As some of you might know, I live in Cambridge, Massachusetts. However, the area in Cambridge where I am situated is but a hop, skip and scarcely a jump away from Somerville.
Given that I am in Somerville almost every day, I ought to be more in tune with what is literally going down the block from me. But this article from the Jewish Insider shook me. When it comes to mayoral politics in Somerville, we might have a Mamdani in our midst:
But one lower-profile race featuring a Democratic Socialists of America activist with involvement in anti-Israel groups has flown under the radar. In the progressive city of Somerville, Mass. — just outside Boston and bordering Cambridge — City Councilor Willie Burnley Jr. advanced to a runoff against another city council member, Jake Wilson.
In the city’s first round of balloting, which ousted the city’s sitting mayor, Katjana Ballantyne, Wilson finished first with 42% of the citywide vote, but Burnley wasn’t far behind with 34%. Ballantyne, facing a backlash to the city’s rising housing costs, lagged in third place with just 23% of the vote.
If Burnley prevails, he would be the city’s first Black, openly queer and polyamorous mayor, according to Axios.
But Burnley’s unconventional self-identification pales in comparison to his radical record. He’s been endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, and has been active in the organization for at least the last several years. He has participated in anti-Israel protests, including one where he is standing in front of a protester holding a sign with a Nazi swastika flag next to an Israeli flag. At a Tufts University anti-Israel protest last year, he posed in front of posters reading “Glory to the martyrs.”
He has touted his endorsement from the anti-Israel group “Somerville for Palestine” and walked out on a Jewish constituent objecting to the city council’s consideration of a measure that would require Somerville to divest city funds business from companies that do business with Israel. In 2018, he was pictured being involved with the anti-Israel group IfNotNow.
Serves me right for not being more engaged in what's going on in the neighborhood.
Now that I am aware of what is happening all too near my doorstep, I am deeply unsettled.
If Burnley, Jr. is comfortable being around those who liken Israel to Nazis and those who praise the "martyrs" who slaughtered 1,200 people on October 7th and is openly hostile to Jewish constituents, then it is incumbent upon the people of Somerville to make sure he gets nowhere near the mayor's office.
Unlike Andrew Cuomo, Jake Wilson doesn't have much in the way of baggage. On the other hand, Wilson seems to think that a Hamas, a terrorist organization, and the democratically elected government of Benjamin Netanyahu are morally equivalent. One can disagree with Netanyahu's decisions without putting Israel on the same moral plane with Hamas. Evidently, Wilson cannot make that distinction. With that said, I'm not sure Wilson would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with someone who thinks the Hamas terrorists are martyrs. I realize it's an inch of difference but in this case every inch counts.
With that said, I don't discount Burnley, Jr's chances. After all, Somerville is part of Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley's district, and she is someone who has likened pro-Hamas campus agitators to the civil rights movement. If the people of Somerville can tolerate those views, then it is not inconceivable they could tolerate someone who is comfortable associating with folks who support terrorism.
Of course, anti-Semitism is everywhere including here in Cambridge particularly at Harvard and MIT. Yet, all things considered, I am glad I live on this side of the Cambridge-Somerville line.
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