City of Somerville

The SomerVision2040 Committee (SVC) was selected from a mixed group of engaged residents with varied interests. They are charged with reviewing and incorporating community feedback and helping us craft the SomerVision2040 comprehensive plan. Each SVC member was assigned to a Working Group that will focus on a particular topic chapter in the plan, and each working group has a member Captain and a City Staff Captain with expertise in the topic to answer questions and provide assistance. Scroll down for the full list.

 

Meeting Overview (presentation slides): SomerVision staff provided an overview of the document drafting process, shared their analysis and information collected from the Community through SomerSuppers, reviewed key data points about the city, and the history of inequity in Somerville along with key concepts around applying equity lenses. Members then participated in an activity where, as a thought exercise, examples of contentious policy ideas were analyzed for how they reflected equity and SomerVision values.

Meeting Overview: Staff instructed the committee on how to review community feedback received through forums and surveys, reviewed deadlines, clarified the process for working group collaboration in person and through online tools, and then provided working for groups time to begin writing down ideas and ask SomerVision and City staff captains questions.

Meeting Overview: Staff gave a short presentation clarifying that the comprehensive plan is not meant to generate specific policies to be implemented as is. Further analysis, appropriate approvals, and more community outreach are needed prior to each policy implementation. SomerVision2040 aims to generate ideas and define broader goals and priorities for the community that will serve as a foundation for future policy.

Health staff then reviewed our Health Equity Lenses tool, and SomerVision staff reviewed the use of our Equity Goals and Equity Toolkit documents, which will help groups consider the equity impact of their proposals. The remaining of the meeting was used for the working groups on their July 1 drafts.

Meeting Overview: Staff discussed the SomerVision2040 document template and reviewed common themes we saw in the topic chapter first draft reviews submitted by the committee.We gave the groups time to discuss next steps to deliver the complete drafts for the October 1 deadline and helped them set up a plan to deliver it.

SomerVision Committee Co-Chairs

     Steph Aman, Rachel Borgatti, Howard Horton

Climate and Sustainability

  • Captain: Stephen Moore (Commission on Energy Use & Climate Change)
  • City Staff Captain: Oliver Sellers-Garcia
  • Amelia Aboff
  • Anne Brockelman (Zoning Board of Appeals)
  • Elijah Plymesser
  • Julia Travaglini (Greentown Labs)
  • Sharon Ron (MAPC)
  • Stephanie Elisabeth Galaitsi (Commission for Women)
  • Tim Houde
  • Will Mbah (City Councilor)
Commercial Development, Business and the Arts
  • Captain: Howard Horton
  • City Staff Captain: Tom Galligani
  • Alison Drasner (Somerville Museum)
  • Bill Shelton (Mystic View Task Force)
  • Cindy Larson (East Somerville Main Streets)
  • Collin Yip (SomerNova)
  • Davis Burson (Partners Healthcare)
  • Dimitra Murphy (Daddy Jones)
  • Emily Ruddock
  • Jay Phillips
  • Jessica Eshleman (Union Square Main Streets)
  • John Messervy
  • Kevin Gatlin (Chamber of Commerce)
  • Matthew Carlino (Gilman Square Neighborhood Association)
  • Patrick McMahon (FRIT)
Community and Governance
  • Captain: Andre Green (School Committee)
  • City Staff Captain: Melissa Woods
  • Ben Echavarria (The Welcome Project)
  • Bonnie Denis
  • Emily Hedeman (Somerville Redevelopment Authority)
  • Kyler Evitt
  • Mary Cassesso (Affordable Housing Trust Fund, CHA)
  • Stephen Mackey (Chamber of Commerce)
  • Todd Prokop (Somerville Road Runners)
  • Valerie Sizhe Li
 
Housing
  • Captain: Steph Aman  (Mystic Tenants Association)
  • City Staff Captain: Hannah Carrillo
  • Bob McWatters (Somerville Housing Authority)
  • David Gibbs (CAAS)
  • David Tisel
  • Jeff Byrnes (Somerville YIMBY)
  • Jessica Turner (Clarendon Residents United)
  • Laura Evans
  • Maxim Shenin
  • Michelle Apigian (Somerville Community Coalition)
  • Myrna Morales
  • Rocco Dirico (Tufts University)
  • Rose Lenehan
  • Stephanie Hirsch (City Councilor)
  • Zac Zasloff (Condo Review Board)
Public Space and the Natural Environment
  • Captain: Rachel Borgatti (Conservation Commission)
  • City Staff Captain: Cortney Kirk
  • Enid Kumin
  • Justin Kunz (US2)
  • Kat Rutkin (Groundwork Somerville)
  • Tori Antonino (Green and Open Somerville)
Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Captain: Patricia Cahill
  • City Staff Captain: Brad Rawson
  • Allison Boyd (Blue Bikes)
  • Angie Byrne (Vision Zero Task Force)
  • Danielle Rand (Blue Bikes)
  • Jack Connolly (Chamber of Commerce)
  • Lena Webb (Bike Committee)
  • Philip Groth (MBTA)
  • Tom Lamar (Somerville Bicycle Committee)
  • Wig Zamore (STEP)
Youth and Education
  • Captain: TBD
  • City Staff Captain: Jeff Curley
  • Ann Camara (Union Square Neighborhood Council)
  • Ruth Santos (SomerPromise)
  • Danny McLaughlin (Teen Empowerment)
  • Holly Hatch (East Somerville Community School)
  • Lucas Schaber
  • Uma Murugan (Community Preservation Committee)
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