Election Day is Tuesday, and polls are open on from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Each resident is assigned a polling location based on home address. To find out where to vote, visit the state’s website.
Four contested races are on the ballot, including for mayor, city councilor at large, Ward 3 councilor and Ward 5 councilor. Residents also vote on three ballot questions. If passed:
- Question 1 establishes a new city charter and give the City Council new powers, including hiring staff; require a 10-year review of city codes; and create committees to study ranked-choice voting – like the system Cambridge uses for elections – and campaign finance reform. The full proposed charter is online.
- Question 2 extends the mayor’s term to four years from two beginning in or after 2028.
- Question 3 asks the city to end business with organizations deemed as contributing to genocide in Palestine. This ballot question is nonbinding.
View a sample ballot online for the full text of each question.
Mayor
The people have spoken: Somerville will have a new mayor. Willie Burnley Jr. and Jake Wilson, councilors at large elected in 2021, remain on the ballot after besting current mayor Katjana Ballantyne in a Sept. 16 preliminary election. Wilson got 42 percent of votes, Burnley 34 percent and Ballantyne 24 percent.
Ballantyne, who is finishing her second term, was criticized by Wilson and Burnley on the campaign trail for inaction and inaccessibility. Wilson has criticized Ballantyne for moving slowly on issues such as the reconstruction of the Winter Hill School and for “remote” leadership that includes a closed and locked office door, long after Covid pandemic lockdowns. Burnley has similar complaints: Some of his yard signs say “less studies, more action.”
Willie Burnley Jr.
Two-term city councilor running for mayor for the first time
Burnley got the second-most votes for councilor at large in the 2021 election: 9,735, or 17 percent of the total. He again got the second-most votes in 2023: 11,344, or 21 percent.
Burnley graduated from Emerson College in 2016. Though he worked in journalism – including as editor-in-chief of Emerson feminist mag Lash Magazine and as a freelancer for Los Angeles-based production studio ATTN: – he turned to politics as an organizer for U.S. senator Elizabeth Warren’s reelection campaign in 2018 and U.S. senator Ed Markey’s run in 2020 before joining the City Council.
On the campaign trail this year, Burnley has emphasized being a renter in Winter Hill and called housing affordability a key issue. He’s been endorsed by groups including the Democratic Socialists of America, authors of Question 3 Somerville for Palestine, and pro-housing density group Somerville Yimby. Markey and Ward 2 councilor JT Scott have also endorsed Burnley.
Since joining the council, Burnley has sponsored 393 actions. Successful legislation he’s introduced includes a Safe Streets Ordinance, which commits to building 29 miles of separated bike lanes by 2030, and nondiscrimination protections for polyamorous residents. He introduced legislation requiring that landlords send new tenants a document issued by the Office for Housing Stability describing their rights as tenants.
On housing, Burnley wants to: Create an Office of Social Housing; increase staffing at the Office of Housing Stability; and institute a tax on Airbnbs to fund affordable housing (which would add to a tax that exists at the state level).
To address safety in Davis Square, Burnley wants to: Make available transitional supportive housing; and prevent police from clearing people’s belongings from public spaces, alluding to calls to dismantle unhoused encampments.
Other priorities include: Increasing schools budget by 10 percent, to help hire and retain teachers and expand special education offerings; implementing Question 3 if it is passed by voters; and rejecting federal funds that require cooperation with federal attacks on immigrants.
Jake Wilson
Two-term city councilor running for mayor for the first time
Wilson got the fourth-most votes for councilor at large in 2021, with 7,067 votes, or 12 percent of the total. In 2023 he was again fourth, this time getting 10,909 votes for 20 percent of the total.
Wilson moved to Somerville in 2004, five years after finishing his undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania. He worked as an editorial producer for Major League Baseball from 2005 to 2018, then was president of Somerville Youth Soccer for three years before running for council.
Wilson lives in Winter Hill. On the campaign trail, he has emphasized his nonprofit experience at SYS. Endorsements for Wilson include former mayors Gene Brune, Dorothy Kelly Gay and Michael Capuano, who also served in Congress. He’s also been endorsed by councilors Matthew McLaughlin, Ben Ewen-Campen, Jesse Clingan and and council president Lance Davis.
As councilor, Wilson has sponsored 604 actions. Successful legislation includes zoning amendments allowing backyard cottages to be built without site plan approval and requiring that newly constructed or renovated buildings in commercial, midrise or high-rise areas have vegetation covering 80 percent of their roof.
On housing, Wilson wants to: Create a first-time homebuyer program (like Boston’s) that provides grants for existing renters to buy homes; expand inclusionary zoning through the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and tax incentive financing; and advocate for a state bill that would give Somerville the power to pass rent stabilization and just cause eviction policies.
