Somerville to host workshops for small businesses
Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone announced last week that the citywill conduct a series of workshops for developing businesses,starting this month.
This action is part of a larger plan of the mayor's office topromote Somerville as a good place to have a business, as well asto support the city's fledgling businesses.
"We are committed to maximizing the economic developmentpotential of the city by attracting an array of new business."Curtatone said. "We believe this city has much to offer, includinginexpensive rents, public transportation and a highly educated,skilled workforce."
The workshops will treat such subjects as marketing, businessfinance and taxes, permitting, and licensing.
"We're targeting both the complete novice just thinking aboutstriking out [on] her own and the Cambridge start-up whiz who islooking for the right location for tomorrow's Microsoft," Curtatonesaid. "We're committed to expanding our commercial tax base andcreating jobs in this city."
Curtatone intends to advertise heavily in local universitynewspapers and in surrounding cities like Cambridge and Boston.
Political group and Somerville politicians at odds oversurvey
A political organization is castigating Somerville politicians forallegedly refusing to fill out a survey asking them for theirstances on certain issues.
Project Vote Smart, a non-profit, non-partisan organizationintended to give constituents more information about their electedrepresentatives, wrote in descriptions of several Somervillelegislators that "over the course of several weeks this candidaterepeatedly refused requests... to provide voters with essentialissue information."
All Somerville legislators except for Rep. Pat Jehlen did notfill out the 2002 National Political Awareness Test (NPAT). Somepoliticians say, however, that they did not receive thissurvey.
"We are upset at these misstatements," Carol Aloisi, staffdirector for state Rep. Timothy Toomey, told The SomervilleJournal. "As far as we know, we never received anything fromthem."
Some politicians also say that they refused to fill out only the2002 NPAT. They intend to complete the 2004 survey, which comes outin June.
The reason given for this refusal is simply that time is tootight. Sen. Jarret Barrios told The Journal, "Not to dismiss thevalue of [the NPAT survey,] but my first priority is to answerconstituents' e-mails."
Medford mayor makes ties overseas
Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn hosted a brief visit to Medford bythe Lord Mayor of Lehore, Pakistan, Mian Amer Mahmood, earlier thismonth.
The visit was plugged as an effort to promote interculturalcooperation, which the mayor sees as one of the differences betweenhis administration and others.
The two mayors discussed the similarities between theirpositions and the goals they have for their cities. They alsocompared the cities themselves. Lahore has a population of 7.2million people, with 58,000 city employees.
"We have one person [in Medford] for every employee he has,"said McGlynn.
In return for their hospitality here, Mahmood has invitedMcGlynn and some other Massachusetts officials to visit his city inPakistan.
Compiled from The Somerville Journal and The MedfordTranscript.
