Somerville Candidate Profile: Will Mbah For City Council

SOMERVILLE, MA — With the Somerville Municipal Election scheduled for Nov. 7, Patch is profiling the candidates.

Here, we learn more about Will Mbah, who is running for councilor at large on the Somerville City Council. Mbah is one of five candidates on the ballot for four at-large positions on the council. The other four candidates are incumbents. They are: Willie Burnley Jr., Charlotte Kelly, Kristen Strezo and Jake Wilson.

Though Charlotte Kelley is on the ballot, she announced last month that she will not serve a second term.

Mbah, who will be 42 on Election Day, currently is enrolled in Harvard's Kennedy School Center for Public Leadership. He previously worked as an environmental analyst.

Candidates were sent questionnaires and filled out the answers.

Name

Will Mbah

How old will you be on Election Day?

42

What office are you seeking?

City Councilor at large

Please give us your party affiliation

Democratic Party

Education

BS in Environmental Science, University of Buea, Cameroun, 2005; Master's in Soil Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 2011; Harvard University Kennedy School Center for Public Leadership, Fellowship, 2024.

Occupation

I resigned from my previous job as an environmental analyst to attend the Kennedy School.

Family

My wife Christelle and I have two children, who are Somerville elementary school pupils.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Have you ever held public office?

I previously served on the Somerville City Council as an at-large member from 2017-21.

Why are you seeking this office?

There are two reasons. The first is to continue the work I began in my previous terms as city councilor, specifically in regard to further strengthening and expanding the Housing Stabilization programs, which we were able to establish before the pandemic.

The second reason is that I see many challenges arising where my experiences may be helpful. Issues such as housing displacement and the growing number of unhoused people are becoming more complex due to current economic conditions, development pressures, and the arrival of immigrant families. We must find sustainable new revenue sources for affordable housing and housing stabilization programs.

We must also give greater urgency to the work of reforming the police. Our first responders are encountering more unhoused people dealing with mental illness and substance abuse who need compassionate and non-violent emergency services.

We must do more to ensure equity in all aspects of city government regulations, services, procurement, and contracting.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ____ and this is what I intend to do about it.

The most pressing issue is the economic, social, and environmental instability of contemporary life and the resulting fears most citizens have: losing their job, becoming unhoused, having a health emergency, or any number of other crises. People need their city to have the necessary resources in place to give them a hand, should the need arise.

My primary role as a city leader is to ensure that the city has these resources and that they are always being improved. As a city counselor, I must oversee and monitor the agencies that offer social and protective services. I must carefully work on plans and budgets to make sure these agencies are funded, well-organized, and well-trained. I must see to it that they act equitably and deal effectively with everyone.

What are the main differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My colleagues in city leadership all share the broad goals and standards of
progressive city governance. But I approach policy issues with a particular background and perspective: as an immigrant who has been welcomed to the city; as an environmental scientist; as a working man raising kids. I have to remain optimistic, but realistic and pragmatic in my approach to policy.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

As one of the at-large council candidates, I do not face a singular incumbent, but four.
While they have not failed the community, they have lacked focus and urgency. For a
while, the physical deficiencies of our older school buildings were recognized and plans for
reconstruction were underway — but at a leisurely pace and with the assumption that
various grants would come along to fund repairs. When the ceiling fell at Winter Hill
School and they had to evacuate, the city scrambled with emergency actions and happily
had money left over from COVID to use. A more rigorous process of planning, budgeting,
and school facilities oversight could have prevented this situation.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

Equity, social justice, and reforming the police and emergency response services.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

My past work on the City Council gave me the opportunity to help advance several programs and policies that are still effective today, such as the Office of Housing Stabilization and the Community Land Trust. I also sponsored the ordinance that removed non-biodegradable utensils from city restaurants and food services, and I worked on the parts of zoning and development regulations that involve energy-savings and non-polluting building systems.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

That I should be true to myself at all times; I should always do what is right and not
what is popular.