Mayor Katjana Ballantyne
@mayorkatjana.bsky.social
Official City of Somerville government account of Mayor Katjana Ballantyne
Follow @cityofsomerville.bsky.social for all things City of Somerville!
Follow @cityofsomerville.bsky.social for all things City of Somerville!
On Friday night and midday Monday, respectively, what appeared to be ICE agents rolled up to the front of the high school & City Hall to take selfies- we’re guessing on the taxpayers’ time and dime. 🧵
September 8, 2025 at 9:17 PM
On Friday night and midday Monday, respectively, what appeared to be ICE agents rolled up to the front of the high school & City Hall to take selfies- we’re guessing on the taxpayers’ time and dime. 🧵
Today, we flipped the switch on the new solar panel array at Somerville High School! With nearly 17,000 square feet of solar panels, this array will produce around 7 million kilowatt hours during its' lifetime!
June 9, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Today, we flipped the switch on the new solar panel array at Somerville High School! With nearly 17,000 square feet of solar panels, this array will produce around 7 million kilowatt hours during its' lifetime!
A city where everyone belongs is more than just a place. It's a community where immigrants and newcomers feel welcomed, respected, and valued, regardless of background or origin. It prioritizes diversity, equity, and social unity.
June 6, 2025 at 3:22 PM
A city where everyone belongs is more than just a place. It's a community where immigrants and newcomers feel welcomed, respected, and valued, regardless of background or origin. It prioritizes diversity, equity, and social unity.
We give, we love, we create, we produce, we build... We are stronger together.
This Immigrant Heritage Month, we stand with Cities for Action and Cities & Counties for Citizenship to support, honor, and celebrate our immigrant communities because we belong - You Belong.
This Immigrant Heritage Month, we stand with Cities for Action and Cities & Counties for Citizenship to support, honor, and celebrate our immigrant communities because we belong - You Belong.
June 4, 2025 at 2:33 PM
We give, we love, we create, we produce, we build... We are stronger together.
This Immigrant Heritage Month, we stand with Cities for Action and Cities & Counties for Citizenship to support, honor, and celebrate our immigrant communities because we belong - You Belong.
This Immigrant Heritage Month, we stand with Cities for Action and Cities & Counties for Citizenship to support, honor, and celebrate our immigrant communities because we belong - You Belong.
The Somerville School Committee filed this lawsuit in partnership with other organizations. This right here is why we have to stand up for our values and fight for our rights. We know it’s not the final word, but it’s progress.
May 22, 2025 at 7:53 PM
The Somerville School Committee filed this lawsuit in partnership with other organizations. This right here is why we have to stand up for our values and fight for our rights. We know it’s not the final word, but it’s progress.
This is why we must continue to stand up for our rights and the law. Our community looks forward to welcoming you home, Rumeysa.
May 9, 2025 at 5:35 PM
This is why we must continue to stand up for our rights and the law. Our community looks forward to welcoming you home, Rumeysa.
Our annual Civic Day event will now run from 1-4pm this Sat., April 5, to give space for residents—including me—who plan to join the pro-rights protest in Boston.
I hope you can join us on the City Hall Concourse to connect with staff from across the City government and learn about ways to engage.
I hope you can join us on the City Hall Concourse to connect with staff from across the City government and learn about ways to engage.
April 3, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Our annual Civic Day event will now run from 1-4pm this Sat., April 5, to give space for residents—including me—who plan to join the pro-rights protest in Boston.
I hope you can join us on the City Hall Concourse to connect with staff from across the City government and learn about ways to engage.
I hope you can join us on the City Hall Concourse to connect with staff from across the City government and learn about ways to engage.
(1/2) Today I’m proud to lead a joint call with our Somerville State Delegation, City Council, and Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn, urging the immediate release of Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk from federal immigration detention.
April 3, 2025 at 8:44 PM
(1/2) Today I’m proud to lead a joint call with our Somerville State Delegation, City Council, and Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn, urging the immediate release of Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk from federal immigration detention.
(1/2) Yesterday it was my privilege to sign a proclamation declaring Somerville as a Start By Believing Community and recognizing Sexual Assault Awareness Month. By becoming a Start By Believing City, we are sending a clear message: In Somerville, we listen. We support. And we believe.
April 2, 2025 at 7:56 PM
(1/2) Yesterday it was my privilege to sign a proclamation declaring Somerville as a Start By Believing Community and recognizing Sexual Assault Awareness Month. By becoming a Start By Believing City, we are sending a clear message: In Somerville, we listen. We support. And we believe.
On Transgender Day of Visibility, we celebrate the strength, resilience & incredible contributions of our transgender and non-binary community members. Somerville is proud to stand alongside you in support, today and every day.
Read my full statement at: thesomervilletimes.com/archives/139265
Read my full statement at: thesomervilletimes.com/archives/139265
March 31, 2025 at 3:23 PM
On Transgender Day of Visibility, we celebrate the strength, resilience & incredible contributions of our transgender and non-binary community members. Somerville is proud to stand alongside you in support, today and every day.
