By William Tauro

Washington Street bridge closed, Medford Street Bridge closed, Ball Square Bridge closed, Union Square closed, McGrath Highway Overpass and tunnel beneath both closed, are we missing any? Are these just tactics to disrupt local businesses customer traffic to make them fail so certain favored developers can move in for the kill? It sure appears to be happening, just look at the pattern.

Was the recent closing a few years ago of the McGrath Highway offramp that leads down to Target and Burger King in the best interest of the residents and business owners of Somerville or was it a big mistake or an intentional plot? Is the city deliberately trying to drive property and business owners to disgust and failure via sabotaging roadways to stall more developments and certain Somerville retailing businesses?

By looking at all the most recent actions over the past few years its very hard to tell what side this adminerstration is on.

Just look back five years ago at the elimination of over one hundred parking spots on McGrath Highway/Medford Street in Somerville converting it only one side parking.
Then again just only four years ago the city tried eliminating the remaining all of the parking spaces on that same road but lost the battle.

Luckily for these residents and business owners this time around the neighborhood and this very paper fought back against the city’s parking elimination plans and were victorious in keeping the parking spaces.

If that had gone through it would’ve deprived hundreds of residents and dozens of business owners the right to park in front of their own homes and businesses. Their customers would’ve given up due to the lack of parking and going elsewhere to do there businesses.

Now new theories are surfacing regarding the reasoning behind why the McGrath Highway overpass exit offramp that leads down to Burger King, Target, Hub Glass, Carroll Roofing, John’s Auto Sales and many more properties along Somerville Avenue have been closed down for over five years now?
What was the reasoning for it? If you ask the mayors office they tell you that the overpass is coming down. But then again when is the overpass coming down in 10 years, 20 years, 25 years?

What went on with all the flared tensions that were at last weeks Wednesday night’s meeting to discuss a redesign of Powderhouse Boulevard. The plan that may include 1 to 2 bike lanes, a number of additional calming traffic measures and whether, 200+ residential parking spaces will be saved or removed. With no apparent consideration for Somerville’s only Funeral Home, George L Doherty Funeral Service, where would grieving families go to mourn and bury their dead? No obvious consideration for the churches was observed. No consideration for local residents living there who may have friends or relatives over for visits. No consideration for people who just may want to park along that road to visit Tufts or maybe just look at scenery, no consideration whatsoever from our administration.

I also attended a meeting last week at the East Somerville Community School where the mayor himself, a city councilor and our state representative, all three were there with no answers, just stupid confusing looks on their faces when I confronted them in public before an audience crowd of concerned residents and business owners.

So what was the reasoning/motive that the overpass has been closed down now this early in any phase of demolition?
The state and city just recently spent almost over $21 million to refurbish that overpass only a few years ago and now they’ve close it off, you can’t make this stuff up!

Are the city hall engineers trying to starve business owners there by depriving them of motorist the use of that vital offramp to conduct business in that area.
An offramp that is crucial for the survival of many businesses in that area. Could it be part of a bigger plot to prolong another stalled development that was underway in that area as well?
Here we are five years later with hundreds of businesses on that street as well as in Ward 2 who are starving for customers due to lack of parking spaces and now motor vehicle traffic.
In other words was city hall out to cut off their circulation by closing the offramp? Was it intentional? Was city hall setting these businesses up for failure? Is it a plot to get them to leave their property via financial stress and have their own developer to come in and redevelop the area?

During the beginning of the month on May 4, 2019, I wrote the article “WHAT THIS ADMINISTRATION AND ITS CO-CONSPIRATORS IN SOMERVILLE HAVE DONE IS ABSOLUTELY CRIMINAL” and since then much has transpired.

According to credible sources, all of a sudden, city inspectors have allegedly zeroed in on the Drain Doctor’s building popping up conveniently with sudden discoveries of asbestos and being scrutinized (Breaking their balls) to immediately do something about it with the property owner’s backs now being strategically placed against the wall. Sounds to me like a typical pressurized Mafia style extortion hit to take someone’s property over. Are we surprised? I’m not surprised one bit, take it from someone whose family was extorted by the same people and think that they are getting away with it, not!

