On Sept. 19, Somerville residents voted to deny incumbent Mayor Katjana Ballantyne another chance to hold onto the city’s top executive position, signaling widespread disapproval of her four-year tenure.
In the preliminary mayoral election, Mayor Ballantyne received only 23% of the vote, trailing behind rival candidates Jake Wilson and William Burnley Jr. — two city councilors-at-large who launched their own challenges against the incumbent earlier this year.
Former Somerville City Councilor Beatriz Gomez Mouakad said complaints about Ballantyne’s leadership often centered on a lack of transparency in her decision-making.
“She just did not communicate,” Gomez Mouakad said, crediting Ballantyne for creating surveys and committees for public input but adding that many people felt their opinions were not factored into final decisions.
“People within those committees were getting frustrated that they sat here for a while, but decisions were made without them,” Gomez Mouakad said. “She wasn’t engaging with the public overall.”
In November 2023, Ballantyne extended an already lengthy search for Somerville’s next police chief, delaying the process for another year until a new candidate was selected in September. The delay left some members of the search committee in the dark, Gomez Mouakad said.
“There were people in that committee who were disappointed,” Gomez Mouakad said. “They felt like they were in the committee [but] they found out about the decision later on, not knowing.”
Beyond communication issues, the incident signaled an “analysis paralysis” that, according to Gomez Mouakad, often gripped the Ballantyne administration. “She was very slow and methodical,” she said, arguing that Ballantyne often sacrificed expediency and decisive action.
“She should have hired people who communicated better,” Rona Fischman, a member of the Somerville Fair Housing Commission said. “She should have hired people that scheduled better, and she got a reputation for having her door closed.”
Somerville has long grappled with subpar infrastructure and roads, which Ballantyne sought to address through an overhaul of bike lanes and major roadways.
According to Fischman, the administration’s focus on cyclists left many motorists dissatisfied with the state of city streets. “But even the bicyclists are pissed at her, because the roads are just a mess,” Fischman said.
Fischman also noted that the Ballantyne administration, working with the Eversource utility company, repaved roads in inconvenient areas without clear communication to residents. She also noted the perceived lack of action to fix pothole-ridden Highland Ave, which won’t be fully repaired until 2027.
“Her legacy is going to be she f---ed up the streets,” Fischman said.
Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen, who endorsed Wilson’s campaign, congratulated Ballantyne on successfully negotiating contracts with public sector unions. “Those are the types of long-term investments in people who actually make the city run that are going to pay dividends for years,” he said.
Still, Ewen-Campen argued that Somerville needs a mayor that can turn residents’ resolve into results.
“There’s an enormous amount of political will to tackle the serious problems that we’re facing — around housing affordability, around street safety, around climate, around immigration. We want to be going on all cylinders,” he said. “And when you don’t have really clear and decisive leadership, it can feel like we’re not living up to our potential.”
The defeat of an incumbent is uncommon in Massachusetts cities like Somerville. The city’s previous mayor, Joe Curtatone, held nine consecutive two-year terms, cementing himself in local politics for nearly two decades. In neighboring Medford, Michael McGlynn served as mayor for 28 years. In both cases, incumbents chose not to run again — unlike Ballantyne, who was formally voted out.
“People want more out of their government,” said Richard Falzone, a Massachusetts native who moved to Somerville three years ago. “The election results show that people have the sense that there’s room to improve with what we’re doing here. People are seeing that the city is changing, and they want to shape that in a way that fits with their priorities.”
Ballantyne’s defeat leaves two Democratic candidates — Wilson and Burnley Jr. — to face off in the November general election. Both have served on the City Council since 2021.
If elected, Burnley Jr. would be Somerville’s first Black mayor. He is endorsed by both the Boston Democratic Socialists of America and Somerville Yes In My Backyard. At only 31 years old, he has drawn comparisons to Zohran Mamdani, the rising political figure aiming to become New York City’s first Democratic Socialist mayor himself.
Wilson, on the other hand, enters the race as the frontrunner. The preliminary election gave him 42% of the vote as opposed to Burnley Jr.'s 34%, and his more moderate politics may appeal to residents who previously supported Ballantyne.
According to the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance, Wilson has raised over $90,000 in campaign contributions, while Burnley Jr. lags behind at about $60,000. The fundraising gap gives Wilson a financial edge heading into the final weeks of the race. Wilson has also received endorsements from The Boston Globe, labor unions and other local politicians.
Ballantyne, Wilson and Burnley Jr. did not respond to interview requests for this story.
