Keeping it classy, Somerville Times

[ron_newman]

from today's Somerville Times "News Talk" column:

The primary in Ward 6 is coming up and make a note it’s on Thursday the 17th, not the usual Tuesday. We heard that the Board of Aldermen bowed to pressure from one alderman to get it changed for the first time because of a religious holiday

OK, I don't know why the city didn't schedule the election for September 1 (like Medford) or September 8 (like Boston), but I do know why they didn't choose the next two Tuesdays. The Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah ends at sunset on Tuesday, September 15. The Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur starts at sunset on Tuesday, September 22. Some folks around here don't appreciate your ignorant obliviousness, Somerville Times.

(Oh, and that's followed by: "Don’t let a small minority pick the wrong candidates for the final election in November.")

Comments

[craigindaville.livejournal.com]

"I don't think anyone at the times is anti any minority."

LOLWUT?

You must be new here. Or one of the staff writers at that rag. They've been nasty, spiteful, name-calling, "yuppie/barney"-baiting ragemonkeys for years. They're anti everything/one that wasn't born in Somerville after 1970 (and even then only the "right kinda people" if you know what I mean wink wink).

[ron_newman]

I find their hard-news reporting to be reasonably fair, and I enjoy their coverage of local art and culture. But the News-Talk column is frequently obnoxious and backward-looking.

[craigindaville.livejournal.com]

Generally agree. Except for the part where the Norton Group is somehow magically voted "Best Real Estate Agency in Somerville" in their paper every year. Seems like that might be a little biased.

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

They've been nasty, spiteful, name-calling, "yuppie/barney"-baiting ragemonkeys for years.

OK, that tells you who the Times is written for, and most likely, who subscribes to it. Looking at the whole item

The primary in Ward 6 is coming up and make a note it’s on Thursday the 17th, not the usual Tuesday. We heard that the Board of Aldermen bowed to pressure from one alderman to get it changed for the first time because of a religious holiday. Don’t forget to vote in the only primary in the city this year, in Ward 6. Don’t let a small minority pick the wrong candidates for the final election in November. Your vote counts.

it sounds like the race in the Davis Sq. area is hot and there's some sort of fight over pro/anti-gentrification issues. If the Times is anti-gentrification as are their readers, they're going to want to push their readers to vote in that primary ... and the "small minority" refers to a fear that gentrifiers will dominate that election.

[ron_newman]

In Ward 6, gentrification is something that has already happened (and quite a while ago). That's more of a live issue in Union Square and other parts of the city.

The Times doesn't have subscribers. You pick it up for free either from red street boxes or in local stores.