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Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 18h

🫡 Update: my challenger has withdrawn his name from the ballot for the general election on Nov 4, meaning I’ll be uncontested this year. With all races and ballot questions now finalized, you can view Sample Ballots here: www.somervillema.gov/departments/.... I’ll be sharing endorsements soon!

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Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 1d

Do you also get down with pesto or is it always tomato sauce brother?

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Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 1d

Deeply gratifying to see another politician for whom #tortellini is central to their personal and political identify.

Thank you @chriswarcraft.bsky.social

The only corporation that has undue influence over me is Big Tortellini, yet @BuitoniUSA has sadly thus far refused to support me politically

Ben Ewen-Campen
@BenForWard3
•@BuitoniUSA I'm not accepting any corporate contributions for my campaign - but l'd make an exception for your tortellini and pesto
8:10 AM • 4/12/17 From Earth

Whenever@BuitoniUSA responds to my
*repeated* requests for corporate campaign contributions (in the form of #tortellini and pesto)

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Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 1d

Also, immediately preceding this, here is what YouTube auto-transcribed my name as: “Councilor Yampampa”

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Reposted by Ben Ewen-Campen

Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 2d

📢I was proud to vote to strengthen the tenant protections in our Condo Conversion Ordinance. Here's my rant in response to the criticisms we received from the real estate industry:
📽️ youtu.be/lP0zGdQSXIk?...

"Somerville strengthens protections for tenants in updated Condo Conversion Ordinance."

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Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 2d

Here's a Somerville Times story describing the underlying vote: www.thesomervilletimes.com/archives/143...

Somerville strengthens protections for tenants in updated Condo Conversion Ordinance

Ordinance updates effective October 1 Mayor Katjana Ballantyne is sharing that starting today, October 1, 2025, updates to the City of Somerville’s Condominium Conversion Ordinance take effect. These ...

www.thesomervilletimes.com

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Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 2d

📢I was proud to vote to strengthen the tenant protections in our Condo Conversion Ordinance. Here's my rant in response to the criticisms we received from the real estate industry:
📽️ youtu.be/lP0zGdQSXIk?...

"Somerville strengthens protections for tenants in updated Condo Conversion Ordinance."

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Reposted by Ben Ewen-Campen

Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 3d

Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE

nyti.ms

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Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 5d

Thank you Ethan! My bad - the ballot Q, not the complaint, has >10k signatures collected and will appear on the ballot

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Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 5d

An objection was recently filed to the Palestine Solidarity Ballot Question which has gathered >10k signatures, seeking to block it from the ballot. This morning the Elections Commission decided against that objection. I shared this statement to clarify inaccurate claims about the City Council:

October 5, 2025
Dear Honorable Members of the Somerville Elections Commission,
Thank you for the opportunity to share this public comment on the objection that has been raised against the validity of certain signatures collected for the 2025 ballot question from the Somerville Boycott Question for Palestine Committee. I serve as the Ward 3 City Councilor in Somerville, and I am writing to provide a public factual record of my understanding of the City Council’s actions regarding this ballot question.
When I became aware that this question was to appear on the City Council Agenda for March 27, 2025, it was the first time during my service as a Councilor that a group of voters sought to have a question placed on the ballot, and I was therefore unfamiliar with the legal process for doing so.
I contacted the City Solicitor to understand what actions were available to the City Council regarding this ballot question. I was informed that the City Council could either vote affirmatively to place the question on the ballot (in which case no signatures need be gathered), or, we could take any final action other than to approve it (for example, to either vote “no” or to “place the item on file”), which would then allow the applicants to immediately begin collecting signatures.
I clearly understood this to mean that if the Council voted either “no” or to “place the item on file," it would allow the proponents to begin signature collecting immediately. I shared this information with the applicants at their request.
Given that State law requires the applicants to obtain an enormous number of signatures (10% of
registered voters), it was my intention to give the applicants and the public sufficient time to
decide whether to advance the question to the ballot.
At our City Council Meeting on March 27, 2025, I shared with the public and my colleagues this
understanding of the options that were available to the City Council, as they had been explained
to me by the City Solicitor. Whil…