To address safety in Davis Square, Wilson wants to: Reopen the shelter on College Avenue; make supportive housing available; work toward reopening Boston’s Long Island Bridge rehabilitation facility for unhoused people.
Other priorities include: Holding Thursday evening office hours at City Hall; installing traffic enforcement cameras; and implementing a rodent control program that includes rat-resistant trash bins, curbside composting and pilots of new mitigation strategies.
City Council
The race for council this year includes two challenges to incumbents as Nathaniel Roderick takes on Ben Ewen-Campen in Ward 3 and Jason Mackey seeks to unseat Naima Sait in Ward 5.
There’s also a fight for an open seat in Ward 7, which was vacated by Judy Pineda Neufeld in June. Emily Hardt and Wilbert Pineda face off after receiving 59 percent and 24 percent of the vote, respectively, in the September primary.
Two incumbents and six challengers also vie for the council’s four at-large positions, two of which were opened by Burnley and Wilson’s mayoral runs. Councilors Kristen Strezo and Will Mbah remained on the ballot after the preliminary election, joined by newcomers Ben Wheeler, Jon Link, Marianne Walles, Jack Perenick, Holly Simione and Scott Istvan. Mbah led the preliminary vote count with 18 percent of the total; Wheeler and Strezo were second and third with 15 percent and 13 percent respectively. Link, Walles, Perenick, Simione and Istvan all had roughly 7 percent to 8 percent of the primary vote.
Councilor at large
Scott Istvan
First-time challenger
Istvan is a coder, small-business owner and comic living in East Somerville. Istvan works as a software engineer for ezCater, a role he’s held since 2020. From 2021-2024 he also operated Snazzbar, an event bartending company. In the comedy scene, he’s worked in production on shows “Junebug” and “Improvised History.” Istvan has been endorsed by Somerville Yimby.
On housing: Supports upzoning along major corridors, but said in a Somerville Yimby questionnaire that he would support zoning of up to six stories by right (like Cambridge does if the building includes affordable housing on a lot size of at least 5,000 square feet); and supports housing by right in midlevel districts, residential units on the ground level for accessibility and single-stair buildings.
On permitting and development: Has advocated for a temporary pop-up permit to enable use of vacant storefronts; and recommended a single-function permit that could be issued for multiple similar uses.
Jon Link
First-time challenger
Link has lived in Somerville since 2012 and owns a home in Prospect Square. He comes to politics from a background in education and software engineering. He has worked as teacher and administrator at two local international schools, Kaplan International and FSL International, and as a software engineer for U.K.-based school Stafford House International and digital advertising company MobileFuse. He’s volunteered with the Somerville Community Land Trust. Link has been endorsed by Scott, Ewen-Campen and state representative Erika Uyterhoeven. Group endorsements include Somerville Yimby, Somerville Bike Safety and the United Auto Workers Union Local 2322, of which Jon was a part at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
On housing: Has promoted continued partnership with the Somerville Community Land Trust; supports transit-oriented upzoning and density bonuses for affordable housing; and wants to increase funding for the Office of Housing Stability, tenant legal aid and rental assistance.
On permitting and development: Supports a temporary occupancy permit; and wants large development projects to include commercial space for local entrepreneurs.
Will Mbah
Incumbent (seeking fourth term)
Mbah, who was raised in Cameroon, moved to Massachusetts after getting an undergraduate degree at its University of Buea and a master’s of science degree from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. He later got a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School. He lives in West Somerville. Endorsements for Mbah this cycle include the Greater Boston Labor Council, the New American Leaders Action Fund and candidate for Ward 3 School Committee Kat Johnston.
On housing: Says the city should use eminent domain for land that would be transferred to the Somerville Community Land Trust. Mbah introduced an order in 2018 – it expired without action – asking the city to review city-owned parcels for potential use for affordable housing; and wants to increase the city’s affordable housing requirement beyond 20 percent for large projects.
On permitting and development: Wants to pass a community benefits agreement ordinance that requires larger developers to negotiate with residents at risk of displacement; and wants developers to complete community impact reports as a required part of large projects.
Jack Perenick
Second-time challenger
Perenick graduated from Tufts in 2023. He serves as president of the Young Democrats of Massachusetts, chair of the Somerville Democratic Party and Ward 5 chair of the Party’s Somerville Democratic City Committee. Perenick ran for Ward 5 councilor in 2023 but lost to current councilor Naima Sait. Endorsers include mayor emeritus Gene Brune, former Ward 7 councilor and council president Judy Pineda Neufeld and Ward 7 School Committee member Leiran Biton.
On housing: Supports upzoning to six stories around transit; wants mixed-use buildings available by right in midrise districts; and wants zoning for tech and innovation districts in Boynton Yards and the Inner Belt. He would use revenues generated there to create residential tax deductions for owner-occupiers.
