Katjana Ballantyne prevailed in her bid to become the next mayor of Somerville in Tuesday’s General Election.

By Fernando Cervantes Jr.

Katjana Ballantyne defeated Will Mbah on Tuesday night in the Somerville mayoral race. With about 56 percent of the vote, Ballantyne became the new Mayor-Elect of Somerville. She will be the first person not named Curtatone to hold the office in almost 18 years.

Ballantyne, who has represented Ward 7 in Somerville City Council for about eight years, faced off against Mbah, who has been an At-Large City Councilor for approximately three years now.

The race was a close battle with a plethora of endorsements coming in for both candidates, from U.S House Representative Ayanna Pressley to State Representative Erika Uyterhoeven.

The Mbah campaign posted a statement regarding the results of the election at about 9:00 p.m. “While I had hoped for a different result, the people of Somerville have spoken and I respect their decision,” Mbah said. “I want to congratulate Councilor Katjana Ballantyne on her victory and on the honor of being selected to represent the great city of Somerville.”

— Photos by Fernando Cervantes Jr.

Ballantyne spoke of her victory and her feelings immediately after results were released. “Thank you to all of the Somerville voters, certainly congratulations to Will [Mbah] on a good campaign, and now it’s time for us to do work,” Ballantyne said.

Some Somerville voters spoke about a number of issues that influenced their vote and their reason to vote in this election at all.

Ally Madden, a 3-year resident of Somerville reflected on why she decided to vote on Election Day. “Since getting out of undergrad, I’ve realized how important it is at every level to get out and vote. I also had a canvasser come by my apartment to let me know where the voting location was and everything,” Madden said.

Arah Schuur, who has lived in Somerville for about 17 years, talked about the special opportunity to shape the city for the future. “This is our opportunity to shape the future of our city, and I want elected officials to reflect my priorities and values,” Schuur said.

Moreover, Schuur also spoke on the specific issues that influenced her vote in the election. “Safety on our streets, so aligning our decisions on our streets with our long-term policy values about climate change, vision zero and affordable housing,” Schuur said.

Madden had her own ideas on what the new mayor should address on their first day in office.

“COVID things, safety and making sure getting vaccinated is accessible to everyone,” Madden said.

Official results of the election and full results of other races can be found at: https://www.somervillema.gov/departments/programs/votesomerville.

To see how each ward voted click here.