Dear Billy T and Somerville Speakup Line,

I wonder how many people know that the city has Citizen Advisory Committees that help the city deal with problems or opportunities. Such Committees offer citizens the opportunity to be involved with city government and get to know other citizens with common interests. In Somerville, there are Advisory Committees that deal with housing, arts, bicycling, disability, energy, community preservation, condos, conservation, aging, design, elections, ethics, historic preservation, human rights, library, licensing, compensation, planning, recreation, retirement, women, traffic, veterans, and youth. It’s a great education to get involved with such Advisory Committees.
The mayor of Somerville likes to talk about illegal immigrants and supports the protestations of Black Lives Matter. Yet there isn’t an Advisory Committee to deal with illegal immigrants or the issues that Black Lives Matter protest about. Why would the mayor hang a banner on City Hall and hold rallies yet not create Advisory Committees to deal with such problems?

Jonathan Curtis