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Meet the many candidates running for District 7 city councilor
Nine candidates vying to represent District 7 and replace Tania Fernandes Anderson participated in a public forum Thursday.
An open seat on the Boston City Council has several hopefuls flocking to fill the position — so much so that the race is proving to be very crowded.
Nine candidates vying to represent District 7 — which includes Fenway, Dorchester, Roxbury, and some of the South End — participated in a public forum Thursday in Nubian Square and gave their stances on some issues currently affecting their district.
Tania Fernandes Anderson, elected to represent the district in 2021, was indicted in December for charges stemming from receiving $7,000 in kickbacks through an agreement with a staff member. In 2022, Fernandes Anderson was fined by the State Ethics Commission because she hired two family members to her staff, a practice that is prohibited.
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The city councilor pleaded guilty May 5 to charges of wire fraud and theft concerning a program receiving federal funds, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. Her sentencing is scheduled for July 29. She will not step down until the end of the city’s fiscal year in June.
Meet the candidates
Said Abdikarim: Losing friends to gun violence and substance abuse and finding solace in community and the arts, Abdikarim writes on his website that his experiences have driven him to public service. He is a nonprofit leader who has advocated for housing, small businesses, and student summer programs. He previously ran for the at-large city councilor position in 2021.
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Mavrick Afonso: He is the current director of internal affairs at the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and has previously held roles with the City of Boston. He is a strong advocate for affordable housing and also would like to address issues such as public education and transit.
Said Ahmed: He immigrated to Roxbury from Somalia when he was 12 years old and credits his English High School education and experience to his success. He set many state and regional track and field records during high school and became a top 4 NCAA runner while at the University of Arkansas. He has served over a decade as an educator and is currently a nonprofit leader.
Wawa Bell: He grew up in Roxbury and is the father of three children. Bell is a formerly incarcerated individual and said during the forum that his community had not been represented until Fernandes Anderson’s term and he would like to continue a lot of her positive work.
Miniard Culpepper: He has served as the senior baptist of the Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church for over 21 years. He previously worked as the regional counsel for the Department of Housing and Urban Development but retired in the same month as he declared his candidacy for the Massachusetts State Senate 2nd Suffolk District seat in 2022. Culpepper came in fourth out of five candidates, with Sen. Liz Miranda winning the seat.
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Samuel Hurtado: He moved to Massachusetts from Mexico to attend seminary school but eventually attended the University of Massachusetts Boston. Hurtado has held many City of Boston positions, including former mayor Kim Janey’s chief of staff at the District 7 city council office. He founded the nonprofit South Boston en Acción, which helps low-income communities across Boston.
Jerome King: He previously worked as a community development volunteer for the Salvation Army, community coordinator with Greater Four Corners Action Coalition, and as an executive board member of No Pressure on Us Youth Foundation. He was endorsed by the Boston Herald during his campaign for the 2023 District 7 city council position. King placed fourth among five candidates, with incumbent Fernandes Anderson winning the seat.
Roy Owens: He worked as an educator in Boston Public Schools and as a social worker for the Department of Public Welfare. Owens ran for the Massachusetts House of Representatives 9th Suffolk District seat and lost to Rep. John Moran. Religion is a large part of Owens’ platform and he is the only Republican candidate.
Natalie Juba Sutherland: She has been a Roxbury homeowner for 15 years and immigrated to Boston from Trinidad and Tobago as a teenager. She is a client service associate with Bank of America and attended UMass Boston. She expressed in her forum her platform to increase pathways to homeownership and school resources.
Where do the candidates stand
In the forum, each candidate gave a brief, 30-second introduction and the forum moderators then asked them questions about making District 7 more affordable and supporting the community amid ICE fears.
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A rapid-fire question round asked the candidates to write “yes” or “no” on whiteboards to show their support for or against other pressing issues in their district. Here’s where the candidates fell:
Do you support rent control? All candidates said “yes.”
Do you support Boston’s current Inclusionary Zoning Policy? All candidates answered “yes.”
Do you support leasing White Stadium to a professional soccer team? Abdikarim, Afonso, Ahmed, and Culpepper answered “yes.” The remaining candidates answered “no.”
Will you commit to sponsoring city council amendments to increase participatory budgeting funds? All candidates said “yes.”
Do you support a fully elected school committee? Every candidate except Hurtado answered “yes.”
Do you support abolishing the Boston Police Department gang database? Every candidate, except Juba Sutherland, who answered “no,” and Owens, who abstained, said “yes.”
The panel ended with one-minute closing statements from each candidate. The event was followed by a second forum consisting of eight at-large city council candidates, including all four incumbents.
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