Friend:

The past few weeks have seen a noticeable uptick in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in our city, as we've seen a Somerville Public Schools parent, multiple small business owners, and a graduate student all taken away by federal agents. It has sent a shiver of terror up our spine as a city. Worse, we can feel utterly helpless watching our neighbors get disappeared to shadowy out-of-state detention facilities.

I've been asked by constituents what residents and the City of Somerville can do to prevent more incidents like this from occurring here. While physically interfering with an ICE action is illegal, that doesn't mean we can't do anything.

The most important thing we can all do is know our rights. the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition has great resources for this. Here's a summary:

Additionally, we all need to be there for your neighbors. This is the time to build relationships in our community and form bonds with one another. For those living in fear of having their lives turned upside-down by ICE, there can be comfort in the support of neighbors. So take a moment to make sure you know people in your building, on your street, and around your neighborhood.

Finally, if you witness ICE in our city, here's what to do:

By ordinance, Somerville Police do not take part in the enforcement of immigration law. However, by law local police are not allowed to interfere in an ICE action. Though in an instance where federal agents are concealing their identities or not wearing clothing with their agency's name on it, local police can ask them to identify themselves and their agency.

If you're looking for additional ways to stand up for our community's values, The Welcome Project is a great local partner on immigrant issues and has excellent resources on their website and social media.

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

A chilling attack on our basic rights

On the evening of Tuesday, March 25, Somerville resident and Tufts University graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk was surrounded and taken away by masked federal agents on the streets of West Somerville. The incident was captured by a nearby security camera and a member of the community who filmed the encounter. The sharing of these videos put the practices of ICE under the Trump regime in the public eye, to the horror of every American who cares about things like freedom of speech and the rule of law. More

Crunch time for charter reform

At the March 27 City Council regular meeting, the City Council approved a home rule petition creating a new city charter, sending that to the Mayor to sign in order to submit that to Beacon Hill for approval. The Administration previously had indicated they have an issue with this home rule petition not including language making the mayor's term of office four years, up from the current two years. More

Municipal budgeting in tumultuous times.

We're less than two months away from the release of the Mayor's proposed FY 2026 budget. Right now our Budget Director Mike Mastrobuoni and his staff are working with the Administration and department heads on a process that is complex and arduous under the best of circumstances. This year it's all happening under the specter of threats from the Trump regime of cuts to federal funds to our city as a result of our Welcoming City Ordinance that leaves federal immigration law enforcement to federal agencies. With approximately $19 million on the line for things like school lunch, special education, homelessness service, public safety, street safety, and prevention efforts with our youth, losing these funds would blow an enormous hole in our budget and necessitate some very tough budgeting decisions. More

Getting the most out of Founders Rink

There are precious few indoor recreational facilities in Somerville. So I've always loved to see Founders Memorial Skating Rink used for other purposes in the warmer months when the ice sheet is melted. I was excited to see our Parks and Recreation Department ramp up programming at Founders last year, but then dismayed when the City neglected to put down an ice sheet there this winter. My dismay turned to disbelief when the Finance Committee heard last week that a $160,000 appropriation requested by the Mayor would be used for a multi-purpose wooden floor that wasn't intended to be put down and taken back up seasonally. In other words, the plan was for Founders to sit dark and unused four months out of the year going forward. More 

Return of Street Sweeping

Don't forget street sweeping (and household hazardous waste collection) returns April 1. If you haven't subscribed to text reminders of street sweeping days, you can do that here!

April 5 is Civic Day!

Civic Day is back for 2025 on Saturday, April 5, from noon to 4 PM. Come celebrate Somerville municipal government and learn about programs and services, as well as ways you can get involved with your city! There will be food and activities for families.

Updated CSO Control Plan Listening Session

Somerville has a legal responsibility to mitigate pollution from our sanitary sewers that can flow into waterways during heavy rain events due to our combined sewer overflows (CSOs). This is an opportunity for the public to weigh in on their preferred way forward for the City at a listening session on Thursday, April 3, at 6 PM on Zoom.

It's important to have Somerville voices well represented at this multi-city meeting. Please bring yourself up to speed on the project prior to attending by visiting the project website and the presentation from the January 22 meeting.

Upcoming Campaign Event

Join us on Wednesday, April 9 at 6 PM at Gauchão (102 Broadway) in East Somerville for a campaign event. It's been a rough start to 2025 for East Somerville and our immigrant community, so it was important for me to hold this event here. Come enjoy some Brazilian fare and hear about where we're at with the campaign and how you can help!

You can support our campaign financially by making a donation to the campaign via our ActBlue. There is a $1,000 per person per year limit on campaign contributions, but anything you are able to give is hugely appreciated:

Want to get involved in Somerville?
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 Administration also currently is seeking members for the following multi-member bodies:

• Affordable Housing Trust Fund
• Conservation Commission
• Municipal Scholarship Committee
• Planning Board
• Urban Design Commission
• Zoning Board of Appeals

Did You Know...?
The current Somerville city charter specifies that the President of the City Council will be the Acting Mayor should the Mayor be unable to perform mayoral duties for up to 10 days.

Office hours
I'm holding my April office hours on Thursday, April 24, 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
Here's a list of what's on my calendar in the coming weeks:

• Wednesday, Apr. 2: Finance Committee FY26 Shared Budget Priorities meeting @ 6 PM (City Council Chamber & Zoom)
• Thursday, Apr. 3: Land Use Committee meeting @ 6 PM (Zoom)
• Saturday, April 5: Civic Day @ noon (City Hall Concourse)
• Monday, Apr. 7: Open Space Committee meeting @ 6 PM (Zoom)
• Tuesday, April 8: Finance Committee meeting @ 6 PM (Zoom)
• Thursday, April 10: City Council regular meeting @ 7 PM (City Council Chamber & GovTV)

-Jake