This past Thursday, a significant housing forum featuring seven candidates for Boston City Council at-large took place at Roxbury Community College, hosted by advocacy group Abundant Housing Massachusetts in collaboration with the Queer Neighborhood Council. The event drew around 100 community members eager to hear the candidates’ perspectives on the pressing housing crisis that has emerged as a key topic in the upcoming general election.
Candidates in attendance included Julia Mejia, Marvin Mathelier, Will Onuoha, Ruthzee Louijeune, Henry Santana, Alexandra Valdez, and Frank Baker. The forum served as an important platform for constituents, allowing them to assess the candidates’ views and proposed solutions regarding housing in Boston.
Marvin Mathelier, a candidate residing in Jamaica Plain, emphasized the role of the City Council as both a community service and a job. “The city council is serving the community, but it’s also a job. And who is putting us in that role? The people. This is another level of the interview process,” Mathelier stated.
Abundant Housing Massachusetts, a non-profit organization advocating for housing accessibility across Massachusetts, aims to highlight the state’s housing crisis. Jesse Kanson-Benanav, the group’s executive director, expressed the need for collective efforts beyond Boston: “We recognize that the entire Greater Boston area, in fact, the entire state of Massachusetts, has to work together to address this severe housing shortage.”
The forum, moderated by Andrew Brinker of The Boston Globe, allowed candidates to respond to various queries related to critical issues, such as rent control, zoning reform, and eliminating parking minimums. Each candidate had the chance to present general responses, answer specific candidate questions, and participate in a rapid-fire round of yes-or-no questions.
Commenting on her commitment to addressing housing, incumbent city council member Ruthzee Louijeune stated, “I care deeply about housing, about building more affordable housing. I believe that we have to have conversations with our neighbors about what we can say yes to.”
Supporting initiatives like Plan Mattapan, Louijeune addressed the importance of incremental changes in housing policies. “Sometimes a change is more incremental than any of us would like, but I am happy that I supported Plan Mattapan, which allowed for ADUs in Mattapan, and we see that working really well.”
Before and after the forum, a number of canvassers and candidates mingled with residents, facilitating direct exchanges between constituents and potential representatives. Cheryl Daniel, a senior communications manager at Abundant Housing Massachusetts, highlighted this interaction as vital to civic engagement: “On a regular day-to-day basis, politicians and constituents don’t really interact with each other, and this gives potential candidates a chance to hear directly from their constituents.”
Daniel remarked on the forum’s importance in fostering community engagement, stating, “I think it is a great opportunity to bring community engagement and camaraderie to the community.”
One of the primary points of discussion during the forum revolved around rent control, with candidates presenting differing opinions on its efficacy and viability. Candidate Will Onuoha stated vehemently, “Rent control is not the answer. Rent control is a slow poison. This is what creates gentrification in neighborhoods.”
The dialogue also extended to the issue of student housing, with questions raised about students’ impact on the housing market. Candidates such as Mejia and Onuoha advocated for universities to take more responsibility by building on-campus dormitories, emphasizing the need for accountability in housing discussions.
Henry Santana echoed this sentiment, clarifying the responsibilities associated with student housing: “Our students are not responsible for this, right? I think the responsibility for the students is to learn how to be good neighbors.”
He further urged universities to be proactive in creating housing for their students: “The message I have for the universities is you need to build dorms for your students. Some of them are, but what they are doing is some of them are overenrolling. We need to really hold our universities accountable.”
Audience reactions during the forum reflected a keen interest, as community members actively responded and engaged with the candidates’ proposals and views. Many attendees displayed enthusiasm and surprise at the candidates’ responses.
Mathelier expressed the significance of receiving real-time feedback from constituents, underscoring the purpose of such forums in the electoral process: “We need to be asked those tough questions, and from there, they could see if you are fit for the job. This is why it is important for us to have forums like this, so residents could hear from the candidates on how they envision the city.”
Overall, the housing forum not only provided insights into the candidates’ positions but also fostered an environment for community members to become actively involved in pivotal discussions impacting Boston’s future.
image source from：thescopeboston
