Empty storefronts. Solar panels. Health and safety. The work of Inspectional Services in Somerville was prominent Monday as the remaining candidates for mayor and councilor at large convened in the Somerville Theater’s Crystal Ballroom for a debate.
Held just two weeks out from November’s election, the event was co-hosted by the Somerville Media Center and Somerville Beacon. The councilor at large and mayoral debates have been posted to YouTube.
At-large candidates Will Mbah, Ben Wheeler, Kristen Strezo, Jon Link, Marianne Walles, Jack Perenick, Holly Simione and Scott Istvan shared the stage from 6 to 7 p.m. for a forum moderated by Keri Rodrigues, founder of the National Parents Union.
After a 30-minute intermission, mayoral candidates Willie Burnley Jr. and Jake Wilson, who bumped incumbent mayor Katjana Ballantyne from the ballot after a landmark Sept. 16 preliminary election, took the stage.
Burnley and Wilson were moderated by Ben Orenstein, founder of the Beacon, who asked which city department had the biggest gap between candidates’ vision for what it could do and what it is doing now – nearly six months since Nicholas Antanavica left to take an inspectional commissioner role in Worcester. A job listing for the $130,000 salary role has been up since May 2.
“Whether they’re a homeowner, a business owner, just someone on the street, they’re going to tell you about frustration with inspectional services,” Wilson said. “It seems like we have priorities completely backward” in the division, he said, which is why a reformer is needed in the head role.
“We absolutely need to bring in the right kind of leadership for that department and bring in someone who’s going to be innovative,” Burnley said. “Whether it’s opening small businesses or making changes to your home, ISD is at the center of so many of the things that make our city go. And unfortunately, they’ve for many, many years been understaffed and had a lot on their plate. I would look to figure out if there’s a better division of labor.”
United in hiring goals
Across the ballot, candidates agree that they want the city staffed. When asked to name a single thing they’d accomplish as mayor, Wilson and Burnley said they’d build out the city’s workforce.
Some candidates want hires to fill out infrastructure that’s been stretched thin. Permitting is one area that would benefit from increased staff, the candidates for councilor at large agreed. Walles specifically said that the city needs more inspectors, while Strezo called for the director vacancy to be filled at Inspectional Services.
Some candidates were hopeful that a fully staffed permitting apparatus would be able to implement new types of permits. Wheeler and Link recommended a temporary occupancy permit that would enable businesses to use vacant storefronts on a short-term basis. Perenick and Istvan called for a single-function permit that could be issued for multiple similar uses.
Other candidates outlined areas of focus for permitting reform. Walles said she’s like to see prioritized on small repairs such as window replacement,. Simione said that she’d like permitting to be easier for homeowners.
The mayor will have to reconcile the desire to hire with financial uncertainty. When asked where they’d implement budget cuts should they become necessary, Wilson and Burnley had different visions for tackling economic unease.
“We absolutely have the money in this state in order to unleash the potential of Somerville,” Burnley said. He cited the state-level “millionaire’s tax,” which takes an additional 4 percent taxes on income over $1 million, and 3 percent tax on Airbnbs. Instead of making budget cuts, Somerville should advocate for state and federal support, Burnley said.
Wilson said that the mayor will need to make “tough decisions.” The administration could look into opportunities for consolidating middle-management roles added to the budget in fiscal year 2024, he said, though he didn’t want to specify positions. The city does have “rainy day funds,” he added, and the city would need to decide if this is a time to use them.
“Crisis” in Davis Square
Economic uncertainty isn’t the only challenge the mayor will need to confront: Wilson and Burnley expressed concern for drug-use and homelessness in Davis Square and Seven Hills Park, a topic of recent concern.
The drug-use and homelessness are separate “dual crises” that in this case are interrelated, Wilson said. In the short term, reopening the shelter on College Avenue is a priority, he continued. In the medium term, the city should make supportive housing available. In the long term, Somerville should work with neighboring cities to reopen the Long Island Bridge and the rehabilitation facility that operated on the island until 2014.
Burnley agreed with Wilson by calling for transitional supportive housing. Burnley won’t remove people’s property, he said, seemingly alluding to calls to dismantle encampments in public spaces as police have at times done.
Walles also identified the Long Island facility as a solution; Wheeler cited the need for a College Avenue space.
At-large candidates sparred, though, over the role of the City Council in addressing the crisis. After Simione said that only the mayor can make decisions on policing, Perenick said that the council can do more than it is. The council has “really failed right now to set up a policy for the city that allows us to unite public health and safety,” he said.
“I agree that it’s it is the power of the mayor that sets up the policing, but also I want to talk about the funding and see it change,” Perenick said.
His comments were refuted by incumbents Strezo and Mbah, though Strezo said the council has pushed the Mayor’s Office for change. Mbah said that the power to reallocate resources lies with the mayor.
A stronger
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