Fair Housing means no discrimination! Candidates for Mayor and City Council had the chance to present their views on non-discrimination in housing by answering a questionnaire from the Somerville Fair Housing Commission, a nonpartisan group of volunteers. We are sharing all the answers we received. The Commission hopes you, the voters, will use the candidates’ answers as you decide how to vote in the September 16 primary and the November general election.

Answers from challengers are below; answers from the first 3 of 6 questions to challengers were published in last week’s edition of The Somerville Times.

Challengers

Two of the last 3 of 6 questions for candidates who have not been elected before are:

Question 4: What do you see as the link between affordability and Fair Housing in

Somerville?

Question 5: What steps would you take to continue to support fair housing in light of the Trump administration’s weakening of HUD and attack on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rules?

Here are all the answers we received from challengers running for an open seat:

Question 4: What do you see as the link between affordability and Fair Housing in Somerville?

Jason Mackey, City Council candidate, Ward 5:

Affordability and Fair Housing are inseparable. When housing becomes unaffordable, it’s not just a market failure, it’s a civil rights issue. As interim, Chair of the Somerville Human Rights Commission, I’ve seen how the rising cost of housing disproportionately harms communities already facing systemic barriers, Black and Brown residents, immigrants, people with disabilities, and working-class families. These are the very people Fair Housing laws are designed to protect. But when rent becomes unattainable, it doesn’t matter what the law says, displacement wins. As a renter myself, I’ve felt the pressure. I know what it’s like to navigate a competitive market, to worry about rising rents, and to wonder if you’re being quietly screened out because of who you are or how you pay. Housing bias may be illegal, but economic exclusion is still legal, and it’s happening all around us.

That’s why I believe we must build more housing at every level, deeply affordable, workforce, and market-rate. The solution to our housing crisis isn’t one type of home or one income bracket, it’s a comprehensive strategy that increases supply, protects tenants, and keeps our neighborhoods accessible to the people who make our city work.

And this isn’t just a Somerville problem. We need regional solutions. Boston, Cambridge, Medford, and other neighbors must work with us to create a more equitable and affordable metro area. No one city can solve this alone, but Somerville can and must lead by example.

Fairness in housing means access. And access doesn’t exist without affordability.

Emily Hardt, City Council candidate, Ward 7:

Affordability and Fair Housing are closely connected. Because housing options are so constrained in Somerville, landlords have the upper hand when it comes to determining rents AND determining who to rent to. The impact of both of these together means that our housing market is very unjust, with profound inequities based on race and class. In Somerville, because the supply of reasonably affordable housing is so limited, landlords receive many more applications than they need. This makes it hard to demonstrate that discrimination has occurred in an individual case because they can plausibly deny that their decision was motivated by discrimination.

Housing affordability and Fair Housing are also connected in that the work that promotes one often promotes the other. Organizations such as the Somerville Community Land Trust, and other programs to develop affordable housing options, benefit not only affordability but also fairness in housing. I believe that Somerville should continue and increase efforts to further both goals.

Michael Murray, City Council candidate, Ward 7:

We clearly need more affordable housing. Marginalized communities are also marginalized in the economy, so affordable housing is central toward maintaining a vibrant and diverse Somerville.

Justin Klekota, City Council candidate, At Large:

Discrimination based on source of income (e.g. Section 8) and other protected classes listed above is contrary to our law and our values as a community as it pertains to housing affordability and the cause of justice.  Our housing stock should include affordable units and fair practices that make them accessible regardless of source of income and other protected classes.

Marianne Walles, City Council candidate, At Large:

Safe, inclusive, and affordable housing can help ensure Fair Housing by providing opportunities that are no covered under Fair Housing Laws.

Ari Iaccarino, City Council candidate, At Large:

Everything. Until there’s enough housing volume, scarcity will be used against home buyers and renters to ask for the highest prices possible with the least amount of friction: it’s basic business that’s even been built into algorithms. Got kids? Risky. No kids? Better. Etc.. Discriminatory business calculations are in the interest of making as much capital as possible.

That’s where a strong Somerville could come in. Housing investments do not exist in a vacuum – they’re shaped by zoning, tax policy, and tenant protections. If city councilors and the mayor push for building more housing with priority for existing residents along with tenant protection programs that reduce displacement, then equity will follow, raising up both protected classes and everyone else.

Somerville should be using its leverage as an important city in proximity to Boston to develop more housing while reducing legal and structural financial discrimination.

Banning flippers, investors, and private equity from purchasing single and multi-family homes without any actual dedication to density increases is paramount to making this work.

