Friend:

2025 is off to a frantic start. 

With unsettling news coming out of the nation's capital on a constant basis, I'm staying focused on what we can do here in Somerville.

January 23 regular meeting

I submitted a number of items at the council's two January regular meetings, including:

That final item led to the public hearing taking place tonight, when the Finance Committee meets as a committee or the whole (all councilors present) at 6 PM on Zoom. Please consider joining us as talking about what you want to see in the FY26 budget. Anyone wishing to comment will be given up to two minutes to speak.

Relatively flat revenues due to the less-than-stellar current economic situation mean it's extremely likely that we'll get another level-service proposed budget this year. Consequently, funding for new and expanded initiatives is like to be in short supply. This makes it is vitally important for the Administration to hear loud and clear what the community wants to get funded in the next budget.

Note: If you're unable to make it tonight, you always can email your comments to [email protected] and they'll be entered into the public record.

Now here's a look at some key things happening around Somerville:

Staying calm and vigilant

ICE Market Basket

The arrival of the Trump Administration 2.0 on January 20 has brought a sweeping wave of actions, most of which seem to have been designed to sow chaos and fear. From threatening federal employees to ICE raids to the unlawful freezing of federal grants, it's clear Trump's feigned ignorance of Project 2025 as a candidate last year was every bit the bad con job it appeared at the time. The new regime in Washington hit the ground running with a game plan, and unfortunately we can't count on their cartoonish ineptitude this time around to blunt the impact of their ghoulish agenda. More


90 Washington endgame

90 Washington fence wrap

Following a disastrous civil judgment against the Somerville Redevelopment Authority in May 2023 that saw the former owner of the 90 Washington Street parcel awarded an additional $28 million for the eminent domain taking of the land -- and an October 2024 appellate court decision that upheld the original jury award -- the City has announced we will be working with the SRA to selling the property. The sale by the SRA is necessary to try to recoup as much as possible of the nearly $39 million the City has loaned the body for the land purchase, court judgment, and interest. More

 
New SMEU Unit B contract an important step

SMEA Honk 2023

Somerville got great news earlier this month with the contract agreement between the City and the Somerville Municipal Workers Union (SMEU) Unit B -- one of our largest municipal workers' unit here in Somerville. The agreement, subsequent ratification by membership, and funding of the deal expected shortly conclude a long and frustrating chapter in our labor history. I'm overjoyed to see this agreement reached and am very excited about some important improvements to compensation for some of the lowest-paid City positions, but dismayed at the amount of time it took to do this. More

 
Protecting wildlife from The War on Rats

Owl SGARs

The zeal to address the area's rodent crisis has seen the City try a variety of approaches. Unfortunately, one of those approaches is having a tragically negative impact on other wildlife. Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs) are a commonly-used rodenticide that has been blamed for the deaths of raptors, the birds like hawks and owls who are natural predators of rodents and ingest the poison when eating rodents. More


Public Safety for All Task Force Reports

Public Safety for All Report Release

Three public safety task forces -- the Public Safety for All, Civilian Oversight, and Anti-Violence task forces/working groups are releasing the highly-anticipated reports of their work on Tuesday, February 4. Hear from members of these groups and the City's Department of Racial and Social Justice from 6:30 to 8:30 PM in the Somerville High School cafeteria.


Grounding the McGrath

McGrath Boulevard

The goal of turning the McGrath from an elevated highway cutting off East Somerville from the rest of the city into a more human-friendly boulevard recently got a big boost with more than $43 million in federal funds from the outgoing Biden administration. Thank you to the community advocates for fighting for this project and our state and federal legislative delegations for advocating for our residents!


Draft Open Space & Recreational Plan

Healey Schoolyard aerial

A draft of the Open Space and Recreational Plan was published on January 27. This important plan guides how the City approaches our precious open space and recreational needs for years to come. Read the draft and share your feedback by February 12 here or by emailing [email protected].


Get a free tree for your yard!

MRWA free trees

Somerville residents can get a free tree from the Mystic River Watershed Association. Email [email protected] to request yours!


Fundraising update
The final 2024 campaign finance data is in, and we had a big end to the year on the fundraising front after announcing our mayoral campaign on December 16. Thank you to everyone who contributed last year! Those two weeks put us way out in front in the mayoral race in 2024 contributions from Somervillians:

2024 Mayoral Campaign Contributions from Somerville

Unfortunately, outside money can play a major role in municipal races, and because of my opponent's significant fundraising from outside the city, we're still playing catch-up. So I'm asking you to help make sure Somervillians are centered in this campaign instead of outside interests by supporting our campaign financially.

We've brought on campaign consultants and we're now in the process of identifying a campaign manager to make sure we have the campaign staff in place get our message out and win this fall. Can you please help us with a recurring or one-time contribution? There is a $1,000 per person per year limit on campaign contributions, but anything you are able to give is hugely appreciated:

January ActBlue update


Join the Planning Board!
Multiple-member bodies (our boards, committees, and commissions) are a crucial part of our municipal government and a fantastic way to get involved in your community. The Planning Board is one of the most important MMBs in the city, tasked with making decisions on proposed developments and making recommendations to the City Council on land use decisions. There's currently a vacancy on the body, so please consider applying today!

The Administration also currently is seeking members for the following multi-member bodies:

Did You Know...?
The City's Public Space and Urban Forestry Division maintains an inventory of the City of Somerville's public trees. Powered by TreeKeeper software, the site has information on the benefits provided by our city trees, including carbon dioxide uptake, storm water mitigation, and air pollution removal.

Office hours
I'll be holding my February office hours on Thursday, February 27, from 5 to 6:30 PM in the City Council Committee Room at City Hall (93 Highland Ave). Come chat about whatever is on your mind -- and stick around for the City Council regular meeting to follow at 7 PM!

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 weeks ahead
Committee meetings and events around the city are back in full swing after the holiday break. Here's a list of what's on my calendar in the coming weeks:

  • Thursday, Jan. 30: Finance Committee meeting @ 6 PM (Zoom)
  • Thursday, Jan. 30: Anti-Displacement Task Force reports @ 7 PM (Zoom)
  • Tuesday, Feb. 4: Public Safety For All Community Meeting @ 6:30 PM (Somerville High School cafeteria)
  • Tuesday, Feb. 11: Finance Committee meeting @ 6 PM (Zoom)
  • Thursday, Feb. 13: City Council regular meeting @ 7 PM (City Council Chamber & Zoom)
  • Wednesday, Feb. 19: Rodent Issues Special Committee meeting @ 6 PM (Zoom)
  • Thursday, Feb. 20: Open Space, Environment and Energy Committee meeting @ 6 PM (Zoom)
  • Thursday, Feb. 20: Land Use Committee meeting @ 6:30 PM (Zoom)
  • Monday, Feb. 24: Traffic and Parking Committee meeting @ 6 PM (Zoom)
  • Tuesday, Feb. 25: Finance Committee meeting @ 6 PM (Zoom)
  • Thursday, Feb. 27: City Council regular meeting @ 7 PM (City Council Chamber & Zoom)

-Jake

Jake Wilson

About

Somerville City Councilor-At-Large (he/him/él)