ISSUES

As your At-Large City Councilor, I will listen to the voices of ALL Boston residents.  No district or neighborhood will be left behind or ignored by me.  Policies should be crafted from the bottom up, not imposed on residents from the top down.  It's my job to listen and respond.  Here are some policies that you, the people, have helped me put together.  More to come.

Housing Affordability Must Be Anchored in the Needs of Boston’s Most Vulnerable

Boston’s housing market is increasingly unaffordable for nearly all residents, and the metrics we use to define affordability fail to reflect the reality of everyday Bostonians. In 2024, HUD set the Area Median Income (AMI) for Boston at $146,900 for a household of three. According to HUD, housing is considered affordable if it costs no more than 30% of household income. However, with the median African American household income in Boston estimated at around $55,000, this standard misses the mark for much of the city’s Black population. In neighborhoods like Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan, where many Black residents live, median household incomes range from $34,000 to $47,000—barely above 30% of the AMI.

This disparity is not just a statistic—it is a clear sign of who has been left behind in Boston’s housing market. If African American families—who have endured decades of redlining, displacement, and economic exclusion—cannot afford the “affordable housing” the city promotes, then the system is fundamentally broken, not just for African American families, but all working families throughout our beloved city.

Redefining Affordability: Housing Must Work for 30% AMI Households First

To truly address Boston’s housing crisis, we must focus on the realities of our most vulnerable residents—not just those at 60%, 80%, or 100% AMI. Deeply affordable units must be the priority, not an afterthought. I will push for a “30-30 Rule,” ensuring at least 30% of new affordable housing units are reserved for households earning at or below 30% AMI, where most Black families in Boston fall. The city’s housing policies must align with real demand, prioritizing those who are severely rent-burdened.

Rent control policies must be made a priority. Landlord occupied rental properties and small landlords should be offered tax incentives to not raise rents beyond inflation. Further I will continue to advocate at the state level to untie Boston’s hands so we can make rent control the law.

For too long, Boston’s “affordable housing” initiatives have excluded its most vulnerable residents in favor of developer profits. If we do not anchor affordability in the real incomes of Black families and others at the lowest income levels, we will continue to see the displacement of Black and low-income families out of Boston.

As your At-Large City Councilor, I will fight to reshape Boston’s affordability standards to reflect the real incomes of those most impacted by the housing crisis. No more false metrics of affordability. Boston must rise out of this housing crisis together.

 Boston’s growth must balance preservation with progress. 

We need development that works with our communities, not against them. That starts with ensuring real community input in EVERY neighborhood, strong City Council oversight, and an end to unchecked power in zoning and development decisions.

City Council Oversight of Zoning & Planning

The Mayor’s power over development must have checks and balances. The City Council must confirm Zoning and Planning Board appointments going forward. Officials should not be able to unilaterally control land use and development in Boston without democratic oversight.  

On-Site Affordable Housing—No More Off-Site Loopholes

Developers should not be allowed to push affordability requirements into other neighborhoods. If a developer is benefiting from zoning exemptions, they must contribute to true affordability where they build. Economic diversity in every neighborhood should be a priority—not an afterthought.

Aggressively Further Adaptive Reuse of Commercial Spaces for Housing

Boston doesn’t just have a housing supply problem—we have a housing distribution problem. We must aggressively prioritize converting underused commercial buildings into TRULY AFFORDABLE housing instead of only focusing on new construction. This approach is cost-effective, reduces displacement, and helps stabilize communities.

No Privatization of Public Spaces

Boston would never privatize Boston Common or the Public Garden—so why has public space, specifically White Stadium, been handed over to corporate interests? Overriding the will of the people and skirting the Massachusetts constitution sets a dangerous precedent not just for Boston but the entire commonwealth.  Anyone who supported the White Stadium project as it currently exists should be shown the door. Public land should remain public and sites of historical and cultural significance should be preserved in ALL neighborhoods.  Any redevelopment must prioritize community needs and concerns, not private interests. Competitive bidding and alternative public-led redevelopment options must be explored instead of unilaterally handing public assets to private entities.

Transparency & Accountability: A Government That Listens and Serves

As your City Councilor, I’ll make sure that no decisions are made without your voice being heard and that departments that shape your lives are fully transparent. Let’s create a city where every resident has a seat at the table and where real transparency is not just a promise but a practice. These changes aren’t just about policy—they’re about fairness and accountability. It’s about making sure the community isn’t blindsided by decisions that affect our neighborhoods, our homes, and our daily lives. It’s about building a government that genuinely listens to its residents and respects their time and input.