Scott Istvan, City Council candidate, At Large:

Housing affordability is a cornerstone of fair housing – we need to make sure people of all income levels can comfortably live in our city. The fact that housing is often viewed as a commodity means income discrimination is completely accepted in housing, so it’s important we work to create and maintain affordable housing.

Holly Simione, City Council candidate, At Large:

Ensuring compliance with Fair Housing makes housing affordable for all. It prohibits discrimination in housing and requires a fair and open process to ensure equity for all.

Ben Wheeler, City Council candidate, At Large:

Fair Housing protections don’t mean much if housing is out of reach. Many of the groups most in need of protection by Fair Housing laws – immigrants, seniors, people with disabilities– are also disproportionately affected by high housing costs. When rents rise faster than wages, discrimination gets compounded: fewer available options leave renters at the mercy of biased gatekeepers. Expanding affordable housing – through inclusionary zoning, Somerville’s investments in programs and organizations such as its Affordable Housing Trust Fund, Somerville Community Corporation, Community Action Agency of Somerville, and Community Land Trust, municipal vouchers, and nonprofit development—directly supports Fair Housing by ensuring people from all backgrounds can actually stay in Somerville. Affordability isn’t separate from Fair Housing—it’s a foundation for it.

Jon Link, City Council candidate, At Large:

Affordability and Fair Housing are strongly linked. If people can’t afford to live here, they’re effectively excluded. I mentioned some of this earlier, but it’s harder and harder for working-class households and families to keep roots in Somerville. The housing market we have today reproduces segregation and inequality, even without obvious discrimination.

To advance Fair Housing, we have to continue to add truly affordable housing. That means investing in public housing, continued funding and support of our community land trust, and finding solutions to vacant properties where land banking isn’t a viable strategy. The odds are stacked against us, but if we act now, we can reduce displacement.

Christopher Ryan Spicer, City Council candidate, At Large:

The link is established in Fair Housing law, Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 40B, the law that directs communities to supply affordable housing. I see the linkage in terms of human rights. People need housing. They just do. People suffering from mental illness, substance abuse, and intellectual disabilities,  homeless individuals and families – all need housing and wraparound services, especially low-income immigrants. Only strategic intervention can keep market-rate housing affordable. I applaud our evidence-based approach which includes setting aside for long-term investments to steadily increase inclusionary housing. But immediately, more families below 30 percent Area Median Income (AMI) need services and support from Somerville Affordable Housing Trust Fund. More families between 30 percent and 60 percent of AMI need affordable housing period. The 2020 Affordable Housing zoning overlay acknowledged there is not enough public housing in Somerville, which fell 114 units short of the law mandated minimum requirement. Somerville residents, unless eligible for emergency housing, cannot get priority housing anywhere outside of Somerville.

This City just molts, every house bought by a shell company with a private capital firm behind it, destroys itself to the bones, a dumpster taking up station for a year, then rebuilds, and another year goes by. The four generation family home becomes two unit – and this is what it means for Somerville to ascend the urban hierarchy – that’s planned. Somerville has accrued its educated outlook without retention. Resident’s support for political process, said to be the positive side of gentrification, means looking beyond narrow interests to better serve those aging in place. The Condominium Conversion Ordinance requires a five-year notice period and housing search assistance for elderly, disabled or low- and moderate-income tenants, and a one-year notice for all other tenants. The amount of relocation assistance a landlord must provide to each tenant increased from $300 to $6,000. I will value the link of affordability and Fair Housing on principle. Because to deprive people of their territory, their community, and without re-placement, cannot be a process called governance of the people, for the people.

In last week of July my three daughters and I attended the State House hearing in support of rent stabilization. Should Somerville explore some method of rental control to protect the tenant but also provide protections to the landlord owner who has increasing expenses and needs to remodel and improve his rentals? The Anti-Displacement Task Force recommends capping rents subject to rent stabilization at Consumer Price Index plus 2% up to a maximum of 5%. For example, an increase of $100 on a $2000 rent. The Home Rule Petition (HRP) includes authorization for Somerville to grant application for extraordinary expenses like converting to electric heat pumps or deleading. Rents remain stabilized on turnover. Just-cause evictions. Rent Restricted housing with rents based on income exempt from regulation and owner-occupied exempt from regulation. If the City is granted HRP there will be further opportunity for community input on the administration of a rent stabilization ordinance.

