ACCOMPLISHMENTS

ASSEMBLY SQUARE-Before Bill's election, no one promoted the need for mixed use development at Somerville 's Assembly Square to bring jobs and tax dollars. At Bill's very first meeting in 1998, he sponsored the legislation that led the creation of the master plans for Assembly Square that call for the construction of a T stop and intense development. In fact, Congressman Capuano obtained the inclusion of $25 million in the latest federal transportation bill to help fund this T stop.

RESIDENTIAL TAX BREAK-Before Bill's election, Somerville resident homeowners received a 17% reduction in their tax bill. Bill authored the legislation that increased this residential exemption to 30%, making Somerville the first city in Massachusetts to offer this break to residential homeowners. This tax break has saved Somerville homeowners thousands of dollars over the last few years.

IMPROVED TRANSPORTATION-Bill has tirelessly worked to bring the Green Line extension to Somerville and Medford . When it looked like the State was going to back out of its obligation to build the Green Line, Bill authored the resolution calling on the Mayor to sue the State if it tried to back out. Bill also served the T's advisory committee that helped draft the expert study that concluded the Green Line Extension made sense. Bill has also stressed that the T must work with local communities in locating the stops on this Green Line Extension so that "nothing is forced down any community's throat."

HELPING SENIORS-Bill introduced legislation calling for the City's creation of the "Are You OK" program in which seniors are telephoned daily at a set time. If there is no answer after a number of attempts, a person goes to the senior's residence to investigate. Bill also sponsored a home rule petition calling for the creation of "Senior Safety Zones" in which special traffic and safety laws are applied to areas surrounding senior housing buildings.

FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY-During the last three years, Massachusetts ' municipalities have faced the toughest financial times in decades. As Chair of the Committee on Finance, Bill oversaw the City's budget and used financial performance measures to help determine appropriate funding. Because of the City's financial performance, the City's bond rating was recently upgraded.