements are important and exciting developments for the city but reflecting the worst of times they are dependent on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts coming up with a reliable revenue stream to fund infrastructure maintenance and finance the transit improvements promised to the city. Our own legislative delegation has been fighting to ensure that the state addresses these revenue needs for transit improvements and infrastructure maintenance, but their efforts have not been supported by fellow legislators. Everyone complains about the lousy roads, potholes, and slow MBTA service but paying to make improvements is very unpopular. If this situation is not resolved by the end of September the state stands to lose its federal share (80%) of funding for transportation improvements unless it finds the funding to pay for the 20% state share for project costs. Despite the lack of willingness to pay for it there is strong demand for Investing in maintaining and improving transportation infrastructure in Massachusetts, as well as across the country. New light rail systems are opening in Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Charlotte - all late in embracing investment in public transportation. These communities are moving ahead strategically, investing in transportation that will serve their residents for the next 100 years by building light rail systems to support a strategy of transit oriented development. We in metro Boston region have been fortunate to have an extensive network of public transportation that has served the region well for many years. Yet, with the exception of expanding commuter rail to suburban and ex-urban communities, there have been very limited improvements made to the MBTA system since the opening of the Red Line station in Davis Square in the 1980's. Somerville stands to benefit substantially when the state finally meets its 1991 legal obligation under the federal Clean Air Act to extend the Green Line through the city and build Orange Line station at Assembly Square. This is a decisive time for our city and involvement in planning for these improvements and supporting transportation financing critically needed. *************************************** Station Area/Meeting Date/Meeting Time *College Ave/June 29/6pm *Route 16/July 8/6pm *Ball Square/July 14/6 PM *Union Square/July 25/10am *Innerbelt/Brickbottom/July 29/6pm *Gilman Square/TBD/TBD

Parking: It's All About Access

By Joseph A. Curtatone (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) When the news spread across the city that the Traffic Commission had authorized a move in August to citywide permit parking, a rise in meter rates to one dollar an hour, and the extension of metered parking hours to 10 p.m. in Davis and Magoun Squares (and 8 p.m. everywhere else) - the aldermen and I started to hear plenty of comments. Some of those comments - especially from business owners of all types and sizes - raised legitimate questions that our Traffic and Parking Department had already been planning to address. We heard the concern that a 10 p.m. shut-down time and a two-hour meter limit were incompatible - that customers wanted to be able to park at a metered space and walk away for the evening, even if that evening included drinks, dinner and a two-hour movie. We heard the concern that business employees wouldn't be able to find a place to park for an evening shift if meters ran until 10 p.m. We also heard about business owners who are accustomed to parking on unpermitted streets but can't get to their offices, shops and lofts if every street is posted for residents only. We even heard from some businesses that aren't in our traditional business districts and whose owners feel that they depend on unpermitted parking spots on streets like Highland Avenue and Elm Street in order to accommodate their evening customers. Now, all of these are fair issues to raise in the context of the changes we are making, and they have, by and large, been raised in a reasonable way. There are also good solutions to all of these potential problems. To help develop those solutions, and to help work through other issues around these changes, I have created a Parking Solutions Task Force (PSTF) that will bring representatives from the business community, the Board of Aldermen and city officials together to review pertinent information and think about how to address concerns about these new policies. I have also asked Mark Chase, an entrepreneur and Tufts-educated urban planner who has studied urban parking models and strategies, to lend his expertise to the PSTF. By the time we move ahead on the new rates, hours and resident permit policies, I have no doubt that, with the help of the PSTF, we will be able to address most - perhaps all - of the issues that have come up. For example: if we extend the maximum time for evening parking; if we provide kiosks in the lots (so that patrons can pay with paper bills and credits cards as well as park cards and quarters); if we expand the use of business permits so that businesses can help their employees (and the owners themselves) find parking; and if we put meters near businesses in residential areas, but let Somerville residents with permits use the metered spaces without paying, we can address many of the objections already raised. That said, I think it's reasonable to ask interested parties to give the new task force a chance to do its work. They should have their recommendations before the end of the month, and I expect that they will be thorough, thoughtful and fair. I also think it's very important to remember that a primary goal behind these policy changes is to improve the availability of parking in the City of Somerville. Understandably, everyone wants free, or at least subsidized, parking. Businesses want it for their employees and customers; residents want it for themselves and their visitors. But Somerville is, by a wide margin, the most densely populated city in New England. Except in one or two specific locations, we don't have the big open lots and empty curbs associated with suburban sprawl. Parking is a scarce and valuable resource here, and we need to treat it that way. Right now, our business districts need to get more out of their existing parking spaces through better pricing policy and increased turnover. In Davis and other busy squares, we need to take steps to make sure that visitors can find a space when they need one - otherwise they'll stop showing up. Now, some out-of-towners have already written to say that they not only expect parking, but they expect it to be free after 8 p.m. as well. I don't think that's actually true: we may be in a recession, but paying a dollar an hour to park in a walkable entertainment district like Davis Square is not an undue burden - provided you can find a space and pay for it conveniently. If we can find the right balance of availability and convenience to go with a reasonable price, I think we'll actually be helping our businesses and their customers. As for citywide permit parking: right now, Somerville's taxpayers are providing free parking for hundreds of people who don't register their cars here, pay excise tax here or participate in the permit system. That's not right in the best of times: during a fiscal crisis, it's totally unacceptable. And for those folks who say, "This is all about the money," my answer is that these policies stand on their own merits, but we can't afford to pass up any legitimate revenue opportunities at a time when the state has cut Somerville's local aid by 30 percent. Of course we need the money - but we also need to manage our parking to maximize supply for residents and businesses alike. If we work together on this, and show some patience and creativity, I think we can do it all.

