Katjana Ballantyne Announces Run for Ward 7 Alderman Seat

With a city election taking place this fall, local candidates are beginning to throw their hats into the ring.

On Monday, Katjana Ballantyne announced she would run again for alderman in Somerville's Ward 7 (West Somerville).

Ballantyne ran for the seat in 2011 but was narrowly defeated by incumbent Ward 7 Alderman Robert Trane. Trane's margin of victory was 40 votes.

In her announcement, Ballantyne made a reference to 2011's tight race. The announcement says, "As a first time candidate in the 2011 elections, Ballantyne won two of the three precincts in Ward 7 and came 40 votes short of defeating the longtime, incumbent alderman."

Trane has served on the Somerville Board of Aldermen since 2002. In 2008 he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

Elsewhere in Somerville, Mark Niedergang, the Ward 5 representative on the Somerville School Committee, announced in November, 2012, that he would seek the Ward 5 seat on the Somerville Board of Aldermen. Sean O'Donovan is the current Ward 5 alderman.

At the end of January, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone told Somerville Patch he would run again for mayor this fall.

Potential candidates still have a few months to decide if they want to run in this fall's city elections. There will be a primary in September and a general city election in November.

If you're a candidate running for office in Somerville, let us know. Email chris.orchard@patch.com.