Council, and that (2) signature gathering could commence immediately so that the voters could
decide whether or not to place this question on the ballot.
Importantly, at that time I also und4erstood that if the City Council did intend to postpone the
ability of the applicants to gather signatures to the minimum allowable amount of time (90 days
I received these progressive organizational endorsements because these organizations believe
btheaft omryevatlhues ewlilel cbetipount t)o, wthorek. CNoityonlCy aomunI ocuitlkcnocukilndg droeofresrevtehrey diatey mfor mtoy caommpamigni,ttee or “lay it on the table”
my volunteers and I are also collecting signatures for paid family medical leave and a $15
and thereby not take any final action. The City Council did not vote to lay the item on the table
or refer it to committee – we instead took the final action of placing the item on file, which is the
state ballot in 2018.
action we regularly take to complete an item so that it cannot be considered again.
minimum wage (as part of the Raise Up Massachusetts effort) to get these issues onto the MA
The long and short of it: my opponent and I differ on our approaches and priorities. I am the only candidate in this race that will advocate for the following:
20%), establishing an Office of Housing Stability, and strengthening our Condo
eighbors have an
equal voice in our local government.
your employer legally must give you time off to vote!).
Thank you for reading, thank you for your consideration, and please feel free to reach out anytime.
It is my understanding that the applicants were given similar information from the Elections
● Taking bold action to address our housing affordability crisis, including increasing the
Department, and indeed were given signature sheets to begin collecting signatures.
inclusionary affordable housing rate to 25% for every new development (from the current
I am concerned that if the signatures gathered by the proponents were now to be disqualified
Co…

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Reposted by Ben Ewen-Campen

Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 6d

😎VISION TO REALITY! Four years ago, I helped launch a new program based on the idea that Somerville should fix up and donate abandoned bicycles instead of just auctioning them off.

Now, in partnership with the YMCA, it’s a reality - learn more here: somervilleymca.org

Somerville Times Article from 2021 where I started advocating for bike donations

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Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 6d

😎VISION TO REALITY! Four years ago, I helped launch a new program based on the idea that Somerville should fix up and donate abandoned bicycles instead of just auctioning them off.

Now, in partnership with the YMCA, it’s a reality - learn more here: somervilleymca.org

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Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 6d

Such a beautiful and joy filled party with Padres Latinos to celebrate La Herencia Hispanica - thank you all ♥️

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Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 7d

A high point was watching this chameleon tongue in action in Jennifer Fish’s lab :)

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Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 7d

Thank you to the Waghmere lab at UMASS Lowell for inviting me to share my recent fruit fly research - so inspiring to meet with such great students and scientists :)

Me and Indryani Waghmere in front of a poster of my departmental seminar

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Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 9d

Absolutely horrific

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/w...

Deadly Attack Outside U.K. Synagogue on Yom Kippur Is Declared Terrorism

www.nytimes.com

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Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 9d

👇👇👇

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @aoc.bsky.social · 10d

We believe healthcare is a right for every American.

But starting today, millions of people will be notified that they are being priced out of their insurance thanks to Republican policies.

Enough is enough. The GOP may shut down the government, but we will stand tall for YOU.

Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 9d

Thanks Petru! For a number of reasons I don’t understand, this light is in fact Red most of the time (seems to be synched to the next light, which controls traffic across Washington), often leading to enormous backups on Somerville Ave. We will keep an eye to see if this creates issues

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Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 9d

Small victory in Ward 3! Thank you Mobility for this beautiful new sign that should greatly help ease congestion on Somerville Ave :) #SmallVictoriesWard3

By Councilor Ewen-Campen
-1349)
That the Director of Mobility install a left turn signal for

vehicles turning left from Somerville Avenue onto Bow

Street.

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Reposted by Ben Ewen-Campen

John Tuthill @tuthill.bsky.social · 12d

This is the original story that i wrote about the topic for The Transmitter.
www.thetransmitter.org/craft-and-ca...

Fear and loathing on study section: Reviewing grant proposals while the system is burning

As grants are canceled, delayed and subject to general uncertainty, participating in study sections can feel futile. But it’s more important than ever.

www.thetransmitter.org

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Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 11d

woah…Michette bakery opening a second location, just over the Cambridge line on Webster…wow

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Ben Ewen-Campen @benforward3.bsky.social · 11d

Flower-shaped mosaic of #Drosophila #proventriculus samples (the structure where the esophagus meets the midgut), showing the expression patterns of several Gal4 lines. The center image is a Z projection showing GFP+ expression around the esophagus. (Scale bar = 50 microns.)

Confocal images of drosophila Proventriculus samples arranged in a flower shape

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Reposted by Ben Ewen-Campen

Charlotte Garden @charlottegarden.bsky.social · 11d

I'm skimming, but this paragraph stood out:

And there’s the issue of masks. This Court has listened carefully to the reasons given by Öztürk’s captors for masking- up and has heard the same reasons advanced by the defendant Todd Lyons, Acting Director of ICE. It rejects this testimony as disingenuous, squalid and dishonorable. ICE goes masked for a single reason -- to terrorize Americans into quiescence.

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Reposted by Ben Ewen-Campen

Michael Paarlberg @mpaarlberg.bsky.social · 12d

I think the Trump admin assumed no one would try to find out who the people on the boats they blew up really were

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Reposted by Ben Ewen-Campen

Lena Webb @finitealright.bsky.social · 14d

There is a GoFundMe for legal fees here: gofund.me/6eefe8da4

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