Mayor Curtatone has done a good job of implementing public input into decision making. Two examples include the Resistat program to formalize conversations on a neighborhood and interest group level, and numerous public forums on the SomerVision plan.
The times where there was not enough public input were met with public outcry. In the case of Union Square rezoning, the City stepped back from its original zoning plan to allow more time for community input. The plan that ultimately resulted responded to some of that input, and was a better plan as a result.
The Mayor has expressed a willingness to suggest to the Traffic Commission ways in which the regulations should be modified. He has formed the Parking Solutions Task Force to come up with these suggested changes. This is a good first step, but the Task Force does not have ample representation of people impacted by the changes, and there has been no attempt up to this point to have community input as a part of the process.
Why should a decision as big as changing parking regulations throughout the city go through without any public conversation?
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In several recent public documents, the Mayor and the City stressed their dedication to community process
On May 22, 2009, the day after the Traffic Commission’s votes, the City released the following quote in a press release about their SomerVision Planning Process.
City Launches Comprehensive Planning Process For Somerville’s Future Goal Is to Produce Shared Vision for Somerville’s Future; City Seeks Public Participation
“Somerville is a city that has seen incredible progress over the past decade,” said Mayor Curtatone. “Today, Somerville is not only a great place to live, work, play and raise a family, but is becoming a regional arts and entertainment destination and a regional center for new business development. But there is still much work to be done – and we need a fresh public process to shape some of the crucial decisions and choices we face over the nest few years. I urge all members of the Somerville community to participate in this planning process. One of our greatest strengths in Somerville is the involvement, creativity, and commitment of our residents.”
http://www.somervillema.gov/newsDetail.cfm?instance_id=1458
The Mayor is not holding true to his statements when he supports changing parking regulation in a way that does not have true public process.
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In late June, the City of Somerville competed in, and won, a competition to be named All America City. On June 19, 2009 the City released a press release about the award:
To win, communities must demonstrate close and effective collaboration among the public, private and nonprofit sectors to identify and advance the progress of key goals shared by the community. Other criteria include recognition and inclusion of the diverse segments of the population in community decision-making, creative use of community resources, and clear demonstration of project results and impacts, among many others. The finalists are selected on the basis of extensive written applications submitted in March.
http://www.somervillema.gov/newsDetail.cfm?instance_id=1473
The Mayor is not holding true to the spirit of this award when he does not provide a public process for such a large decision as city wide parking regulation changes.
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In the Mayor’s FY10 Budget presentations entitled: "Managing Through Difficult Economic Times: FY2010 Budget Overview: a nd "Vision: Solutions for the FY2010 Budget City of Somerville Massachusdtts, May 4, 2009" he defined the core principels in which decisions on his FY10 budget were to be make. The first such principle is:
Avoid irresponsible cut that generate short-terms savings at the expense of long term prosperity. We will not build long-term plans on short-term fixes.
The Mayor is not holding true to his stated core principle in advocating for this sweeping change.
