Emily Doran Announces

SOMERVILLE, Mass. Longtime Somerville resident and affordable housing advocate Emily Doran has officially announced her campaign for the Ward 2 City Council seat being vacated by Councilor JT Scott.

A musician & artist who moved to Somerville over 9 years ago, Doran has personally experienced the creative vibrancy of Somerville - and the ever-increasing cost of living. “I’ve personally been displaced twice in the last decade,” Doran said, “There’s no where I’d rather live and work than Somerville - but it’s very clear to me that it’s going to take a lot of creativity and effort to make sure that the people who live here can stay here and thrive here.” 

Doran, a resident of Ward 2, began her organizing work with her neighbors on tenants’ rights - both for homes and music spaces. She now serves as co-chair of the Union Square Neighborhood Council and she was a lead negotiator on the Somernova Community Benefits Agreement in 2025, which prioritized arts space and housing as part of Somernova’s planned tough tech campus in the Union Square neighborhood. Emily is bringing her experience bridging Somerville’s diverse communities to her campaign. 

"Emily has been learning, growing her leadership, and fighting for concrete changes in this community over the last several years. She has spent countless hours volunteering her time to advocate for affordable housing and against the displacement of her low and moderate income neighbors." Said Samantha Wolff, Lead Organizer at the Community Action Agency of Somerville. 

“Working and organizing in Somerville, I’ve had the privilege of working with people who are parents, immigrants, artists, small business owners - people who have lived here all their lives and people who have lived here just a few months. I want to make sure we hear each other and that we are all heard up at City Hall. I’m doing this because I want to make sure that everyone in Ward 2 is secure and able to live well here. That’s about making sure our schools are funded, our streets are safe, and everyone is housed.”