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Councilor Ben Wheeler

@councilorwheeler.bsky.social
140 followers 108 following 194 posts

Somerville, MA City Councilor At-Large. Housing affordability, transit, good governance. Imagine a friend said it. benwheelerforsomerville.com

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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Here's my newsletter for Sept 2026 -- I'm running that "end of the month" razor's edge! Topics: 🔍👮🗳️✊🚗 City Council newsletter: police oversight, ballot questions, community involvement & parking policy sh1.sendinblue.com/mk/sc/19DoPy...
sh1.sendinblue.com
🔍👮🗳️✊🚗 City Council newsletter: police oversight, ballot
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
A difficult challenge, but a necessary one, for men is to look at our own behavior (and silence) through this lens. There are times I have joked, or laughed along with jokes, where I later realized I was contributing to a sense of unwelcome that women were experiencing.
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Reposted by Councilor Ben Wheeler
maura quint @mauraquint.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Yes every woman has been harassed, many assaulted. But every woman has also experienced invisible loss from moments she avoided harassment. She felt a space becoming unsafe, so she left, while men stayed on. And in leaving, she lost: opportunities, experiences, learning, promotions, even simply fun.
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Someone reached out with a question about whether my upcoming single-session classes exclude practicing Jews, since I'm holding them on Friday evenings. (The first is tomorrow Oct 2, 6-8pm: learn.fractal.boston/courses/comm... )
learn.fractal.boston
Community Involvement: Finding the Right Path for You · FractalU Boston
Do you want to engage more in the community around you, but aren't sure where to start? We'll dive deep into opportunities for involvement here in Somerville, and explore how to find ones that are rig...
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Reposted by Councilor Ben Wheeler
Elizabeth Wrigley-Field @wrigleyfield.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Super interesting research validating the perspective that, to make housing affordable and let people live where they want, we need to both build way more housing and build in protections for current tenants of neighborhoods ripe for gentrification.
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
It's still shocking that my synagogue, and most others, need security on days of prayer and reflection. I was thinking about this during Yom Kippur services, and only later did I learn of the shooting outside the synagogue in Belleville, Ontario.
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
THIS FRIDAY, I'll be teaching a free single-session class related to civic involvement in Somerville!! Community Involvement: Finding the Right Path for You, Friday Oct 2 6-8pm, Free! Please sign up and join us! learn.fractal.boston/courses/comm...
learn.fractal.boston
Community Involvement: Finding the Right Path for You · FractalU Boston
Do you want to engage more in the community around you, but aren't sure where to start? We'll dive deep into opportunities for involvement here in Somerville, and explore how to find ones that are rig...
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
As a kid, I'd assume our greatest are studying important questions like this, with a culture of eagerly welcoming dissent and novel information. Then as an adult I slowly realized we kinda just... do what people will accept, and shrug when people say it's not working
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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
“It’s kind of damning that it has taken Massachusetts this long because it really is a policy that the Legislature should have passed,” Cohn said, noting that MA and RI are the only New England states that have not implemented same-day voter registration. www.boston.com/news/local-n...
boston.com
Question 4 could allow Mass. voters to register on Election Day. Here’s what to know.
Supporters say Question 4 would expand voting access, while opponents argue same-day registration jeopardizes election integrity.
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Allison Gill @muellershewrote.com · 24/09/2026
The cervical punch biopsy and colposcopy was easily the worst pain I’ve felt in my entire life.
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Chris Dwan (he/him) @somershade.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Today I learned that Customs and Border Patrol made an app to allow people to ‘self deport,’ and that app is on both the Apple and Android stores. There are cheerful signs at Logan telling people this. I hate this timeline and I hate what my country has become.
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Allison Gill @muellershewrote.com · 23/09/2026
Idea: no corporate welfare, subsidies, or government contracts for corporations whose employees need to rely on government assistance because of low wages.
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Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.blacksky.app · 23/09/2026
federal immigration agents beat up a US citizen in Evanston on Sunday morning and left him lying in the street or as Kavanaugh would put it, he experienced as "brief investigative stop" ballsandstrikes.org/law-politics...
ballsandstrikes.org
Brett Kavanaugh’s Imaginary Immigration Stops Opinion Gets More Embarrassing Every Day
The fact that ICE officers do not allow wrongfully detained people to “promptly go free” is a surprise to only one man in America.
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Horrified by this shooting on Yom Kippur outside an Ontario synagogue. I deeply appreciate the police officer who protected the synagogue -- and, places of worship or cultural gathering should never need this level of security just to be safe from hate.
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Chris Dwan (he/him) @somershade.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Hey folks, while you’re out visiting farmer’s markets, art and craft fairs, and similar this weekend … also take a moment to connect face to face with trusted neighbors and discuss how best to support each other as we fight the rising tide of fascism worldwide. Be smart, be safe, resist.
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Here is the opinion piece I wrote in the Columbia Spectator weeks after the Sept 11, 2001 attacks. I haven't reread it in 20 years. Thanks always to Alice Boone, whose questions as an editor made my writing and thinking so much better.
My Cassandra Month
by Ben Wheeler
Columbia Daily Spectator
October 9, 2001

