Why I Ran for Alderman
The years since 2011 have been a crash course in municipal government for me, and the issues around development and fairness are key for us to grapple with as a city. I'm convinced that the future of our neighborhoods is at stake–and I'm convinced that we can do better if we try.
My journey started with Union United and Union Square Neighbors back in 2012 and 2014, fighting against displacement and for more community benefits and green space from Union Square urban renewal plan. We saw the neighborhood getting run over in meetings and sold out in backroom deals. We needed to elect City Councilors who would stand up for the neighbors instead of catering to developers - and that's exactly what we've done.
- We need representatives who will listen to residents and act on their concerns instead of deferring to hired consultants to determine the future of our neighborhoods.
- We need representatives who serve the interests of the residents of our neighborhoods instead of the interest of developers whose main goal is profit.
- We need representatives who understand how to balance our needs for more employment, more green space, more housing, and greater affordability in our city.
- We need representatives with bold new ideas who are ready to collaborate with state and local officials to implement policies that can preserve our neighborhoods while moving Somerville forward - and the buckle-down know-how to make those things happen legislatively and financially.
- Above all, we need to ensure that the future of Somerville includes a place for all of us to live, work, and play.
Now that I've been elected to serve as your representative, I'm getting to work. I put forward legislation in my very first meeting to enable a Tenant Right of First Refusal, creation of a Community Land Trust, and an order to expand notification of city meetings to include tenants as well as homeowners.
I want to hear from you because it's going to take all of us working together to get the outcomes that serve us best. Call me anytime at (857) 615-1532, or send an email to jtforward2@gmail.com.
Our Approach
Our Story
About JT Scott
I grew up in rural west Tennessee in a small town where everyone knew each other and the families were a dense network reaching back generations–like some small corners of Somerville still are.
In 1994, I attended Duke University, and graduated with bachelor's degrees in both Electrical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering. After college, I got a job in the semiconductor industry with a small startup in Allentown, PA. I worked hard and did well at that company, earning a quick promotion and a transfer to their office in the Boston area in 2000.
I met and began dating my partner Chandra back in 2006. She was an artist and an activist, and lived in Somerville near Teele Square. We proved to be a perfect match for each other, as I was pursuing interest outside of my day job in circus performance. As artists and performers, it's no surprise we both wanted to live in Somerville–for all the same reasons you do. We still live together on Washington Street today raising our kids and happily sending them to the Argenziano school.
After over a decade in semiconductors, I changed careers and started a gym in Union Square. I had lost a lot of weight and gotten healthy by doing CrossFit, and I was passionate about helping others do the same. Somerville is the perfect place for such a business, and Chandra and I had fallen in love with Union Square. There's nowhere else I would rather live, work, and raise my family.
As an activist, I've fought for LGBTQ+ rights in the Commonwealth, fair wages and benefits for employees, our public right to health care, racial and economic justice, and am proud of the time I spent at Occupy Boston. Locally, I've been very involved in the fight for affordable housing and responsible development in Somerville, including the many-years-process the city undertook planning the redevelopment of Union Square.
In Somerville, I've been a member of Union United, the vice-chair of Union Square Neighbors, and a Board Member of Union Square Main Streets. Now, I'm honored to serve as your elected representative for Ward 2.
Office Hours Every Friday
You've got questions, and I've held office hours every Friday morning from 8-10am since being elected to answer hem. Now that we're all in Pandemic Mode, they are online! Click the button here to join in any Friday morning.
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