Our Revolution Somerville Members Endorse First Economic Justice Slate Of Local Candidates

On July 30th, 75 members of Our Revolution Somerville (ORS) voted to endorse a slate of candidates running for local office in Somerville. Twenty-three candidates sought endorsement from ORS, eight of whom spoke at the meeting, putting forth their vision for progressive local politics.

Before the endorsement vote, Our Revolution Somerville steering committee member Mike Bowler read the following statement that was used by the group as a key benchmark for evaluating candidates:

“Our Revolution Somerville will support candidates for municipal office who will fight for our vision of a city where all residents have equal access to quality education, affordable housing, economic opportunities, accessible transportation, a healthy environment and quality public services. Somerville must preserve our strong working class neighborhoods and be inclusive of people of color. We celebrate the diverse backgrounds, languages, and cultures of our residents. We envision a Somerville where young people have the resources to thrive, where working class families are stable, where immigrants are welcomed, and where community needs come before profits.”

Each candidate seeking ORS’s endorsement responded to 36 questions on various issues directly impacting Somerville residents. While the candidates unanimously supported several proposals, responses highlighted substantial differences, particularly in regards to campaign finance. Six of the applicants indicated they would accept campaign contributions from for-profit developers and developers’ close associates. Completed questionnaires from all candidates are publicly available on the ORS website, ourrevolutionsomerville.com.

Ten applicants passed the 60% threshold to receive the endorsement of ORS: Payton Corbett (candidate for mayor), Matt McLaughlin (candidate for Ward 1 Alderman), JT Scott (candidate for Ward 2 Alderman), Ben Ewen-Campen (candidate for Ward 3 Alderman), Jesse Clingan (candidate for Ward 4 Alderman), Mark Niedergang (candidate for Ward 5 Alderman), Lance Davis (candidate for Ward 6 Alderman), Will Mbah (candidate for Alderman-at-Large), Mary Jo Rossetti (candidate for Alderman-at-Large) and Bill White (candidate for Alderman-at-Large).

Candidates for school committee who applied for ORS endorsement will be considered at a later date.

About Our Revolution Somerville: Our Revolution Somerville is a new organization that seeks to transform politics in Somerville and advance a broad progressive agenda. For more information, visit our Facebook page here.

Pictured above are some of the candidates endorsed by Our Revolution Somerville (from left): Payton Corbett, Ben Ewen-Campen, JT Scott, Will Mbah, Mary Jo Rossetti, Bill White. Not pictured: Matt McLaughlin, Jesse Clingan, Mark Niedergang, Lance Davis.