From yesterday's Somerville Journal:
City Democrats are resolved: DNC traffic plan needs work
By Brock Parker / Journal Staff
Thursday, May 6, 2004
Local Democrats are preparing for their party's national convention to
cause some major headaches.
Last month, the Somerville Democratic City Committee approved a
resolution last month calling for the state, the city of Boston and the
MBTA to overhaul the transportation plan for the Democratic National
Committee in July, saying the plan will cause severe commuter problems.
"I think the worst-case scenario is that you have a lot of people who
are forced to take unpaid vacations," said SDCC member Ron Newman, who proposed the resolution passed by the SDCC on April 21.
The resolution states plans to shut down I-93 and commuter rail service
during the convention will "seriously disrupt the daily lives of
hundreds of thousands of commuters."
But SDCC President Helen Corrigan said she voted against the
resolution. Instead, Corrigan said she sided with national Democratic
Party representative Kevin Conroy, who argued to the SDCC that shutting
down the highway and the trains are needed safety precautions during the convention.
"The Secret Service wants the roads closed down," Corrigan said.
Newman said the local committee voted in about a 60-40 split in favor
of the resolution, and argued that shutting down the highway and the
trains is a political ploy by the Secret Service under a Republican
presidential administration that will disenchant voters.
Some of those voters could be commuters from New Hampshire, which is being a considered as a potential swing state in the presidential
election in the fall, Newman said.
"They are not going to close down Penn Station in New York City for the
Republican Convention," Newman said. "We're not against the [Democratic] convention, not in any way. We just don't think it should affect people that aren't involved with it."
Newman said the SDCC's resolution has been sent to the state, the MBTA and the city of Boston, but has not generated any response, yet.
Last month, Mayor Joe Curtatone, who's also a Democrat, wrote
Republican Governor Willard Mitt Romney, a Republican, asking for state
money to offset street and transportation service closings during the
Democratic National Convention that could cost the city "tens of
thousands of dollars in police and fire overtime pay."
Transportation from Somerville into Boston has already been slowed by
the temporary closing of the Lechemere MBTA Station and the demolition
of the Rutherford Avenue Overpass, Curtatone wrote to the governor.