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Congratulations to Jake Wilson, our newly elected mayor, At-large Councilors Kristen Strezo and Will Mbah for being reelected, At-large Councilors Elect Jonathan Link and Ben Wheeler, and Ward 7 Councilor Elect Emily Hardt for earning the privilege of joining the rest of the Somerville City Council for the first time.

We at Union Square Main Streets were heartened to see so much attention paid to the licensing and permitting processes during the campaign season. We were excited to hear anecdotes, data, and recommendations shared from the small business community referenced throughout forums, debates, and campaign newsletters and mailers.

We’re even more excited about maintaining that attention and energy through Inauguration Day and into 2026. Drawing on our 20+ years of service to Union Square’s independently-owned, small businesses, our economic empowerment organization is ready to support any and all newly or re-elected candidates and city staff in making these changes work for the city.

We have been working closely with the more than 200 small businesses our organization represents for years to understand both pain points and productive solutions to improve the processes. Our recommendations have been documented, reviewed, prioritized and are ready to be shared!

Over the next month, we will reach out to each of you to schedule a meeting to discuss our findings and recommendations. We hope that you can prioritize these meetings and join us in enabling more small businesses to thrive in Somerville.

We can’t wait to work with you!

Zach Baum, Bow Market Co-Founder & USMS Board President

Jessica L. Eshleman, USMS Executive Director