Proakis Seeking Job in Watertown, Youth March for Peace, and More
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Proakis Seeking Job in Watertown
Watertown is searching for its next city manager, and one of the three finalists for the job is George Proakis, currently executive director of Strategic Planning and Community Development for the City of Somerville.
Proakis has worked in Somerville since 2018. In his current job, he leads a department of 68 staff members working on economic development, transportation, public space, planning, zoning, historic preservation and affordable housing. Before 2018, Proakis worked for the City of Lowell.
Watertown received 23 applications for its City Manager position. Their search committee interviewed eight candidates in the first round, then narrowed it down to their final three. The two other finalists are John Curran, currently town manager in Billerica and former mayor of Woburn; and Norman Khumalo, currently town manager in Hopkinton.
A Community Forum will be held on Monday, May 9, and the Watertown City Council will interview the three City Manager candidates on Thursday, May 12. More information is posted at the Watertown government website: https://watertown-ma.gov/633/City-Manager-Search/.
Youth to March for Peace
The Center for Teen Empowerment, Inc. is organizing a march from Foss Park to City Hall to raise awareness of violence in our community and to work together to create peace.
Co-sponsored by the City of Somerville, the march will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 13. After the march, a candlelight vigil and rally will take place at City Hall starting around 7:15 p.m. People of all ages are welcome to attend.
With locations in Boston, Somerville, and Rochester, NY, The Center for Teen Empowerment, Inc. employs youth ages 14 to 20 to create meaningful changes in their communities. Their Somerville site at 165 Broadway, which opened in 2004, employs Somerville teens in year-round leadership jobs that allow them to plan and implement workshops, events, dialogue sessions, and other projects.
Get Springy at Growing Center
You’re invited to celebrate Spring Garden Day 2022 at the Somerville Community Growing Center this Sunday, May 8, from 2-4 pm (rain date: Sunday, May 15).
Tour the Pollinator Gardens and learn about native plants and their partnerships with pollinators. Learn about saving seeds and take home some native seeds. You can even bring seeds or seedlings to exchange with others. Entertainment will include singing, dancing, and a demonstration of native and pollinator watercolors.
Located at 22 Vinal Ave., on a quarter-acre of gently sloped hillside near Union Square, the Community Growing Center provides an oasis for children and adults to learn about the natural world and urban agriculture, as well as space to play outdoors. The volunteer-run organization offers gardens and space for arts, performances, education and community gatherings.
Photo credit: Fish house, Somerville. Photo by Jason Pramas. Copyright 2022 Jason Pramas.
This article is syndicated by the Somerville Wire municipal news service of the Somerville News Garden project of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism.
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Linda Pinkow is a reporter for the Somerville Wire. She is also a development consultant for the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism.