Also as we recall the Disabled American Veterans Hall (D.A.V.) that abuts the properties had surprisingly and conveniently had their liquor license suspended by officials for some pie-in-the-sky reason that is still vaguely unexplained.

Even more shocking to discover is that the MBTA Controller who oversees the MBTA’s monies was discovered to be the treasurer for the D.A.V. as well who allegedly caused the license suspension. As just like the old saying goes by Walter Scott Quotes “O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive!”

But now, and according to sources and also as I predicted, the former Somerville Alderman/attorney who’s immediate family now owns the Shields Gas Station on Broadway has now reached out to the Somerville D.A.V. superier command members all of a sudden and would like to have a meeting to discuss the future of the building with his brothers.

One can just imagine and wonder what that meeting might be about. Just like I wrote and just like I predicted, you can’t make this stuff up. In my opinion, these thugs have been watching too many mafia movies and do they really think that nobody notices what it looks like from the outside looking in, amazing!
We are also hearing rumors that there will be a pot clinic/marijuana distillery in that location as well through all of the former Alderman’s city hall connections

As I wrote in the prior article, they had a plan, every single one of them. They knew beforehand that all this was going to happen with the Green Line Extension coming. So they bought up the property and became abutting neighbors. Just take a good look on the final fate that the owner of the Ball Square Bowling Alley had to endure and what went on with that inside deal. Look how they pressured the property owners of Ward 2 with the closing of the McGrath Highway overpass and the tunnel beneath it. Does it sound familiar? It sure does.

All these politically connected takeover tactics taking place in a circled area especially where a former Somerville Alderman who scooped up that yellow Shields Gas Station on Broadway and pinned it down. Is that why he possibly suddenly resigned?
They knew that the Greenline was coming and they moved right in with the help of their partners in the administration for their own personal gain and greed.
The good people should call them “The Insider Gang” because technically it was all like insider trading with property and not stocks and call them out.

In my opinion it’s so obvious that the administration hooked them up with the MBTA Greenline Extension Project which proves more of inside privileged insider favoritism and forfeited information.

My Prediction was that the D.A.V. and the Drain Doctor properties on Broadway were to be the next victims to fall prey to the scam and I was correct. Especially where the former Somerville Alderman owns the Shields Gas station directly next door. Mmmmm?

I will also predict that the Shield Gas Station’s owner will sue the city and Greenline project for the closure and loss of business sales, another perfectly tuned inside bag Job. This could also be possibly the reason why they shut down the entire bridge instead of closing half the bridge to do the job at a time. Just keep an eye on it and watch. The inside partners want that deal done especially where he’s part of the deal. Who’s next?

We’re also hearing that this former Alderman and/or one of his close associates may be the next attorney to assist the Council on aging seniors. Wouldn’t that be criminally convenient to try to persuade seniors out of the homes? That would be like putting a fox in the hen house. Definitely keep an eye on that one.

We are hoping that the new city councilors aka Somerville Board of Alderman can recognize that there is a serious problem here. We are hoping that they will take the necessary steps to re-open that offramp before more business failure begins to emerge. We’re hoping that they will take a good solid look at all the detours and bridge closures around this now crippled city and come up with a plan, a real good solid plan that works and fast.

As for the Mcgrath Highway Overpass ordeal, the former Ward 2 Alderman for that area, the mayor and as well as for the Somerville Chamber of Commerce didn’t look out for the ward’s many business owner’s best interest and wellbeing. Who’s now looking out for Jerry’s Liquor Store in Union Square where people can’t even park never mind drive to? What’s going on with Buddy’s Diner where that part of the city is shut completely off? What about Ball Square on both sides of the closed Ball Square Bridge, will they survive? How about the Thurston Spa? One can’t even get to it to eat breakfast anymore because of these closures. What’s being done about it now? Where are our city counselors and state representatives? Where is the Chamber of Commerce while this is going on? Are you hearing of anybody fighting for these residents and business owners who are losing everything? The answer is no, just more white collar morons with stupid looks on their faces waiting for a big payday on your dime.

I have a great sense that the proud Somerville citizens have not yet given up in our law enforcement and judicial system as of yet, so let’s go get them before they get away with it.

Call your city councilors! Call your state representatives! Call the mayors office! Let’s do this!