Please be advised that the Massachusetts Attorney General has determined that email is a public record unless the content of the email falls within one of the stated exemptions under the Massachusetts Public Records Laws.
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
Jump To:
(Scroll down for member list)
Look up your ward number and Councilor with MySomerville.
Councilor | Position |
| Jon Link | City Councilor At Large |
| Wilfred N. Mbah, Vice President | City Councilor At Large |
| Kristen Strezo | City Councilor At Large |
| Ben Wheeler | 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, President | Ward Six City Councilor |
| Emily Hardt | 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
Ordinances, Rules, & Regulations
View the City of Somerville Municipal Code at EnCode Plus to explore:
- City Charter
- Code of Ordinances
- Traffic Regulations
- Zoning Ordinances
- And more
| Standing Committees | Commissions and Committees |
Standing Committees(Chair listed first, Vice Chair second) | |
| Confirmation of Appointments and Personnel Matters | Wilfred Mbah, Ben Ewen-Campen, Jon Link, Emily Hardt, Matthew McLaughlin |
| Finance | Ben Wheeler, J.T. Scott, Emily Hardt, Kristen Strezo, Jon Link |
| Housing, Community Development and Equity | Kristen Strezo, Jon Link, Naima Sait |
| Land Use | Ben Ewen-Campen, Matthew McLaughlin, Naima Sait, Jesse Clingan, Lance Davis |
| Legislative Matters | J.T. Scott, Kristen Strezo, Ben Ewen-Campen, Wilfred Mbah, Lance Davis |
| Licenses and Permits | Emily Hardt, Ben Wheeler, Lance Davis |
| Public Health and Public Safety | Matthew McLaughlin, Jesse Clingan, Kristen Strezo |
| School Building Facilities and Maintenance | Jon Link, Naima Sait, J.T. Scott |
| Sustainability and Infrastructure | Jesse Clingan, Emily Hardt, J.T. Scott |
| Traffic and Parking | Naima Sait, Wilfred Mbah, Ben Wheeler |
Commissions and Committees | |
| 90 Washington Street Civic Advisory Committee | Matthew McLaughlin, Ben Wheeler |
| Affordable Housing Trust | Emily Hardt |
| Bicycle Advisory Committee | Jon Link |
| Gilman Square Civic Advisory Committee | Jesse Clingan, Matthew McLaughlin |
| Memorialization Committee | Lance Davis |
| Municipal Job Creation and Retention Trust | Wilfred Mbah |
| Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee | Ben Ewen-Campen |
| Safe Consumption Site Task Force | Jon Link |
| Somerville Redevelopment Authority | Ben Wheeler |
| Traffic Commission | Naima Sait |
| Wage Theft Advisory Committee | Wilfred Mbah |
| Winter Hill and Brown School Construction Advisory Group | Kristen Strezo |
| Winter Hill School Building Committee | Jesse Clingan |
| Winter Hill Urban Renewal Plan Committee | Jesse Clingan, Kristen Strezo |
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.
Feedback
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!