Today, Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui of Cambridge and Mayor Katjana Ballantyne of Somerville announced their support for Tanisha Sullivan in her race for Secretary of State. 

“Mayor Siddiqui and Mayor Ballantyne have been at the forefront of efforts to make Cambridge and Somerville more equitable, more inclusive, and more vibrant,” said Sullivan. “I’m proud to have them with us in this campaign, and look forward to working alongside them as an engaged, proactive partner in the Secretary of State’s office, to bring more people into our democracy, ensure transparency and accountability, and expand economic opportunity for residents in Cambridge, Somerville, and beyond.” 

Open Positions: One; Term: Three years

The Somerville Public Library Board of Trustees seeks one new member, and all Somerville residents are invited to apply. Boards and commissions offer an opportunity for residents with a range of experience, skills, expertise, and perspectives to share their talents and insights with their community.

Project Bread’s 54^th Walk for Hunger (virtual) Sunday, May 1

On Sunday, May 1, Project Bread’s 54^th Walk for Hunger will raise more than $1 million to help get food assistance to kids and families across the Commonwealth.

The 2022 fundraiser will be the third event to be celebrated virtually, with a Facebook livestream from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. and participants walking in their own neighborhoods throughout the day. Money raised through the virtual Walk is funding Project Bread’s urgent mission to ensure kids have reliable access to food, to directly help individuals and families, and to advocate at the state and federal levels for expedited and efficient relief for those in need. Funds will also support community organizations that are helping people access food locally and ensuring communities have the resources necessary to respond to the hunger crisis now and over the long road to recovery ahead. Likeminded organizations that fundraise as part of The Commonwealth program by forming teams can raise money to support their own work, while also furthering the statewide effort, keeping 60 percent of all funds they raise. 

East Somerville Main Streets is seeking street artists for a mural on the front of the building at Connexion, 149 Broadway.

ESMS and Connexion seek a mural that will celebrate the diversity of the East Somerville community. East Somerville is the most diverse neighborhood in Somerville, with over 35% of residents born outside of the United States, and with large Brazilian, Central American, and Haitian communities. Additionally, nearly 80% of East Somerville businesses are immigrant owned.

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

By Senator Pat Jehlen

Last week, the Senate passed another climate bill, An Act Driving Climate Policy Forward.  WBUR had a good summary of its many provisions.  Combating climate change is an issue that so many people in our communities have written, called, and met with us about, and the bill takes important steps.  Among the provisions of the bill which people asked me to support:

Open Positions: One full and one alternate; Term: Five years for full members, two years for alternate members

The City of Somerville seeks two new members for the Zoning Board of Appeals, and all Somerville residents are invited to apply. A background in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, urban planning, and/or land use law is beneficial but not required.

Moratorium now has 60-day sunset period and will end June 30

The City of Somerville’s proposed extension and sunset date for its eviction moratorium was unanimously approved by the Somerville Board of Health at their Thursday, April 21, meeting. Otherwise set to expire on April 30, the moratorium now has a 60-day sunset period and will end on June 30.

Open Positions: Seven, Term: Three years

The City of Somerville seeks seven members for the Historic Preservation Commission, and all Somerville residents are invited to apply. Boards and commissions offer an opportunity for residents with a range of experience, skills, and perspectives to share their talents and insights with their community. Six of the current openings are for candidates with specific expertise: one architectural historian, one contractor, one architect, one historian, and two Local Historic District residents or architects. 

Join in for a poetry reading with Denise Provost at the Somerville Museum on April 28 at 7:00 p.m. This is an in-person event at the Somerville Museum.

Provost will read from her recently published book, City of Stories and other poems. Provost has received the Best Love Sonnet award from the Maria C. Faust Sonnet Competition in 2012, and the New England Poetry Club’s Samuel Washington Allen Prize in 2021. She is also a beloved member of the Somerville Museum and a long-time Somerville resident.