Somerville Candidates On City's Biggest Issue

SOMERVILLE, MA — There is less than a week until Somerville's municipal election, which will have contested races for mayor, councilor-at-large and school committee in certain wards. Somerville Patch has been asking incumbents and challengers in contested races about the issues Somerville faces.

We asked each candidate what they believe to be the single most pressing issue and published their unedited responses below. Of course, city council candidates and school committee candidates will likely have different priorities.

Incumbents are marked with an asterisk (*). Clicking on a candidate's name will take you to their previously published candidate profile on Somerville Patch, where you can read more about their candidacy.

Candidates not listed have not yet submitted responses to our Patch questionnaire.

Mayor

Joseph Curtatone*: Along with Climate Change, which is the entire planet's most pressing issue, the most pressing regional and local issue is housing affordability. Somerville, like the entire Greater Boston region, finds itself caught in a housing crisis. The region has failed to keep up with population growth, up roughly one million people over the past four decades. Add in that Somerville has become one of the most progressive, active and desirable places to live, and it has put enormous pressure on housing costs. The fabric and soul of our community is at stake. That's why we have pursued an aggressive affordable housing agenda with a city Office of Housing Stability, increased linkage fees on commercial development, a revised condo conversion ordinance, short-term rental regulations and a transfer fee on real estate speculation (pending state approval) that would fund affordable housing efforts. On top of that I led a coalition of 15 area cities and towns committing to build 185,000 new housing units by 2030. But we must do more. We must take a serious look at an updated version of rent control that we develop as a community to help more people stay in their homes while respecting the investments of small property owners. The zoning reform I have fought for the last 5+ years also can be a powerful tool for increasing affordable housing, family housing, artist housing, and more. And we must be creative. That's why I support affordable housing overlay districts in our former industrial areas and why we're looking for ways to buy up existing housing housing stock in our established neighborhoods to designate those for permanent affordability. In short, we must do everything we can to ensure that everyone has an authentic opportunity and ability to live here, and I'm all in.

City Councilor-at-Large

Stephanie Hirsch*: Affordability: Unless we take dramatic steps, neighbors and friends will continue to leave as the community grows affluent and homogeneous. I consider this the biggest challenge.

Will Mbah*: The single most pressing issue facing Somerville residents today is access to decent and affordable housing. I am prepared to work towards increasing the amount of affordable housing created in the city, pass regulations and support community councils to keep rents down, and I will work to make sure that people living across Somerville have equal access to resources, parks, public transportation, and businesses in their neighborhoods.

Jack Connolly: The lack of communication with City Hall and the residents of Somerville. If elected I will make sure that I not just another body in a seat in City Hall. I will make sure that I am and remain a neighborhood ambassador. I will do so by focusing on what the community needs, working with and for all of the residents of the 7 Wards to overcome obstacles, I will actually listen to what they have to say, and VOTE according to what is best for them and their community, not just for what makes the City Council happy.

Kristen Strezo: Affordability. We need immediate solutions to combat the affordable and equitable housing crisis in Somerville. This means exploring paths to homeownership programs for our lower and moderate income residents, including: reinstallation of rent control (as a renamed and reframed program), taking on the burden of paying broker's fees for tenants, and changing the way we allow tenants to pay security deposits, so that no person is ever forced to pay nearly $10,000 before renting an apartment-this is scandalous and unacceptable. We cannot afford to lose some of our most valued communities to the threat of being priced out of Somerville.

School Committee

Ward 3

Sarah Phillips: Meeting the needs of all our kids. I want our district to foster excellence and equity. I think we need to do a better job meeting every student where they're at academically, and I want to us to hire more push-in teachers for our classrooms. I also want us to do a better job meeting the social, emotional, and physical needs of every family. We know kids can't learn when they're hungry, when they're afraid of being evicted or deported. I want Somerville's social service agencies to work together efficiently to address these issues for every family that needs them.

Mary Marshall: We are living through a time of transition and disruption in Somerville, and it affects our children's sense of stability and community. For those who need special education, it is particularly difficult. We don't have enough highly-skilled and trained teachers who can provide special education in the district. As a result, kids with relatively common special education needs—to help cope with high-anxiety, ADHD, behavioral issues, and in at least one instance, dyslexia—are being educated out of the district. This is disruptive for our kids and families and is a drain on our budget. We are paying to educate our children elsewhere, and that's not acceptable. We need to hire skilled teachers that can address these needs and invest in helping current teachers pursue special education training if they choose.

Ward 7

Carrie Normand*: Student mental health is the single most pressing issue facing our school community. This year so far, we have seen an increase in referrals and the need for targeted interventions. I will continue to advocate for wellness supports for all Somerville Public School students, including trauma sensitive schools, mindfulness, mental health providers, building the Guidance Department's capacity, and expanded physical activity opportunities.

Tara Ten Eyck: Equity and access in our schools. I will advocate for programs that will support our diverse population, like more bilingual programming, expanded pre-k, more project-based learning, and student support services.