On the Fiscal Crisis, Somerville Leads by Example

By Joseph A. Curtatone (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) As the governor and the legislature grapple with what has become, in dollar terms, the largest fiscal crisis in Massachusetts history, one of the hottest questions is whether the state can cut its way to solvency, or whether some new and additional revenues are necessary. My position on this question has been loud, clear and public. I believe that: · Some cuts are inevitable, but you can't cut your way to success; · Fundamental reform can lead to significant savings; · We should approach this challenge not by shifting the blame, but by sharing the burden; · No matter how many cuts and reforms we impose, we cannot maintain core services without some new revenue; and · As part of a comprehensive rebalancing of the fiscal relationship between the state and its municipalities, cities and towns should be given more freedom and authority to diversify revenue and to manage costs - especially the soaring cost of health care I hope that is the approach that ultimately carries on the day on Beacon Hill. Here in Somerville, we will do our best to lead by example. On cost management, we are taking the lead by collaborating with our police unions on new contracts that not only include zero percent pay increases, but also call for pay furloughs in which employees give back one week's salary without reducing their hours. Our patrolmen's union courageously led the way on this approach by agreeing to these provisions in a one-year contract signed in March; our police superior officers' union signed on to the same austerity measures in a new three-year agreement signed on May 1st. I am deeply grateful for the community spirit represented by these contracts, which set an example for other municipal unions here in Somerville and across the state. This week, I took the next logical step by telling our non-union workforce (including all elected officials), that they, too, would be looking at a continued wage freeze in FY2010 - and that they, too, would be receiving one-week furloughs. Taken together, the non-union and police furloughs represent a cut in the FY2010 budget of well over $300,000. That's a significant amount of money - but it is even more significant as an indication of the fact that we are all in this together. The employees covered by these furlough policies are making a genuine sacrifice to preserve core city services at a time of fiscal crisis. Even though it would completely unfair to ask city workers to bear the entire burden on their own, I wish I could say that their sacrifice would, by itself, be sufficient to meet our ongoing budget shortfall. The truth, of course, is that it will take far more, both in terms of cost savings and enhanced revenues. To help us find the best menu of budget options, I turned in January to a group of outside fiscal experts from both the private and the non-profit sectors. I asked them to advise the city on a full range of potential costs savings and revenue items - both short-term and long-term - that could help us get past the current crisis without reducing core services. This week, the Financial Advisory Committee (FAC) submitted its recommendations. (You can download a copy from the "FY-2009-2010 Budget Development" page on the city's website. There's a link to the budget page from our homepage at www.somervillema.gov.) It's an impressive, thoughtful and provocative list. I am grateful for all of the committee's hard work, and I will carefully review its suggestions. Some of them are entirely within the City's choice and control, including such options as: exploring opportunities for competitive sourcing between city employees and private vendors; establishing higher license fees and violation fines; or moving the entire city to residential permit parking. It's already clear, however, that the City of Somerville cannot implement several of the FAC's most important recommendations unless the state gives us the tools to do so - and/or our municipal unions lend their assent. Nowhere are these restrictions more evident than in the area of health care cost management. We have been working steadily over the past five years - and with some success - to bring employee and retiree health insurance contributions more in line with standard practice in the private sector (and, indeed with many other cities and towns). I am also ready now to embrace the FAC's suggestion that we "determine and quantify the potential benefits and costs-savings of joining the Commonwealth's Group Insurance Commission (GIC)." But there are millions more in savings (with no loss in access or quality of services) that can be had from other changes on the health care front. Here are a few of the key FAC recommendations on health care that require authorization or endorsement at the state level: · "Encourage a move away from an Indemnity Plan while ensuring comparable coverage through other cost-effective options · "Issue a Request For Proposals (RFP) for a sole health insurance provider · "Pursue a broad range of plan design changes with the potential of reducing costs while maintaining coverage and quality of care · "Support legislative authorization for cities and towns to have the same administrative authority to change plan design as exercised by the Commonwealth since 1955 (plan design encompasses changes in deductibles and co-pays)" This week, along with our legislative delegation and city officials from across the state, I will be helping lead the fight on Beacon Hill for the authority we need to implement these changes, as well as gaining more ability to diversify local revenues. Will we succeed? It's by no means a certainty. But here's one thing I know for sure: Whatever the outcome, Somerville will be leading by example. We will gather the best analysis, look at the big picture, and take on the shared sacrifices and the hard choices - squarely and fairly. That's all we can do - and that's all we're asking for.

