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About the City Council
The City Council is the City’s legislative branch. Members are elected every two years on the odd-numbered years. Four members serve at large, and seven members represent individual wards. The Council passes ordinances on a broad range of issues, from setting zoning laws to creating boards and commissions. It also has the power to approve or disapprove the Mayor's budget appropriations.
Contact Information
Contact Information
Message the Council via the City Clerk:
publiccomments@somervillema.gov
Message All Councilors Directly:
citycouncil@somervillema.gov
Address
93 Highland Ave.
Somerville, MA 02143
United States
Employee Directory
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Look up your ward number and Councilor with MySomerville.
Councilor | Position |
| Willie Burnley Jr. | City Councilor At Large |
| Wilfred N. Mbah | City Councilor At Large |
| Kristen Strezo | City Councilor At Large |
| Jake Wilson | City Councilor At Large |
| Matthew McLaughlin | Ward One City Councilor |
| Jefferson Thomas (J.T.) Scott | Ward Two City Councilor |
| Ben Ewen-Campen, President | Ward Three City Councilor |
| Jesse Clingan | Ward Four City Councilor |
| Naima Sait | Ward Five City Councilor |
| Lance L. Davis | Ward Six City Councilor |
| Judy Pineda Neufeld, Vice President | Ward Seven City Councilor |
The City Council welcomes written testimony to be submitted for Council consideration. Comments may be submitted in person or by mail to the City Clerk’s office at City Hall, 93 Highland Ave, or by email to publiccomments@somervillema.gov. All comments must be received by the close of business on the Friday before a regularly scheduled Council meeting to be included on the agenda for that meeting. Comments not received by the deadline will be submitted to the next meeting. The City Council typically meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month.
All written testimony must include the following:
- Full Name
- Ward or address (address will be redacted for public view on the agenda)
- Indication of the item you wish to include comment on, if applicable. General comments are welcome as well.
If you would prefer that your comments not be included on the agenda, you can contact your Ward or At Large City Councilors directly. Their contact information can be found at the top of this web page.
Visit the City's Legistar Meeting Portal to:
- See a calendar of City Council and committee meetings
- Download meeting agendas and minutes
- Stream meetings live or from our archives
- And more
Somerville Code of Ordinances
Ordinances are written laws adopted by the City of Somerville that serve as permanent, enforceable laws (unless amended or repealed through the adoption of a new ordinance).
Visit Municode.com to:
- Browse City codes
- View City ordinances
- And more
Somerville Zoning Ordinances
A zoning ordinance is a rule that defines how property in specific geographic zones can be used. Zoning ordinances detail whether specific geographic zones are acceptable for residential, commercial or industrial purposes.
Visit Municode.com to:
- Browse City codes
- View City ordinances
- And more
| Standing Committees | Special Committees | Commissions |
Standing Committees(Chair listed first, Vice Chair second) | |
| Confirmation of Appointments and Personnel Matters | Judy Pineda Neufeld, Matthew McLaughlin, Willie Burnley, Jr., Naima Sait, Wilfred Mbah |
| Equity, Gender, Seniors, Families, and Vulnerable Populations | Kristen Strezo, Judy Pineda Neufeld, Jesse Clingan |
| Finance | Jake Wilson, J.T. Scott, Naima Sait, Willie Burnley, Jr., Jesse Clingan |
| Housing and Community Development | Kristen Strezo, Wilfred Mbah, Jesse Clingan |
| Land Use | Matthew McLaughlin, Lance Davis, Ben Ewen-Campen, Judy Pineda Neufeld, Jake Wilson |
| Legislative Matters | Lance Davis, Willie Burnley, Jr., Wilfred N. Mbah, Ben Ewen-Campen, J.T. Scott |
| Licenses and Permits | Willie Burnley, Jr., Wilfred Mbah, Ewen-Campen |
| Open Space, Environment, and Energy | Wilfred Mbah, Naima Sait, Kristen Strezo, Jake Wilson, J.T. Scott |
| Public Health and Public Safety | Matthew McLaughlin, Lance Davis, Naima Sait |
| Public Utilities and Public Works | Jesse Clingan, Matthew McLaughlin, Kristen Strezo |
| Traffic and Parking | Naima Sait, Judy Pineda Neufeld, Jake Wilson |
Special Committees(Chair listed first, vice chair second) | |
| Charter Review | J.T. Scott, Jake Wilson, Matthew McLaughlin |
| Rodent Issues | Jesse Clingan, Jake Wilson, Matthew McLaughlin |
| Rules | Willie Burnley, Jr, Lance Davis, Ben Ewen-Campen |
| School Building Facilities and Maintenance Special Committee | Lance Davis, Jesse Clingan, Naima Sait |
Commissions and Committees | |
| Affordable Housing Trust | Wilfred Mbah |
| Anti-Diplacement Task Force | Kristen Strezo |
| ARPA Advisory Committee | Judy Pineda Neufeld |
| Bicycle Advisory Committee | Willie Burnley, Jr. |
| Community Cabinet | Kristen Strezo |
| High School Building Committee | Lance Davis |
| Memorialization Committee | Jesse Clingan |
| Municipal Job Creation and Retention Trust | Wilfred Mbah |
| Parking Study Task Force and Working Group | Kristen Strezo |
| Participatory Budgeting Working Group | Naima Sait |
| Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee | Wilfred Mbah |
| PILOT Advisory Task Force | Jesse Clingan |
| Police Chief Selection Committee | Jake Wilson |
| Public Safety Building Committee | Matthew McLaughlin |
| Safe Consumption Site Task Force | Willie Burnley, Jr. |
| Somerville Redevelopment Authority | Ben Ewen-Campen |
| Traffic Commission | Naima Sait |
| Wage Theft Advisory Committee | Willie Burnley, Jr. |
July 2022–Present
View City Councilor and Committee meeting minutes from July 2022 to present day on the City's Legistar Meeting Portal.
2010–July 2022
View City Councilor and Committee meeting minutes from 2010 to July 2022 on the City's IQM2 Meeting Portal.
1872–2021
View City Council (formerly the Board of Aldermen) meeting minutes from 1872 to 2021 as annual PDFs in our archive.
Programs & Initiatives
The City of Somerville urges residents to report airplane noise to both Massport and the City.
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