When SEIU Local 888 endorsed Mayor Ballantyne for re-election, President Thomas M. McKeever wrote that she was “the candidate who has dedicated her life to fighting for all members of our community and our members in labor.” Her administration had conducted wage studies that found pay disparities between emergency responders. As McKeever noted, the city then “reached a historic agreement for the 911 Emergency Dispatchers and Telecommunicators.

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne's leadership on environmental issues has made Somerville a recognized leader in climate change mitigation, urban ecosystem restoration, and carbon footprint reduction. She’s implemented many ground-breaking initiatives to address these critical issues. Examples are Mayor Katjana’s first-ever Pollinator Action Plan to protect native pollinators, building on Somerville’s Native Species Ordinance, which she introduced as a City Councilor. These are a first of a kind plans for a dense, urban city like ours, and have already become models for similar cities across the country.