With the Somerville election coming on Nov. 4, we thought we’d share our research on what candidates for mayor and city council have said about protected bike lanes. There are also a few upcoming bike events at the end of the email.
We’ve reviewed all the mayoral and city council candidates’ websites and read through their responses to the Somerville Alliance for Safe Streets (SASS) street safety questionnaire. Here are the responses from candidates for mayor and city council. (SASS also released a questionnaire for school committee candidates, but it did not include questions specifically about protected bike lanes.) We also reviewed the YIMBY questionnaire (individual responses can be found here,) which included a question about implementing the Safe Streets Ordinance and Bicycle Network Plan. For the incumbents, we’ve also considered how they voted on key issues which came before the city council.
We encourage you to pay special attention to question 9 of the SASS questionnaire. All of the candidates for mayor and city council say they support the Safe Streets Ordinance and the Bicycle Network Plan – question 9 asks if they’re willing to remove parking if it’s necessary to achieve this, and that is where we see a real difference among the candidates.
Mayor
The two mayoral candidates, Jake Wilson and Wille Burnley, Jr., both use bicycles and public transit to get around Somerville. Jake uses his car as well. Willie was the lead sponsor of the Safe Streets Ordinance (SSO), passed unanimously (with both Jake and Willie’s votes) by the city council in 2024 (with only one councillor – Naima Sait – absent), which commits the city to building out the 30-mile priority Bicycle Network by 2030. Both candidates also voted (along with the rest of the city council) to abolish mandatory parking minimums in new housing developments. Willie Burnley, Jr. was co-sponsor of the resolution which got that effort off the ground. Burnley also sponsored legislation (which Wilson supported as well) to allow for camera-based enforcement of laws against parking in bike or bus lanes.
We feel that both candidates have good answers on the SASS and YIMBY questionnaires. On the crucial question 9, both candidates indicate a willingness to remove parking where necessary to create protected bike lanes. In their YIMBY answers, both candidates acknowledge the need to remove parking and indicate that they are willing to support parking removal to build the bicycle network.
On the candidates’ websites, however, we see a difference. The Legislative Record page on Willie Burnley’s website has a photo of Willie riding a bike, and talks extensively about cycling safety, the Bicycle Network Plan, and the Safe Streets Ordinance. By contrast, Jake Wilson’s website has just a paragraph about “making our streets safe” (on his Issues page) which talks about reducing cut-through traffic and camera-based traffic enforcement, but does not explicitly mention bicycles.
We’d like to thank both mayoral candidates for their support of protected bike lanes, cycling safety, and safe streets in general. We feel that Willie Burnley, Jr. especially stands out for leading the way on these issues.
City Council
At-large candidates
This election, we will be choosing 4 at-large city council candidates from a pool of 8. The field includes two incumbents, Will Mbah and Kristen Strezo, who have supported bicycle safety on the council with their votes to pass the Safe Streets Ordinance. Will also voted to remove mandatory parking minimums citywide (Kristen was absent for that vote). While Will was not on the council, Kristen voted to allow for camera-based enforcement of laws prohibiting parking in bike or bus lanes. We thank them both, along with the other city councillors, for their support on these issues fundamental to biking safety.
On the critical question 9 of the SASS questionnaire, the majority of candidates (Scott Istvan, Jonathan Link, Will Mbah, Ben Wheeler, and Jack Perenick) indicated that they were willing to reallocate some parking to build the Bicycle Network, although several indicated that it must be done thoughtfully. However, there were some exceptions. Holly Simione indicated that she only supports bike infrastructure that does not require removing parking, and seems to associate the removal of parking to build bike lanes with “empty store fronts.” Several of her other answers indicate a focus on (motor vehicle) traffic convenience and parking availability. Kristen Strezo said that we need to “balance the needs” of different groups. And Marianne Walles gave a confusing answer which leaves us unsure whether or not she will be willing to remove parking to build protected bike lanes.
In responding to the YIMBY question about the SSO, only Jon Link, Ben Wheeler, Scott Istvan, and Kristen Strezo specifically note support for building protected bike lanes. Scott Istvan suggests increasing the use of contraflow bike lanes and Ben Wheeler says that he will restart the Highland Ave redesign, including parking changes. Will Mbah notes his voting record in support of traffic calming and Jack Perenick writes about his commitment to Vision Zero goals. Marianne Walles mentions prioritizing Wards 1 and 4. Holly Simione did not directly answer the question.
Regarding the candidates’ websites, Scott, Jon, Will, Kristen, and Jack all talk about protected bike lanes or “safe bike infrastructure” as well as other street safety issues on their websites. Ben Wheeler’s website mentions biking as an option for getting around town, but says nothing else about it. Marianne’s website mentions “inclusive and safe streets” as a priority. Holly’s website doesn’t specifically mention biking, but does mention the need for “safety for our most vulnerable road users”.
