Ari Iaccarino moved into his apartment at Boston Avenue and Mystic Valley Parkway almost three years ago. Almost immediately he noticed the site was a hot spot for car crashes and decided to do something about it.
At least 23 crashes took place in the Boston-Mystic intersection between 2019 and 2021, according to state Department of Transportation data and a Boston Globe piece on Iaccarino reports. Iaccarino began emailing city councilors after the first and posting about the crashes in real time on Facebook.
His advocacy has paid off: A left-on-green arrow was installed at the intersection this month, a measure he has supported.
Iaccarino has been recognized as “the intersection guy” by Somervillians who have appreciated his advocacy, he told Cambridge Day. “If I can help make this change as a regular person, imagine what I could do as an elected rep,” he said of his decision to run for councilor at large.
There’s still work to be done to improve street safety across Somerville. Iaccarino would like to see more speed bumps, protected bike lanes and easy access to stickers and spots for people with disabilities. He also favors vision and knowledge tests for older drivers, he said.
Sidewalks should also be completely cleared of ice in the winter, either by the city or by contractors it coordinates. “Having us rely on landlords, homeowners and tenants to keep a sidewalk free of snow and ice does not work,” Iaccarino said. Clear sidewalks are necessary not only for resident safety, but to enable access to businesses and universities.
But street safety isn’t his only issue. “There needs to be more housing,” Iaccarino said plainly. “That doesn’t happen without construction and, ideally, unionized workers creating this construction.”
New and affordable housing can be supported by placing a vacancy tax on unused property, as well as a progressive tax on landlords renting at or above market rate. “Ideally, we can take that income and use that to help subsidize more housing for folks here as well,” Iaccarino said.
More housing is critical to enabling current residents to stay in Somerville, he said, calling it problematic that so many landlords live outside the city, and sometimes out of state.
One place to build is up. “Any business that is one-story should have buildings on top of it,” he said. “That’s a really normal thing around the world. I’ve lived in Colombia. I’ve lived in Spain. I’ve lived in Russia, and I’ve lived in Kazakhstan. That’s just what people do, and not everybody needs a single-family home,” he continued.
Ahead of the election, Iaccarino wants to organize outdoor events to engage with the community and get Somervillians outside. He plans to post them through Ridj-It, a company co-founded by Iaccarino that allows users to post about hikes, camping trips or other events they’ve planned across New England. The platform lets users browse and join events for free, with the option to join a carpool for a fee.
In addition to his work as a founder and advocate, Iaccarino has worked in marketing and public relations, including for the AI analytics company LogRocket and Moichor, a veterinary diagnostics firm. He’s also taught English as a second language at Kaplan International Colleges, Chelsea Public Schools and Boston University.
He’s one of 10 newcomers seeking the council’s four at-large positions in addition to incumbents Kristen Strezo and Will Mbah. The field includes Justin Kelkota, Jack Perenick, Holly Simione, Scott Istvan, Jon Link, Christopher Ryan Spicer, Tuesday N. Thomas, Marianne Walles and Ben Wheeler.
If elected, Iaccarino has committed to serve on the council full time. “There is way too much work that we need to be doing to make Somerville a place where people can stay,” he said.
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