Politics & Government
Somerville City Councilor Denies Special Treatment After Storm
Councilor Will Mbah hit back against claims he had the city send a mini-plow to clear his sidewalk and driveway after the Feb. 1 snowstorm.
SOMERVILLE, MA — A Somerville city councilor responded to social media posts accusing him of receiving preferential treatment after the Feb. 1 snowstorm. Councilor Will Mbah was criticized by some members of a community Facebook group after a video showed a mini-plow removing snow from outside his apartment.
Mbah said the plow came only after he had previously shoveled his sidewalk and driveway Monday night. He awoke Tuesday to find the overnight plows had covered his sidewalk with snow and filed a report with 311, Mbah explained in a series of tweets.
"I contacted 311 and the Department of Public Works to register my concern, since the sidewalk had become unusable," Mbah wrote. "The DPW sent a small plow to clear the sidewalk, which I certainly appreciated. That's the whole story."
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"I neither asked for nor received special treatment," he added.
Many members of the Facebook group called the video an "abuse of power," while some came to the councilor's defense. Mbah, an immigrant from Cameroon and noted progressive, implied his background may have spurred a more fervent outcry.
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"I hope that my race is not a factor in this scrutiny," he wrote. "City services are for everyone."
Like many of my neighbors, on Monday night, during the snow emergency, I shoveled my sidewalk, driveway, and walkway. I'm on the odd side of the street and on Tuesday morning, I found that plows had covered the sidewalks with snow.
— Wilfred N. Mbah (@MbahCouncilor) February 7, 2021
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