Is Somerville an elder-friendly community? The most prevalent housing problem of the elderly is housing costs. What about the elderly disabled? In 2021 approximately 6,400 Somerville residents live with a disability. That total has dropped but those living with disability and poverty have increased. I am a proponent of housing policy rooted universal housing design, the framework for accessible entrances, hallways, bathrooms, kitchens, outlets, and plywood backing to install grab-rails. I learned about its principles from my mother, an occupational therapist, and the car full of medical assist bars. Her work carried out the mandate of the Older American Act of 1965, which provided program funds for elderly people who live in their own homes to make adaptations in the physical environment, and the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, requiring physically accessible housing but only called for “reasonable accommodations” for persons with disabilities. The rent control that some Cambridge refugees remember lasting there until the 1980s, providing a means of affordability to historically marginalized people, in Somerville had been abolished in 1970. Progressive municipal agency is curtailed. The exception is provisional rent stability, won by home rule petition, allowing Somerville a role to keep market-rate housing affordable to low-income. One measure of success preventing displacement is applying such tools preventing evictions.

The 2025 Aging Needs Assessment showed that age was the highest factor causing residents to feel excluded in Somerville, followed by race. The most prevalent housing problem of elderly is burden of housing costs. One scholar (Michael E. Stone, Shelter Poverty, Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1993, ch. 2) defines affordability based on whether individuals or families have enough money to pay for necessities such as child care, food or medical care after paying for housing, calculated on a sliding scale based on household size and income. The 2025 Aging Assessment reported: “Over a third of Hispanic or Latino respondents and 41% of Black or African American respondents disagree or strongly disagree that they have adequate resources to meet their needs.”

“Similarly, respondents of color cited greater frequencies of concern and uncertainty with respect to running out of food before having enough money to buy more, compared to white non-Hispanic participants (Figure 27). Only 10% of white non-Hispanic selected often true or sometimes true, and 2% selected “I don’t know” in response to the statement, “In the past 12 months, I worried whether my food would run out before I got money to buy more.” In comparison, 20% of Asian respondents and 24% of respondents of other racial identities reported this level of worry. Moreover, a third of Hispanic or Latine respondents and 41% of Black or African American respondents reported often or sometimes true. Access to food, in relation to financial security, is a concern for Somerville residents, particularly among those from a minoritized identity.”

In sum, Somerville is not securing basic protection under the law when the burden of housing is so cumbersome that food insecurity is such a major concern.

Jack Perenick, City Council candidate, At Large:

While we usually think about discrimination in terms of denial of housing, price discrimination and discrimination in the terms of a tenancy agreement are also common. It’s critical we ensure that all people have equal access to fair market prices for housing in our city. In particular, price point discrimination is critical to deflating our rental market. Increasingly, this will mean a regulation of pricing software and AI in addition to traditional forms of discriminatory practices.

Question 5: What steps would you take to continue to support fair housing in light of the Trump administration’s weakening of HUD and attack on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rules?

Jason Mackey, City Council candidate, Ward 5:

No matter what’s happening at the federal level, Somerville has a responsibility to lead with integrity, fairness, and inclusion. Fair Housing shouldn’t be a partisan issue, it’s about ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, has a real shot at living in our city. If elected, I would work to ensure our local policies uphold the principles of Fair Housing, even when Washington does not. That includes:

• Building equity into our land use and housing decisions, by encouraging development that expands opportunity and reflects the diversity of our community. When public land is sold, or public funds are used, we should expect inclusive outcomes, not just compliance on paper.
• Ensuring predictability and transparency for developers, while also incorporating equity analysis into how we evaluate zoning changes and major projects. That means asking who benefits, who’s burdened, and how we can make projects work for everyone, residents and builders alike.
• Investing in our Office of Housing Stability and Fair Housing Commission so they have the tools and capacity to educate, enforce, and support both tenants and landlords.
• Setting public Fair Housing goals and measuring our progress. We can’t improve what we don’t track. I support creating a Fair Housing dashboard with metrics on access, complaints, inclusionary units, and outreach efforts, so the public can hold us accountable.
• Leading regionally. Fair Housing and affordability are regional challenges. I would advocate for stronger partnerships across Greater Boston to share data, coordinate policies, and avoid playing affordability ping-pong across city lines.

Ultimately, I believe we can be both a city that welcomes new development and a city that fights for fairness and inclusion. That’s the kind of leadership this moment demands.

Emily Hardt, City Council candidate, Ward 7:

The City of Somerville should increase its support and commitment to fair housing in light of the attacks at the federal level. I would support allocating more resources to combat discrimination, including ensuring that the Fair Housing Commission has the resources and capacity that it needs to effectively fulfill its mission. I think we can do more to educate landlords first about the laws barring discrimination and second, if this can continue under the Trump administration’s cuts, that HUD can pay landlords market-rate rent when it is difficult to find affordable housing. When inspections or other additional work are required of landlords, we can direct the Office of Housing Stability to offer support to landlords.