At Somerville Bicycle Safety, our top priority is to see the Bicycle Network Plan fully implemented by 2030, as the SSO requires. We believe that some removal of parking spaces for cars, as well as expediting the planning process, will be necessary in order to do this. Therefore, the at-large candidates we would most like to see on the council going forward are the five who make it clear they would be willing to remove parking to build safe bike infrastructure such as protected bike lanes. Those five candidates are Jonathan Link, Scott Istvan, Ben Wheeler, Will Mbah, and Jack Perenick. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Holly Simione has made it clear she would not support removing parking to build protected bike lanes. For that reason, we discourage those interested in fully implementing the priority protected bike lane network from voting for her.
Ward races
In addition to the at-large councillor race, there are contests this year for ward councillor in Wards 3, 5, and 7.
Ward 3
The incumbent, Ben Ewen-Campen, has been a long-time supporter of protected bike lanes on the council. He voted in favor of the Safe Streets Ordinance, and he co-sponsored (along with Willie Burnley) the resolution to draft an ordinance for removing parking minimums citywide. The Accomplishments page on his website also talks about his support for the Safe Streets Ordinance and the Bicycle Network Plan. On the SASS questionnaire, Ben Ewen-Campen gives strong responses, including on question 9, where he indicates that he is willing to remove parking “as a last resort” to create safe bike infrastructure. Similarly, on the YIMBY questionnaire he notes his support as an incumbent on passing the Bike Network Plan and his leadership on bike lane projects.
Ben’s opponent, Nathaniel Roderick, has no website that we could find. Roderick also did not respond to the SASS or YIMBY questionnaires. All we found related to safe streets is a Cambridge Day article which mentions that “while [Roderick is] in favor of bike lanes, he recognizes that bike lanes are ‘a pain point’ for bikes and cars.”
We feel that Ben Ewen-Campen is the better choice for cycling safety in Ward 3.
Ward 5
The incumbent, Naima Sait, and her challenger, Jason Mackey, both responded to the SASS questionnaire. Naima gets around Somerville by walking, biking, bus, and train, while Jason gets around by walking, bike share, train, and car.
On the SASS questionnaire, both candidates indicate support for the Safe Streets Ordinance. Naima touts her support for the Elm-Beacon Connector project as well as the Somerville Avenue quick-build project. She says she will continue to support these projects. Regarding the Safe Streets Ordinance, Jason says: “This ordinance was a promise to the people of Somerville. I intend to make sure we keep it.” Both candidates say they support closing Medford Street to motor vehicle traffic in the section behind the high school. Both say they support camera-based traffic enforcement, and both support reallocating parking where necessary to build safe bike infrastructure. In answers to the YIMBY question, Jason clearly states his support for funding, implementing, and accelerating implementation of the Bike Network Plan. Naima notes that the SSO requires building according to the Bicycle Network Plan, and says she has been working with City staff to ensure that Ward 5 street redesign projects move forward in accordance with the requirements of the SSO.
On her website, Naima talks about some traffic safety issues she worked on while on the council, including crosswalks and speed bumps, and her in-progress effort to improve safety on the Community Path. She indicates she will continue to support “traffic calming and enforcement as well as infrastructure improvements.”
On the Safe Streets page on Jason’s website, he says he will fight for “a continuous, citywide network of protected bike lanes”. He also says he will “prioritize predictable intersections, high visibility crosswalks, reduced curb cuts, and better lines of sight at corners by removing parking spots that block views.”
In general, we feel that Jason provides more details about his plans for safe streets, than Naima both on his website and in his responses to the SASS questionnaire. However, we are concerned that his fondness for safe streets may have come about just recently. In 2023, he wrote this op-ed in the Somerville Times which included this line: “However, under our City Council led by leftist idealogues more interested in boutique bike lanes, decorative crosswalks, and laissez-faire cycling policies than actual progress, it stands as a stark reflection of inattention and misplaced focus.” While we agree with the main point of his op-ed, which was that Highland Ave. needed repaving, we find his disdain at the time for bike and traffic calming infrastructure a bit concerning.
Ward 7
Ward 7’s councillor resigned in June, so there is an open seat. The two candidates are Emily Hardt and Wilbert Pineda.
Emily responded to the SASS questionnaire, saying she gets around Somerville by walking, biking, driving, and taking public transit. She mentions that she supports camera-based traffic enforcement, and, crucially, she supports reallocating parking to create safe bike infrastructure. In her response to the YIMBY questionnaire, she does not specifically indicate support for implementation of the plan, but on the SASS questionnaire, she says that if any SSO projects are delayed, she’ll work to get them back on track. On the Issues page of her website, she talks about making streets safer for everyone, including cyclists, “with the goal of zero traffic fatalities and major injuries.”
Her opponent, Wilbert Pineda, did not respond to the SASS or YIMBY questionnaires. On his website, he indicates he’s relied on public transportation for almost all of his life. He writes that he will “advocate for sustainable infrastructure projects to reduce carbon emissions and enhance mobility” – but doesn’t mention biking specifically.
We feel that Emily Hardt is the better choice for cycling safety in Ward 7.