Since 2005, this mayor has received numerous entreaties, information, resources and sincere collaborative offers to plan and implement realistic benchmarks for inclusion of individuals with disAbilities in Somerville. At every turn, he has coldly spurned these communications, and he has gone even further- he has promoted deceitful legal maneuvers, played out by his City Solicitor and ADA Coordinator, to deliberately deny the Disabilities Commission its right to hold accessible Open Public meetings when our published agenda included certain items, such as: inaccessible municipal facilities, the ADA, Transition planning (see ADA Title II at 28 C.F.R. 35.150(d))- and even our collaborative planning with 2 other nonprofits for a live TV Mayoral Candidate’s Forum on Inclusion during his 2007 campaign! In May 2008, 4 of the 6 seated Commissioners resigned in disgust.

Instead of spouting “Best Practices” at every turn, imagine if this Mayor set about to forthrightly honor his statutory obligations to affirmatively promote genuine inclusion, civil rights and equal opportunities for all Somerville residents- not one left behind… what an honorable undertaking that would be.

Disabilities, as the largest minority, identifies with all races, cultures, creeds, ages, gender identities…and it is certain that there are other minority groups that feel just as keenly excluded from this “All America Hurrah” in Somerville. I hope we’ll get to hear from those voices on SomervilleVoices.org