Michael Murray, City Council candidate, Ward 7:

We need to make sure our Fair Housing Commission is properly funded and has the resources it needs, regardless of the Trump administration’s actions.

Justin Klekota, City Council candidate, At Large:

Even without federal enforcement, Somerville can voluntarily adopt Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rules and continue using HUD’s assessment tools.  Somerville can integrate fair housing goals into its zoning codes and publish data on housing outcomes and segregation patterns.  Somerville can also partner with nonprofits, legal aid groups, tenant unions, and universities to promote tenant organizing (especially in marginalized communities) and support lawsuits against discriminatory practices.

Somerville also needs to maintain balance in its housing stock accessible to all income levels.   Somerville should continue its practice of requiring 20% of units in new construction be affordable.  Increasing housing prices in Somerville are also pressuring middle class renters and homeowners, and Somerville should adopt an expansive definition of affordability that also includes middle income earners in addition to the 20% affordable units defined by current law.

Marianne Walles, City Council candidate, At Large:

Advocate both at the local and state level to not allow Somerville/ MA to reduce the Fair Housing Rules.

Ari Iaccarino, City Council candidate, At Large:

The rollback of AFFH enforcement along with Secretary Scott Turner’s simple self-attestation Interim Final Rule means the responsibility for Fair Housing has fallen squarely on municipalities like Somerville.

– Strengthen local fair housing ordinances beyond federal requirements to include algorithmic screening and voucher discrimination

– Continue to enforce affordable housing impact assessments for new developments

– Expand inclusionary zoning ordinances to promote economic integration; I would specifically like to see more middle-class inclusions

– Partner with community orgs to train residents on how to report violations

– Enact fines or penalties for landlords engaging in discriminatory behavior; the money would be directed towards housing subsidies for renters

– Ensure code enforcement doesn’t disproportionately target low-income and BIPOC renters

Somerville can – and must – go further than federal minimums to protect tenants, reduce displacement, and dismantle systemic barriers.

Scott Istvan, City Council candidate, At Large:

Legislatively, we can expand housing protections here in Somerville as federal protections are rolled back. The harder part becomes enforcement and funding – how do we make up the funding gaps, and even expand the programs we have existing? I’d love to see the city prioritize funding the creation of affordable housing, and I’d even love to see the city get more involved in the development of housing units themselves.

Holly Simione, City Council candidate, At Large:

Federal block grants and recent ARPA funding have made possible many housing developments, where in the past the federal government was a collaborative partner with state and local government. I would lobby our state and federal legislative delegations to continue to pressure the administration to not stymie housing opportunities for political gain. I would encourage the Mayor to offer Tax Increment Financing (TIF), which is a creative public financing tool utilized by local governments to fund development projects and revitalize underdeveloped or distressed areas as another solution.

Ben Wheeler, City Council candidate, At Large:

Federal cuts to HUD have gutted key programs—slashing Fair Housing enforcement staff, repealing the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, and reducing Section 8 funding. Somerville can’t wait for Washington.

We can act locally without new fundraising by:

• Enforcing Fair Housing ourselves: expand the Fair Housing Commission’s authority to investigate complaints and issue penalties, instead of relying on HUD.
• Using zoning leverage: make sure that processes for permits, variances, and condo conversions include consideration for non-discrimination compliance and affordability.
• Providing direct tenant support: work towards a guaranteed tenant legal counsel program to fill the gap left by federal enforcement cuts.
• Enforcement: fully staff the Fair Housing Commission, and ensure it has the power and support to do its work, alongside legal support for tenants facing discrimination.
• Strengthening family housing protections: keep enforcing our condo conversion rules, and actively encourage lead abatement—perhaps with tax relief for homeowners—so families with children aren’t locked out.

By shifting enforcement and resources locally, we can uphold Fair Housing protections even as federal supports disappear. The city should treat housing justice as a local civil rights issue, independent of what HUD does or doesn’t do.

Jon Link, City Council candidate, At Large:

It’s pretty clear that what gets called progressive (but we in Somerville would probably just call common sense or ethical) won’t be supported at the national level. The Trump administration only wants to terrorize communities, not help them.

Somerville needs to continue to strengthen tenant protections, throwing more support into public and social housing (like our Somerville Community Land Trust). We also need to collect and publish data so that we can understand where displacement and discrimination is happening, why it’s happening, and know where we can put our energy to have the greatest impact. We need a spotlight and a data-driven approach.