Read my full statement at: thesomervilletimes.com/archives/139265
Read my full statement at: thesomervilletimes.com/archives/139265
Whether you agree with anyone else’s opinion or not, all Americans should be standing up for the right of each of us to share our views without the risk of being whisked away in an unmarked car by our national government. It’s that simple.
March 28, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Whether you agree with anyone else’s opinion or not, all Americans should be standing up for the right of each of us to share our views without the risk of being whisked away in an unmarked car by our national government. It’s that simple.
I am deeply concerned to see a student with legal status detained by federal agents for what appears to be the exercise of free speech.
March 26, 2025 at 5:25 PM
I am deeply concerned to see a student with legal status detained by federal agents for what appears to be the exercise of free speech.
Somerville has long understood that investing in transportation infrastructure isn’t just about tracks and tunnels, or roads and bridges, it’s about people. Every investment in our transportation system is an investment in the daily lives and opportunities of our residents. 🧵:
March 14, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Somerville has long understood that investing in transportation infrastructure isn’t just about tracks and tunnels, or roads and bridges, it’s about people. Every investment in our transportation system is an investment in the daily lives and opportunities of our residents. 🧵:
I visited the Poplar Street Pump Station site this week to see how work is progressing. Once complete the pump station will fundamentally change the way stormwater drainage is managed for approximately 60% of the city. 🧵
March 13, 2025 at 4:24 PM
I visited the Poplar Street Pump Station site this week to see how work is progressing. Once complete the pump station will fundamentally change the way stormwater drainage is managed for approximately 60% of the city. 🧵
Five years ago this week, the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a national emergency and life as we knew it changed forever. Community members lost their lives. Many of us lost loved ones. Others are still suffering today from Long Covid- around 65 million people globally. 🧵
March 11, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Five years ago this week, the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a national emergency and life as we knew it changed forever. Community members lost their lives. Many of us lost loved ones. Others are still suffering today from Long Covid- around 65 million people globally. 🧵
If you think politics are competitive, you’ve never been to Bingo at the Council on Aging! I had a great time helping call out numbers this morning. Our Council on Aging does so much amazing work for our seniors, and it’s always a joy to see it in action!
March 11, 2025 at 6:02 PM
If you think politics are competitive, you’ve never been to Bingo at the Council on Aging! I had a great time helping call out numbers this morning. Our Council on Aging does so much amazing work for our seniors, and it’s always a joy to see it in action!
We have a celebrity on our hands!
Parking’s very own Suzanne Rinfret graced the cover of Parking Today to discuss the City’s implementation of automated parking enforcement cameras- a first in the state!
Parking’s very own Suzanne Rinfret graced the cover of Parking Today to discuss the City’s implementation of automated parking enforcement cameras- a first in the state!
March 6, 2025 at 7:58 PM
We have a celebrity on our hands!
Parking’s very own Suzanne Rinfret graced the cover of Parking Today to discuss the City’s implementation of automated parking enforcement cameras- a first in the state!
Parking’s very own Suzanne Rinfret graced the cover of Parking Today to discuss the City’s implementation of automated parking enforcement cameras- a first in the state!
Proud to be standing together with the City of Chelsea and Lawyers for Civil Rights for the safety and rights of not just our two communities, but all of our communities.
February 24, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Proud to be standing together with the City of Chelsea and Lawyers for Civil Rights for the safety and rights of not just our two communities, but all of our communities.
Somerville & Chelsea are suing the federal government to protect our right to prioritize LOCAL SAFETY. We're a Welcoming Community – our police focus on local crime, not federal immigration enforcement.
February 24, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Somerville & Chelsea are suing the federal government to protect our right to prioritize LOCAL SAFETY. We're a Welcoming Community – our police focus on local crime, not federal immigration enforcement.
(1/2)
The desperately needed ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears to finally be close, but we cannot lose sight of the full goal of ending this horrific war, releasing all the hostages, addressing the devastation and humanitarian crisis in Gaza,
The desperately needed ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears to finally be close, but we cannot lose sight of the full goal of ending this horrific war, releasing all the hostages, addressing the devastation and humanitarian crisis in Gaza,
January 16, 2025 at 2:29 PM
(1/2)
The desperately needed ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears to finally be close, but we cannot lose sight of the full goal of ending this horrific war, releasing all the hostages, addressing the devastation and humanitarian crisis in Gaza,
The desperately needed ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears to finally be close, but we cannot lose sight of the full goal of ending this horrific war, releasing all the hostages, addressing the devastation and humanitarian crisis in Gaza,
I am thrilled to announce that the City of Somerville and Somerville Municipal Employees Union (SMEU, until recently, called SMEA) Unit B have ratified a new contract for our workers! 🧵:
January 9, 2025 at 6:28 PM
I am thrilled to announce that the City of Somerville and Somerville Municipal Employees Union (SMEU, until recently, called SMEA) Unit B have ratified a new contract for our workers! 🧵: