Somerville Mayor Curtatone says he will not seek reelection

SOMERVILLE, Mass. (AP) — Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone announced Monday that he will not seek reelection.

The Democrat — who has held the office for nearly 18 years and is currently in his ninth term — is the longest-serving mayor in the city’s history.

“This will be my final year as mayor of Somerville. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the city where I was raised. I love this job and this community with every ounce of my being,” he said during an address Monday.

Curtatone said he’s glad to be able to focus on continuing to lead the dense and rapidly changing city through the challenges of the coronavirus without the political distractions of a reelection campaign.

He vowed to be “all-in” throughout the rest of his final term.

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Curtatone has adopted a more cautious approach to combatting the virus than the state as a whole, often keeping restrictions in place after they had been lifted for the rest of the state.

The 54-year-old has also been a regular critic of Republican Gov. Charlie Baker’s approach to reining in COVID-19, saying it has been too lax at times.

Curtatone, who has occasionally been mentioned as a possible candidate for governor in the past, declined to discuss future plans.

Baker has yet to say whether he will seek a third term next year.

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