Ballantyne Sworn In As Somerville Mayor; Who's New At City Hall

SOMERVILLE, MA — Monday marked the dawn of a new era in Somerville politics, as the city swore in a new mayor for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Katjana Ballantyne, formerly the city councilor in Ward 7, succeeded longtime mayor Joseph Curtatone, who did not seek re-election and will become the next president of the Northeast Clean Energy Council, a nonprofit business consortium.

"I'm humbled and honored to have won the vote of so many of you," Ballantyne said during Monday's inauguration ceremony, "and I want every Somervillian to know, no matter how you voted, or if you didn't vote, I'll be listening to you and fighting for you."

During her speech, which was broadcast virtually, Ballantyne emphasized continuing to use the city's progressive values as a road map for action.

"During my eight years on the city council, we've led on social, housing and climate issues," she said. "We are a community full of activists...the challenge before us is, how do we turn our progressive values into progress for all?"

Newly elected councilors Willie Burnley Jr., Charlotte Kelly, Jake Wilson, Beatriz Gómez Mouakad and Judy Pineda Neufeld were sworn in to the city council, and Sara Dion joined the school committee.

"Our city council will look different than it ever has before," Ballantyne remarked. "This is the first time we have representation from our Latino communities with the election of two Latinas."

Incumbent city councilors Kristen Strezo and JT Scott and school committee member Sarah Phillips were sworn in to new terms.

Last week, Ballantyne announced two key executive staff selections, new administrative support, and a team of three senior transition advisors:

Nikki Spencer, a Somerville resident, has been named chief of staff. Spencer brings more than 10 years of experience in operational management, public health, and community engagement. Her project leadership and strategic planning experience span nonprofit, governmental, and academic settings, where she has consistently championed equity initiatives. As a public health social worker, she has spent the last 18 months combating COVID-19 and supporting those most impacted across the state, including in Somerville. Most recently, she served as the Tactics and Operations manager for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Vaccine Equity Initiative. She holds both a master's degree in Social Work and a master's in Public Health from Washington University in St. Louis.

Aneesh Sahni will oversee the policy agenda for the Ballantyne administration as the director of Intergovernmental Relations. Sahni most recently served as the legislative director for state Sen. Brendan Crighton, 3rd Essex District, where, among other initiatives, he worked on the eviction and foreclosure moratorium, public transit access improvements, and educational equity. A former public school teacher, Sahni has also worked for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and served as a Policy Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is active in efforts to support leaders of color and improve racial equity in government, and holds a B.A. from Princeton University in Public and International Affairs.

Finally, Luz Lopez is joining the mayor's office as an executive administrative assistant. Lopez comes to the office having spent the last three years as a senior clerk at the East Somerville Community School. She is fluent in Spanish and enjoys working to meet the needs of constituents from around Somerville.

To aid a smooth transition, three current staff have also been tapped to serve as senior transition advisors in addition to performing their usual roles. They include Austin Faison, Somerville ARPA Director and most recently the town manager of Winthrop; Tim Snyder, COVID-19 deputy incident commander and senior COVID policy advisor, and a former director of Intergovernmental Relations for Mayor Curtatone; and Denise Taylor, director of Communications and Community Engagement, who also serves as the public information officer for the pandemic emergency response.

Faison and Snyder, both supporting the emergency response and recovery in time-limited positions, will advise the transition with Taylor for approximately six months. Taylor will then stay on with the administration in her current role, while also assuming the ongoing role of senior policy advisor to Ballantyne.