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January 8, 2026

Somerville City Council Meeting

TL;DR: Mayor Wilson's office restructuring, $50K farmers market grant, McGrath safety concerns dominate first meeting

Votes & Decisions

Mayor's Office Restructuring – Approved

Mayor Jake Wilson appeared before the council to explain changes to his office structure, requesting $4,543.04 to fund three positions: a public liaison (Jesse Moose), a community partnerships liaison (Brenna Broderick), and maintaining the legislative liaison role (Yasmin Radasi).

Wilson explained the public liaison will serve as "the conduit between the mayor's office and the public," including social media responsibilities. The community partnerships position addresses what Wilson called historically poor coordination "between the city and our many community partners" like Main Streets organizations and homeless services providers.

Councilor Strezo asked about separating social media from the Communications Department. Wilson said he wanted a "clear divide between the mayor's social media account and the city social media account because we haven't always seen that clear divide in the past."

Councilor Scott asked detailed questions about salary classifications, noting the positions were reclassified from Grade 3S to Grade 3. Wilson said the change was to create "equity and parity between these three roles."

Mobile Farmers Market Grant – Approved

The council approved a $50,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources for the Somerville Mobile Farmers Market, administered by Health and Human Services Office of Food Access and Healthy Communities. No match required.

Department Head Reappointments – Approved

The council approved reappointments for the following department heads in a batch vote:

  • Ed Bean as City Auditor and Finance Director

  • Anne Gill as Director of Human Resources

  • David Goodridge as Chief Information Officer

  • William Fisher as Director of Emergency Management

  • Denise Taylor as Director of Communications and Community Engagement

  • Karin Carroll as Director of Health and Human Services

  • Jerome Thomas as Director of Veterans Services

  • Thomas Galligani as Executive Director of Strategic Planning and Community Development

  • David Jackson as Tree Warden

  • Steven Ross as City Sealer of Weights and Measures

  • Chris Roche as Deputy City Sealer of Weights and Measures

Council President Davis noted that while the charter doesn't technically require reappointments for continuing department heads, Mayor Wilson submitted them "as an act of good faith."

Items Referred to Confirmation of Appointments Committee

Three new department head appointments and two police promotions were sent to committee for further review:

  • Kimberly Wells as Chief Administrative Officer

  • Ohemeng Kyeremateng as Director of Parks and Recreation

  • James Plotkin as Municipal Hearing Officer

  • Samir Messaoudi promotion to Police Lieutenant

  • Diogo deOliveira promotion to Police Captain

Budget Priorities Deadline – Approved

Councilors must submit budget funding priorities by March 26, 2026.

License Renewals – Approved

The council approved renewals for five used car dealer licenses (Assembly Square Auto Sales, Gene Automotive, Pat's Enterprises at two locations, and Broadway Sunoco), one new livery license (DRN Bus Transportation), and one new secondhand dealer license (Cambridge Used Bicycles).

Interim Appointments – Placed on File

Kevin Klein was named Interim Director of Inspectional Services and Neil Viner as Interim Director of Water and Sewer.

Key Discussions

McGrath Boulevard Safety

Multiple items addressed safety concerns along McGrath Highway, a state-controlled road that divides neighborhoods.

Councilor Wheeler submitted an order (co-sponsored by Councilor Ewen-Campen) requesting the Mobility Director discuss the Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee's recommendations on the 25% design documents for the McGrath Boulevard project. Wheeler noted the December open house showed designers "paying attention to a huge number of details" but said there are "trade offs between the convenience of drivers from outside Somerville and the safety of Somerville residents, particularly children" at crossings like Otis Street near a playground.

Councilor Ewen-Campen emphasized the need to "speak with one voice" when dealing with MassDOT: "If we have this group of advocates saying this and the City Council saying this and the mobility department, the mayor's office saying this, they're gonna tune that out."

Councilor Link highlighted concerns about the Hawk signal at Otis Street, saying he hopes "we can get that back to a signalized crossing." Councilor Scott added: "Hawk signals, one of my favorite topics of discussion... I was told it was too late to make a change, but I'm gonna keep holding on to Councilor Nedergang's advice. It's never too late to correct a mistake."

Councilor McLaughlin submitted a separate order asking HR and the Police Chief to work with state officials on providing crossing guards on McGrath Highway, noting he's been told it's "a state issue" but state Rep. Mike Connolly says "they're ready to work on this."

Councilor Strezo added that despite years of "passing the buck" between city and state, Broadway still lacks crossing guards. She noted concerns about "the corridor of death" especially with the upcoming loss of the crossing bridge over McGrath.

