Councilor At-Large designee, Kristen Strezo. — Photo by Isabel Sami

By Isabel Sami

Kristen Strezo, the newest appointed City Councilor At-Large in Somerville, has always wanted to be a voice of the people. Previously the co-chair of the Somerville Commission for Women, Strezo spent her two terms advocating for women’s rights and safety in the community. As a mother of two kids and a caregiver to her 93-year-old grandmother, Strezo says she wants what’s best for residents and their families, saying she’s committed to the overall improvement of Somerville as a city and unified community that belongs to everyone.

Her background in advocacy is what compelled Strezo to seek a position on the City Council. After moving to Somerville about six years ago, she began volunteering to make the city greener, clean, and connected while also balancing her life as a new mother.

Through the Commission for Women, Strezo spoke to many women in the community, and the number of people she met grew once she began knocking on over five thousand doors for her City Council campaign. “I feel like I made thousands of new friends,” she says with a laugh. “Making sure that everybody’s voice is heard and that as many needs are filled as possible matters so much right now, so what we do at a municipal level is vitally important. I want to listen and help as much as I can.”

Strezo with her family.

Campaigning in the community made Strezo notice things that she normally didn’t when she passed through neighborhoods, from learning about her neighbors to seeing which yards were able to grow cacti.

Meeting and speaking with residents to discuss issues and improvements in Somerville brought out what Strezo believes is the true meaning of community: people coming together to speak face-to-face about their lives, truly connecting. “That’s community,” she says, “and I loved every second of it.”

Strezo says that there is no one main issue she wants to tackle as a City Councilor At-Large because there are too many that are important to her. However, if she had to pick one, it would be housing affordability and stability. Sustaining affordable rent in the area and supporting families who are struggling to stay in their homes are issues that Strezo takes to heart as a renter and a mother who understands the stress that comes from increased rent and the possibility of losing a home. She says that she wants to make sure that everyone who wants to stay in the community is able to do so. “We need to understand the immediacy of the issue,” Strezo says. “I am completely committed to doing everything I can to support Somerville residents.”

Before her time in Somerville, Strezo had a very different career path: being the lead singer in a feminist punk band. She spent her college years in Chicago making music about women’s rights and sharing these songs with audiences to get her message out into the world.

These early years of finding her voice and speaking up about feminist issues through music carved the path toward Strezo’s work in advocacy. “I’m used to speaking my mind and being an advocate,” she says, “and bringing forward issues that I think are really important.” Now she credits her musical background, as well as her skills as a mother, for making her become a more creative thinker and problem-solver in her work helping the community.

“I love bringing voices forward and making sure that people know this city is for all of us,” Strezo says. “As a mom, and a caregiver to a 93-year-old woman, I’ve experienced a lot and I know that there are so many families in Somerville going through the same things in different ways. If I can help make Somerville residents’ lives easier, that would be a great success.”