At a small business-centered forum last Tuesday, questions about fortifying local businesses, increasing foot traffic, and fostering art and culture proved how committed District 7 city council candidates are to their communities. Leading up to the Boston municipal elections, local District 7 organizations hosted the forum where all 11 candidates spoke to a crowded room of voters.
Roxbury Main Streets coordinated the event in partnership with the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, The American City Coalition and the Roxbury Cultural District.
“What’s most important, especially in Nubian Square, are the businesses that are here today and how do we keep on growing and thriving, and the new businesses that will be here tomorrow, how do we attract them to this neighborhood and to this community,” said Roxbury Mainstreets board member Brian Keith.
Issue-based questions regarding neighborhood businesses dominated the conversation. The forum focused on reviving small businesses and local nightlife, preserving the community’s art and culture, and creating accessible pathways to home ownership. With all 11 candidates present, the forum was not designed to be a debate; there was no cross-talk or direct rebuttals between candidates.
Candidates this year are Mavrick Afonso, Said Abdikarim, Said Ahmed, Wawa Bell, Tchad Cort, Miniard Culpepper, Samuel Hurtado, Natalie Juba Sutherland, Jerome King, Shawn Nelson and Roy Owens. Each has a unique background in public service, and each is eager to serve their district on the city council.
Boston’s City Council District 7 includes Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway and parts of the South End. This year there is extra emphasis on this particular district’s election. Former District 7 city councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson resigned earlier this summer after pleading guilty to federal corruption charges for orchestrating a kickback scheme, leaving the seat open.
“The forum is important because we get to hear directly from the candidates,” Keith said. “It lets us know, as community members, as business owners, where they stand on the issues that are important to us.”
The majority of candidates want to work closely with local businesses and hope to elevate Black- and brown-owned small businesses through grassroots policies and initiatives. Every candidate supports bringing in a lively nightlife to the community while ensuring safety precautions and noise control.
When it comes to housing, every candidate agreed that there is a lack of affordable housing. They desire to “remove the red tape” around the city’s barriers to increased building, though they have varying approaches. Nearly all candidates emphasized that they are striving for greater home ownership, not just the ability to rent affordably.
“I think that the event was amazing,” said Keith. “Most of the candidates did a good job of answering the questions that were asked and giving the community, not what they wanted to hear, but what their thoughts were, so that the community knows when they go to the ballot box where the different candidates stand and why they’re supporting a particular candidate.”
The moderator, Bianca Beltran from NBC Boston, kept the conversation moving, allotting 45 seconds per response. The candidates had the most opportunity to share their messages in their opening and closing statements, which were each a minute long.
In his introduction, Abdikarim stated that he is the only District 7 candidate endorsed by Planned Parenthood. Owens said multiple times throughout the forum that his goal is to bring prayer back to Boston public schools. Culpepper appeared to be a crowd favorite, his answers often met with cheers and chatters of agreement.
Every candidate appeared to be very engaged and connected to the community, calling out specific businesses and naming residents in their responses. Each has done local public service or grassroots work, and every candidate this year comes from diverse racial backgrounds. City Council District 7 is one of Boston’s minority-majority districts. Many candidates pointed out that they share racial and ethnic backgrounds with these constituents and cited this as part of what would make them a good councilor.
“What I’m looking for out of my local official is knowing what the job entails, being a representative of everybody that is in the neighborhood, and I do mean everyone, not just certain interests or certain people that they feel are only aligned with them based off of their vote, and just to be a good, decent person that is going to work hard,” said Curtis Rollins, an attendee and District 7 resident.
The Roxbury Residence Inn overflowed with attendees, as more than 100 people registered to attend the forum. Almost every seat was filled with adults of all ages, and people spilled over to the back and sides of the room, listening to each candidate’s answers.
“It’s always important for the residents that are living in a neighborhood to be civically engaged, because these are the representatives that are going to be assisting said neighborhood with getting the valuable resources that have already been paid into with city, state and federal taxes,” Rollins said.
While the official forum lasted two hours, many candidates and attendees stayed later to speak with one another. Most knew each other, creating a palpable sense of community as neighbors greeted each other by name and asked about their families.
“I was hoping to get a good attendance, and there are well over 100 people here. I wanted all the candidates to come, and we had every candidate here and it was a good exchange,” said President of Roxbury Mainstreets, Richard Taylor.