Hearings: More Time, More Transparency

Too many important decisions in Boston are made with barely any notice to the public. Right now, hearings on issues such as zoning, licensing, and planning only require 48 hours’ notice. That’s not nearly enough time for residents to prepare, understand the issues, mobilize, and make their voices heard. As your At-Large City Councilor, I will push for a new rule requiring at least seven days' notice for all public hearings related to zoning, licensing, and city planning. More notice means more transparency—and a fairer process for everyone.

Abutters: Protecting Neighborhood Voices

When new developments are proposed, the residents most directly impacted—the abutters—currently get just three days' notice before hearings. This is unacceptable. I will push to extend this to a full seven days so that neighbors have the time they need to review plans, organize, ask questions, and provide their input. Your neighborhood’s future shouldn’t be decided without giving you a real chance to participate.

Accountability for Boston’s Development Process

Boston Planning holds tremendous power over the city’s growth and development, but it has operated without sufficient oversight for too long. I will push for full fiscal transparency of zoning and planning departments, examining how decisions are made, where and how the money flows, and whether community voices are truly being considered. It’s time to shine a light on an agency that has too often prioritized developers over residents and made decisions behind closed doors. Accountability starts with transparency, and Boston deserves a development process that is open, fair, just, and responsive to the community.

Boston Deserves a Democratically Elected School Committee

For too long, Boston has been one of the few major cities in the country without an elected school committee. Our diverse and dynamic city deserves a school governance system that reflects the voices of parents, educators, and community members—not one that is dictated solely by the mayor’s office.

Why an Elected School Committee?

1. Representation Matters
Boston is an increasingly diverse city.  Yet, our communities have no direct say in school governance. An elected school committee will ensure that decision-making power is placed in the hands of the people, not political appointees.

2. Parents Deserve a Voice
Parents should have a direct say in their child’s education. Right now, decisions about curriculum, budgeting, and policies that affect our children’s futures are made by appointees who are not directly accountable to the families they serve. An elected school committee will bring democracy to our education system.

3. Checks and Balances in School Governance
A mayor-appointed school committee concentrates too much power in the hands of one individual. This is not an autocracy. This is a democracy. Democracy works best when power is equitably distributed and accountable to the people. By electing school committee members, we create a system of checks and balances that ensures our schools are governed in the best interests of students, families, and educators.

The Path Forward: A Binding Referendum

I support a binding ballot referendum to transition back to an elected school committee. Boston voters overwhelmingly supported a referendum for an elected school committee in 2021, with 79% in favor. It is time to listen to the people. A binding referendum will ensure that all communities in Boston—especially those historically marginalized—have a direct say in shaping the future of public education.

We must push to place this issue on the ballot and let the voters decide. The people of Boston deserve a school governance model that reflects their values and priorities, not just those of City Hall.

It’s time to restore democracy to Boston Public Schools. Our children, families, and educators deserve nothing less.

 Pay Your Fair Share!!

Harvard University boasts the largest endowment on earth—an astounding $53.2 billion. There is no justifiable reason why this elite institution, and others like it, should not pay their fair share in taxes like the rest of us. Their so-called "community benefits" under the PILOT program are little more than a public relations smokescreen —and even then, they fail to meet their full obligations, year after year. 

Meanwhile, working-class Bostonians are expected to pay their full share—and they do, often at a steep cost.  While you struggle with rising rents, skyrocketing property taxes, and displacement, Harvard continues to expand its footprint, further driving residents out of the city. They and other elite institutions leverage their immense wealth, power, and influence to avoid making meaningful contributions to the very community that sustains them.

As your Councilor, I will use every tool available to me to hold Harvard and other tax-exempt institutions accountable and pressure them they pay their fair share. No more excuses. No more PR. I will oppose any new development from these institutions in Boston until they meet their full PILOT obligation. No payments, no expansions—Boston’s working-class residents should not bear the burden while struggling to afford housing. I will fight to direct increased PILOT revenue into fair and affordable housing initiatives, ensuring that the everyday people who built this city can continue to live here. It’s time to bring these corporate giants to heel and put Boston’s people first.