Candidate Profile: Justin Klekota, City Councilor At-Large

SOMERVILLE, MA — Justin Klekota is one of eight candidates running for city councilor at-large in the Nov. 2 municipal election. Voters will elect four candidates for at-large seats. There will also be a citywide election for mayor and elections for city council and school committee in certain wards.

Somerville Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles this week.

Klekota is the elected Democratic state committeeman, representing the Second Middlesex District. He has 15 years of professional experience in medical research and technology and is currently a vaccine researcher.

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)

43

Position Sought

City Councilor At-Large

Party Affiliation

Democratic

Family

My parents are Dale and Carol Klekota. My brother is Jaret Klekota; I have two nieces and one nephew.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Bachelor of Science in Physics, Math & Chemistry from Xavier University. Ph.D. in Biophysics from Harvard University.

Occupation

I'm a Vaccine Researcher. I have 15 years of professional experience in medical research and technology, in addition to my doctoral work at Harvard University.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

I'm currently the ballot-elected Democratic State Committeeman representing the Second Middlesex District (Pat Jehlen's State Senate District).

Campaign website

electjustin.org

Why are you seeking elective office?

As a climate advocate, vaccine researcher, and our Democratic State Committeeman, I’m ready to help Somerville combat the pandemic and the climate crisis. My decades of experience through local progressive campaigns and my professional experience including degrees in four sciences have prepared me to serve our community.

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

Our community and our entire world face a historic challenge to reduce our carbon footprint to net zero, and the next few years will be critical to Somerville meeting its carbon emissions reduction deadlines. Massachusetts passed a new climate law this year that will help bring us to carbon neutral. I did my part to make that happen by reaching out to nearly 20,000 people in our district by mail, social media, phone, and door-knocking in support of the Green New Deal for Massachusetts, and together with activists across the Commonwealth, we lobbied successfully for the historic Climate Law passed this year.

The new Climate Law gives our cities including Somerville the opportunity to lead. This means that Somerville needs to transition to 100% carbon-free, renewable energy and that every vehicle and building in the City transition to electric. To make this happen, Somerville needs to lead the way to convert all City-owned vehicles and buildings to electric by 2030. We need to partner with our local businesses to build electric vehicle charging stations City-wide and require all new buildings and renovations in Somerville be net-zero emissions.

My columns about our new Climate Law and education in a green economy were published by the Somerville Journal this year:

https://www.wickedlocal.com/st...

https://www.wickedlocal.com/st...

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

My professional expertise and decades of commitment to Somerville set me apart. From the pandemic to the climate crisis, our cities’ path to a better future runs through science. Cities must lead and build greener. My decades of experience through local progressive campaigns and my professional experience including degrees in four sciences and experience as a vaccine researcher have prepared me to serve our community, help Somerville combat the pandemic, and reduce our carbon footprint. I also co-authored the Green New Deal for Massachusetts, endorsed by the Massachusetts Democratic Party, which became part of the new Climate Law.

In addition, I have a financially viable plan to fund new affordable housing construction. Housing costs have continued to rise in Somerville. The only way to deal with our affordable housing crisis is to build new affordable housing. For our City to afford new affordable housing construction, we need to attract businesses in life science and green tech to grow our business tax base so that we can fund our schools, services & new housing infrastructure. Without that new source of revenue to support new housing infrastructure, we won’t be able to deliver on our promise to keep Somerville housing affordable.

There’s more at stake in this Election too. I have three opponents who have all pledged to Boston DSA, not just to defund, but to abolish the police force, as reported by the Somerville Journal and Somerville Times, and if they have their way, we could lose our opportunity to build a healthier, greener, safer, and more prosperous Somerville. We can instead elect fair-minded, experienced progressives to Somerville City Council who support common-sense reforms and will help us build a healthier, greener future.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

There are eight candidates running for four at-large seats and only one of them is an incumbent.

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

I applaud our local elected officials for promoting vaccination, masking, and social distancing. I also agree with their decision to extend the eviction moratorium, to support residents in need of food assistance, mortgage assistance, and rental assistance, as well as to support our local businesses in need of street-side space for outdoor seating. I wish more parts of the country followed our example. In hindsight, it is clear our schools could have restored on-site learning sooner and local businesses could have reopened at increased capacity sooner once masking and vaccination requirements were met. Nonetheless, I do not fault any of our elected officials for being cautious. As a vaccine researcher and a scientist, I would have the confidence to act on data as it pertains to both social distancing and reopening of our economy to protect both our public health and economic welfare.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

The recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that global temperature increases are accelerating underscores the urgency with which Somerville and Cities worldwide must transform our economy to be free of fossil fuels: the next few years will be critical to Somerville meeting its emissions reduction deadlines and we need to elect experts to our City Council to help our City plan and deploy green technologies.

We also need to prepare our students and workforce for the green economy of the future. This means expanding our education system to guarantee after-school programs and life-long training opportunities for in-demand job skills as we transition to a greener economy.

In addition, affordable housing remains a large unmet need in Somerville. Housing costs have continued to rise in Somerville and construction of new affordable housing units has been limited. For our City to afford more affordable housing construction, we need to grow our business tax base to cover the added expenses associated with the City services, schools, and supporting housing infrastructure. We also need to take a comprehensive approach to affordability that includes low-income, subsidized housing and family-accessible units, so working- and middle-class families are not priced out of Somerville.

Lastly, the pandemic has exposed long-standing inequities in our public health capabilities and worker protections. We need to invest in preventive medicine including continued vaccination programs and guarantee every worker a $15/hour minimum wage, earned sick time, and paid family/medical leave.

Somerville needs a future that is healthier, greener, and more just.

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

Over the years, as a Democratic Ward Chair in Ward 7 and a Democratic State Committeeman representing Somerville, I’ve organized hundreds of volunteers to elect Democrats and advance progressive causes: I truly believe in the power of grassroots organizing and the value of community input in making policy decisions especially at the municipal level. As mentioned, Massachusetts passed a new climate law this year that will help bring us to carbon neutral. I did my part to make that happen by reaching out to nearly 20,000 people in our district by mail, social media, phone, and door-knocking in support of the Green New Deal for Massachusetts, and together with activists across the Commonwealth, we lobbied successfully for the historic Climate Law passed this year.

I also have a broad professional background which has given me experience working with business leaders, legal experts, engineers, and scientists. I’ve helped manage budgets ranging from one million to one billion dollars per year. I fully understand the importance of promoting equity, employment, new housing construction, and business development to maintain our local economy, and I look forward to engaging all parts of our community to build our economy of the future.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

My parents and grandparents emphasized the importance of education my entire life: that led me to college, my doctorate, and my decades of research into treatments for cancer and life-saving vaccines.

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

For two decades, I’ve been part of our community as a renter, homeowner, vaccine researcher, climate advocate, and our Democratic State Committeeman. It would be an honor to serve as Somerville’s next City Councilor At-Large!

I grew up in a blue-collar community next to an affordable housing development and moved to Massachusetts seeking education and economic opportunity. I’m a grandson of a farmer and a union steel worker and son of parents who were the first in their families to go to college. Since completing my doctorate at Harvard, I have committed myself to medical research.

Over the past twenty years, I’ve been proud to be part of our community in Somerville, and I’m proud to have helped transform our politics to be more progressive. I’ve been part of some tough campaigns against extremists, who threatened and intimidated voters, including people of color and members of the gay community. During one Election Day, I was even physically threatened by an extremist and I stood my ground. We’ve come a long way, and I am proud of our political transformation in Somerville.

My proven commitment to a healthier, greener, and more just future spans decades, and I ask for your vote to build that future in Somerville together.