Name: Intro to Somerville City Government
Availability: InStock

Come learn how Somerville city government works: who has which powers, which departments do what, and how residents can actually influence decisions. This is for you, whether you want to advocate for change, volunteer on a campaign, run for office, or just understand your city!

You may have noticed that Somerville should do many things better! But... can the city government even do some of them? What are they already doing? What are the powers of the City Council to change things? The Mayor? The School Committee? The MA State Legislature? Which city departments do what? When you want something to change, who should you contact, and what do you need to do to be truly heard?

These are big, important questions, but it's not easy to find answers. Come learn about our city government, how it works, and how it responds to pressures from voters, residents, nonprofits, the state government and the federal government. Whether you're interested in advocating for policy change, volunteering for a political campaign, running for office yourself, or just better understanding how things work, come join us -- and bring your questions!

Instructor

Ben W.

Ben Wheeler is a Somerville City Councilor, a longtime software engineer in the education world, and a veteran educator. He's taught hundreds of people to code, helped make creative tools used by millions of kids, and wrote curriculum for the New York City's Department of Education used across New York City.