davis_square | Entries tagged with local politics

A rally will be happening at Powder House today at 5:30 PM in support of Rumeysa Ozturk, in response to her seizure by plainclothes, masked ICE agents outside her Somerville apartment. (CW: the embedded video in the second link is distressing).

lb_lee

Somerville is doing participatory budgeting! Any resident age 12 and over can participate, and they're taking suggestions until November 20th! You can see a list of people's suggestions here; there's a lot of repeats, and you can boost things you would love to have! (Or add a suggestion of your own if it's not on there already!) Lots of suggestions for curb cuts, ramps, water fountains, public bathrooms, and a municipal composting program! ^_^

auntycourtney

City Councilor at Large Stephanie Hirsch confirmed this week that she will be stepping down from her seat in late April as her family prepares to move closer to family. The 5th place finisher, Ward 1 resident Kristen Strezo will be our new City Councilor at Large. This marks the first major political change under the 2014 Charter Change for City Council vacancies. You're welcome :)

Hirsch's announcement didn't come as a surprise as she hinted to it while running for re-election in 2019. She was first elected in 2017 during a groundbreaking overhaul of the political landscape in Somerville led by the Bernie Sanders inspired organization Our Revolution. The group did not endorse her in 2019. The group also took a pass on Strezo focusing instead on Mary Jo Rossetti, Will Mbah and Bill White.

Read Stephanie's statement here.
Read Kristen's statement here.

Current Mood: nostalgic
Current Location: Magoun Square
Current Music: Matchbox 20

ron_newman

The Somerville elections department emailed me a spreadsheet of unofficial results from Tuesday's preliminary election. (I think they consider me to be a news reporter.) Here are the totals for Mayor:

Turnout: 5304 ballots cast (10.2%), of 52228 registered voters.

Joe Curtatone - 3013 (56.8%)
Marianne Walles - 1945 (36.7%)
Kenneth Van Buskirk - 249 (4.7%)
Write-In - 36 (0.7%)
Blank - 61 (1.2%)

In Ward 3 School Committee, Sarah Phillips received 624 votes, Mary Marshall 414 votes, and Michele LIppens (eliminated) got 351 votes.

I do not know why anyone would show up at the polls and then cast a blank ballot for the only race on the ballot, but at least 25 voters did exactly that. (61 minus the 36 mayoral blanks cast in ward 3, whose ballot also had a School Committee race.)

3rdragon

There are three candidates for mayor:

Joe Curtatone, incumbent (website)
Marianne Walles (website | campaign announcement in the Patch)
Kenneth Van Buskirk III (???)

Here's an article on campaign funding in Wicked Local.

Ron's post in 2017 suggested that Kenneth Van Buskirk wasn't running much of a campaign, and he doesn't seem to be running much of one this time around, either. Googling his name mostly turned up articles about how he got bumped out in the last preliminary election. I will admit to a certain amount of puzzlement as to his motivation here.

-------------

Ward 3 also has a contested race for School Committee (note that Wicked Local has a 2 article limit unless you have an account, and a five article limit with a free account, so you may want to pick your links carefully if you don't have a paid account):
Sarah Phillips (Wicked Local Candidate Profile | Wicked Local article)
Mary Marshall (Wicked Local Candidate Profile | Wicked Local article
Michele Lippens (Wicked Local Candidate Profile | Wicked Local Article

I don't know about races in any of the other wards. Sorry if any of those links are messed up; I just realized that I should have left the house ten minutes ago.

siderea

Trump fired Sessions, in a moved widely reviled as a power grab for control of the Russia probe. The Mueller Protection Rapid Response has been activated.

https://www.trumpisnotabovethelaw.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response/search/

BREAKING: PROTESTS CALLED FOR THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 5 PM LOCAL TIME

Donald Trump has installed a crony to oversee the special counsel's Trump-Russia investigation, crossing a red line set to protect the investigation. By replacing Rod Rosenstein with just-named Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker as special counsel Robert Mueller's boss on the investigation, Trump has undercut the independence of the investigation. Whitaker has publicly outlined strategies to stifle the investigation and cannot be allowed to remain in charge of it. The Nobody Is Above the Law network demands that Whitaker immediately commit not to assume supervision of the investigation. Our hundreds of response events are being launched to demonstrate the public demand for action to correct this injustice. We will update this page as the situation develops.

