Somerville Election Profile: Will Mbah For Councilor-At-Large

SOMERVILLE, MA — Voters will select four councilors-at-large from a pool of eight candidates in Somerville's municipal election Nov. 5. Will Mbah, 39, is one of four current councilors-at-large seeking re-election.

Mbah lives in Somerville with his wife, Christelle, and their two children. He has been a technologist in MIT’s Department of Environmental Health & Safety for five years.

Mbah holds a bachelor's in environmental science from the University of Buea and a master's in risk assessment and environmental pollution from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

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The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

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.

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

The most important differences between the other candidates and myself include my background, my perspective, and the underlying mission that has inspired me to run for office. As the only immigrant and person of color seeking this post, I bring a unique lived experience and perspective that is crucial to have in our government. I have firsthand knowledge of what a newcomer to this city goes through trying to find a decent place to live and a job that pays a living wage. I also know what it's like as someone who has lived here for several years and still finds difficulty in affording to stay in my community. My struggle to find a place to live, my love for this city, and my passion to make it a community for everyone who lives here and anyone who wants to move here is what propelled me to run for office and is why I'm running for re-election.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

Keeping housing affordable. We have passed so many critical ordinances and regulations since 2017 that have kept our community more affordable, protected tenants’ rights, and brought community voices to the negotiating table to decide how Somerville will be affected by new development. We need to build on the Union Square Neighborhood Council model and work to bring more democratically elected councils all around Somerville to give residents a seat at the table as new development is sure to pop up along the new Green Line stops. Supporting the creation and funding of the Office of Housing Stability has also helped to allow many Somerville homeowners and renters to fight against displacement and stay in their homes.

Making equity a priority across our city. I was proud to push the city to catalog and support businesses owned by underrepresented groups, such as immigrants and people of color. We need to know how development and gentrification is affecting diversity in our business community and what we can do to help those businesses stay and thrive! Equity also means studying city hiring practices and appointments for people of color, as well as pushing our police to implement Restorative Justice into their training and practices. Finally, equity means that we must proudly stand up with immigrants and workers and pass laws that match our support for these groups.

Doing everything humanly possible to protect our environment. The IPCC has stated that we have around 10 years to save our planet from catastrophic climate disasters. Protecting our environment and eliminating carbon emissions as fast as humanly possible must be a priority in Somerville. This means we should work towards making Somerville run solely on renewable energy by 2030.

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

Throughout my first term I have been able to push the City to catalog and support businesses owned by underrepresented communities, help create the Office of Housing Stability, successfully press the City to launch the Lead Service Line Replacement program, expand the tree canopy, and help pass through a slate of regulations that will protect renters, homeowners, and keep housing costs down.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Work hard, stay humble, and help others.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I immigrated from Cameroon in 2010 on a diversity visa lottery and fell in love with Somerville as soon as I arrived. I am enamored with this community and I am filled with pride every day because I am able to work tirelessly to improve the lives of people across the city. I am a steadfast progressive voice and that's why I have been endorsed by State Reps Denise Provost and Mike Connolly as well as national organizations such as Democracy for America and Our Revolution.