Kensington Connector

Councilor McLaughlin continued his multi-year push to beautify the I-93 underpass connecting East Somerville to Assembly Square. "I've been advocating for this as long as I've been on the council," he said, describing the underpass as "dangerous and disgusting."

He's seeking "lighting, artwork, security, something down there to just make it so not unpleasant." McLaughlin expressed frustration at delays: "I keep hearing that all we're waiting on the state... and the state is saying that they're ready to work."

Councilor Strezo noted the underpass is "smelly and gross and scary at times," mentioning fires set there and vandalized artwork from East Somerville Main Streets that's "just dangling there and tattered."

McLaughlin added soberly: "People have been killed down there. We had one unhoused person who died under that bridge and then someone else was hit by a car."

East Somerville Immigrant Business Support

Councilor McLaughlin submitted an order for the administration to collaborate on "Eat Out in East," a campaign to support East Somerville's 75% immigrant-owned businesses. He called it "unfortunately very timely" following the ICE killing in Minnesota.

"I actually had representatives from Saint Paul reach out to me to ask what we're doing to address ICE in Somerville," McLaughlin said. "One of the basic things we can do is just be here for each other... come down to East Somerville, eat at the local businesses... walk around the neighborhood, be visible, make sure people feel safe in the streets."

Councilor Strezo suggested involving economic development in the effort.

Transit-Oriented Zoning Bonuses

Councilor McLaughlin resubmitted an order for citywide transit-oriented height and density bonuses for affordable housing, calling it "the up zoning item" that's "been on our agenda for a few years now. I have faith that this is gonna be the year."

The entire council signed on, with Council President Davis noting he, former Councilor Wilson, and McLaughlin were original sponsors.

ADU Rules Clarification

Councilor Wheeler requested clarification on accessory dwelling unit rules, noting "tricky ambiguities" across different government layers. He expressed particular concern about whether developers are "interpreting ADU rules to split what might otherwise be a single building that would be subject to inclusionary zoning... into two smaller structures that each avoid the threshold."

Councilor Strezo urged caution: "ADUs are by right... There's a lot of good work in ADUs and a lot of conversations happening as well. So let's research, look, and listen."

Teen Center at Cummings School

Councilor Link proposed exploring a teen center at the Cummings School, noting he "heard a lot on the doors" about the need. After learning an assessment is already underway through Infrastructure and Asset Management, the item was amended and sent to the School Buildings, Facilities and Maintenance Committee.

Council Meeting Schedule

Council President Davis introduced an ordinance to potentially move council meetings from Thursday to Tuesday starting in two years. "That's a suggestion... My reason for setting this to legislative matters is so we can have that conversation," he said.

Notable Moments

Remembrance of Renee Nicole Good: The entire council signed onto a remembrance by Councilor Ewen-Campen for Renee Nicole Good, killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Ewen-Campen called it "uncharted territory" and described "a masked federal agent killing a US citizen, completely unaccountable, protected by the president, as part of this just outrageous disgusting effort to terrorize cities across the country."

Flock Camera Clarification: Councilor Ewen-Campen addressed persistent public concern about Flock surveillance cameras, stating definitively: "No flock cameras have been approved in Somerville." He explained the city's surveillance oversight ordinance requires council approval for all surveillance technologies. He noted some Flock cameras exist at Assembly Square and Tufts campus in private buildings, but "the city of Somerville as the government does not use flock cameras."

First Meeting Jitters: Council President Davis opened by losing his glasses ("What a start") and reading the wrong opening statement. New Councilor Link apologized multiple times for being new. Davis joked about struggling with Councilor Ewen-Campen's name: "None of you yet have reached the level of Council Jan Panpen."

Mayor's Good Faith Gesture: Mayor Wilson explained he came before the council early to explain his office restructuring "as a gesture of what we're looking to do. Bring you all along on this." Councilor Scott quipped: "It's always a pleasure to see the mayor when they're not here to scold us."

Recognition of New Staff: Councilor Wheeler welcomed new city employees, saying he hopes "everyone can see that Somerville is a place where dedication and public service... is recognized and careers flourish."

What's Next

Several items were referred to committees for further discussion:

  • Housing grants ($200K for short-term housing bridge pilot, $20K for senior housing bridge program) – referred to Finance

  • New department head appointments and police promotions – referred to Confirmation of Appointments

  • Constable appointment process changes – referred to Legislative Matters

  • City Charter responsibilities memo – laid on the table for clarification

  • Union agreement funding transfer ($103,421) – referred to Finance

  • Spring Hill Sewer Separation contract extension – referred to Finance