Naturally, the Boston one is planned for Boston Common, across Beacon St. from the State House. None listed for Somerville or Cambridge so far.

We don't have a tag for protests? Or non-local politics?

ron_newman

Somerville unofficial election results, broken out by ward and precinct, are here. There are few surprises.

https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/unofficial-election-totals-11-6-2018-REV.pdf

Unlike the state at large, we voted for Gonzalez for Governor.
Like the state at large, we voted against question 1.

(a summation, not broken out by ward and precinct, is at https://www.somervillema.gov/departments/programs/votesomerville )

auntycourtney

Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley will be challenging Congressman Mike Capuano.

"Today I humbly announce my candidacy for the Democratic nomination in the 7th Congressional District," Pressley said in a statement. "This district and these times demand more than an ally, they demand an advocate and a champion."

Boston Herald Article Here

Current Location: Magoun Square
Current Music: Lady GaGa

ron_newman

Unofficial results sent to me from the Somerville Election Department tonight:

16251 ballots cast, out of 51378 registered voters, a turnout of 31.6%.

Mayor: Joe Curtatone(i) 11472, Payton Corbett 4208

Alderman-at-Large:

Mary Jo Rossetti(i) 10283
Stephanie Hirsch 8823
Bill White(i) 8203
Will Mbah 7905
Jack Connolly(i) 6977
Dennis Sullivan(i) 6350
Kevin Tarpley 2475

Ward 1 Alderman: Matt McLaughlin(i) 1353, Elio LoRusso 613

Ward 2 Alderman: JT Scott 1426, Maryann Heuston(i) 1046

Ward 3 Alderman: Ben Ewen-Campen 1654, Bob McWatters(i) 1197

Ward 4 Alderman: Jesse Clingan 1532, Omar Boukili 240

Ward 1 School Committee: Emily Ackman 1190, Ken Salvato 623

Ward 2 School Committee: Dan Futrell(i) 1223, Susan McDonald-Nionakis 829

(i) indicates incumbent

ron_newman

SCATV held a half-hour debate yesterday between the two candidates for Mayor of Somerville. You can watch it here.

ron_newman

Bernie Sanders is coming to ONCE Lounge, 156 Highland Avenue, next Monday, October 23, at 9:30 am. He will be endorsing progressive candidates for local office in Somerville and Cambridge. RSVP here.

mem_winterhill

The Affordable Housing Organizing Committee, the Union United Coalition, and the Winter Hill Neighborhood Association are hosting a candidates’ forum in the lead-up to the November municipal election. The questions posed during the forum will focus on issues of affordable housing, development, and displacement in Somerville.

All candidates have been asked to fill out a questionnaire on affordable housing and development without displacement. The questions asked at the forum will be a subset of the questions in the questionnaire. We will publicize the answers online a week before the forum, to allow the greatest possible number of residents the chance to learn about the candidates’ positions on these important community issues.

Hope to see you there!

You can RSVP here

(cross-posted from WHNA)

secretlyironic

There is a candidate meet-and-greet this evening at Workbar in Union Square if you want to meet people who are running for Alderman and Mayor.

ron_newman

The city of Somerville will hold a preliminary election on Tuesday, September 19, because three candidates are running for Mayor. The preliminary election will eliminate the candidate with the lowest vote, with the remaining two facing off in the November 7 general election. The candidates:

Payton Corbett (campaign website | Facebook page)
Mayor Joe Curtatone (official city page | campaign website | Facebook page)
Kenneth Van Buskirk -- if this person has a campaign website, a Facebook page, or really any campaign at all, I haven't been able to locate it. Please comment if you know anything at all about him.

There is also a preliminary election on September 19 for Ward 1 School Committee, because three candidates are running for an open seat there: Emily Ackman, Guillermo Hamlin, and Ken Salvato. I know nothing about this race; if you do, please add a comment here. All other School Committee races and all Alderman races (both at-large and ward) will take place on November 7.

