news & Updates

Welcome back to our Ward 7 Newsletter! As many of you know, I had a baby in April of this year and life with a new little one has kept me busy! I have so enjoyed showing Isaac the beauty of this great city, from walking the community path extension, to visiting the West Branch library for storytime, and going to his first Fluff Festival recently.

I’m excited to introduce you all to our newest Ward 7 constituent! My baby boy, Isaac, was born on 4/10/23 and my husband and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I am spending this precious time bonding with him and getting settled into life as a new mom and will be slower to respond to emails and requests.

Happy belated Valentine's Day! This year is flying by and it's already time to start thinking about and talking about next fiscal year's budget! Once again, City Councilors are being asked to submit their own budget priorities by the end of March.

Ward 7 city councilor Judy Pineda Neufeld echoed the concerns of several community members who spoke about residents who walk to the Stop & Shop on Broadway and what increased traffic could do to an already hard-to-use intersection and crosswalk.

A Somerville homeowner attempting to rent rooms in his house to Tufts students has faced unexpected resistance from the city government on the grounds that his request to house unrelated students is unlawful. The homeowner, who requested that the Daily not identify him by name, has been appealing to the Somerville City Council for months.

Happy new year! Looking forward to another year of serving you on the Council. We're already kicking off with a busy start to the year, and I'm excited to have been officially sworn in as the City Council Vice President! Looking forward to serving alongside Council President Ben Ewen-Campen.

The City of Somerville has passed a new ordinance that expands bereavement leave for city employees to include up to five days of paid recovery following a miscarriage, stillbirth or abortion. Passage of the ordinance was led by City Council Vice President Judy Pineda Neufeld.

Councilor Judy Pineda Neufeld was sworn in as Vice President of the Somerville City Council for 2023, alongside Council President Ben Ewen-Campen. The incoming leaders were selected by their colleagues at the council’s annual caucus meeting in November, and formally voted in at today’s organizational meeting that began the 2023 session.

Happy December! I hope you and your loved ones are healthy and safe as we head into the holiday season. I wanted to be sure to start this newsletter (our last of 2022!) with a few personal and professional announcements!

Last week, we had a glass-shattering historic election here in Massachusetts! And believe it or not, it's been just over a year since I was elected to the Somerville City Council. We have so much to celebrate together and I hope you received my save the date for our end of year virtual celebration! I'm looking forward to sharing some highlights from the City Council and hopes and plans for next year.

Somerville Ward 7 City Councilor Judy Pineda Neufeld has been nominated for the 2022 Latino Excellence Awards. The awards are done by the Massachusetts State House’s Black and Latino Legislative Caucus to commemorate Latinx Community leaders and trailblazers who are moving the needle forward in cities and towns across the state.

Happy Fall! The weather has certainly changed (although we have held out on turning on our heat yet... anyone else?) and I'm looking forward to voting for nearly all women on my ballot in a few weeks on Election Day! Don't forget to vote this year! More on how to vote below.

Happy September! The last couple of months have flown by me, between budget season, community events, a short vacation, AND a move to a bigger apartment (still in Ward 7!).

It’s been a difficult time for so many. As I write this, I am grieving the loss of a dear friend and someone who made such an incredible impact on our community, Stephenson Aman. Steph was a coach and youth mentor, community organizer, and fierce advocate for equity and justice. Steph and I worked together during the height of the Covid19 pandemic in the Immigrant Services Unit (pictured here). For those who would like to help his family during this difficult time, there is a GoFundMe set up.

From Somerville Wire:

Clarendon Hill, a 216-unit housing development in West Somerville, will be substantially enlarged, redesigned, and renovated, after the City Council last week authorized $14 million in borrowing to help finance the project.

Spring is in the air… can you feel it? The Union Square GLX station is open, flowers are blooming, and the sun is coming out most days again! Even as I pulled on my winter coat again this morning, I can see signs of Spring all around us, including the return of some of my favorite upcoming Somerville events! Read on for more, and as always, reach out anytime I can be helpful.

I have some *quick* updates to share with you, one of which I promised to share the moment I had an update about it. Read on for more!

(Somerville Wire) – The digital divide in Somerville, which was laid bare over the course of the pandemic, represents an issue of equity in the city, particularly as it relates to immigrants and other marginalized groups, say City officials.

City Council is back in session.... in person! Last night was the first time we met in City Hall and it was really nice to see my new colleagues and city staff in person. Looking forward to continuing to serve this amazing community.

During my campaign, I pledged to be a transparent City Councilor who keeps our ward updated on what is going on in our community and on the City Council, so I'm starting a monthly newsletter! In this email you'll find important updates from within the ward and across Somerville, ways to get involved, and shout outs to our neighbors.

In November, Judy Pineda-Neufeld was elected as the city councilor for Ward 7; however, she has spent much of her career working with and empowering people in her community.

"I have always cared about helping people and I want to motivate, inspire, and excite other people to become leaders in their own communities," she said.

Judy Pineda Neufeld has secured a victory in the November 2nd General Election for Somerville Ward 7 City Councilor. Pineda Neufeld earned 1,513 votes, topping competitor Becca Miller’s total of 1,244.

Candidate for Ward 7 City Councilor Judy Pineda Neufeld has been endorsed by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. Congresswoman Pressley is a former Boston City Councilor and in 2018 became the first woman of color to be elected to Congress from Massachusetts. She currently represents Somerville in Washington DC as part of the Massachusetts 7th congressional district.

Judy Pineda Neufeld topped the ticket in the Preliminary Election on Tuesday September 14th with 37.15% of the vote in Ward 7. She will go on to face the second place vote-getter, Becca Miller, in the General Election on Tuesday November 2nd.

Judy Pineda Neufeld has been recognized as a signer of the City Champion Pledge by NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, the Commonwealth’s leading grassroots, reproductive freedom political advocacy organization.

Judy has lived in Somerville for 15 of the last 20 years and has packed more progressive activism in her 38 years than just about any of my contemporaries (and I just turned 72). To say that she would add a terrific blend of energy, commitment, and expertise to the city council would be quite an understatement.

The Democratic Ward Committee in Somerville Ward 7 has voted to endorse Judy Pineda Neufeld for Ward 7 City Councilor. All four candidates for Ward 7 Councilor participated in a candidate forum open to the public June 28, followed by an endorsement vote by the elected members of the Democratic Ward Committee.