Whether or not his policies are universally accepted, Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone has impressed allies and former foes with his commitment and attention to detail after his first 100 days in office.
Some are concerned, however, that his leadership style is reducing community involvement in municipal decisions.
"Mayor Curtatone is not beating around the bush or putting things off," Director of Community Relations Barbara Rubel said. "He's dealing with issues very straightforwardly, directly, and immediately."
Rubel said she expects the same hands-on approach from Curtatone on Tufts issues, including the development of Professors Row and Payments In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOTs).
Curtatone sees city policing around the Tufts campus as a serious concern for Somerville. "These are our homes," he said. Noise violations around Tufts, therefore, are "at the forefront of our enforcement policy."
He said Somerville is the most densely populated city in the Northeast.
"There are many ways for us to work in a positive business cooperation," Curtatone said. "The presence of a large educational institution giving back to the city can be good for Somerville, and a good growth policy on our part can be good for Tufts."
Curtatone is also looking forward to making progress in negotiations with Tufts. "I want us to just sit down at the table with all the information in front of us, roll up our sleeves, and find a solution," he said.
He also pointed to University President Larry Bacow's willingness to cooperate with the city as being conducive to a working relationship.
Ward 7 Alderman Bob Trane said Curtatone's attitude "may actually get something done."
Last month the Somerville Board of Aldermen approved Curtatone's zoning proposal for Assembly Square, which aims to begin the development initially discussed in 1998.
After six years of false starts and opposition by community groups, the short time frame in which the rezoning was passed surprised many. "We were just committed," Curtatone said.
"We came into the office knowing where the majority of the problems were," he said.
The city's Information Technology Director Jim Halloran, who worked for former mayor Dorothy Kelly Gay, said Curtatone engages himself in every aspect of decision-making in the city.
"[Kelly Gay] was very hands-off and let department heads make a lot of decision on their own, but he's involved daily in the situation," Halloran said of Curtatone.
Curtatone has also taken his direct approach to other city problems. In February, he established two workgroups, one to combat OxyContin abuse and the other to investigate suicide rates in the city.
Some feel Curtatone's persistence, however, can lead to single-mindedness and a disregard for public opinion and priorities.
Alumnus Marty Martinez (LA '01), who lost his bid for Ward 7 Alderman in last fall's election, said Curtatone's efforts to combat drugs and suicide have been positive, but the mayor has been unresponsive on other matters.
Martinez said that he and several other people have offered to help Curtatone curb gang activity in the city, but that the help has been refused. In these cases, "it's not about the community's approach to the problem, it's about the approach of the group of people in the administration," Martinez said.
"I know many community activists feel that unless you're on the mayor's side you're not really a part of the discussion," he said.
Curtatone's Assembly Square plan requires the two companies that own property in the square, Assembly Square Limited Partners and IKEA, to complete a certain amount of development within 18 months or lose the land.
Curtatone said he supports mixed-used development for the square, which would include retail, office, and residential buildings.
But some feel the community's views and interests were not taken into account when Curtatone negotiated with the two land-owning companies.
Wig Zamore, a member of the Mystic View Task Force, which vocally opposed the first version of the zoning proposal submitted to the aldermen in December, said that "there is nothing in the present version of the zoning that resulted from interaction with the public."
He said Curtatone's development demands are "more of a marketing for the zoning." In terms of how the rezoning will affect the development of the square, Zamore said, "it's not so much what Mayor Curtatone wanted; it's what the developers wanted."
Tony LaFuente, who opposed Curtatone in last fall's mayoral race, said "politicians have a way of making you think you're involved, but in the end they do what they want to do."
LaFuente conceded that Curtatone is "working very hard" and that "you almost have to wait and see" if Curtatone's promises are realized.
Curtatone, however, said public input plays an integral role in every decision he makes. "I'm a bottom-line person," he said. "I like to have as much knowledge and information at my fingertips and then decide what to do."
He said concerns about single-mindedness are misplaced. "I like to be challenged on my policies," he said. "The first person who agrees with everything I say is the first person to get fired."
Long-time city officials agree that there is more communication within this mayor's office than in the past. Alderman At-Large William White, Jr. said Curtatone's administration has been open in its communication.
Trane agreed. "I am constantly getting calls and updates about things that are going on," he said.
