Friend:

As summer winds down, I'm looking ahead to what promises to be a busy (and hopefully productive) fall for the City Council. I'm still catching up on a heavy volume of emails that came in during my family vacation earlier this month. So if you wrote me and have yet to hear back, please bear with me as I make sure to get back to everyone.

What started as a hot-but-relatively-quiet summer suddenly saw a lot happening on many fronts in recent weeks. More on many of those things below!

In addition to the zoning items already before the council like decisions impacting major projects like Somernova and the Somerville YMCA, I'm also hopeful we get to work in committee on crucial upzoning solutions for transit areas across the city. The Green Line first arrived in Somerville nearly two years ago, so it's long past time our zoning is updated to reflect this.

As the chair of the Finance Committee, I'll be planning meetings over the coming months to work through a summer's worth of financial requests from the Administration that were sent to committee last week. I'm also anticipating the typical blur of end-of-calendar-year items still to come in and needing to be taken up in committee before the council goes on holiday recess after the December 12 meeting.

Additionally, I'm continuing to work with the council's Legislative & Policy Analyst -- as well as the Administration and City staff where appropriate -- on a number of legislative projects of mine. I'm hoping to craft legislation addressing issues like traffic enforcement, Community Path safety, unpermitted tree removals, building emissions regulation, rental affordability incentivization, and construction emissions regulation.

But even during a busy fall, I'm always here for you. So please always feel free to reach out via email at [email protected] or text/phone at 617.468.8969.

Here's some of what's happening around Somerville:

Central Library hours change

On the eve of the new school year, an announcement went out about temporary modified hours for the Central Library. The new temporary hours effectively closed the library around dismissal next door at the High School and Next Wave/Full Circle. The announcement cited a need to "better understand the needs of our community, and to work towards enhancing the City’s resources and programming to create spaces that provide local teens a place where they feel safe, welcome, and have the opportunity to engage in programming that feels meaningful and exciting for them." More

Seven Hills Park encampment

The growing encampment of unhoused residents in Seven Hill Park became a major subject of discussion in the city as the summer went on. I've heard a lot from Davis Square residents and business owners and from homeless advocates about what is a very challenging situation for the City, and this is something I've been following extremely closely. More

New Police Chief appointed

On August 15, the City announced the hiring of Shumeane Benford as Somerville's next Police Chief. This ended a saga over four years long that began with the announced retirement of our previous permanent Police Chief, David Fallon, back in March 2020. The appointment and three-year contract with two additional one-year options now come before the City Council for confirmation ahead of the September 16 start date. More

Administration changes course on Fire lateral hires

On August 21, the Mayor's Office emailed the City Council with an update on firefighter hiring. Very encouragingly, the email stated that they would be changing course and hiring from the Civil Service Firefighter List to fill the vacancies created by the opening of the new Assembly Square fire station scheduled to open next year. More

September 3 Primary Election
With the other incumbents in our state delegation unchallenged this year, all eyes have been on the Democratic primary contest for 27th Middlesex state representative, where former State House legislative staffer Kathleen Hornby is challenging incumbent Erika Uyterhoeven. Following a debate put on by the Somerville Democratic City Committee on August 8, the SDCC endorsed Hornby, a group of electeds and residents issued a statement criticizing that endorsement and backing Uyterhoeven, and then the SDCC sent out a mail piece doubling down on its endorsement while criticizing Uyterhoeven's approach and track record in office.

I've seen claims out there that Rep. Uyterhoeven doesn't deliver for her district and doesn't work well with others. From personal experience, these criticisms ring hollow. I've found Rep. Uyterhoeven to be extremely collaborative and have worked with her on numerous occasions. And the idea that she can't bring state resources to Somerville is easily disproven by her successful efforts to get organizing funds for the Community Action Agency put back in this year's state budget. This is just one recent example of her delivering not just for her district, but for the entire city. This, along with my strong aversion to negative campaigning and misleading attacks in particular, is why I support Erika's re-election.

Please make sure to vote by mail if you've requested a mail-in ballot -- or in person, either via early voting at City Hall now through August 30 or between 7 AM and 8 PM at your local precinct on Primary Day on Tuesday, September 3!

CPA ballot question

Last week the City Council approved putting the amendment of the Community Preservation Act (CPA) on the November 5, 2024 ballot. As I described in my previous newsletter, this is Plan B after Beacon Hill failed to give municipalities the vital tool of the transfer fee to fund necessary affordable housing.

I believe the voters of Somerville will support taking on a very small additional property tax burden (under $100 year in additional property taxes for the average condo and under $200 per year for the average one- and two-family) to generate an estimated additional $3 million per year for for the CPA here in Somerville -- with much of those funds going toward affordable housing.

Join the Community Preservation Committee!
Speaking of the Community Preservation Act, you can help decide how Somerville is spending these important funds by joining the Community Preservation Committee (CPC). You can register your interest here.

Multiple-member bodies like the CPC (our boards, committees, and commissions) are a great way to be an active part of our city and contribute to the community. Additionally, the Administration currently is seeking members for the following multi-member bodies:

• Licensing Commission (apply by 9/16/2024)
• Human Rights Commission (apply by 9/30/2024)
• Women's Commission (apply by 9/30/2024)
• Conservation Commission

Cocktails & Karaoke Fundraiser Redux on September 7
Thank you to everyone who came out on August 24 for a fun evening. Having enjoyed that event so much and hearing from so many people who were out of town and unable to attend, we're doing it again on the original rain date: Saturday, September 7. I'll once again be behind the bar mixing cocktails and mocktails and we'll do karaoke again.

It's an outdoor, family-friendly event, so come out to enjoy a September evening while raising funds to help pay for things like the webhost (who sends out these newsletters), as well as other subscriptions for things like Google Workspace, Zoom Pro, and Calendly. I hope to see you there!

Can't make the fundraiser? You can donate here:

Spark of the Revolution

In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Powder Alarm the Somerville Museum and City of Somerville have partnered to produce a re-enactment of the event, followed by a living history fair. The event will take place on Sunday, September 1 from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM at Nathan Tufts Park (850 Broadway).

Did You Know...?
Radon is a radioactive gas that comes naturally from soil and rocks and can enter the home through cracks and holes in the foundation, typically in the basement. Radon build-up in homes is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. If you haven't had your basement tested for radon, the state offers free radon test kits. You can order yours at mass.gov/radon

Office hours
Stay tuned for an announcement soon about September office hours. In the meantime, if you'd prefer to meet individually, you can find a date and time to meet with me that works for you via my Calendly. 

The week ahead
Committee meetings start back up this week beginning with a Land Use Committee meeting, where the committee will be discussing a number of high-profile issues.

• Thursday, September 5: Land Use Committee meeting @ 6:30 PM (Zoom)

-Jake