Take action to support housing

Do you like talking with people face to face? Even if you don’t, would you be willing to have a few short conversations anyway? Somerville YIMBY is ready to start knocking on doors for our endorsed candidates, and we need your help. Wear your Somerville YIMBY shirt if you’ve got one, and join us for canvassing:

• Willie Burnley, Jr.: We’ll be out with Willie this Saturday 8/23, starting at Hodgkins-Curtin Park, 113 Holland St. RSVP for this Saturday’s canvass with Willie — Steering Committee member Jeff Byrnes will be there for the 1 pm session.

• Scott Istvan: Meet up Sunday 8/24 at noon at Winter Hill Brewing, 328 Broadway. Steering Committee member Aaron Weber will be there to join you. For more details, fill out the Scott Istvan canvassing signup form.

• Ben Wheeler: Email Ben directly at [email protected] to sign up for Saturday midday and Tuesday-Thursday afternoon canvassing times.

• Jon Link: Email Jon’s campaign to learn about volunteering. Jon will also be hosting a donuts and conversation meetup on Sunday 8/24 between 9:30 and 11 at Lexington Park, 45 Lexington Ave.

• Will Mbah: RSVP for Will Mbah’s canvassing kickoff on August 24.

Visit somervilleyimby.org/elections/2025-election for our voter guide, and be sure to vote! The Somerville preliminary election is on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, and the last day to register to vote in it is September 5.

Other News

Legalize Starter Homes: We often hear that Somerville can’t solve a regional housing shortage alone, and that’s where campaigns like this one come in. Legalize Starter Homes is a statewide ballot initiative to reduce lot-size requirements that prevent construction of moderate-size “starter” homes. Somerville is already compliant with the proposed ballot initiative, but we should support this regional effort. They’ll be hosting a volunteer info session on September 7.

Davis Square Neighborhood Council Elections are ongoing, with upcoming voting days on August 23 and 25, in person at the West Branch library. Voting eligibility is broad, so be sure to take a look at the DSNC Bounds Map and vote if you are eligible. We encourage you to vote for Elaine Almquist, PJ Kim-Santos, Joel Paul, and Chris Beland.

Upcoming Events

• August 26: Neighborhood meeting, 148 Morrisson Avenue. After historic commission review, a proposed renovation must be reviewed again by neighbors. 6:00 pm, online via Zoom.

• August 30: Scott Istvan campaign fundraiser comedy show. 6:00 to 7:00 pm, in person at Union Comedy, 593 Somerville Ave.

• September 2: Somerville Stands Together mayoral forum. 6:30 to 8:30 pm, online via Zoom.

• September 4: Land Use Committee. Agenda TBA. 6:30 pm, online via Zoom and in-person at City Hall.

• September 7: Legalize Starter Homes volunteer info session. Learn more about how to get involved with the ballot measure campaign. 10:00 am, online via Zoom.

As always, you can find our Google calendar at somervilleyimby.org/calendar. If you notice we’ve missed an event, feel free to reply to this message and let us know!

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