Revenue and Reform on Beacon Hill

By Joseph A. Curtatone (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) On the one hand, I am grateful that the legislature has decided we can't simply cut our way out of the fiscal crisis. If it ultimately becomes law, Monday night's veto-proof vote in the House to boost the state sales tax would mean less severe cuts in critical services at the state and local level. New revenue must be part of a balanced solution to our problems and - whatever their source - any and all new revenues will help. On the other hand, Governor Patrick was right when he called the Legislature on its failure to focus on reform first. Reform is what gives the public confidence that it's no longer business as usual on Beacon Hill. Without reform, any revenue enhancements or service cuts become much harder sells. When you put aside all the overheated talk-show rhetoric, it's pretty clear that the best approach to ending this fiscal crisis is to come up with a balanced, well-designed mix of structural reforms (including pension and benefit reforms, agency consolidation, and greater managerial flexibility for cities and towns), some targeted adjustments in revenue and some difficult but inevitable budget-cutting. That's exactly what Governor Patrick has proposed. But what the Governor also understands is that the various "reform" bills floating around Beacon Hill - on transportation, ethics, and pensions - simply don't go far enough. He also understands that his revenue proposals - such as his calls for an increase in the gas tax, for closing the telecommunications tax loophole, for local options meals and hotel taxes, and for ending the sales tax exemptions for candy, soda, and alcohol - are more targeted than a general hike in the sales tax. The revenues they would generate would go straight to areas of greatest need; they would encourage better public buying patterns while promoting healthier and more energy-efficient lifestyles. Don't get me wrong: Any new revenues that allow the state to reduce its deep and painful cuts in local aid will be very welcome, and we will accept them with thanks. Under the circumstances, I think Representatives Provost and Sciortino were right to support the sales tax increase and I appreciate their continuing efforts on behalf of our community. I am also grateful to Speaker DeLeo for his willingness to consider a wide range of revenue options - and for his leadership in a difficult situation. But I also think this fiscal crisis should be seen as an opportunity to fix long-standing structural problems in the way we collect and spend public revenue - as well as an opportunity to push for much-needed reforms in the ways that the legislature micromanages cities and towns, and the way public retirement and benefit systems have fallen into patterns of inefficiency and even abuse. That is why I hope that the Governor sticks to his guns, and that we will see reform come back to the forefront in our budget discussion. That is why I look forward to working with our delegation to pass legislation that gives cities and towns the choice of imposing modest local-option hotel and meals taxes in order to reduce our dependence on a regressive property tax system. That is why I hope cities and towns will also receive greater freedom to develop health-care plans that help manage costs while maintaining quality of care. All of these changes are part of the governor's reform agenda, and all of them will contribute to long-term, structural change. We need to understand, however, that these changes - as welcome as they are - will still leave us with hard choices in next year's budget. Even if we get the reform we need, and even if we get some restoration of local revenue either through the governor's package or the sales tax hike - we will still have to find ways to save money in FY2010. So please don't think that the House vote to increase the sales tax means there will be less pressure on cities and towns to achieve structural reforms of their own. We will need to scrutinize every program, every service, every revenue source in order to come up with a plan to manage our way through this fiscal crisis. And while we're on the subject of scrutinizing every cost and making hard choices: I announced on April 22nd that Janice Delory, who has been working as an Aide to the Mayor, is taking over as Chief of Staff from Mike Lambert, who has taken on a new role as the City's Director of Transportation & Infrastructure. (Mike is filling an existing and critical slot in the Office of Strategic Planning and Development.) In view of the current fiscal situation, I will not be back-filling Janice's prior position. Reducing the size of the Mayor's Office in this way will mean more work for fewer people, but cost control has to start at the top. This is by no means the first or the last step we will be taking to manage costs across the face of city government. As I've said before - and will continue to say no matter what happens on Beacon Hill - all options, layoffs included, remain on the table.

