Somerville read the fine print. Here’s what they said.
This fall the Community front stopped being a plan and became a record. In September 2026, Leo Mann brought the program to Somerville, Massachusetts, with three of the city’s anchor institutions — the Somerville Chamber of Commerce, the Community Action Agency of Somerville and the City of Somerville. Every session was free. Nothing was sold in the room. And all three hosts wrote back afterward to say it was worth the time.
Three partners · Three sessions · Free to every participant
Small-business workshop
A session for Chamber members on the contractual traps business owners fall into — the lease, the guarantee, the fine print — in plain language.
Housing-advocacy workshop
Hosted with CAAS’s housing advocacy team: the residential lease, read line by line, for the people who deal with it every day.
Frontline staff training
A Train-the-Advocate session for City staff — market-rate, subsidized and commercial leases — so the people residents already turn to can spot the clause before it costs someone.
“Following up to say an enormous thank you for generously providing the city with yesterday’s workshop. It was deeply informative and engaging — it had me nervously looking for my own lease to see what’s on that fearsome page 6!”
“Thank you for the workshop. We truly appreciate it. I’ve heard from multiple members how helpful it was. I’ve also talked to several businesses about the worth of hearing an expert like yourself explain, in plain language, the contractual traps we can fall into. The time was very valuable and we appreciate the opportunity!”
“Thank you Leo! That was a great presentation; I certainly learned a few things.”
Your community is next. The Somerville model — free, co-branded, built around the paperwork people actually sign — is open to cities, agencies, chambers and libraries everywhere.
Bring it to your community