The city’s outgoing public officials rounding out their final terms took time to assess their accomplishments and look towards their futures.

By Melina Nguyen

With election season wrapped up, the residents of Somerville say farewell to some longtime local politicians, including Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone, Ward 5 City Councilor Mark Niedergang and Councilor-at-Large William White. And the trio recently took time to reflect on their decades-long careers.

Curtatone announced in March that he would not run for a tenth term in office as mayor, ending his tenure as the longest-serving chief executive in Somerville history.

Noting the physical and emotional toll of guiding the city through the pandemic, Curtatone said COVID-19 operations demanded the full attention of the mayor’s office, and he didn’t want to lose his passion for the job.

“Some people say, ‘Slow down, retire,’” he said. “I’ve been on an incredible roller coaster ride… At some point, that roller coaster is going to end, and I’m jumping on the next one. Don’t expect me to slow down.”

He felt “blessed, privileged and honored” to serve Somerville, stating he will continue to involve himself with city government, non-profit organizations and volunteering.

“My term’s done. My job’s not done,” said Curtatone, who served Somerville as mayor for 18 years.

He will share his experience as mayor with the other elected officials to build, improve and expand their knowledge. The transition from Curtatone to the next mayor, Katjana Ballantyne, will be a personal, side-by-side process instead of just a shift in title, said Curtatone.

After he leaves office, Curtatone will serve as the next president of the Northeast Clean Energy Council, leaving politics to work in the clean energy industry. His next job still builds upon his skills as a government leader as he plans to bring a “city perspective” to the non-profit organization.

“What allured me to this [position] is my experience as mayor and the work that is involved as mayor,” said Curtatone.

He stated policy making is important in bridging the city’s goals and people’s wellbeing.

In his free time, Curtatone has picked up guitar again and is in the band “Uncivil Servants.”

Mark Niedergang previously served as the Ward 5 School Committee member for eight years before becoming the Ward 5 City Councilor. In total, Niedergang completed 15 years of work on the City Council.

Niedergang was also a member of the Legislative Matters Committee, Land Use Committee, and Ward 5 Democratic City Committee.

He announced his retirement from City Council in December 2020.

Niedergang enjoyed the fulfilling work he has done on the council, but he admits that it’s been exhausting.

“I’m 67 years old, and I’ve been banging away at this for 16 years,” said Niedergang. “These are part-time jobs … we have no staff, most of the meetings are at night.”

He performed what he called “behind-the-scenes work.” The time spent on zoning drafts and emails and meetings allowed him to solve issues on the school committee and City Council.

The merger of the Choice program and the Neighborhood program at Healey School in 2011 was particularly memorable, Niedergang said.

Before that time, the Arthur D. Healey School had been divided into the Choice program, a project-based approach to learning that used an annual lottery for admission, and the Neighborhood program that historically consisted of lower-income students with participants drawn mainly from the Mystic Avenue housing projects.

“It was extremely challenging … it certainly stands out because in 16 years as an elected official, that was the most difficult, trying issue that I dealt with,” said Niedergang. “I was the chair of the school committee at the time, so I was in the hot seat in terms of shepherding it through.”

Also, for seven years, he worked on a complete overhaul of the city’s zoning code, a large piece of legislation that was an “overall good decision.”

“We [the city council] have almost all the power on zoning, so it was really our baby and our decision,” said Niedergang.

Throughout his time as a Somerville resident and councilor, Niedergang experienced a major demographic shift from working class and immigrant residents to more upper income people.

He also said Somerville’s political values have changed and become more “liberal, progressive, radical.”

Although he will retire from the city council, Niedergang plans to continue being involved in Somerville affairs, especially street safety.

This year, he was part of creating a coalition called the Somerville Alliance for Safe Streets, composed of bicycle and pedestrian safety activists.

“To me, this is a really important issue,” said Niedergang. “Almost half of the people that get hit by motor vehicles in Somerville are in a crosswalk, so that gives you a sense of how bad things are.”

After his final term in office, Niedergang hopes to hold a leadership role in the B’nai Brith Congregation, a synagogue that he has been a member of for 30 years.

City Councilor-At-Large William “Bill” White also will not seek another term after more than 20 years on the City Council.

“The time and season for my service on the Somerville City Council has come to an end,” said White.

Explaining the most pressing dilemma the city has faced since his first day in office, White said via email, “The challenge has been to make decisions that will allow Somerville to keep the best of its traditions and also welcome and serve all of the new people who come here.” He noted that now more young, affluent individuals live in Somerville.

With the increase in real estate prices and the upcoming Green Line Extension stops, housing pressures will “become more severe,” said White.

During his time in office, White, his colleagues and developers collaborated to make Assembly Square a “transit oriented mixed use development site” instead of transforming into a static shopping center.

He also supported a 35% residential tax exemption in order to promote residential home ownership that reduced Somerville homeowners’ taxes by $3,455 last year.

White grew up in Somerville in the 60s, attending Somerville high school when the city was still primarily a working-class immigrant community. He earned his college degree from Harvard University, then received a law degree from Georgetown. He pursued a career in law at the federal and local levels.

White plans to continue living in Somerville and to practice law from his office in Davis Square after his final term.

Newly elected officials include Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, Ward 5 City Councilor Beatriz Gómez Mouakad and City Councilors-at-Large Willie Burnley Jr., Charlotte Kelley and Jake Wilson. Inauguration Day for the city’s most recent election winners is January 3, 2022.

Note: Outgoing Councilor At-Large Mary Jo Rosetti was not available for comments in this article.