Mayor speaks after vote
Councilors at-large Jake Wilson and Willie Burnley Jr. won 42 percent and 34 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s preliminary election, ahead of incumbent mayor Katjana Ballantyne. Ballantyne got 23 percent of the vote. Wilson and Burnley will advance to November’s general election, while Ballantyne will not appear on the ballot.
“It has been an honor to serve as your mayor. I am deeply proud of the many things that we’ve accomplished together in four short years, and we have accomplished much together for Somerville,” Ballantyne said Wednesday in her emailed newsletter.
Incumbents Will Mbah and Kristen Strezo advance as candidates for councilor at large, as will Ben Wheeler, Jonathan Link, Marianne Walles, Jack Perenick, Holly Simione and Scott Istvan. Emily Hardt and Wilbert Pineda advance as candidates for Ward 7 councilor, and Michele Lippens and Jessie Ratey advance for Ward 3 School Committee.
Hump Day News, councilor Scott endorse Burnley
Ward 2 councilor JT Scott endorsed Burnley, Burnley posted to Instagram on Sept. 15. “His incredibly solid history of getting legislation passed gives me confidence that he’ll have the vision and decisiveness needed to focus on what matters most to our neighbors. I’m excited for Somerville to have a mayor who understands that today’s circumstances call for more than another strongly worded letter,” Scott is quoted as saying.
News, arts and culture outlet Hump Day News also endorsed Burnley. In a piece posted to the site, editor-in-chief Michael Gutierrez explained that he had been priced out of Somerville recently due to a rent increase. “I choose Willie because he knows that Somerville can’t thrive when the majority of its residents don’t know where home will be when the lease is up,” he said.
Councilor McLaughlin supports Wilson
Ward 1 councilor Matt McLaughlin posted in support of Wilson. “Somerville has spoken. They want change, but they also want a responsible leader to make that change,” McLaughlin posted on Instagram Wednesday after preliminary election results were released. He’s “all in” for Wilson, the post said.
Seven councilors endorse Sait
McLaughlin, Scott, Clingan, Mbah and Wilson endorsed councilor Naima Sait for reelection in Ward 5. Ward 3 councilor Ben Ewen-Campen and Ward 6 councilor Lance Davis also endorsed Sait, she said in a post on Instagram on Sept. 15.
Entrepreneur Jason Mackey is running against Sait. The post represents a near-complete endorsement of Sait from the sitting City Council: Burnley and Strezo were the only ones not included.
This post was updated Oct. 2, 2025, to return Holly Simione to the list of candidates carrying on to the general election after being inadvertently left off.
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