On permitting and development: Wants a single-function permit; and has said he will withhold his vote on zoning changes until project labor agreements are included “in every project possible.”
Holly Simione
First-time challenger
Simione was raised in Somerville and graduated from Lesley University. A disability advocate, Simione served on the Massachusetts Disability Council from 2017-2023 and as chair of the Somerville Commission for Persons with Disabilities, to which she was appointed by Ballantyne. She is a case manager at Incompass Human Services and lives in Winter Hill. Endorsers for Simione include the Greater Boston Labor Council, Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus, Ward 4 councilor Clingan and three unions.
On housing: Has spoken against upzoning, which she has said will enable the development of luxury units; expressed support for Cambridge-esque zoning only in commercial clusters such as Assembly Square, Union Square and the Inner Belt; and would update zoning to require a percentage of affordable housing units be wheelchair accessible.
On permitting and development: Would increase fines and penalties for absentee landlords; increase Inspectional Services Department staff; and set an escalating scale based on a project’s size for linkage fees, which are assessed on big developments by the square foot to pay into such benefits as an affordable housing fund or job training.
Kristen Strezo
Incumbent (seeking fourth term)
Strezo, councilor since May 2020 to fill a seat emptied ahead of an election by Stephanie Hirsch, got the top share of votes in 2021 and 2023. She’s been a Somerville resident for 10 years, attending Harvard’s Extension School after moving from her hometown of Chicago, where she graduated from DePaul University. She served as co-chair of the Somerville Commission for Women. Strezo lives in Assembly Square. Endorsements for Strezo this cycle include the Greater Boston Labor Council, Young Democrats of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus and several unions.
On housing: Submitted an order this year, which remains under discussion, asking the director of Planning, Preservation and Zoning to discuss offering density bonuses up to $150,000; wants to incentivize the construction of accessory dwelling units; and supports residential zoning up to four stories in many neighborhoods, but not zoning of up to six stories by right without community discussion.
On permitting and development: Has called for a director vacancy at the Inspectional Services Department to be filled.
Marianne Walles
First-time challenger
Walles has worked for almost 30 years as a social worker for the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. In this capacity she’s also a part of the Local 509 chapter of the Service Employees International Union and acts as regional metro vice president. Walles ran for mayor in 2019, winning 40 percent of the vote against eight-term mayor Joseph Curtatone. She was appointed in 2023 to Somerville’s Payment in Lieu of Taxes task force. Walles has been endorsed by 13 local unions, including SEIU 509. Other endorsements include councilors McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan and Sait.
On housing: Supports transit-oriented upzoning, but would want to hear from residents before committing to zoning changes; would support a home rule petition with greater eviction protections for occupants of affordable units; and advocates for taxes on the wealthy to pay for income-restricted housing projects.
On permitting and development: Would like to see small repairs prioritized in the permitting process; would hire inspectors and staff to enforce wage theft ordinance.
Ben Wheeler
First-time challenger
Wheeler grew up in Cambridge and has lived on Winter Hill since 2018. He founded a technology education company for kids aged 6-12 called Ada & Leo in 2015 while living in Brooklyn. He also worked for the New York Department of Education designing computer science curricula and as a software engineer for ed-tech companies CoGrader and Scratch. Wheeler received a master’s degree from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education in 2022. Wheeler worked in the Republic of Georgia as an intern for its Ministry of Justice and an administrator after the country’s 2003 revolution. In Somerville, he has volunteered with Somerville Yimby and the Somerville Community Land Trust. Endorsements for Wheeler include Somerville Yimby, Ewen-Campen and state representative Mike Connolly.
On housing: Prioritizes construction near transit, but supports by-right zoning for four- to six- story buildings citywide; supports moderate rent stabilization; and advocates for a Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, which would give tenants the first right to buy the building that they live in.
On permitting and development: Wants new housing to be built incrementally, prioritizing vacant lots and minimizing displacement; and wants a temporary occupancy permit.
Ward 3
Ben Ewen-Campen
Incumbent (seeking fifth term)
Ewen-Campen was raised in Cambridge, graduated from Swarthmore College and has a doctorate in developmental and evolutionary biology from Harvard. Outside of the council, he works as a researcher at Harvard Medical School, a role he’s held for 11 years. After serving on the council since 2017 when he beat incumbent Robert McWatters, Ewen-Campen faced a race in 2023 – but won 78 percent of the vote over challenger John Fitzpatrick. Ewen-Campen hasn’t shared separate endorsements for this election cycle.
On housing: Has supported rent stabilization (unanimously with the council at the time); serves as public representative for the Somerville Community Land Trust; and with Burnley, moved to include a fund in the fiscal year 2023 budget for early acquisition of property to be used for affordable housing.
