With a decrease of 27.5 percent from last year’s homicide count of 120, this year proved to be a step in the right direction. Could it be that the numerous community peace vigils and marches were the answer for taking the streets back when it comes to violence?

Although the decrease means something, one cannot forget that even one name on the list is one too many. There had been a steady decrease month-by-month, but December put a stop to the trend, with a count of 12, which was the deadliest month of the entire year and up more than 50 percent from that of December 2008, with only five murders.

As R. Daniel Lavelle begins his first term as the new councilman for District 6, he has begun reconnecting with those he heard from during his campaign. After being sworn in Jan. 4, Lavelle is already beginning to plan a series of discussions to create a blueprint of what residents envision for their neighborhoods.

I SOLEMNLY SWEAR— Judge Dwayne Woodruff swears in Daniel Lavelle as District 6 councilman as Rachael Lavelle holds the Bible.

“Immediately we’re going to reach out to all the community groups, non-profits and corporations and have discussions with them to come up with an agreed upon agenda,” Lavelle said. “We’ll get a better sense of what the top priorities are once we go out and meet with the groups.”

On Dec. 31, after most members of city council had gone home to enjoy New Year’s Eve festivities, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl vetoed the prevailing wage bill approved on Dec. 21 by city council. The bill, which was approved unanimously, would have required employers to pay certain service industry workers a wage on par with others in the industry.

LUKE RAVENSTAHL

While the mayor’s veto would have been overturned if council had demonstrated the same support as when they first approved the bill, this was not the case. During a special meeting called by council president Doug Shields, only five votes were cast to overturn the bill, one short of what was required.