No snow emergency is planned at this time, but please leave at least 20 feet of space at intersections to ensure plows and emergency vehicles can pass. Cars parked too close may be ticketed and/or towed. More snow policies and info at somervillema.gov/snow.
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.
Message the Council via the City Clerk:
publiccomments@somervillema.gov
Message All Councilors Directly:
citycouncil@somervillema.gov
93 Highland Ave.
Somerville, MA 02143
United States
(Scroll down for member list)
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 | Ward Three City Councilor |
| Jesse Clingan | Ward Four City Councilor |
| Naima Sait | Ward Five City Councilor |
| Lance L. Davis, Vice President | Ward Six City Councilor |
| Judy Pineda Neufeld, 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:
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:
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are written laws adopted by the City of Somerville that serve as permanent, enforceable laws (unless amended or repealed through the adoption of a new ordinance).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:
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:
| Standing Committees | Special Committees | Commissions |
Standing Committees(Chair listed first, Vice Chair second) | |
| Confirmation of Appointments and Personnel Matters | Ben Ewen-Campen, Matthew McLaughlin, Naima Sait, Jesse Clingan, Judy Pineda Neufeld |
| Equity, Gender, Seniors, Families, and Vulnerable Populations | Kristen Strezo, Wilfred N. Mbah, Naima Sait |
| Finance | Jake Wilson, J.T. Scott, Jesse Clingan, Willie Burnley, Jr, Wilfred N. Mbah |
| Housing and Community Development | Kristen Strezo, Judy Pineda Neufeld, Ben Ewen-Campen |
| Land Use | Matthew McLaughlin, Ben Ewen-Campen, Jake Wilson, Naima Sait, Lance Davis |
| Legislative Matters | Lance Davis, J.T. Scott, Ben Ewen-Campen, Wilfred N. Mbah, Kristen Strezo |
| Licenses and Permits | Willie Burnley, Jr, Kristen Strezo, Lance Davis |
| Open Space, Environment, and Energy | Wilfred N. Mbah, Naima Sait, Willie Burnley, Jr, Jake Wilson, Lance Davis |
| Public Health and Public Safety | Matthew McLaughlin, Jesse Clingan, Judy Pineda Neufeld |
| Public Utilities and Public Works | Jesse Clingan, J.T. Scott, Matthew McLaughlin |
| Traffic and Parking | Naima Sait, Judy Jake Wilson, Willie Burnley, Jr |
Special Committees(Chair listed first, vice chair second) | |
| Charter Review | J.T. Scott, Matthew McLaughlin, Lance Davis |
| Rodent Issues | Jake Wilson, Matthew McLaughlin, Willie Burnley, Jr |
| Rules | Ben Ewen-Campen, Kristen Strezo, J.T. Scott |
| School Building Facilities and Maintenance Special Committee | Lance Davis, Jesse Clingan, Naima Sait |
Commissions and Committees | |
| Affordable Housing Trust | Wilfred Mbah |
| Anti-Displacement Task Force | Judy Pineda Neufeld |
| Bicycle Advisory Committee | Willie Burnley, Jr. |
| Community Cabinet | Judy Pineda Neufeld |
| High School Building Committee | Lance Davis |
| Memorialization Committee | Jesse Clingan |
| Municipal Job Creation and Retention Trust | Wilfred Mbah |
| Participatory Budgeting Working Group | Naima Sait |
| Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee | J.T. Scott |
| PILOT Advisory Task Force | Jesse Clingan |
| Public Safety Building Committee | Matthew McLaughlin |
| Safe Consumption Site Task Force | J.T. Scott |
| School Construction Advisory Group for Winter Hill and Brown Planning | Kristen Strezo |
| Somerville Redevelopment Authority | Ben Ewen-Campen |
| Traffic Commission | Naima Sait |
| Wage Theft Advisory Committee | Willie Burnley, Jr. |
| Winter Hill Urban Renewal Planning Committee | Jesse Clingan, Jake Wilson |
| 90 Washington Street Civic Advisory Committee | Jake Wilson, Matthew McLaughlin |
View City Councilor and Committee meeting minutes from July 2022 to present day on the City's Legistar Meeting Portal.
View City Councilor and Committee meeting minutes from 2010 to July 2022 on the City's IQM2 Meeting Portal.
View City Council (formerly the Board of Aldermen) meeting minutes from 1872 to 2021 as annual PDFs in our archive.
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