Somerville Local First will hold a candidates' meet & greet event on Tuesday, September 12, 6-9 pm, at Workbar, 31 Union Square.

Somerville Candidate Video Profiles on SCATV

Videos from Somerville Labor Coalition candidate forum on June 27

All comment is welcome here!

auntycourtney

On behalf of the Somerville Local First Board of Directors, I would like to invite members of the public to join us on Tuesday September 12th from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. for a candidate meet & greet. This event will be held at Workbar Union (31 Union Square) and light refreshments will be served.

With the Preliminary Elections right around the corner, it is important for us to have an opportunity to talk to those who are vying for leadership positions in our community. Candidates for Mayor, Ward Alderman, Alderman at Large and School Committee have been invited to attend. There will be a short speaking portion beginning at 7:30 p.m. where confirmed candidates will be introduced.

For a complete list of confirmed candidates, please check our Facebook invitation, Follow us on Twitter (@Local1st) or Instagram (@SomervilleLocal1st).

For candidates, this event is not for the faint of heart. Unlike fundraisers, candidates will not be given an opportunity to address the crowd, but rather engage in face to face conversations with attendees throughout the evening. This ain’t your mama’s candidate night ;)

While this event is free to attend, Somerville Local First is asking for a $10 donation to support our work and mission in the City of Somerville. We strive to bring awareness to our locally-owned, independent businesses and artists and encourage everyone to shift their shopping to help sustain our local economy. To ensure space and food, please RSVP by emailing Courtney@SomervilleLocalFirst.org. It is my hope that residents take advantage of this opportunity for conversation with candidates because at the end of the day - all politics is local!

Courtney O’Keefe
Executive Director | Somerville Local First

Current Mood: busy
Current Location: Magoun Square
Current Music: Train

ceelove

UPDATE: This event is a no-go! Many thousands of people expressed interest in counter-protesting, most of the speakers cancelled, and Mayor Walsh released a statement that the event was not welcome here.

I expect there will still be a rally against Nazis and white supremacist terrorism that day, and also there are related things like a "teach-in" (presumably about direct action and safer protesting) referenced in links in comments.

-------------------

Some of the same groups that fomented white supremacist hatred and terror in Charlottesville today will be in Boston next Saturday.

https://www.reddit.com/r/TheNewRight/comments/6r4e3h/boston_free_speech_rally_august_19th/

ceelove

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE

Saturday appears to be sunny with a high chance of Nazis. Many more counter-protesters than "free speech" advocates, though. You may be searched for weapons if you go (I am relieved to learn).

----------------------

UPDATE: This event is a no-go! Many thousands of people expressed interest in counter-protesting, most of the speakers cancelled, and Mayor Walsh released a statement that the event was not welcome here.

I expect there will still be a rally against Nazis and white supremacist terrorism that day, and also there are related things like a "teach-in" (presumably about direct action and safer protesting) referenced in links in comments.

-------------------

Some of the same groups that fomented white supremacist hatred and terror in Charlottesville today will be in Boston next Saturday.

https://www.reddit.com/r/TheNewRight/comments/6r4e3h/boston_free_speech_rally_august_19th/

(I'll be counter-demonstrating at noon, myself. Possibly with a sign saying either "Proud Race Traitor" or "Go back home to 1945" unless I determine it's more likely to get me killed.)

ron_newman

The Somerville Republican City Committee (really, that's a thing?) has scheduled a "Citizens Against Sanctuary Cities" meeting for Wednesday, July 12, at 6 pm at the Somerville main library.

The organizers keep hiding and then re-showing the guest list. The last time it was visible, many of the people attending it or interested in it were people I know who are definitely not on their side.

ron_newman

The city has published the final list of candidates in this year's city election. Yesterday was the deadline for submitting nomination petition signatures. Only the candidates listed in red have qualified for the ballot.

