VOL. 7 NO. 37 SOMERVILLE, MASS. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019 TWENTY-FIVE CENTS Inside: Somerville City Council affirms federal Green New Deal resolution By Jim Clark At the latest regular meeting of the Somerville City Council on September 12, a resolution was put forward and approved that affirms the federal Green New Deal resolution by es- tablishing goals, identifying actions necessary to meet these goals, and calling for the feder- al government to enact policies to advance a Green New Deal. Speaking in favor of the resolution, sponsor Rocking at Jasper's Ward Seven City Councilor and Council Pres- and... ident Katjana Ballantyne said, "I submitted this page 3 resolution because I felt that it sums up the work that we've been doing in the City Coun- cil for the last five years and that it highlights the intersection of climate, housing, jobs, infra- structure, and equity. We've worked on many of these issues. I really want to emphasize at ev- Somerville resident Larry Yu made a presentation to the Somerville City Council emphasizing the impor- ery turn that we should be looking at how we tance of acknowledging the need for passage of the federal Green New Deal resolution. can mitigate climate change. Continued on page 4 Little Sisters of the Poor to withdraw from Jeanne Jugan Residence in Somerville The Little Sisters of the Poor announced this week with sadness, that they will be withdraw- Michelle Malone on ing from Jeanne Jugan Residence in Somerville. the contrary The Sisters met with the residents, their fami- page 5 lies, lay associates, staff and volunteers sharing their decision. The decision was a difficult one. The Little Sis- ters have served in the Archdiocese of Boston continuously since 1870. Eight Little Sisters ar- rived at the port of Boston on April 19, 1870 to start a home for the elderly poor in Roxbury. In the span of 17 years, two other homes for the elderly were built, in Charlestown and Somer- ville. The Charlestown Home closed in 1896. In 1978, the Residents of Roxbury and Somerville were welcomed into their new home on High- land Avenue, behind the former building. In making the announcement, Mother Alice Marie Jones, l.s.p., the Little Sisters’ provincial Riverfest 2019 superior, explained, “As part of a strategic plan pages 12–13 aimed at strengthening our ministry and bol- stering the quality of our Continued on page 17 — Photo by Bobbie Toner 2••SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

TheSomervilleTimes.com Comments of the Week Response to: It’s time for rent stabilization

Matt says: The views and opinions expressed in Newstalk do not necessarily reflect those of I am the owner of a two-family house. I live in one unit and rent out the other. I rely on the rental The Somerville Times, its publisher or staff. The column has many contributors. income to be able to live in Somerville. I’m happy to commit to a rent increase cap, if the Mayor will commit to a cap on tax increases We extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of (average tax bill went up 6.4% for two-families last year), water rates (up 6%), sewer rates (7.5%), Stan Koty, who passed last week. He served the city for many, as well as the recently enacted CPA surcharge (currently 1.5%), High School debt exclusion (up many years, most recently as DPW Commissioner, and will be to $349 a year for average two-family), and water/sewer usage charges ($180/year). missed. Despite all of these tax and fee increases, I’ve kept the rent the same for three years. Maybe if the ********************* Mayor tightened his purse strings, other landlords could keep their rents down too. Our thoughts and prayers are with Donald and Patty Norton, who are both home on hospice care. They are very grateful for Old Taxpayer says: all the well-wishers that have called and made visits to their Myself like many others I know in this city are content to leave our apartments empty. I could use home. We wish them the best and hope they stay strong. the money but I can just skim by leaving it empty. The others I know just don’t wa