As I marched along Sixth Avenue on Sunday, holding a sign that said "make history not war," a bystander on the sidewalk confronted me. "And where are you gonna go," she asked me, "the next time they bomb us?"

It took me a moment to realize that she was disagreeing with my position. All I could come up with was "I'm trying to make sure they don't bomb us."

It just came out, and I worried it was simplistic and meaningless. But there was truth to it.

My new acquaintance didn't see it that way. "How are you gonna stop them?" she asked. "By kissing ass?"

To her, the marchers' demand for peace meant appeasement, capitulation. To the marchers, however, it meant anything but. What kind of victory would it be, marchers asked, if Afghanistan is bombed, its civilians fear for their lives, and bin Laden is seized by force--or martyred? "Getting" bin Laden will be meaningless if we make new enemies in the process.
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
In the days after the 9/11 attacks, I joined NYC activists handing out leaflets around the city calling on our fellow Americans to focus on justice and peace, and not to exclude American Muslims or blame them for the attacks.
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
What's wild to me is that even when we used to make fun of Republicans in the 90s for being wilfully ignorant so much of the time, we never imagined this level of their simply having zero idea what the heck they're doing and going along with it anyway. Just mind-boggling
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Imagine this sort of inexplicable, brainfart error happening in ways that actually affect people: it's as though these people watched Terry Gilliam's Brazil and saw the life and death consequences of the typo that starts the movie and thought, THAT -- LET'S BUILD THAT
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GamerDad @gamerdad8six.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
There’s nothing unconstitutional about expanding the court, however it is unconstitutional to go to war without congressional approval, cause an insurrection on the US Capitol, to target/prosecute someone for free speech, and for the president to accept gifts from a foreign nation, to name a few
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Wild news, I'm still reeling. JT has been such a huge help to me in getting up to speed, understanding how things work, and pushing to ask questions... www.reddit.com/r/Somerville...
reddit.com
From the Somerville community on Reddit: JT Scott (Ward 2 Councilor) Resigns
Explore this post and more from the Somerville community
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Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
THANK YOU, SOMERVILLE! I am profoundly honored to have earned your support to serve as State Representative in the 27th Middlesex District. Together, we will work for affordable housing, safe streets, great public schools, a fair economy, and a government that is transparent and earns your trust.
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
This fall, I'm teaching two single-session classes related to civic involvement in Somerville!! 1. Community Involvement: Finding the Right Path for You, Friday Oct 2 6-8pm, Free! learn.fractal.boston/courses/comm...
learn.fractal.boston
Community Involvement: Finding the Right Path for You · FractalU Boston
Do you want to engage more in the community around you, but aren't sure where to start? We'll dive deep into opportunities for involvement here in Somerville, and explore how to find ones that are rig...
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Reposted by Councilor Ben Wheeler
Chris Dwan (he/him) @somershade.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
WELCOME NEW NEIGHBORS. We're glad you're here! Under no circumstances should you even consider taking a rental box truck on Storrow Drive - regardless of whether or not you see cops. 1/?
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Most important site for today: votesomerville.org will tell you where you vote, who your electeds are, etc. And if you're not in Somerville: www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistr... I do wish these ALSO showed you who is on the ballot for each district We should do skywriting on election day...
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Why I'm endorsing Matt McLaughlin for State Senate! I'm incredibly excited to send Matt to the State House! Matt has had a transformative impact on Somerville city politics, recruiting people to run and believing in us when even before we believed in ourselves...
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ryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · 26/08/2026
ordinary people have no idea the system is such a kafkaesque nightmare
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mtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Have you seen any reporting on how solar power generation in the USA is 5 times higher than it was in 2020 in mainstream outlets? If not, why do you think this is not being widely covered the same way other large technological changes are?
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
This too is political
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Chris Dwan (he/him) @somershade.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
The surveillance oversight ordinance is one of the best thought through and most impactful pieces of local legislation I have seen, and I'm happy to credit @benforward3.bsky.social with getting it done. 100% on sending him to the state house to do even better work there.
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
What a vindication. This is one of the many great things about unions: they offer a way for every worker to insist on processes that allow for unjust firings to be heard, and reversed.
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
We need more leaders who are dedicated to ending oppression everywhere, everywhere, EVERYWHERE. It's truly a disgrace how much of Congress and Presidential administrations are in the pocket of tinpot dictatorships like, say, Azerbaijan
