History was made Monday in Somerville after votes by the City Council and School Committee affirmed new leadership, installing three women as the city’s top leaders for the first time.
Ilana Krepchin of Ward 2 was sworn in as chair of the committee; Judy Pineda Neufeld of Ward 7 was sworn in as president of the council, a role previously held by member Ben Ewen-Campen.
Mayor Katjana Ballantyne noted the milestone as a testament to progress and representation, two values the city holds dear. “And to think it only took 183 years,” she said during the midterm address of her second term, citing the founding of Somerville in 1842.
Progress was the overarching theme of the night, which happened to be the four-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., an attempt to overturn election results that ushered Donald Trump out of the presidency. Krepchin, Pineda Neufeld and Ballantyne each spoke to the importance of their positions as Trump prepares to return to office Jan. 20.
“It’s the sense of community that truly defines us as a city,” Pineda Neufeld said during her address. “Community matters now more than ever in a time when our national political landscape feels more divided and polarized than it has in years.” The councilor, the daughter of Mexican and Jewish immigrants, warned against complacency in the face of looming housing crises and climate change.
Krepchin, who has served on the School Committee since 2019, promised a dedication to protecting minority groups and teaching what she called cultural competency. “We believe in not banning books, but instead engaging in thoughtful discussions around potentially difficult content in the face of attacks on civil rights nationally,” she said in the chambers of City Hall. Just three months prior a bomb threat was called in and a protest staged in front of its neighboring Central Branch Library over a drag queen story hour.
Over the course of her 40-minute address, the mayor spoke about the accomplishments of her administration during the previous year, as well as upcoming challenges. “My administration is moving Somerville forward,” said Ballantyne, who hopes to serve a third term but faces a challenge from city councilor Jake Wilson in November.
While the city does not have control over national economic forces, Ballantyne said she has taken steps to protect the community from financial distress through various programs. A municipal housing voucher program has provided subsidies to families who face housing insecurity, and a guaranteed basic income pilot was launched. Both programs were funded by the American Rescue Plan, launched by President Joe Biden in 2021 to boost the economy during the Covid pandemic.
Money from an early action acquisition fund was used to buy homes off of the private market to create affordable housing, and starting in May residents of Massachusetts will be able to have their eviction records sealed, which Ballantyne said is due in part by efforts from her administration.
The mayor spoke about her approach to robust community engagement, announcing that results from working groups on antidisplacement and antiviolence will be released in February after delays drew backlash from the community. Parents in the district have also criticized drawn-out engagement processes in building a new playground at the John F. Kennedy school and deciding on where a replacement Winter Hill Community Innovation School will go, but Ballantyne has stood her ground. “Inclusive planning takes time, but it is essential to achieving sustainable, equitable outcomes,” she said during her address.
Increased accessibility efforts include expanded translation services through SomerViva, which handles immigrant affairs, as well as upgrades to websites and sidewalks to match federal disabilities law. Ballantyne also announced a doubled budget for the Office of Sustainability to advance a Climate Forward Plan, as well as an effort to reduce environmental impacts by using beet juice as a deicer in the winter.
A resolution that passed through the City Council in November reestablished Somerville as a sanctuary city. The move, prompted by the results of the 2024 presidential election, will be accompanied by increased “know your rights” training sessions to protect immigrant populations from being targeted.
“Tonight as we look back at the mountain of work accomplished in 2024 and ahead to the work and challenges that 2025 holds, let me say this: As the sands shift beneath us at the national level, Somerville will be your solid ground. We must all stand against hatred and division,” Ballantyne said.
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