The Daily spoke with Somerville residents about their reflections on the School Committee and City Council races ahead of election day. Issues that shaped this campaign season included affordable housing and development, public safety and homelessness, special education and disability programming, street safety and design, among others.
Ward 6 resident Mary Ellen Myar observed that nonincumbent candidates have made increased efforts to connect with voters this year, knocking on more doors and sending more mailers compared to previous elections.
“One thing I’ve really noticed is people are really spending a lot on these campaigns,” Myar said. “It’s a very competitive race.”
Although candidates generally fall on the same side of the ideological spectrum, Myar noted that a dividing line has emerged in this election between candidates endorsed by Somerville Yes in My Back Yard and those who are not.
YIMBY has advocated for increased housing density and prioritizing bike lanes over parking.
“Do you support increasing bike lanes and removing parking or not — that’s probably the biggest differentiator,” Myar said when describing the most divisive issues of this election.
Davis Square Neighborhood Council board member Christopher Beland recognized an emerging fault line between YIMBY and non-YIMBY candidates, but emphasized that residents overall share more common ground than differences.
“It’s not the same as national politics, where you have a complete war and people are in one tribe or the other, because everyone here is sort of in the same tribe,” he said.
Beland cited the controversial Copper Mill Development project in Davis Square and broader upzoning debates as among the most divisive issues in the race.
“[There are] people that are really in favor of YIMBY, things like the Copper Mill tower, and people that are like: ‘This is ruining the city,’ and it’s a lot of yelling,” Beland said. “But I think once they have longer discussions with people with different perspectives, people don’t really turn out to be all that absolute on things.”
Helen, a longtime resident, firmly opposed the Copper Mill project and more upzoning initiatives.
“I don’t want to live in a city that looks like Boston or Chicago or New York,” Helen said. “I want to live in a city with neighborhoods where you know people. If everybody lives in apartment buildings, you don’t get to know anyone.”
Myar emphasized that residents often lack a candidate who champions this perspective. Helen expressed support for City Councilor at-Large candidate Holly Simione, who ranked seventh in the preliminary and serves as the chair of the Somerville Commission for Persons with Disabilities.
“I don’t think that the candidates actually represent the Somerville community at large,” Myar said. “That’s just because the people who are choosing to run tend to be very, very progressive.”
Residents identified special education and disability representation as another central issue in both the City Council and School Committee races. Families of children with disabilities say their needs, such as ensuring individualized education programs get properly implemented, remain unmet.
Niccole Cannon, a Somerville resident and parent of a child with a disability, expressed support for candidates like Liz Eldridge, running for School Committee Ward 2, and Simione.
“I think families like ours, parents like me need people that are in our corner, fighting for our families,” Cannon said.
Shu Talun, a Ward 3 resident, echoed this concern, naming Eldridge, Simone and Kristen Strezo as candidates who stood out to her as strong advocates.
“We are a very progressive city, and we always talk about inclusion, and equal access to education for all. But I feel like we aren’t actually doing that in practice,” Talun said.
Another polarizing issue in this election is the nonbinding ballot Question 3. It was approved on Oct. 6 to go on the ballot, allowing residents to weigh in on whether the city should end business with companies tied to Israel.
Beland described the ballot question as an important gesture rather than a literal policy directive. He supports the measure and plans to vote in favor to “send a signal” that residents care about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and trusts that the incoming City Council will “find a better way to send that signal” without legal complications.
Several candidates, including Willie Burnley Jr., Ben Ewen-Campen, Wilfred Mbah and Naima Sait, have publicly supported the measure. Mbah is running for reelection for City Council at-Large, Sait is seeking reelection for City Council Ward 5 and Ewen-Campen is running unopposed for Ward 3.
With many candidates vying for the same positions, residents said that candidates’ personalities could be a deciding factor.
“I think the thing that really differentiates people is not the positions they take on things, but … their style,” Beland explained. “The incumbents and some of the new candidates are running a lot on their personal character and the fact that they listen to their constituents.”
