Officials urged to hire locally

More than 100 supporters last week urged officials to pass a city ordinance before the end of the year that would require some subsidized construction projects to hire local workers. The measure is under consideration by the Legislative Matters Committee. If it is passed in its current form, at least 30 percent of workers on projects that receive $50,000 or more in city subsidies would have to be Somerville residents. The ordinance was introduced in reaction to the city’s approximately $25 million bond offering approved this summer to kick-start construction of a new Orange Line T stop at Assembly Square. Jobs for Somerville has been gathering support for months and boasts more than 600 resident signatures on a petition urging passage. Representatives from three local unions and a half-dozen community groups turned out for the organizing meeting, which was translated into two other languages and drew cheers and chants from residents and officials who say Somerville residents deserve a chance to make a decent living. “If [lawmakers] are not going to do things on a national level, we should do things here in Somerville,’’ said Alderman William White, who was joined by Alderman Bruce Desmond at the meeting. “I didn’t think this would be as difficult an item to pass,” Desmond said. The committee is currently mired in legal discussions about the ordinance. In a later phone interview, White said he expected aldermen to amend the proposal to guard against legal challenges, but only after the public has a chance to comment at an upcoming hearing.