The Somerville Chamber of Commerce sent all the Mayoral and City Councilor candidates a questionnaire to fill out online. Below are the answers from the candidates who chose to participate. We will be publishing their answers over the next couple of days.

Below find answers from Holly Simione, Michael Murray and Emily Hardt:

Q: How important is it for both partners in a relationship to be on the same financial page?

A: Extremely! While everyone has different financial styles and preferences, successful partnerships are built on a shared understanding of how money decisions are made — and how to navigate differences.

Today, Mayor Katjana Ballantyne will introduce a Home Rule Petition to City Council that seeks to make it easier for certified disadvantaged businesses to compete for City contracts, advancing Somerville’s commitment to equity and economic inclusion. This petition builds on a recommendation of the disparity study conducted in partnership with the City of Brookline and Griffin & Strong, P.C.

Welcoming Week in Somerville was recognized by official proclamation at the latest City Council meeting.

By The Times Staff

Anyone and everyone can belong in the City of Somerville. This week marks the beginning of what’s known as Welcoming Week. It’s a time to make everyone feel welcome and embrace the diversity in the community, and a way to remind residents that what unites us is greater than what divides us.

Annual ceremony to honor lives lost and those who served

To mark the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the City of Somerville Department of Veterans’ Services invite all community members to a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony on Thursday, September 11, at 6 p.m. in Davis Square.   

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

Today, bicycles are everywhere. They’re beside us, behind us, in front of us, and amongst us everywhere we go, even on the sidewalks. Bicycles have become a very serious, popular, and scary mode of transportation. But when I was a kid in the ’60s and ’70s, bicycles were just plain fun. If anyone over 25 rode a bike back then, they were probably called hippies. Growing up in 60’s Somerville, a bicycle was a very prized possession. Every kid got one sooner or later. It was a rite of youth. From our first tricycle to when the training wheels came off, we were off and rolling.

Three below-market price condos are available for sale to eligible households

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD) are pleased to announce the upcoming sale of three deed-restricted condominiums to eligible, first-time homebuyer households at a below-market price through the city’s Inclusionary Housing Program. The units will be offered to households with a yearly gross income at or below 80% Area Median Income (AMI) at price tier P1 and to households between 80% and 110% AMI at price tier P2.The deadline to apply is Monday, September 22, at noon.