In race to replace Fernandes Anderson, District 7 candidates debate housing affordability, reparations during forum
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Community activist WaWa Bell
supported the idea of creating a more localized area median income that would better reflect the demographics of District 7.
Area median income is the standard used for determining income eligibility for affordable housing projects. Such a change would require the state Legislature's approval.
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Mavrick Afonso, who works for the state's executive office of housing and livable communities, also supported the idea of a localized area median income for the district, noting that areas like
'Locally in Roxbury, that median income is a lot lower,' Afonso said, 'we're not making housing for Waltham in Roxbury.'
The candidates are running in the only open seat on this year's ballot, and would represent a district that encompasses parts of Roxbury, Dorchester, Fenway and part of the South End. The previous District 7 councilor, Fernandes Anderson,
The District 7 race is crowded, with a total of 11 candidates on the Sept. 9 preliminary ballot. Only the top two vote getters in that election will move on to November's general election.
The organizers of the event only invited the first four candidates who responded to them so that each candidate would get around 30 minutes to answer questions. The other candidates will be interviewed at future events.
When asked by an audience member about how he would make sure that Black people from Roxbury could afford to stay in the neighborhood, Bell said reparations were the solution. Community organizations like
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'I think I can go a step further and establish the infrastructure,' Bell said, 'so that if reparations does happen … we have a dedicated office that will be able to deliver those resources properly.'
On reparations, Culpepper said that Black students at Madison Park vocational high school should be able to attend nearby Northeastern University tuition free if they are admitted.
'The little white kids are paying cash right from the money that was made from the slaves on our back,' Culpepper said.
Culpepper said that the University developing the land in the area has limited access to students of the long-underinvested high school to facilities like Carter Playground. The high school was set to get a new building, but
'Look at the disparity,' Culpepper said, 'it's amazing how we've given up the city to Northeastern University.'
Afonso, who previously worked for the city's parks and recreation department, said a public discussion about past injustices like redlining was needed before deciding on how reparations may be implemented.
'The first step for me is to really do the work to try to understand the damages that happened at the time, a model that was set forth in South Africa with the Truth and Reconciliation trial,' Afonso said, " I can't tell you I have a solution for all of that right now, because we don't know how deep it's gone and how much it's infected and hurt families over generations."
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Ahmed did not directly voice his opinion on reparations, but said he supported efforts to keep Roxbury residents in the neighborhood. Ahmed, who came to Roxbury at the age of 12, as a refugee from Somalia, went on to become a member of the US track and field national team and later, work in the Boston Public School system.
He works as a supervisor of attendance for the school system. Ahmed said he became passionate about advocating for Black and brown families when he saw that those families were disproportionately involved in truancy hearings. He said he began working with students, particularly those from low-income and immigrant families, to address attendance issues before the issue escalated to a court hearing.
'No one wins in court,' Ahmed said, 'The judge might not make the decision that's good for our community.'
The candidates were also asked about how they would maintain transparency while in office given that Fernandes Anderson resigned after she plead guilty to violating state ethics laws by hiring immediate family members as paid staff and receiving a $7,000 kickback from a staff member's city funded bonus.
All four candidates said they would host regular town halls, Ahmed said he would set up a district office in Roxbury for easier communication and Bell said he would continue the
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'I know single mothers that make more prudent decisions than some of these [city] departments in their own homes,' Afonso said, 'I'm sure they can handle some of our budget issues.'
There will be another forum with the remaining District 7 candidates this Thursday at 6 p.m. at the same location, One Westinghouse Plaza, in Hyde Park, also hosted by Speak Boston. Thursday's forum will also be live-streamed
Angela Mathew can be reached at
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