Derek
LightNews LightNews
banner
somervillennial.bsky.social
Derek
@somervillennial.bsky.social
920 followers 180 following 770 posts
🌷🦋 spring hill, somerville, ma
🌇🌆 municipal/state civics
(he/him)

🐦📂 twitter archive:
https://somervillennial.github.io/
Posts Replies Media Videos
somervillennial.bsky.social
what a sentence 👀

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/16/m...
As Mayor-elect Jake Wilson prepares to take office in January, he has tapped Curtatone to lead his transition team, a move that signals to residents the newly minted leader is doing everything he can to be less like the leader they ousted, and more like the one they elected nine times.
November 17, 2025 at 2:47 AM
somervillennial.bsky.social
🤨

binj.news/2025/10/27/m...
Alex Mark, research fellow at the Cambridge Boston Alignment Initiative, said that this type of procurement is unique, where the government is interested in developing their own assistant, rather than buying one. “I do think this is a pretty smart way to go about a procurement, where you’re trying to customize an AI tool for the government,” Mark said. “Clearly, they’re trying to steer this towards bureaucracy.”
November 3, 2025 at 1:45 AM
somervillennial.bsky.social
lol
Section title: Meet the Flockers
October 22, 2025 at 12:55 AM
somervillennial.bsky.social
Our local politics are now dominated by hyperactive factions, and the City Council has enacted sweeping, top-down mandates that deal with the impacts on local residents and neighborhoods by ignoring them. Among the issues that affect residents are bike lanes, parking, trees, open space, zoning and neighborhood conservation. Past opinion pieces by the same author: - Cambridge’s bike lane mandate hurts us all - Why cycling safety is a divisive topic in cambridge - The myth of the virtuous cyclist
October 22, 2025 at 12:34 AM
somervillennial.bsky.social
not the candidate for these times
Perenick and Strezo recommended depaving initiatives, which Perenick agreed would reduce heat. Simione cited building tall and dense as a cause of heat trapping and limited green space.
October 13, 2025 at 2:53 PM
somervillennial.bsky.social
what are we doing here
Simione cautioned against upzoning. “The more that we allow large investors to build tall, regardless if it’s near transportation, we will continue to build 80 percent market, or as I like to call it, luxury homes,” she said, citing people moving into Somerville who are not looking for affordable housing. Instead, the city should look into lowering costs for small homeowners, Simione said. “Being a homeowner myself, our real estate taxes are crazy, and that’s another reason why many of us end up leaving,” she continued.
October 13, 2025 at 2:43 PM
somervillennial.bsky.social
I can't understand how some people, like City Council candidate Holly Simione, can be so driven by their desire to remove unhoused people that they want to make the neighborhood miserable for everyone else, themselves included.
Simione, following Link, proposed a strategy of using plainclothes police officers to match an approach being taken in Cambridge, another policy that was not recognized by the city’s vice mayor, McGovern – a social worker – in a conversation Sunday. She additionally promoted a new policy of “lighting [Seven Hills Park] up like Fenway Park.”
September 28, 2025 at 9:23 PM
somervillennial.bsky.social
while I think positive voting motivations are generally better, maybe consider a voting strategy that excludes these candidates.

docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Candidates Boston DSA opposes: Justin Klekota has been openly hostile towards Boston DSA, calling Boston DSA a “hate group” and has fought against trans community members for suggested changes to language regarding trans folk in the Somerville Democratic City Committee’s (SDCC) documentation. Kristin Strezo, on paper, supports many progressive projects in Somerville. However, when it comes to a contentious vote, Strezo has objected in every way to difficult conversations. While she apologized, her behavior towards her black colleagues has been problematic. She has asked for contentious items like the ceasefire vote to not be in front of the council. She has even absented herself (left the building) for other contentious votes like removing parking minimums. Jack Perenick, in his role as chair, has used Somerville Democratic City Committee campaign funds to campaign against the more progressive and DSA endorsed incumbent candidate - which is highly irregular for a democratic ward committee. Perenick is also on Bluesky this month, arguing that Somerville should not have passed a ceasefire resolution last year. He’s also used misleading graphics on mailers and his Act-Blue account to imply that he’s already a Ward-5 Councilor (He’s on the ward 5 democratic committee which is not the same).
September 16, 2025 at 12:45 AM
somervillennial.bsky.social
lmao.
The Young Democrats of Massachusetts endorse councilor at-large Kristen Strezo for reelection and Jack Perenick, who seeks one of the council’s four at-large seats – and is president of the group.
September 16, 2025 at 12:12 AM
somervillennial.bsky.social
The Boston Globe has terrific news reporters, but I cannot recommend purchasing a subscription as long as it also pays for these terrible, horrible, no good, very bad opinions writers.
Boston Globe - EDITORIAL: We need more Charlie Kirks
September 12, 2025 at 1:35 PM
somervillennial.bsky.social
Boston Globe opinion piece from conservative commentator Carine Hajjar: "The killing of Charlie Kirk: A generational conservative voice" Mad Max "that's bait" meme
September 11, 2025 at 1:59 AM
somervillennial.bsky.social
👇
District parent Gabriel Robinson expressed concerns at the meeting that the resolution assumes an inevitability in artificial intelligence use in schools. “I reject the premise that it is equally important for students to graduate with a deep and practical familiarity with AI tools as it is for them to develop core skills and knowledge independent of those tools,” Robinson said. “This policy order shills for big tech by adopting the vision that it would like to sell in which an AI-centered future is inevitable, and all that is left for us to decide is whether our children will be among the masters of AI or its victims.”
September 9, 2025 at 12:53 AM
somervillennial.bsky.social
I'm not wasting this opportunity again
Q: How would you describe yourself? Check all that apply. A: Prefer to self-describe: jazz enthusiast
September 5, 2025 at 1:30 AM
somervillennial.bsky.social
This is a cool article on a neighborhood business I knew little about. Also, funny bit from the referenced article detailing their last move: forget "Camberville" -- Deborah Mason coined "Soca" all the way back in 2013!