On permitting and development: With Wilson, amended zoning to require that newly constructed or renovated buildings in commercial, midrise or high-rise areas have vegetation covering 80 percent of their roof; and passed an ordinance requiring developers to notify tenants in multiple languages before receiving a demolition permit.
Nathaniel Roderick
First-time challenger
Roderick grew up in Somerville. He worked in health care for 18 years, including seven at Boston Medical Center as a certified nursing assistant prioritizing community care. A queer trans man, Roderick has said he’s motivated to run by a desire for more trans voices in politics.
On housing: Has said he wants to protect renters’ rights.
On permitting and development: Has said he wants to protect artists’ spaces.
Ward 5
Jason Mackey
First-time challenger
Mackey, from Hanover, graduated from Northeastern University in 2011. While a student, Mackey worked at the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities and at Eversource before launching several independent ventures. He’s managing partner at Athenian Capital, a venture fund backing early-stage defense and consumer goods startups. Mackey announced a run for mayor but switched his candidacy to a council seat in May. Mackey has served on Somerville’s Human Rights Commission since 2024 and serves as chair, but faced controversy this year when activist group Somerville for Palestine called for his resignation. He ran for state representative in 2022 against Erika Uyterhoeven.
On housing: Supports upzoning near transit and in “underutilized” parts of the city; supports updates to zoning to encourage market-rate construction as well as affordable construction; and wants to remove “excess parking mandates.”
On permitting and development: Wants to list vacant properties on an online public dashboard and to create a digital resource center collating permitting and city services information; and wants to increase commercial development around transit.
Naima Sait
Incumbent (seeking second term)
Sait moved from Algeria in 2011 after earning a bachelor’s degree at the Université Mouloud Mammeri Tizi-Ouzou. She taught French and Arabic at several schools in Massachusetts, including teaching French at Somerville High School from 2015-2023. She received a master’s degree from Vermont’s Middlebury College in 2019. Between November 2024 and June 2025, she worked as councilor in residence for Run on Climate, a Vermont organization focused on climate advocacy. She was elected Ward 5 councilor in 2023 and is endorsed now by councilors McLaughlin, Scott, Ewen-Campen, Clingan, Davis and Mbah and mayoral contender Wilson.
On housing: Alongside Wilson, Strezo and other sitting councilors, sponsored an order initiating changes to the Condominium Conversion Ordinance; supports rent stabilization with vacancy controls, on which she supports exceptions for new and small, owner-occupied properties; and said in a Somerville Yimby questionnaire that she supports upzoning – but not citywide. (The questionnaire drew controversy because Ballantyne and Sait submitted some duplicate responses, blamed on sharing an aide.)
On permitting and development: Wants new developments to be zero emissions; wants to hire staff for zero-emissions buildings permitting and inspections; and is open to making permits for demolition of buildings that will be upzoned contingent on offering tenants first right of refusal.
Ward 7
Emily Hardt
First-time challenger
Hardt is a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts at Boston’s gender, leadership and public policy program. Before joining UMass in 2012, Hardt worked as director of the Women’s Institute of Leadership Development and organized for the New Economy Coalition and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. Hardt grew up in Texas and received an undergraduate degree from its Southwestern University before a master’s and doctorate from UMass Amherst.
Endorsements for Hardt include former Ward 7 councilor Neufeld, Ward 7 School Committee member Biton, Somerville Yimby and several unions.
On housing: Would consider updating zoning to require a greater percentage of affordable units in new construction; supports home rule petitions for rent stabilization, just cause evictions and a tenant opportunity to purchase; and is interested in citywide upzoning by right depending on results in Cambridge.
On permitting and development: Wants affordable housing projects to be prioritized in the permitting process; would advocate for housing to be incorporated into large commercial developments; and has called for the formation of a Teele Square Neighborhood Council to keep businesses informed about construction
Wilbert Pineda
First-time challenger
Pineda, 19, graduated from Somerville High School and is an undergraduate at UMass Boston. (Pineda and Hardt each confirmed they had no interaction at UMass.) Pineda serves as vice president of local nonprofit the Somerville Foundation and has worked with the Somerville Food Coalition. He originally ran for councilor at large but switched his candidacy to Ward 5 after announcing a cancer diagnosis in early May.
On housing: On the campaign trail, Pineda has spoken about his experience living in the Clarendon Hill Apartments, a public housing community; Supports citywide upzoning like Cambridge’s; and supports mixed-income housing.
On permitting and development: Wants an ordinance modeled after one in San Francisco that would have businesses register with the city 30 days after opening, pay an annual fee and complete an annual safety inspection.
A stronger
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