Ballantyne honored by legal group
Somerville mayor Katjana Ballantyne was one of five award recipients at Lawyers for Civil Rights’ annual Civil Rights Reception on Thursday. LCR, a Boston organization, represents Somerville and Chelsea in a lawsuit filed against parts of the federal government in February seeking relief from executive orders targeting sanctuary cities. LCR gave the Diversity Champion Award to Ballantyne alongside Chelsea city manager Fidel Maltez “based on their visionary leadership and distinguished service in helping to keep their respective cities of Somerville and Chelsea vibrant, thriving, safe and diverse.” Recipients of other awards include law firms Brown Rudnick and Goodwin Proctor as well as nonprofit health executive Beth Chandler.
Wednesday fireworks, Wilson event
Ballantyne and the Somerville Arts Council hosted fireworks at Trum Field in celebration of the Fourth of July on Wednesday, including a reading of Frederick Douglass’ speech “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?” After the fireworks, councilor at large and mayoral candidate Jake Wilson held a campaign event at nearby restaurant Daddy Jones. “We’ll raise some money for the campaign, look back at the past six months and look ahead to an exciting second half of 2025,” Wilson said in a Bluesky post.
Civics Academy applications open
The City of Somerville hosts a free two-day Municipal Civics Academy in August. Twenty-five seats are available that will be awarded by July 18 for a way residents can “gain a more in-depth understanding of the role of municipal government in your day-to-day lives, including the function of various city departments, the way that decisions get made and how you can get more involved,” according to the application form. (The form does not include a deadline for applications.) The program was highlighted by Ward 2 councilor J.T. Scott on Bluesky. “Municipal civics is awesome, and government can be good!” Scott posted on Monday.
Survey seeks Somerville Avenue concerns
A survey by the city seeks resident feedback on Somerville Avenue safety before it implements quick-build improvements as part of a Bicycle Network Plan. The improvements include bidirectional protected bike lanes, restrictions on parking by crosswalks and evaluation of bus stops, as well as updates to parking regulations, according to the project website. The survey, which encourages residents to subscribe to a monthly mobility newsletter for updates, was circulated by Ward 3 councilor Ben Ewan-Campen on Bluesky on Monday.
Burnley draws Mamdani comparisons
Working Mass, a digital publication by the state chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, published an interview Wednesday with councilor at large and mayoral candidate Willie Burnley Jr. titled “Somerville’s Zohran” – a reference to New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who won the Democratic nomination Tuesday. Burnley and Mamdani are endorsed by the DSA. In the piece, Burnley discussed his record as councilor and platform as a mayoral candidate, which includes prioritizing reconstruction of the Winter Hill school, creating a fund to buy out residents’ medical debt and offering paid leave to municipal workers who have experienced sexual or domestic violence.
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