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Get Involved: Be Somerville!

What makes Somerville great? YOU! Somerville residents have awesome ideas, a wealth of knowledge, and interesting perspectives that are invaluable to the City. There are lots of ways to be involved with Somerville, shape the community, and share your talents. So, please, don’t just live in Somerville...Be Somerville!

Contact Information

Surveys and Service

Here you'll find links to active surveys, calls for feedback, and openings on boards and commissions. Looking for more ways to serve?


 

Boards and Commissions

Applications for some board and commission seats are reviewed by the Appointments Advisory Committee, which makes recommendations for appointments to the Mayor.

Notices

Join the Somerville Zoning Board of Appeals
Join the Somerville Mayor’s Appointments Advisory Committee
Join the Somerville Affordable Housing Trust


Board and Commission Vacancies

Title Total Number of Members Total Number of Vacancies Info
Affordable Housing Trust Fund 9 1 Application Info (Open Until Filled)
AIDS Commission 9 0
Appointments Advisory Committee 5 2 Application Info (Apply by 01/17/2025)
Arts Council Board 17 9
Bicycle Advisory Committee 26 7
Biosafety Committee 10 0
Board of Assessors 3 0
Board of Health 3 0
Board of Library Trustees 9 1
Commission for Persons with Disabilities 12 0
Commission on Energy Use and Climate Change 8 0
Community Preservation Committee 9 1
Condominium Review Board 5 1
Conservation Commission 7 1 Application Info (Open Until Filled)
Council on Aging Board 11 2
Election Commission 4 0
Ethics Commission 5 0
Fair Housing Commission 5 0
Historic Preservation Commission 14 8
Human Rights Commission 12 5 Application Info (Apply by 01/31/2025)
Licensing Commission 4 1
Memorialization Committee 8 1
Municipal Compensation Advisory Board 5 0
Municipal Job Creation and Retention Board of Trustees 9 0
Municipal Scholarship Committee 5 0
Pilot Advisory Task Force 7 2
Planning Board 7 0
Police Chief Selection Committee 9 0
Recreation and Youth Commission 10 8
Redevelopment Authority 7 1
Retirement Board 5 0
School Committee 9 0
SomerPromise Board of Trustees 11 11
Traffic Board 3 0
Traffic Commission 5 0
Urban Design Commission 7 2 Application Info (Open Until Filled)
Urban Forestry Committee 11 2
Veterans' Commission 7 0
Wage Theft Advisory Committee 11 0
Women's Commission 15 5 Application Info (Apply by 01/31/2025)
Zoning Board of Appeals 7 1 Application Info (Open Until Filled)

Your Local Government

In Somerville, residents are represented by Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, the City Council, and the School Committee.

Elected officials serve two-year terms and municipal elections are held in odd-numbered years. On the Elections Department website you can find information on how to register to vote, where you vote, who represents you, past election results, and information on how to run for office.

Somerville is divided into seven wards and each is represented by one City Councilor and one School Committee member. There are also four members of the City Council who are elected at-large (citywide).

Be Informed and Be in Touch

We want to be able to share important information with you and we want to hear your feedback and ideas. Our goal is to get the word out as many ways as possible and take in feedback however you’d like to give it. If you have any other suggestions, please let us know. Here are some ways to keep the conversation flowing:

  • Sign up for City alerts. You’ll get phone, text, and/or email notifications about things like snow emergencies, road closures, and public safety emergencies.
  • Join us at a City Hall Community Meeting. Every spring and fall a City Hall community meeting is held in each of the City’s seven Wards. At the meetings, you can get an overview of things happening in Somerville and your neighborhood. City staff and elected officials are around before and after the meeting to chat and answer questions.
  • Sign up for the weekly ResiStat eNewsletter to stay on top of what’s going on, follow issues you care about and know about fun things coming up.
  • You can call 311 (or 617-666-3311) anytime to get answers to questions or make a service request. Don’t want to make a call? No problem. You can also use our online system or 311 apps.
  • Connect with us on our social media accounts.

Volunteer for an Event

 

 

Volunteer Project Showcase

Amith Saligrama, a student at Commonwealth School, wanted to make it easier for people to find a public bathroom in Somerville. He dedicated his time and talents to the creation of bathroomaccess.com, which gives users an interactive map of public bathrooms and portable toilets along with their hours of operation. Thanks, Amith!

Please note: This site may not work correctly in Safari due to a bug in the Leaflet JS library it uses. The developer is aware of the problem and is working on a fix.

 

www.bathroomaccess.com

 

BathroomAccess.com

Please submit website feedback using this form. Be sure to include:

A description of the issue (if any)
A link to the affected pages

Thank you for your feedback!