Campaign Manager for Somerville City Council Run

Hi! I'm Ben Orenstein. It’s great to meet you 😀

I’m running for Somerville City Council to tackle our housing shortage. I have specific plans for common-sense zoning reforms that I think we can get passed. If they work, we’ll get to welcome far more neighbors, and create a city where it doesn’t cost so darn much to live.

I think my plan is good, but there’s one missing piece: my campaign needs a co-founder.

About Me

I started my career as a college-drop-out bartender. I ended it as founder and CEO of a software company with a dozen employees. This experience showed me how to do hard things, build consensus around new ideas, and make things happen by steadily chipping away at them.

I'm running for City Council because I want to apply these same skills to Somerville's pressing issues. I believe my background in building successful organizations gives me a unique perspective on how to make our local government work better.

That said, I’m not an outsider with no understanding of how the government actually works. I believe I’ve attended more City Council meetings this year than any other Somerville resident. I even started a publication to share what I’ve learned, and my posts tend to top the Somerville subreddit.

Our Partnership

I’m best when I’m focused on policy, getting my ideas out, and connecting with voters.

While I’d love your help on the above, much of your focus will be on the operational needs of our campaign: managing volunteers, handling logistics for our many events, and generally being incredibly detail-oriented.

I also tend to thrive when I feel like I have a partner in the trenches with me, so a large part of this position will simply be caring a lot about the campaign and providing camaraderie as we work to win. Often, I’ll need you to literally walk beside me as we build support door by door. On tough days, we'll keep each other motivated; on good days, we'll celebrate the small wins that add up.

By the way: I have two other friends helping out with my campaign on a part-time, volunteer basis. They’re great, and I think you’ll love working with them.

The Details

This position starts in early May and runs until Election Day (November 4th).

Ideally, you’re available full-time (~40 hours/week). We’ll mostly work normal business hours, but some of this time will shift to evenings and weekends during peak door knocking/events months.

For the right person, I’m also open to working together part-time (10-20 hours/week).

An average day might include helping me efficiently make fundraising calls, scheduling a new event or two, knocking doors for a few hours, dropping off yard signs, and training volunteers on canvassing.

For full-time, your salary will be approximately $4,000–$7,000/month.

About You

You are extremely conscientious. You show up on time ready to work hard. When you agree to get something done, it practically never falls through the cracks. You love focusing on the many small details that make things great.

Importantly, you are positive and optimistic. You are resilient in the face of challenges. You deeply believe that government and politics can be forces for good.

It’d be wonderful if you have political/grassroots organizing experience, but that’s not strictly required. It’d also be great if you lived in Somerville, but that’s also a nice-to-have.

Beyond the Campaign

If this works out great and I get elected, I might need your help even more! If it feels good to both of us, I think there’s a future where we keep working together while I’m in office. Your ongoing help would enable me to be in the top tier of effectiveness on the Council.

Our Working Relationship

In all my relationships, I value directness, follow-through, a sharp mind, and a playful sense of humor. I want to be able to give you a fuzzy objective and have you make good decisions about the specifics. I want to debate my policy positions with you and have them sharpened by your good input. I would like us to quite enjoy our time together.

How to Apply

If you're motivated by making tangible improvements to Somerville and excited by the challenge of building a campaign from the ground up, I want to hear from you! (I’m very eager to hear from applicants of all backgrounds. If you think you might be a good fit, please go for it.)

Please email the following to ben@orensteinforsomerville.com:

• A paragraph or two about why you’re a great fit for this role.
• What have you created or built that you’re most proud of?
• Links to anything that will help me get a sense of you.
• A brief resume.

I’d like to hire someone asap, ideally before May.

I’m looking forward to meeting you, partnering up, and kicking this campaign into high-gear 🙂