New Candidate Enters Race For Somerville City Council

SOMERVILLE, MA — A community organizer and data scientist has announced their run for city councilor at-large in Somerville. Eve Seitchik, who identifies as transfeminine non-binary and uses "they/them" pronouns, would be among the first only non-binary city councilors in the country.

Seitchik is a two-term co-chair of the Boston Democratic Socialists of America, a group with nearly 3,000 members in Eastern Massachusetts and over 300 in Somerville. Member Erika Uyterhoeven won her race to serve as state representative for Somerville’s 27th Middlesex District last year, with Seitchik serving as her campaign’s treasurer. Seitchik is currently seeking Boston DSA’s endorsement.

"Somerville is a progressive, caring city, full of people who look out for each other," Seitchik said. "At the same time, our local government hasn’t always reflected those values. Just last week, public housing tenants in Clarendon Hill were threatened with eviction and in-person inspections during a pandemic by the Somerville Housing Authority, a city agency, in violation of the city’s own eviction moratorium."

Editor's Note: The housing authority is independently run and not affiliated with city government.

Locally, Seitchik and Boston DSA have been active in the 2020 fight alongside the paraprofessionals of the Somerville Educators Union to negotiate a livable wage, organizing in City Hall for a transfer tax on real estate development and campaigns for police accountability and budget justice. Seitchik is a progressive independent and takes their political inspiration from the labor movement and workers' parties throughout history, such as the UK Labour Party and Eugene Debs' Socialist Party of America.

Born in Cambridge, Seitchik has lived in the Boston area their entire life and in Somerville for the past seven years. A healthcare tech worker and data scientist, their professional background is in advanced data analytics to help hospitals get claims paid by reluctant insurance companies.

"I have seen first-hand how broken the healthcare system is in this country. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare is a local issue," they said. "While our state and federal allies push for crucial programs like Medicare for All, we need to go all-in on public health. That starts with expanded free COVID testing but goes much further too. We are looking at sidewalk snow removal, community farms and food security, safe injection sites, and defunding the police to fund non-violent mental health services and non-congregate shelter for our houseless neighbors."