By Eesha Pendharkar

Most of Somerville’s candidates for local office attended a meet and greet at Workbar on Tuesday night of last week, days before the preliminary election. “All politics is local” got all three candidates for mayor including, incumbent Joseph Curtatone, together in one room.

The event was hosted by Somerville Local First, an organization that calls upon the city’s leaders and businesses to build a local, fair economy.

“Unlike fundraisers, candidates will not be given an opportunity to address the crowd, but rather engage in face-to-face conversations with attendees throughout the evening,” stated the Facebook page for the event, overseen by Executive Director Courtney O’Keefe. “This ain’t your mama’s candidate night.”

Current and potential local leaders mingled with citizens by communicating one-on-one, which new Somerville resident Hallah Elbeleidy said felt like citizens were in the spotlight for once. “In a way it’s strange but it’s an empowering feeling,” she said.

Kenneth Salvato, who is running for school committee from Ward 1 spoke in favor of the direct interaction the night offered citizens, saying that he wished similar events would happen even when it was not an election year.

Current Ward 2 Alderman Maryann Heuston echoed a similar sentiment. She commended the event by saying that it was a great opportunity to meet people in her ward. “Listening to what they think is important,” she said.

All but four of the candidates for mayor, alderman, alderman-at-large and School Committee member attended the event and took the opportunity to present their campaign issues to the public in an informal way. Citizens heard about Heuston’s focus on open spaces, Salvato’s plan to fund his 5-point plan by taking a $5,000 pay cut and got to ask their representatives about affordability, which is a particularly important issue in Somerville.

Mayor Curtatone and a few others, including School Committee candidate Guillermo Samuel Hamlin, originally from Paraguay, supported Somerville’s stance on immigration and being a sanctuary city by wearing stickers that said “No human being is illegal” or, in Hamlin’s case, “Immigrant.”

“I do not represent those who vote for me,” Hamlin said, talking about being a more inclusive, accessible candidate. “I represent those who often can’t vote.”

In an email through his campaign manager, Mayor Curtatone confirmed that the question most residents and business owners asked him was about increasing property prices. He stated that efforts to tackle the affordability problem were ongoing. Mayoral candidate Kenneth Van Buskirk listed lowering property taxes high on his objectives at the event.

“Several important pieces of that plan have already been put in place, and I’m talking to residents about what we need to do in the next term,” he wrote.

Curtatone also praised O’Keefe’s event by saying, “It was the first event this campaign season where someone reached out to all of the candidates and got them all into one room.”

“I put it together and crossed my fingers that they would show up,” O’Keefe said to the surprisingly well-attended event. Having served as alderman in 2013, she acknowledged the importance of the new format. “Nothing like being able to have the ear of someone running for office,” she said.