Dear Billy T and Somerville/Medford News Weekly Speakup Line,
City of Somerville Mayor… Killing Small and Minority Businesses. On July 6th, Governor Baker authorized the reopening of all gyms in MA. Local leaders in their respective cities concurred except for the mayor of Somerville, MA. Evidence shows there have been no COVID-19 outbreaks correlated with gym use in MA. While Governor’s doing attempts to make logical sense, why close small/minority businesses that have absolutely no negative impact statistically? One could argue that gyms are safer than your local grocery and department stores.
The Mayor of Somerville
claims to be an advocate for minority businesses, yet I beg to differ. Ever Fitness, the largest minority owned gym in New England, has been in the city of Somerville since its inception in 1994. This is the second time the Mayor has made the unnecessary conscious decision to keep all of the gyms in Somerville closed indefinitely. The gyms in Somerville have been negatively impacted and continue to be subjected to undue hardship. Members are forced to cross city lines and subscribe to memberships at gyms outside of their local grounds. The mayor is playing politics and killing small and minority owned businesses. One’s personal aspiration to realize their own political achievements should not supersede their responsibility to ensure the survival of small businesses.