Somerville City Councilor Running For State Rep. In 34th District

SOMERVILLE, MA — A city councilor has announced a campaign for State Representative.

At-Large City Councilor Wilfred Mbah announced that he is running for the 34th Middlesex District seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Mbah is seeking the position after nearly a decade on the Somerville City Council, saying he wants to represent Somerville and Medford residents directly on Beacon Hill and help advance policies that often require state approval before they can be implemented locally.

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A native of Cameroon, Mbah developed an interest in environmental issues after witnessing the impact of fossil fuel extraction on communities near the Niger River Delta. He earned a degree in environmental studies from the University of Buea and later volunteered in several Cameroonian cities advocating for public health and biodiversity protection. In 2008, he received a scholarship to attend the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. After completing his studies, Mbah immigrated to the United States and eventually settled in Somerville, where he worked as a night custodian at MIT while interning with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. He was first elected to the Somerville City Council in 2017 and has since won four terms. During his tenure, Mbah has championed initiatives including the creation of the Office of Housing Stability and efforts to eliminate racial profiling within the Somerville Police Department.

Mbah said his experience in local government has shown him the limitations municipalities face when pursuing progressive policies without support from state lawmakers. “After serving on the Somerville City Council for nearly a decade, I’ve seen just how many policies require state-level approval before they can become reality,” Mbah said. “Too often, the will of residents is delayed or blocked by closed-door deliberations at the State House. I’m running because Somerville and Medford deserve direct, proactive representation that fights for housing, environmental and racial justice.”

In addition to serving on the council, Mbah earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2024. He was re-elected to his fourth term on the City Council in 2025, receiving more votes than any other candidate on the ballot.

The 34th Middlesex district includes parts of both Somerville and Medford.

Mbah lives in West Somerville with his wife, Christelle, and their two children, Joel and Grace.

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