Candidate Profile: Becca Miller, Ward 7 City Council

SOMERVILLE, MA — Becca Miller is one of four candidates running for Ward 7 city councilor in the Sept. 14 preliminary election, which will whittle down the field of candidates ahead of the municipal election in November. There will also be preliminary elections for mayor and City Council in Ward 5.

Somerville Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles over the coming weeks.

Miller is a program manager at the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative and member of the Boston Democratic Socialists of America.

Are you running for office in Somerville? Contact Alex Newman at alex.newman@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate profile and submitting campaign announcements to Somerville Patch.

Age (as of Election Day)

28

Position Sought

Ward Seven City Councilor

Party Affiliation

D

Family

I was raised in Chelmsford, MA by my mother and father Susan and Chris Miller, along my younger sister Deborah.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Bachelors, Environmental Studies, Clark University 2015
Masters of Science, Environmental Science and Policy, Clark University, 2016

Occupation

Program Manager, Massachusetts Food System Collaborative - 3 years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

N/A

Campaign website

www.beccaforsomerville.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I've lived in Somerville for the past five years and have built a community here. I’m running to be the next Ward Seven City Councilor because this moment demands bold leadership. We need to do more to live up to our stated values of diversity and equity and invest in building a bold future that meets the urgency of this moment of multiple crises of climate change, COVID, and displacement. At my nonprofit job, I’ve worked with low-income families and farmers to win more than $47 million of state funding for food access programming and made a real material impact in peoples’ lives. At the same time, I’ve been organizing for a Green New Deal with DSA, by pushing for utility relief locally and being part of the national Pass the PRO Act campaign, which made over a million calls to voters nationwide and flipped two sitting US Senators into supporting this important piece of legislation. West Somerville is rapidly changing, and many residents are finding it harder and harder to stay here in the neighborhood they love. I’m running to work with you to pass bold policies that will end the displacement crisis, build a sustainable, resilient future, and create economic opportunities for all.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Housing is one of the main reasons why I decided to run and the #1 issue I hear about on the doors and in conversations across the ward. I’m a renter and have had to move many times in my five years in Somerville, so I understand the pressures residents feel when we’re trying to stay here. We need to extend the eviction moratorium through June ‘22, pass tenants’ right to counsel, pass a fair housing ordinance, build a movement for statewide rent control, and use ARPA funds to build green public housing near transit on city-owned land. The largest housing redevelopment in Ward Seven at the Clarendon Hill/North St complex will be a major area of work for the next Councilor, and I have committed to working closely with the residents to fight for your needs and to guarantee the right to return. Housing is also a source of emissions and we need to retrofit our homes and fight for MassSave to provide heat pumps as an option in their programs.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I’m proud to be the only candidate calling for Somerville to be carbon neutral by 2030 and for a 10% cut to the police budget every year of the next term, reinvesting in mental health programs and safe consumption sites. I’m calling for an unarmed response team to be started similar to the CAHOOTS program in Eugene, Oregon and in Lynn, Mass. I’m the only candidate calling for the creation of a Teele Square neighborhood council, to fight for strong benefits from development, provide real input on a Teele Sq plan as called for in SomerVision, and to build community. I’m the only candidate with state policymaking and community organizing experience and a track record of success winning more than $47M in funding for food security programs, and will bring this experience in the details of policymaking plus a bold vision to the role. I am proud to be endorsed by organized labor including the Greater Boston Labor Council, and grassroots groups like Our Revolution Somerville and Boston DSA.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

Federal & State authorities really let us down, so I was proud Somerville had it's own eviction moratorium, mask mandate, and free testing. I was disappointed testing has become harder to find over the summer even though the pandemic has continued. The divestment in schools and public infrastructure that led to a lack of safety in HVAC that couldn't be fixed right away was a massive failure, and we need to be more proactive so we are not at risk in the future. This pandemic has shown that our safety net is barely hanging on, but that new additions (like eviction moratoriums and increased unemployment and welfare benefits) are possible! We must create an equitable COVID recovery plan that centers the most vulnerable by using ARPA funds on housing assistance and extend the eviction moratorium until June 2022.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I am running for a Somerville that is equitable, sustainable, and healthy for all. This means we need to take bold action by passing strong housing policies, setting a decarbonization deadline of 2030, retrofitting our homes, building safer streets that prioritize pedestrians and cyclists, working for a fare free MBTA, setting strong racial and economic justice policies to become an actively antiracist city such as: enhancing outreach about city services in multiple languages, prioritizing translation at all city meetings, reinvesting in mental health programs by reallocating the police budget and establishing a CAHOOTS model response. Climate change, food security, and safe streets are also issues that I am focusing on. These must all be incorporated for an equitable recovery from the pandemic and for the planning of a green, healthy future for all.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

In my work fighting for funding for food security programs, utility debt relief, and as part of the Pass the PRO Act campaign I have built grassroots power, spoke truth to power, and fought for real material gains. I have also continually worked to build equity as a lens in my organization and for us to be more actively antiracist in our policy advocacy, leading to new work and coalitions. I will use my skills to work shoulder to shoulder with West Somerville residents and the movements in Somerville to pass transformative policy that meets to demands of this moment.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

My mother taught me the phrase "if you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go together." This has stuck with me and has shaped me into the person I am today, who values community and building collectively, and I know it will help me on City Council.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I firmly believe in the values of transparency, accountability, and accessibility, and will be all of these if elected.