Somerville committee recommends Olivia Mobayed for Zoning Board of Appeals

The Somerville City Council Committee on Confirmation of Appointments and Personnel Matters on Monday recommended confirming Olivia Mobayed to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Chair Yohan Kampen moved the recommendation and the committee recorded three votes in favor.

Mobayed, a Somerville resident of about four and a half years, told the committee she holds a master’s degree in city planning from the University of Pennsylvania and works as a senior project manager at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. "Public comment is incredibly important," she told the committee, adding she takes the state's conflict-of-interest training every two years and would err on the side of caution if potential conflicts arise.

Kit Lester, the Zoning Board of Appeals coordinator and planner in the Planning, Preservation, and Zoning division, introduced Mobayed, saying "Olivia's resume and interests were really exciting" and noting Mobayed's experience as a project manager and transportation planner at the MBTA. Committee members asked about how Mobayed would weigh public testimony and community needs against zoning criteria; Mobayed said she would balance lived experience with the ordinance’s standards and consider "the substantial hardships of the applicant versus the impact on the greater good."

The committee moved the matter for a recommendation without additional conditions. The committee vote was recorded as three in favor. The committee said it will forward the recommendation to the full City Council for final confirmation.

Details from the public application and any future recusals or staff advice on conflicts were not specified during the public portion of this meeting.