Putting cash in the health safety net

By Senator Anthony D. Galluccio (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) Beacon Hill is pulsing with action to reform state government. In recent weeks, the Legislature has taken up a massive restructuring of our transportation system and acted on bills reforming the pension system and strengthening ethics laws. The current economic downturn has highlighted another area ripe for reform: Medicaid reimbursement rates. Medicaid reimbursement rates are well below the actual cost of care. Mental health and substance abuse services were reimbursed by Medicaid at an average rate of just 63% last year. Reimbursement rates for emergency room care, primary care, and other critical care services also fell grossly below the cost incurred by hospitals. There were collectively $11.6 billion dollars in Medicaid underpayments in 2006 nationwide. Safety net hospitals like the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) and Boston Medical Center (BMC), which serve a disproportionate share of uninsured and low income patients, rely heavily on Medicaid funding. Prior to the implementation of the state's public insurance program, known as Commonwealth Care, these safety net hospitals were able to tap into additional Medicaid dollars in recognition of deep losses sustained by caring for a large number of Medicaid and uninsured patients. Rather than adjust reimbursement rates for all providers, it was more cost effective to supplement those providers serving high proportions of free care and under reimbursed care. Following the implementation of Commonwealth Care, however, this supplemental money was no longer directed solely to hospitals to offset the costs of uncompensated care. Massachusetts is the only state that has secured a waiver of Medicaid requirements so that this additional federal funding can also be used to subsidize coverage expansions for Commonwealth Care. While this funding is essential to ensuring that health care in Massachusetts continues to be a model for other states and the federal government, the pool of money available to safety net hospitals is diminished. More states will surely follow the Commonwealth's lead in expanding access to health care to their residents. s they do, the mechanisms available to finance these reform efforts must be carefully examined to ensure that critical funding is not drawn down from disproportionate share hospitals. If the Obama Administration and new Congress are serious about making health care reform a priority, they must make available other sources of federal dollars to support public insurance programs. Governor Patrick and the administration have been faced with the difficult task of supporting the new reform model while at the same time sustaining the large safety net hospitals that are just as vulnerable as they were prior to the reform. Despite these challenges, the Governor and the administration, especially Health & Human Services Secretary Judy Ann Bigby, have remained committed to disproportionate share hospitals. The federal stimulus law includes funding for an enhanced Medicaid matching rate that increases the percentage contribution from the federal government toward Medicaid from 50% to 58.8% in Massachusetts, adding about $2 billion dollars and acting as a tourniquet to quell the financial bleeding that threatens safety net hospitals with cardiac arrest. Unfortunately, stimulus money will be used to prevent more layoffs rather than address the previously laid off health care workers. CHA, for example, has already undertaken a painful restructuring of its hospital network to do its part. The long-term survival of our safety net hospitals, however, depends on a Medicaid reimbursement rate structure that addresses the disparity in providing critical care to the most vulnerable patients. Downward financial pressures can serve as the catalyst for unprecedented change in government. The inequity of low reimbursement rates existed before the recession began, but it can be remedied by the time recovery arrives.

MBTA cuts must be stopped

By Representative Carl Sciortino (The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.) Imagine bus lines eliminated. Picture trying to get home from work, but your commuter rail has stopped running in the evening or on the weekends. Or better yet, imagine being a disabled person who depends on 'The Ride' to stay connected to your community, your job, and your doctor, but 'The Ride' has been eliminated in your community. This is the reality we as a Commonwealth are facing in a matter of months unless the legislature takes action. These are challenging economic times for all of our families, and many of our small businesses are struggling to keep their doors open. This requires that we, as residents of the Commonwealth, work together to make thoughtful decisions about our priorities. As a legislator, I believe this is the time to act responsibly, be honest about the magnitude of the challenges we are facing, and do what I can to maintain a decent quality of life for our residents. The MBTA is not without its problems. We have heard a lot about the need for 'reforms before revenue.' Reforms that we have already begun to implement, and more, are critical to restoring financial responsibility to the T. And more importantly, such reforms are necessary to restore the public trust in the way our agencies are run. It would be dishonest, however, if I told you that reforms without new revenues would be enough. While we strive for reforms that may bring savings in the tens of millions, the T is facing a deficit in excess of $160 million. And next year's deficit, and the associated service cuts and fare increases being proposed to fill this gap, doesn't even capture the backlog of maintenance that causes delays and service interruptions experienced by T riders every day. The story isn't complete until we take into account the history of fare increases that have already happened. While tolls and the gas tax have been left untouched, T riders have faced fares that have doubled in just a few short years. Fare increases may sound reasonable to some, but the reality is that an increase in fares directly leads to a decrease in ridership. This is bad for road congestion, this is bad for the environment, and this is taking us in the wrong direction at a time we know we should be investing in public transportation. I have heard from many constituents who are concerned about service cuts, whether for the T, for our schools, public safety, or a host of programs that improve our quality of life, protect our seniors, and provide for our children. As the debates proceed around the need for revenues and reforms, it will be your stories and priorities that I and other legislators take into account to inform our decision-making. We have tough choices to make, but I am certain that the severity of the times gives us an opportunity to refocus our priorities and to remember what it is we value about the quality of life Massachusetts offers.