Katjana for Mayor: Progressive Values, Proven Experience, and Inclusive Leadership
Hello, I’m Katjana Ballantyne and I’m running for Mayor of Somerville.
I’m running to represent the values and culture of Somerville, to make sure that everyone’s voice will be heard in city hall and I’m running because our next Mayor needs to have the skills and experience to be our chief executive. These three qualities – values, inclusion, and experience – will be critical in choosing who should lead our city through our current and future challenges.
Our values are proudly progressive; we cherish our diversity and we work for social, economic, environmental, and racial equity. We have accomplished a lot together but there’s much more to do. Culture is more than our politics; We promote the arts. We value bike lanes, dog parks, and community gardens as well as healthy neighborhoods, safe streets, and thriving businesses. Our culture and values are why we love our city, and I’m proud that I’ve worked for a decade as a Councilor and President of our City Council to represent our culture, and to represent all of our residents.
Second, our next Mayor, and the City Council must do a better job listening and allowing all voices to be heard. We need to listen to everyone, not only the usual suspects or the loudest voices. I am known for my inclusive leadership style in my service as a City Councilor and in three decades of business and volunteer work. It takes a little longer to engage everyone in making decisions, but an inclusive process creates buy-in and leads to our proudest achievements.
Finally, our next mayor needs to have the skills and experience to be the chief executive of a dynamic city. She needs to help us navigate the current COVID crisis and to lead our recovery back to a safe, thriving Somerville and no one can do that alone. We will need to retain and support our talented city staff and get everyone working together. We know we can live our progressive values, nurture our institutions, support our local businesses, keep our city safe, and keep building upon what’s great here so we can all thrive together. That’s why I’m running to be the next mayor of Somerville and, if you share those goals too, I ask you to join us.
Thank you, and see you on the campaign trail.
