| Office | 37th Mayor of Somerville |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Katjana Ballantyne |
| Term start | January 2, 2026 |
| Birth date | 1977 (age 49–50) |
| Birth place | Minnesota, U.S. |
| Education | University of Pennsylvania (B.A.) |
| Spouse | Catherine Evans |
| Birth name | Jacob D. Wilson |
| Website | www.jakeforsomerville.org |
Jake Wilson (born 1977) is an American politician who has served as the 37th mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts since January 2, 2026. Wilson had previously served as an at-large member of the Somerville City Council between January 2022 and January 2026.
Early life and education
Wilson was born in the Twin Cities. He and his family moved to a family farm in Iowa two years after he was born.[1] He later earned his B.A. in English at the University of Pennsylvania in 1999.[2]
Career
From 1997 to 2001, Wilson worked in Technology consulting and advisory services. From 2001 to 2006, he worked as a Journalist.[3] In 2018, Wilson became president of Somerville Youth Soccer, and held that position until 2021.[1][4] Before becoming president of the organization, Wilson was the communications director, and also coached for the organization [5]
After several Somerville at-large City Councillors announced their retirement from the council, Wilson ran for one of the four at-large seats in 2021. He won with 7,067 votes.[6] In 2023 he successfully ran for reelection.[7]
On December 16, 2024, Wilson announced his candidacy for mayor, challenging incumbent Katjana Ballantyne.[8] Ballantyne was eliminated in the September 2025 preliminary election, and Wilson won the November 2025 municipal election. Wilson won with the most votes in both elections.[9]
Wilson was sworn in as mayor on January 2, 2026.[10][11]
Personal life
Wilson married his wife in 2002. They have two children and live in the Somerville neighborhood of Winter Hill.[1]
Electoral history
City Council
| 2021 Somerville City Council election (At-large) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Municipal election[12] | |
| Votes | % | |
| Kristen Strezo | 10,314 | 17.8 |
| Willie Burnley, Jr. | 9,735 | 16.8 |
| Charlotte Kelly | 9,700 | 16.7 |
| Jake Wilson | 7,067 | 12.2 |
| Eve Seitchik | 6,478 | 11.2 |
| Justin Klekota | 5,532 | 9.5 |
| Tracey Leah Pratt | 5,113 | 8.8 |
| Virginia Hussey | 3,869 | 6.7 |
| Write-in | 308 | 0.5 |
| Total | 58,116 | 100 |
| 2023 Somerville City Council election (At-large) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Municipal election[13] | |
| Votes | % | |
| Kristen Strezo (incumbent) | 11,993 | 21.9 |
| Willie Burnley, Jr. (incumbent) | 11,344 | 20.7 |
| Will Mbah | 11,088 | 20.2 |
| Jake Wilson (incumbent) | 10,909 | 19.9 |
| Charlotte Kelly (incumbent) | 9,032 | 16.5 |
| Write-in | 448 | 0.8 |
| Total | 54,814 | 100 |
Mayor
| 2025 Somerville mayoral election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Preliminary election[14] | Municipal election[15] | ||
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Jake Wilson | 5,190 | 42.1 | 11,294 | 55.1 |
| Willie Burnley, Jr. | 4,174 | 33.9 | 9,144 | 44.6 |
| Katjana Ballantyne (incumbent) | 2,927 | 23.7 | ||
| Write-in | 40 | 0.3 | 59 | 0.3 |
| Total | 12,331 | 100 | 20,497 | 100 |
References
- ^ "About Jake". Jake for Somerville. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
- ^ Shalin, Dan (October 16, 2023). "Somerville Candidate Profile: Jake Wilson For City Council". Patch. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ^ Newman, Alex (October 28, 2021). "Candidate Profile: Jake Wilson, City Councilor At-Large". Patch. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
- ^ "Rising above the smears". Jake for Somerville. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
- ^ Noonan, Matt (October 10, 2017). "What's new in Somerville Youth Soccer". WickedLocal.com. Retrieved 2025-12-25.
- ^ "Somerville ElectionStats » 2021 Nov 2 :: Municipal Election :: Councilor :: City of Somerville". Somerville ElectionStats. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
- ^ "Somerville ElectionStats » 2023 Nov 7 :: Municipal Election :: Councilor :: City of Somerville". Somerville ElectionStats. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
- ^ Lucchesi, Madison (2024-12-16). "Councilor at large Jake Wilson announces a run for Somerville mayor, first to declare for 2025 (updated)". Cambridge Day. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
- ^ Muneer, Sana (2025-11-05). "Jake Wilson to be Somerville’s next mayor, unofficial results show". Boston.com. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
- ^ City of Somerville MA & Wilson, Jake (January 2, 2026). "Instagram". Instagram. Archived 2026-01-02 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2026-01-02.
Happy New Year, Somerville! This morning at City Hall I was officially sworn in as Mayor. First order of business? Opening the Mayor’s office door.
- ^ Somerville GovTV (2026-01-02). Jake Wilson Swearing-In Ceremony for Somerville Mayor - January 2, 2026. Retrieved 2026-01-03. – via YouTube.
- ^ "City of Somerville Municipal City Council At-large Election - November 2, 2021 Mayor". www.somervillema.gov. City of Somerville. 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
- ^ "City of Somerville Municipal City Council At-large Election - November 7, 2023 Mayor". www.somervillema.gov. City of Somerville. 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
- ^ "City of Somerville Preliminary Mayoral Election - September 16, 2025". www.somervillema.gov. City of Somerville. 2025. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
- ^ "City of Somerville Municipal Election - November 4, 2025 Mayor". www.somervillema.gov. City of Somerville. 2025. Retrieved March 3, 2026.