A group of Jewish Somerville residents have organized opposition to a non-binding ballot meas­ure that would have the city divest from all companies that “engage in business that sustains Israel’s apartheid, genocide, and illegal occupation of Palestine.”

Should the Palestinian Solidarity Ballot Question, known as Question 3, pass in the upcoming Nov. 4 election, Somerville’s mayor and city council would then have to consider selling all holdings in and canceling all contracts with companies like Hewlett Packard, which sells laptops to local schools and also computing services to the IDF; Caterpillar, which provides construction machinery locally and demolition equipment for use in the occupied territories; and the arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin, whose stock is in Somerville workers’ pension funds.

To combat Question 3, the ad hoc group Somerville United Against Discrimination (a subcommittee of the community group Shalom Somerville) has been “running a complete campaign that is focused on speaking to voters across Somerville,” noted chair Sam Gechter in an email. This effort to defeat the measure has included phoning and texting residents; mailing flyers; and posting online digital ads and videos.

The group has also hired a political consultant, Chris Keohan of Shawmut Strategies, who advised the successful campaigns of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and state Treasurer Deb Goldberg, as well as done extensive polling of Somervillans, which was paid for by Combined Jewish Philanthropies. Gechter declined to share the results of the poll, only noting that it provided information about the approach and messaging for the campaign.

“This is a fight worth fighting and the polling showed that this race is winnable as long as we get our message out to voters efficiently and effectively,” he wrote.

The group also challenged Question 3 before the Somerville Elections Commission on Oct. 6, which rejected the challenge; and in Middlesex Superior Court on Oct. 21, which as of this writing had not yet ruled. It objected to the measure on the grounds that such boycotts are illegal, and so it should never have been put on the ballot; but if Question 3 did make it, the ballot should provide information for voters to make an educated decision, which, the group says, it doesn’t.

Question 3 may be having an impact on the city’s Nov. 4 mayoral election as well.

One candidate, City Councilor Willie Burnley Jr., has made clear his support of the measure by publicly endorsing it and saying he’ll vote for it and, if elected, implement it. He also signed the petition to put it on the ballot and addressed the crowd at an Aug. 7 event when petition signatures were presented to City Hall.

Burnley’s opponent, City Councilor Jake Wilson, has not endorsed Question 3. He did not respond to requests to be interviewed for this story.

Burnley makes no secret of his connection to Somerville for Palestine, the group that initiated the ballot question. He acknowledges he has “a relationship with some of the members of Somerville for Palestine” and that he endorses the group. He insists the group has not endorsed him, yet its Instagram page notes, “Somerville for Palestine endorses Willie for his vocal support of Palestine and his pledge to pursue our ballot measure.”

“I think part of the reason I am closely associated with this initiative is, I’ve been organizing around these issues for a long time,” Burnley said. He noted he was “a vocal leader” of IfNotNow’s AIPAC protest in 2017 – when several group members were arrested after chaining themselves to the front door of the AIPAC offices in Boston – and has organized for groups including Jewish Voice for Peace.

“This is not something that I’m coming to just as an elected official who’s trying to cash in on votes or support from people. It’s something that I’ve dedicated a lot of time to. I’m coming from a very genuine place to this issue,” Burnley said.

Somerville for Palestine did not respond to requests to be interviewed for this story.

Somerville elects a mayor every two years. In the four most recent races, between 14,000 and 18,000 people voted. In September’s primary, about 12,500 people voted: Wilson received 5,200 votes, Burnley received 4,200 votes, and incumbent Mayor Katjana Ballantyne received 3,000 votes and was eliminated.

Burnley believes his high-profile support of Question 3 will help him become mayor. “I know there are thousands of residents who are incredibly invested in seeing this question move forward,” he said. Those voters may not have come out during the September primary because the question wasn’t on the ballot, but they will vote in November, he suggested.

“I expect that a lot of those folks will want to support the only candidate in the race who has said if he would implement it,” Burnley said.

Others, including Somerville Ward 1 City Councilor Matt McLaughlin, aren’t so sure support for Question 3 will translate into support for Burnley.

“I believe there’s a great many people who will vote for Question 3 because of how they feel about what’s going on in the Middle East, and will vote for Jake Wilson because he’s the better candidate and is more responsible,” McLaughlin said. “Maybe some people will vote for Willie because they came up with Question 3, but I ultimately think it won’t impact the mayoral race.”

Somerville United Against Discrimination member Carl Hoffman maintains that even a non-binding resolution like Question 3 is dangerous.

Should it pass, Hoffman said, “The proponents can argue that the people have spoken, that this is the will of the people, and go back to City Council and demand that it cancel contracts with Caterpillar and Hewlett Packard and anybody else who appears on their list.” He cites the economic costs to the city of that, as well as the costs of litigating what are potentially illegal boycotts.

Hoffman’s greatest concern is that passage of Question 3 in Somerville will provide encouragement to similar movements across the country. He offered the example of Somerville for Palestine’s sister group, DC for Palestine, which recently touted its successful boycott of a Jewish-owned, Israeli-inspired restaurant chain, forcing its closure.

“It shows their true colors: that they’re not about coexistence, they’re not about peace. They’re really pro the destruction of Israel,” Hoffman said. Θ

Update: In the Nov. 4 election, McLaughlin’s prognostication proved to be correct: Question 3 passed, 11,489 votes to 7,920 votes (59% to 41%); while in the mayoral race, Jake Wilson defeated Willie Burnley Jr. by a slimmer margin, 11,185 votes to 9,054 votes (55% to 45%).

Contact reporter Brett M. Rhyne at brett@jewishjournal.org.

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