www.cambridgeday.com/2013/10/22/s...
The 37-year-old school and unofficial second family to generations of students has found a home at 624 Somerville Ave., just a few blocks outside of Porter Square “on the Cambridge/Somerville line,” as Mason put it Tuesday – but in Somerville nonetheless. “It’s in Soca – Somerville/Cambridge,” she said Tuesday. “That’s what we’re calling it.”
September 3, 2025 at 7:08 PM
somervillennial.bsky.social
FAFO
Flyer taped to dumpster: Hi neighbors! This dumpster was illegally placed here today (02-SEP-25), damaging the adjacent tree in the process. If you would like to be able to use this parking space again and/or not have to see trash, please contact Somerville 311 every day until the dumpster is gone! 📞 617-666-3311 🛜 https://somervillema.qscend.com/311/request/add 😘
September 2, 2025 at 11:54 PM
somervillennial.bsky.social
There's something funny about local figures creating Bluesky accounts just to respond to call-outs 👀
Reply to Ben Ewen-Campen from City Councilor At-Large Candidate Jack Perenick: "Our local Council shouldn’t be tasked with perfecting the subtleties of how we condemn terrorist groups, let’s leave that to people qualified and tasked with doing that. It causes needless division in our community, that I think we are likely to get wrong. We have important work to focus on here."
September 2, 2025 at 2:20 AM
somervillennial.bsky.social
Unsurprising that *this* is the elected official who is trying to tear down the efforts of another.

www.cambridgeday.com/2024/05/27/s...
Ward 7 School Committee Member Leiran Biton quote-replying Ward 3 City Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen: "Breaking News: Politician who brought Somerville into Middle East politics complains about Middle East politics being injected into Somerville" Quote from Cambridge Day in article about the School Committee and some members' views on student protest: "Somerville High student Leyla Abarca-Gresh expressed her disappointment that the committee had yet to make a statement supporting Palestine. “All I’ve heard from you guys is Mr. Biton’s public statement comparing us high schoolers to white nationalists because we covered our faces with kaffiyehs,” she said."
September 2, 2025 at 2:12 AM
somervillennial.bsky.social
I love the note that's been taped to the front door twice now. "as is OK" lol.
Front door of the rotting house, featuring a stop work order and two handwritten notes by "JG" asking to buy the house "this week as is OK".
September 1, 2025 at 9:13 PM
somervillennial.bsky.social
Postcards depicting a Somerville past
Postcard of the Somerville Armory (appearing about the same as today) Postcard of the Somerville Highland Station (no longer standing) Postcard of St. Catherine's church in Somerville (the trees out front are now gone, either replaced by drop-off parking or affected by overhanging telephone wires) Postcard of Gilman Sq (a couple building landmarks remain today, but there is significantly less greenery)
September 1, 2025 at 7:29 PM
somervillennial.bsky.social
"Transient by design" 👇

allstonia.com/2025/08/31/t...
“We are not as much of a transient neighborhood as people think, because we do have people that want to live here long term,” says Ricky T. Meinke, who formerly rented in Allston and now lives in Brighton, an adjacent neighborhood. “We’re not transient by choice. We’re transient by design.”
September 1, 2025 at 7:20 PM
somervillennial.bsky.social
wake up babe, allston xmas is here
Two skulls found on the sidewalk, one covered in red felt, the other in multi-colored sequins.
September 1, 2025 at 3:23 AM
somervillennial.bsky.social
any of these would have also been acceptable, but sure, let's ignore the actual vexillologist!

www.wbur.org/news/2025/08...
The reverse side of the current Massachusetts flag up until 1971 Mayflower design Pine tree design Traditional flag of New England
August 29, 2025 at 2:48 AM
somervillennial.bsky.social
NONE of the flag & seal finalists include COD or PINE TREES, so I'm disappointed, but if we don't select the CHICKADEE combo, then it's hopeless

www.mass.gov/info-details...
Seal finalist with chickadee Flag finalist with chickadee
August 29, 2025 at 2:44 AM
somervillennial.bsky.social
did the state flag & seal commission seriously nominate a design with an upside down whale

www.mass.gov/info-details...
MA seal submission showing a whale and a bird, but the whale is upside down Image of a right whale from Wikipedia, right-side up
August 29, 2025 at 2:37 AM
somervillennial.bsky.social
I love how the most recent street view photo shows a quaint home in autumn, while the current reality is a husk of a building slowly being reclaimed by nature
19 Elm St...5 years ago
August 29, 2025 at 2:25 AM