On Nov. 2, Somerville residents will come together to elect a new mayor. This election is particularly notable for Somerville because it will be the first time in nearly 18 years that Joe Curtatone, Somerville’s current and longest-sitting mayor, will not be on the ballot. Instead, the election will come down to candidates Will Mbah and Katjana Ballantyne, both of whom joined the Tisch Council for Philanthropic Leadership for a forum over Zoom on Oct. 21.
Throughout the forum, moderator David Gibbs posed questions submitted by members of the Tufts community, all of which fell under one of three main topics: Environmental justice and sustainability, social and racial equity, and the Tufts community. Both candidates delivered opening statements emphasizing their goals for the Somerville community.
“For Somerville to be truly inclusive, we need to work for every kind of equity,” Ballantyne said. “We need more affordable housing, economic empowerment, social equity, environmental equity, transportation equity.”
Meanwhile, Mbah stated that he chose to run for mayor because the needs of the Somerville community’s most marginalized have been ignored for too long and because it is difficult for people to live and raise their families in Somerville.
Both Ballantyne and Mbah ruminated on how their personal experiences shaped their drive to improve Somerville. Both are immigrants, Ballantyne from Greece and Mbah from Cameroon, and they both suggested that their experiences coming to Somerville as outsiders gave them a unique desire to fight for more inclusive policies and equity for all.
Mbah highlighted how his past struggles have prepared him to be a more empathetic and motivated leader, especially considering the current housing crisis in Somerville.
He detailed his experiences being denied health care from MassHealth and having to move frequently to avoid the constantly rising rent in Somerville.
“Until we have a government that reflects the population that it is serving,” he said. “We should stop talking about issues of racial equity and environmental justice.”
Entering the first round of questions, Gibbs asked candidates how they planned to implement fair and inclusive interventions to combat the climate crisis.
Mbah emphasized the need for green jobs and the importance of ensuring that any efforts to better the environment in Somerville must target all residents, not just the wealthy. “We need to invest funds, using the funds from ARPA to be able to provide somebody a built infrastructure to make these community streets safe, not just for the privileged,” he said.
Ballantyne claimed that she would continue working on her previous efforts to combat climate change.
“I have been the lead on the city council on all things environment… I wrote the Somerville Green New Deal with some climate activists and it was implemented. I also authored the Native Species Ordinance,” she said.
Gibbs later asked the candidates about their plans to encourage waste reduction and recycling in Somerville. Mbah, who has two degrees in environmental science and has served as an environmental analyst for the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency since 2020, suggested the implementation of mandatory composting in Somerville, pointing out that 40% of waste in Somerville is food waste.
Mbah also highlighted the importance of education and outreach to keep Somerville residents informed about the significant impact of recycling on the health of the environment. “Your food waste, it goes to a landfill, it decomposes, it releases methane, it contributes to greenhouse gases,” he said.
Ballantyne also touched on education, but focused more on the benefits of working upstream to reduce waste.
“Especially through our public school system, as we’re procuring foods, we should be putting pressure on suppliers to not include as many plastics,” she said.
When asked about her plans to help working women of color and single mothers, Ballantyne again led with a list of her past accomplishments in that area: Starting the program Invest in Girls, submitting a guaranteed income program for single-led households and starting a program called Neighbors Helping Neighbors, which raised money and resources for vulnerable communities on a monthly basis throughout the pandemic.
She also promised to provide the housing that is necessary for women and women of color, particularly the subsidized housing in Clarendon Hill. As for her plan to combat systemic racism, Ballantyne claimed that she has been working to give women of color opportunities and working with local minority advocacy organizations.
Mbah, on the other hand, proposed a plan to divert more funding to the Somerville Women’s Commission so it may aid local working women. He also pointed out how important it is to keep schools safely open during the pandemic so women may return to work without worrying about childcare, and to ensure that they are paid equally for that work. When asked about his plan to combat systemic racism, he referred to his own experience being racially profiled in Boston.
Mbah conveyed a sense of urgency in diversifying the police and adopting a police force that reflects the community they are serving.
In terms of the housing crisis, Ballantyne said that creating more jobs that pay a living wage is essential given that about 85% of jobs in Somerville are in areas that don’t necessarily provide living wages. Ballantyne also identified herself as the only candidate who has negotiated with developers.
Mbah suggested transferring vacant land to the community land trust to build and expand housing, expanding the office of housing stability, and ensuring that there are family-size housing units available in Somerville rather than just single units. Above all, Mbah insisted that rent control is the most powerful vehicle to ensure that the working class is not displaced in Somerville.
While both candidates claimed that they appreciated what Tufts University brought to Somerville, Ballantyne pointed out that Tufts administration is far from blameless when it comes to the housing crisis.
“Some of the policies that the university has pushed by not housing all students on campus have pitted students against our community and our families and have caused much of the displacement," she said.
