Aldermen Seek to Bring Somerville into the Light

At last Thursday's Board of Aldermen meeting, many members expressed dismay over the length of time it takes an outside vendor to fix street lights around the City.

Agenda item number 198315, submitted by Alderman At Large Jack Connolly and Ward 6 Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz along with number 198322 submitted by Ward 5 Alderman Mark Niedergang dealt with light outages in their respective wards.

While speaking on the item, Alderman Connolly pointed out that he was not happy with the slow response of the vendor that fixes broken street lights and would like to see the issue discussed in Committee.

Ward 2 Alderman Maryann Heuston agreed, calling Somerville, "The City of darkness."

Ward 3 Alderman Bob McWatters, who also serves as chair of the Public Utilities Public Works Committee (PUPW), will be hosting a Committee Meeting of the Whole inviting all members of the Board of Aldermen, City department heads, and outside vendors to discuss the issue and review the contract.

The end of the meeting saw two more light repair requests to add to the list created by Connolly and Gewirtz.

The PUPW meeting has not been scheduled yet.