Politics

Boston City Council At-Large Race: Catherine Vitale

"I will move to make major changes that will not only make the city council and mayor accountable, but also build civic engagement with residents across the whole city."

Catherine Vitale.

By Annie Jonas and Chloe Courtney Bohl

2 minutes to read

Catherine Vitale, 33, lives in Dorchester with her two children.

Vitale worked as a restaurant manager for 14 years, and is now a homeschooling mom. Vitale is seeking her first term as city councilor at large.

We surveyed Vitale on her priorities and some of the most pressing issues facing the Boston City Council this election season, based on input from our readers.

The following responses have been lightly edited for clarity.

What are two of your top priorities that you would like to address?

Homelessness and the opioid crisis are only getting worse. If we can’t help our residents, we shouldn’t be bringing in more. We need to amend the MA Right to Shelter law, and end the Boston Trust Act.

What solutions would you support regarding the area of Mass and Cass and the underlying issues of addiction, mental health, and homelessness?

As far as cleaning up the area and getting people the services they need, the immediate action would be to Section 35 every person who is visibly using drugs in the streets.

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This would mean each person would be ordered to complete a drug treatment program by a judge for 30-90 days. We also need to work with the state legislature to find better solutions for treatment and continued support services.

How can housing in Boston be more affordable and inclusive of all communities while mitigating gentrification?

We need to stop overdevelopment in the city. There’s simply not enough room to keep bringing people in, so we need to start sending homeless people to shelters outside of Boston.

We should also be looking at why landlords are charging so much for rent. Maybe we can lower property taxes for landlords if they agree to lower rent prices.

What does the city need to do to address gun violence and improve public safety?

End Boston Trust Act. Getting criminals off the streets is the first step. Our police force is down nearly 500 officers, and it’s going to continue to deplete. We are headed for a crime crisis.

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We should also look at offering firearms safety courses in high school, and free courses to low income families. Every citizen has the right to protect themselves, we just need to learn how to do it safely.

How would you improve Boston’s roads and public transit?

Get rid of the bike and bus lanes, first and foremost! Stop overdevelopment. The more people we add to the city, the more congested the roads will be. We need a hard stop on projects like Dorchester Bay City, the Shattuck development, new buildings in Southie, and redevelopment in Charlestown.

Many readers say they’ve lost faith in the Boston City Council. How would you work to regain their trust?

Constituent services will be my number one priority. If you call me with an issue, I will work to make sure your issue is resolved. I will be 100% transparent about everything that is happening in City Hall, and I will move to make major changes that will not only make the City Council and mayor accountable, but also build civic engagement with residents across the whole city.

Find out more about Catherine Vitale on her website and social media.

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