Harriotte Hurie Ranvig

I have lived, worked and raised my children here in Somerville since 1983 as a blind mother and now grandmother. My understanding of the gross inequities people struggle with daily is informed by my lifelong advocacy with and for people with disabilities, work which intersects with racial injustice. Multilingual fluency (Hindi, German, conversational Spanish and French) has served me in connecting with individuals across cultures.

During the five years I have served on the ORS Steering Committee, I have testified at City Council hearings on critical issues of zoning for affordable and accessible housing and for fairness in large city development projects. I will continue to hold our new mayor and city council accountable for making good on their progressive promises. Thank you for considering me for the 2022 Our Revolution Somerville Steering Committee.

Hang Ngo

My name is Hang Ngo (she/they) and I grew up in Chelsea, after my family and I arrived in the U.S. as refugees after the Vietnam War. I am running for the ORS Steering Committee again this year to continue my work helping ORS strategize more inclusive and equitable practices to build a progressive movement that includes everyone, particularly the most marginalized in our society. I plan to help ORS continue building its community coalitions to strengthen our social justice efforts for Somerville and beyond.

Joe Creedon

I was a super canvasser for Bernie Sanders in 2020, both in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, as well as for Will Mbah's mayoral run here in Somerville. I was also a volunteer for Nina Turner and Alex Morse's congressional bids, and Ed Markey's 2020 senate race. Talking to voters has given me insight into what it takes to win elections based on speaking to people's material needs, and I would like to bring that experience to ORS' Steering Committee. ORS is an undeniably important voice in local progressive politics. I would like to help continue and strengthen that tradition.

Jeff Uehlinger

My name is Jeff Uehlinger and I am excited to be considered for the Our Revolution Somerville Steering Committee. I served on the Steering Committee over this past year, and am also the co-chair of the Labor Working Group.

As ORS members, our work is more urgent than ever. In 2022 I commit to fighting back as an ORS member as we continue to bring together movements across our city, design campaigns to pass bold legislation, build out our membership, and advance the work of our working groups. I hope to join our committed leadership to move this work forward.

Malcolm Cummings

My name is Malcolm Cummings (he/him). I grew up in Cambridge, have lived in Somerville since 2009, and joined ORS after the 2016 election to support local progressive action. I’ve been organizing for climate action for many years, including in the movement to divest public funds from fossil fuels, co-founding the Climate Coalition of Somerville and representing ORS in that space since 2017. Somerville is seeing an economic boom in clean energy technology, but recent history shows us that a tech boom often leaves working class people behind. I hope to use the position on steering to help ORS push for true equity and shared opportunities in the energy transition. The city’s climate action plan is scheduled to be re-written in 2022, and ORS’s core values need to be represented in that effort. I’ve been participating in ongoing work with the Somerville Stands Together coalition on a series of proposed improvements to Somerville’s existing climate plans and I hope to use that as a template for getting much more aggressive climate policies and emissions targets in place this year. I’d love to bring this climate work to the steering committee and make sure ORS pushes as hard as we can for a Green New Deal!

In 2021, I helped start up the ORS Education Working Group, and I’m looking forward to building up that group in 2022. 2021 was an incredibly difficult year for parents, educators and every stakeholder in our schools. I think we can use this new working group to build membership and take meaningful action around the innumerable issues in our school system, including school safety, keeping cops out of schools, racial equity, and starting a local green new deal for public schools.

Melinda Green

I’ve been actively organizing with ORS since 2017. During that time, I have also been part of our dedicated Communications team. I know the good we can do when we are truly united in our fight for a vibrant, more equitable Somerville.

If elected to the 2022 Steering Committee, I will constantly push for a return to issue-centric organizing, building deeper relationships with like-minded community groups, and making good on our DEI efforts. This year, I also want to ensure on-going organizational support for ballot measures guaranteeing rideshare workers’ rights and the desperately-needed millionaire’s tax.

2022 is an opportunity for us to rebuild as a more nimble, inclusive, and effective organization. Solidarity must be at the heart of everything we do — to each other and as allies. If elected, I will be a relentless advocate for bottom-up organizing and decision making within ORS. Let’s make this the year we become an even more powerful force for critical change in our community.

Mike Bowler

I am running for my fifth term on steering because I believe that Our Revolution Somerville plays a crucial role in local movements here in Somerville- intersecting the worlds of grassroots organizing and electoral politics effectively. But there is more work that needs to be done to grow membership and get involved in the issues sure to arise in a new municipal administration. I have been involved with Our Revolution Somerville since its creation 5 years ago as a member of the steering committee, and I care deeply about its ability to restore power to the people of the community. I think the organization can still play an important role in bringing a spotlight to issues and organizing campaigns around the issues that fit with our values. This past term was difficult and exhausting; it has been a difficult two years for the organization during COVID. Relationships have become shakier and we all miss the solidarity of organizing together in person. In this next term, there will be so many important issues on the table surrounding building a more equitable city post-COVID while protecting our most vulnerable neighbors. I hope I get the chance to serve again.

Colleen Fitzpatrick

My name is Colleen Fitzpatrick and I have been a resident and renter in Somerville for the past eight years, and a member of the ORS Steering Committee for the past three years. I became involved with this organization because I am keenly aware of the inequities and injustices that exist in our community. We face extraordinary pressure from market forces and developers, and it is becoming more and more difficult for working people to live here. I know that it is only through coming together and organizing that we can grow our own power and protect our city.

I am proud of the successes that ORS and our allies have had in our short history as an organization, from electing more progressive City Councilors and working to establish the Office of Housing Stability to passing one of the strongest Wage Theft Ordinances in the country. However, there are always ways to improve and we must strive to become a more inclusive organization that is representative of the larger community. If re-elected to the steering committee, I would prioritize outreach and new member engagement. My background in community and labor organizing makes me well-suited to this project. I also have experience working on housing policy and advocating for increased worker protections, which has proven extremely useful in the role of ORS Steering Committee member. I look forward to continuing to be of service to this organization and the broader community in the coming year.