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4fuxake @blueheartedly1.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
School meals should be free for everybody. Charging children to eat somewhere they are legally required to be for the entire day is crazy.
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 22/08/2026
yep, i will note that the fugitive slave act was used to try to kidnap free blacks and sell them into slavery
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Latest newsletter: 🤝🐀☀️🔌📷 solving vs. managing problems, who gets credit, rats, renewables, body-worn cameras, and so many, MANY more words!! It's a must-begin-to-read, maybe-never-finish! sh1.sendinblue.com/3g5ezzr49dxp...
sh1.sendinblue.com
🤝🐀☀️🔌📷 City Council newsletter: solving vs. managing problems, who gets credit, rats, renewables & body-worn cameras
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
I highly, HIGHLY recommend this 2012 post by sci-fi author @scalzi.com about all the help he received along the way, and the help he has given in turn. This vision of society is under attack and has been, and this essay brings to life why it's worth fighting for whatever.scalzi.com/2012/07/23/a...
whatever.scalzi.com
A Self-Made Man Looks At How He Made It
To begin, my mother and father are responsible for me existing at all, so I suppose the first round of “How I made it to where I am” begins there. I was born at Travis Air Force Base in…
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
God give me half the patience, decency and clarity of Charlotte Clymer
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
All documents and testimony presented in legal proceedings should now come with an AI disclosure, and providing false information in an AI disclosure should be considered a serious act of perjury punished by a prison sentence
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Evan MacKay @evanforcambridge.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
We’re grateful to @councilorwheeler.bsky.social (who grew up here in Cambridge!) for his endorsement. We have the resources to deliver affordable housing and excellent schools, childcare, and transit. All we need is the courage to tax the rich, invest in communities, and challenge entrenched power.
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
All cars should have internal speed/time records, and data collection along the lines of airplane black boxes. This would cost like $50 per car and it would help keep fatally dangerous drivers off the road, making walking, biking and driving safer for the responsible 99% of us
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
@nikobowie.bsky.social If I'm interested in learning more about resident assemblies, and if they might work for some issues in Somerville, how can I find out more? Thanks!
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
My only objection to this is that immigration enforcement was *never* meant to address crime.
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Mike Connolly @mikeconnollyma.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Proud to have the support of @somervilleyimby.org in my campaign for re-election! Housing is the number one issue, and I’ve dedicated my life to fighting to make the words “Housing Is A Human Right” a reality for all people.
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Erika Hall @erikahall.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
It continues to fuck me up that we stay thinking about 9/11 but want to memory hole Covid so bad we're destroying the entire concept of public health in the US.
In the United States, there have been 103,436,829[3] confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 1,238,563[3] confirmed deaths, the most of any country, and the 17th highest per capita worldwide.[43] The COVID-19 pandemic ranks as the deadliest disaster in the country's history.[44] It was the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020, behind heart disease and cancer.[45] From 2019 to 2020, U.S. life expectancy dropped by three years for Hispanic and Latino Americans, 2.9 years for African Americans, and 1.2 years for White Americans.[46] In 2021, U.S. deaths due to COVID-19 rose,[47] and life expectancy fell.[48]
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
I'm not sure if, on balance, subsidized grocery stores are good policy. But aren't they worth trying?? At a relatively low cost just to, like, try them?
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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Pour one out for this school zone speed limit sign asking drivers to go 15 mph on this six lane arterial If you want people to go 15 mph, then the road can't be designed like this
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Councilor Ben Wheeler @councilorwheeler.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Are You Experienced? Axis: Bold as Love Electric Ladyland
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Chris Dwan (he/him) @somershade.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
I've mentioned in the past that I'm the chair of a city committee to review city committees. I would like to invite folks with direct experience serving on Somerville's committees to provide comment - either public or private. 1/?
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Emily Higgs Kopin (spooky) @ehkopin.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
I actually think that ONLY adjuncts and fixed-term workers should be allowed to write about the future of higher ed
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☀️ Jon Schwarz ☀️ @schwarz.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
In every country at almost every time, the most dangerous enemy of regular people is the elites running their country. It's amazing how easily everyone's persuaded that their enemy is people across the world who'll never do anything to them.
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