In more than 50 cities and towns across Massachusetts, voters will head to the polls on Nov. 4 to elect their local leaders. In Somerville, the election is a bit more unconventional than most. 

Two Somerville city councilors at-large, Democratic Socialist Willie Burnley Jr. ’16 and Democrat Jake Wilson, will face off at the ballot box to become the city’s next mayor. The two advanced through September’s preliminary election, outpacing two-term incumbent Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, who came in a distant third place. 

Burnley, a two-term councilor, views the campaign as a distinction between “politics as usual” and systemic change. Wilson, a two-term Democrat on the council, says in the face of this change in mayoral administrations, he sees a need for bold, steady leadership in the city’s mayoral office.

After graduating from Emerson College with a degree in writing, literature, and publishing, Burnley moved to Somerville. A year later, he was priced out of his apartment when his landlord raised rent by hundreds of dollars. The issue of affordability, among others, motivated Burnley to run for public office. 

“That’s really the Somerville story,” Burnley said in an interview with The Beacon. “It is really important that we have political leadership that is experiencing the same kind of pressures that most residents are.”

To combat the housing crisis, Burnley pledges to create an Office of Social Housing tasked with building city-owned housing on municipal land. 

“Obviously, it doesn’t solve everything at once, and it’s a gradual change, but we have to try new, innovative tactics in order to solve the crises that most people are dealing with,” he said. 

In the final days of the campaign, Burnley said he is fighting to make Somerville an affordable city for all residents. 

“We’re fighting for … people who are struggling every year to be able to afford their rent,” Burnley continued, “who want to see [Somerville] grow and become a place where they don’t have to worry that the next rent hike is going to be their last.”

Similarly, Wilson sees the long-standing housing crisis as a regional and national issue, saying while talking with The Beacon that elected leaders must help residents avoid displacement. He cites his background in nonprofit leadership as a motivation to run for mayor. 

“I have executive experience. I know what’s involved in putting together a budget, getting it approved, and then operating under that budget,” Wilson said. “I know how to identify talent and bring people in [to] roles they can succeed in. I’m going to bring that approach to the mayor’s office.”

Burnley has a background in political organizing, having worked on Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Ed Markey’s 2018 and 2020 re-election campaigns. He also has a working relationship with Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s office. Amid threats from the federal administration, Burnley believes these relationships to be crucial, especially when sanctuary cities like Somerville are being targeted. 

“Having those federal relationships is going to be really crucial in terms of making sure that our vulnerable populations are getting the resources that they need,” Burnley said.

He says that, while issues ranging from Rümeysa Öztürk’s detainment in Somerville to the Supreme Court weighing whether to hear a case to overturn marriage equality are playing out on the national level, they all trickle down to Somerville. Wilson believes that “words matter,” and that the next mayor has an obligation to stand up for vulnerable communities. 

“It might sound small, it might sound insignificant, but it matters to people,” Wilson said. 

Since being elected to the city council, Wilson has chaired the finance committee, tasked with reviewing Somerville’s budget each year. In this position, Wilson made a system that identifies the city’s top shared budget priorities, which he says “illustrates the collaborative approach” he hopes to take as mayor. On day one, he pledges to open the door to the mayor’s office.

“People want to feel connected to their mayor,” Wilson said. “I’ll make sure that they have that connection with me.” 

Also up for vote is a ballot question instructing the mayor of Somerville and other leaders to terminate city investments and contracts with companies  “that sustain Israel’s apartheid, genocide, and illegal occupation of Palestine,” according to the specimen ballot. Local activists collected more than 10,000 signatures to advance the question to the ballot, although it is largely symbolic.

Burnley noted that Somerville’s pension fund is partially invested in Lockheed Martin, a defense manufacturing company that has sold weapons to Israel. He also said that the conflict in the Middle East is a local issue. 

“I have Palestinian constituents. This isn’t an abstract issue for them. It’s not an abstract issue for me,” Burnley said. 

He cited examples of Palestinian children in Somerville walking to school and seeing graffiti with slurs and violent rhetoric directed at them. 

“I’ve had to respond to both console and to remediate that situation,” Burnley said. “The first order of business is how can we stop being invested in companies that are creating this harm?”

Burnley also said he remembers being on Emerson’s campus for the encampment that took place in the 2B Alley during the spring 2024 semester. He noted that Boston’s rationale for breaking up the encampment was the “Unlawful Camping Ordinance” passed by the Boston City Council in 2023. Burnley said he would not support such an ordinance being passed in Somerville. 

“I think it’s immoral … I’ve seen how it has been literally weaponized against people in a way that causes real, physical harm,” he said. 

If elected, Wilson pledges to be present in the community, actively listening to constituents to solve problems that impact them.

“I have a zeal for identifying and tackling problems that others might throw their hands up and shrug,” Wilson said. “I’m eager to get to work for people as their next mayor.”

Information about voting in Somerville can be found here.