Christopher Ryan Spicer, City Council candidate, At Large:

A weaker HUD spells erosion of the right to housing.  I see it as a matter of rescuing stranded delivery. Since passage of The Fair Housing Act in 1968 recipients of HUD funds have been required to avoid active discrimination, but also affirmatively work to undo the damage of segregation and build more inclusive communities. Here in Somerville, inclusionary housing is 15% of Somerville’s public housing stock and 251 unites were in the inclusionary zoning pipeline as of 2023. On average, in FY 2023 a market-rate sold 3.6 times a comparable inclusionary homeownership unit.

To continue fair housing and prevent the desertification of the elderly it is critical to have flexible programmatic funding supporting the housing burden that falls most disproportionately on the very low income. The Suffolk University Housing Discrimination Testing program is a potential partner.  Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing Plans typically provides for a lottery and active marketing of inclusionary units to households with Section 8 vouchers. Without continued intervention of the 100 Homes Initiative and the Early Acquisition Fund, gentrification of Magoun Square, Duck Village and portions of East Somerville is all but annihilating options for moderate-income. It’s a new and darker day than those that closed the Clarendon Hill redevelopment, and accepted the proposed development of 299 Broadway. The rental stabilization group composed of representatives from the City’s Office of Housing Stability, Somerville Housing Authority, and other actors such as the Somerville Homeless Coalition which administers eviction prevention fund dispersals. Fair Housing criterion will ensure that reductionist, income-only factors are not the only determinate of qualifying recipients.

Take a feasible program and consider the legal difference between ‘may’ and ‘shall’. A mortgage insurance program capitalized by the housing trust may provide insurance for loans. In 2017, Somerville a similar program distributed 130 loans to whites, but only a handful to people of color. Whites compose roughly half the total number of low income persons but Shall the mortgage insurance program benefit those facing interlocking oppressions of race and poverty? Affirmatively furthering Fair Housing rules means it shall. Furthermore, as boomers seek to come back to the city while simultaneously downsizing, market predictions suggest a squeeze on housing stock, causing values of traditionally perceived starter homes to soar. We have to do better for first-time home buyers of color.

A resident I talked to blamed the fact sidewalks had not been repaired on policies supporting immigrants. When sewage overflow filled his basement and he had no recourse from the City to pay for cleanup, his response was to entrench in conservative ideas. He said, “We should only spend on what is necessary.” By that he meant municipalities should divest from direct services. He echoed a politics that produced a rollback in the early 1990s. For instance, The Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 authorized spending for a service coordinator program. That sounded good, and was based on success, but in practice it meant funding was not available for direct services but only less intensive support, the equivalent of deflecting constituents to Somerville Cambridge Elder Services. The resident also echoed a challenge to Somerville Affordable Housing Trust Fund in 2019, blocking the purpose of SAHTF to provide supportive housing. In 2024, State Rep. Christine Barber’s office led a push for a Home Rule Petition to expand the purposes of the Somerville Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The HRP will allow Somerville to provide direct services connected with suitable housing. I fully agree that aging society needs suitable housing linked with services.

HUD never fully took on responsibilities for assisting residents aging stay in place. A commonly expressed goal of older adults is to remain living in their own homes for as long as possible. Enjoying familiar community settings, with supports as needed, as opposed to moving to nursing homes. By aging in place, older adults can retain their independence, as well as maintain valued social relationships and engagement with the community. According to the 2023 Somerville census, there are 8046 residents 65 years and older. A third of those 65-75 remain in the workforce. Many elderly are concerned that City leadership does not recognize enough the knowledge of the city that elderly bring. With 1436 residents ages 75-84, and, 1492 residents over 85 years old, Somerville’s old-old need city leadership to take a step closer to listen. I agree with residents who have proposed an elderly liaison in City Hall to help navigate. In addition, I will advocate for progressive local property tax policies, zoning, or other regulatory changes to advance fair housing goals in Somerville. For instance, I support City revenue allocation to the Affordable Housing Trust fund, such as amendments to the Article 15 of the Somerville Zoning Ordinances (Linkage Zoning) project mitigation contribution for affordable housing.

Jack Perenick, City Council candidate, At Large:

In brief, it is critical for us to signal to our community that the City and State are committed to our fair housing rules and that we will step in to fill the void created by HUD’s defunding and intentional circumventing. It should be clear to residents, property owners, and all involved that the City of Somerville intends to continue in the direction we have been heading towards stronger tenant protections, and that federal actions to the contrary will have no bearing on our intentions or efforts.

— Somerville Fair Housing Commission