Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone To Helm Clean Energy Group

SOMERVILLE, MA — Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone will turn his focus to renewable energy at the end of his mayoral term, taking over as president of the Northeast Clean Energy Council (NECEC), an advocacy group that lobbies for clean energy companies and policies.

Curtatone will step into the role in January 2022 at the end of his mayoral term, the organization announced Wednesday. He will succeed Peter Rothstein, who is stepping down after more than a decade at the helm of the NECEC.

"Joe's unparalleled track record of progress in Somerville provides NECEC with the experience and ability to integrate energy equity and environmental justice into the organization’s broad clean energy and climate objectives across the region," Daniel Goldman, chair of the NECEC Board and co-founder and managing director of venture capitalist fund Clean Energy Ventures, said. "We look forward to welcoming Joe into the climate and clean energy ecosystem. And, we are extremely thankful for Peter Rothstein's tremendous leadership over the past decade and his legacy of expanding the organization’s mission from the emergence of clean energy to the broad societal impact of climate solutions and the clean economy transition."

Curtatone announced in March he would not run for re-election after 18 years as the mayor of Somerville. Some speculated at the time the outspoken progressive could be gearing up for a run for governor.

Instead, Curtatone will channel many of the same initiatives he promoted as mayor into the nonprofit sector. Curtatone was an early adopter of carbon reduction efforts, establishing an action plan to reduce Somerville's carbon footprint by 2030, supporting fossil fuel divestment and introducing a fleet of electric vehicles and EV charging stations for the city.

Curtatone also championed for sustainable transportation, advocating for the Green Line Extension project and establishing the first new MBTA stop in a generation at Assembly Square.

"One of the big things I put into practice as a mayor was the intersectionality of everything: schools, parks, transportation, public safety, public works, the local economy, climate action. It's all connected," Curtatone said. "I’m a systems thinker and a regionalist. We've built coalitions to work together across those issues, bringing a broad swath of people together to effect real, sustainable change. Well, everything intersects with climate tech and clean energy."

Curtatone is Somerville's longest-serving mayor, elected in 2004 following eight years on the Board of Aldermen, now known as the City Council. Throughout his tenure, he has supported numerous social justice initiatives, from Black Lives Matter to LGBTQ rights, and was one of the first mayors in the country to declare systemic racism a public health crisis.