There will be a citywide preliminary election for Mayor on September 19, because two candidates, Payton Corbett and Kenneth Van Buskirk, are challenging Mayor Joe Curtatone. Preliminary mayoral elections have become rare in recent years, but Mayor Joe ousted our previous mayor, Dorothy Kelly Gay, in a 2003 preliminary election. The last preliminary election for mayor happened in 2007. The top two finishers in the preliminary go on to run against each other in the November 7 general election.

Ward 1 residents will also have a preliminary election for School Committee. Three candidates are running to replace incumbent Stephen Roix, who is not seeking re-election.

All four current aldermen-at-large are seeking re-election, along with challengers Stephanie Hirsch, Will Mbah, and Kevin Tarpley (a former Ward 2 alderman). Since there are fewer than nine candidates, there will not be a preliminary election for alderman-at-large.

Ward Four alderman-at-large Tony Lafuente is not seeking re-election. Two candidates are running to replace him. All other aldermen-at-large are running for re-election, and they have challengers in wards 1, 2, and 3.

nomacmac.livejournal.com

From the Somerville by Design website:
The City of Somerville’s Planning Department invites community members in the Davis Square area to a series of Somerville by Design meetings aimed at chartering the next steps in developing this great neighborhood while preserving its character.

Whether you are a renter or owner; new to the neighborhood or a long time resident, a planning meeting veteran or never attended one: We want to hear from you!
February 13th – History and Future
March 2nd – New Developments
March 21st – Aesthetics and Character
April 4th – Aesthetics and Character Continued
April 25th – Design Guideline Reviews
LOCATION
Somerville Baptist Church
31 College Avenue

Profile

The Davis Square Community

April 2025

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30

Syndicate

Page Summary

jadelennox - rally at powder house at 5:30
lb_lee - the city of Somerville is doing participatory budgeting!
auntycourtney - Hirsch Out, Strezo In...
ron_newman - Somerville preliminary election results
3rdragon - Preliminary election on Tuesday (9/10)
siderea - Today: Mass protests called for 5pm
ron_newman - Somerville election results
auntycourtney - City Councilor Ayanna Pressley to challenge Mike Capuano
ron_newman - Somerville election results
ron_newman - SCATV Mayoral Debate Video
ron_newman - Bernie Sanders at ONCE Lounge, Monday morning 10/23
mem_winterhill - Municipal Candidate Forum on October 10 @ 6:30pm
secretlyironic - Meet candidates for mayor & alderman
ron_newman - Somerville preliminary mayoral election, Tuesday 9/19
auntycourtney - All Politics is Local: Candidate Meet & Greet Hosted by Somerville Local First
ceelove - "Free" Speech rally next Saturday - cancelled! (updating/reposting)
ceelove - "Free" Speech rally next Saturday
ron_newman - "Citizens Against Sanctuary Cities" meeting, Wednesday 7/12
ron_newman - Somerville city election candidates for 2017
nomacmac.livejournal.com - Yes, more Davis Sq Design meetings!

Style Credit

Base style: Lefty by sarken
Theme: City Spring by forthwritten

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

Page generated May. 24th, 2025 04:58 am

The Davis Square Community

Entries tagged with local politics

Navigation

rally at powder house at 5:30

the city of Somerville is doing participatory budgeting!

Hirsch Out, Strezo In...

Somerville preliminary election results

Preliminary election on Tuesday (9/10)

Today: Mass protests called for 5pm

Somerville election results

City Councilor Ayanna Pressley to challenge Mike Capuano

Somerville election results

SCATV Mayoral Debate Video

Bernie Sanders at ONCE Lounge, Monday morning 10/23

Municipal Candidate Forum on October 10 @ 6:30pm

Meet candidates for mayor & alderman

Somerville preliminary mayoral election, Tuesday 9/19

All Politics is Local: Candidate Meet & Greet Hosted by Somerville Local First

"Free" Speech rally next Saturday - cancelled! (updating/reposting)

"Free" Speech rally next Saturday

"Citizens Against Sanctuary Cities" meeting, Wednesday 7/12

Somerville city election candidates for 2017

Yes, more Davis Sq Design meetings!

Profile

April 2025

Syndicate

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags