WIll’s Story

A native of Cameroon, Will Mbah’s parents passed away when he was a young boy. He was raised by his extended family and foster parents. Will took an early interest in environmental issues after he saw the impact fossil fuel extraction had on the Niger River Delta and in his own community. He pursued a degree in environmental studies at the University of Buea in Cameroon. After graduating, Will volunteered in Buea, Limbe, and Yaounde, working to improve resident health and advocating for biodiversity protection. In 2008, Will was awarded a scholarship to study at the prestigious Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. 

After Will completed his studies in Sweden he won the lottery, receiving a visa to work in the United States. Will first settled with family in Taunton, but found himself drawn to Somerville’s vibrant community and friendly people. Despite having no car and knowing nobody in the city, Will moved to Somerville. Although Will held an advanced degree in environmental science, he struggled to find work at first, working as a night custodian at MIT spending his days interning for the State’s Department of Environmental Protection. 

Between his jobs, Will enmeshed himself in his new community, volunteering with local organizations like the Community Assessment of Freeway Exposure and Health (CAFEH) and using his background in environmental science to study how highway pollution impacted residents’ health. At the same time, Will learned what it was like for the government to fail people who were depending on it. He was denied by MassHealth and left without health insurance. Increases in the cost of living - particularly rent - forced Will to move several times.

Believing that there had to be a better way for the government to take care of the most vulnerable people, Will decided to run for Somerville City Council in 2017 - and he won.  

On the Somerville City Council, Will used his position to advocate for Somerville’s most marginalized communities. He led the effort to create the Office of Housing Stability, an office dedicated to preventing the involuntary displacement of Somerville residents who are in the process of eviction or are at risk of losing their housing. Having experienced the discriminatory practice of racial profiling firsthand, Will worked to eliminate its use by the Somerville Police Department.

Will has worked to make Somerville a more equitable and just city, and he knows that change is not happening fast enough for every Somerville resident. That’s why, after four years on the city council, he ran for mayor in 2021, hoping to accelerate Somerville’s progress on housing, environmental, and racial justice. Despite years of work, developers and special interests from outside our community still have more of a seat at a table than our most marginalized and vulnerable Somerville neighbors.

Will works for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection as an Environmental Analyst and lives in West Somerville with his wife Christelle, and his two children, Joel and Grace.