About Catia

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"I want to go to the State House because I want our government to better reflect our highest hopes for the type of community we want to be. I have spent my career – my life – taking on the hardest problems, and I know together we can continue to ensure that Somerville and our state can affordably, sustainably, and meaningfully meet the needs of our diverse citizens." 

I moved to Somerville in 2013, attracted by the vibrant community, thriving local businesses, and access to public transportation. We may have seen each other on the community path, The Burren’s Trivia night, or playing soccer at Dilboy Stadium. 

In the seven years I’ve made Somerville my home, I’ve watched these community benefits become less accessible and increasingly fragile. My goals for Somerville are simple:

• I believe you should have the opportunity to build a life here regardless of your income bracket
• I believe public transportation should be funded and reliable
• I believe our community can do more to protect our most vulnerable neighbors. 
• I believe government must lead the way when it comes to sustainability

My work in state and local government demonstrates that with the right programs and bold leadership, government can transform these beliefs into meaningful initiatives that directly impact lives. 

• In the Governor’s budget office, I took on program efficacy, making sure that government services lived up to their promises. The programs I worked on provided housing and health services to almost half of the states chronically homeless citizens. 
• As a Government Innovation Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, I investigated the root causes of mass incarceration.
• Now, at the Middlesex County Restoration Center Commission, I use that research to  create mental health and substance use programs that can prevent unnecessary arrest and hospitalization.

The role that financial opportunities, access to healthcare, and education play in an individual’s life is not academic to me. I have seen it every day of my career, and I saw it at my dinner table growing up. While I did my homework, my dad counseled low income criminal defendants, many whose circumstance had pushed them into making impossible decisions. And after a tragic accident, I watched my parents navigate bankruptcy as the only option to discharge the medical bills for treatment that saved my dad’s life. Because they had been considered uninsurable, they had no options for health coverage before the Affordable Care Act.