To the Editor:
Bostonians are feeling uncertain, unsafe, and unheard in the current political climate. We need municipal government to step up and meet the moment. Our office continues to expand the idea of community safety to protect all our people’s quality of life amid ongoing attacks from the Trump administration.
Since joining the City Council in 2020, I’ve always centered the voices of those I serve. I live to serve and serve to live. I’m unapologetic about the way I advocate for you because we know the urgency of the issues.
You need bold leaders who will always fight for you, fight for what is right, and tell the truth. As your independent voice on the Council, I bring everyday Bostonians into the chamber. My job is to be your microphone.
Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Boston by a single mom who was undocumented, I became the translator for my family and neighbors who didn’t speak English. I’m a proud BPS graduate, the first in my family to finish high school, a single mom of a BPS student, and the founder of a parent-led nonprofit dedicated to building people power. This work is deeply personal because the struggles Bostonians face are ones I’ve lived.
A good democratic process means all voices are heard. “Nothing about us without us is for us” is why our office leads with co-governance—an approach that has helped pass 20+ pieces of legislation, establish new City departments, and allocate millions in critical investments. #AllMeansAll means everyone matters, and we must build solidarity across our differences with love and collective power.
Our priorities for the next term are:
• Continuing to strengthen democracy, civic engagement, and accountability by creating meaningful models that center co-governance, participatory democracy, and representation. Our office recently passed Ranked Choice Voting in Boston and would work to implement it effectively if re-elected. We aim to restore the elected School Committee and establish an Inspector General. We are concerned about the decision-making surrounding our schools, such as closures, facilities plans or lack thereof, and more, and we will continue to advocate for culturally competent and neighborhood-centered decision-making processes.
• Increasing protections and creating safety nets for targeted populations: we are currently leading the effort to make Boston a Trans and LGBTQIA2S+ Sanctuary City and strengthening the Boston Trust Act by closing data-sharing loopholes to ensure local institutions such as schools, health centers, and faith centers are safe for all.
• Ensuring dignified and affordable housing for all: there is a lot of outside influence and power that has dampened efforts to protect Bostonians. We will bravely fight for robust policies that lower housing costs, preserve public housing, and fight displacement and partner with developers and landlords who want to do the right thing.
• Championing educational justice: We will continue to fight to ensure that Madison Park Technical Vocational School gets long overdue renovations; that every child has access to high-quality instruction regardless of their zip code; that the district honors the voices of parents, students, and educators; and that the district’s workforce reflects the diverse communities it serves.
In this next term, our office will also continue our work dismantling systems of oppression, supporting small businesses, holding the City accountable, increasing transparency, collaborating with district colleagues to help them get closer to the people they serve, and advocating for a budget that reflects the people’s needs.
As the longest serving current City Councilor At-Large, I’m ready to meet the moment for you in the way this upcoming term is calling for. I respectfully ask you for one of your four votes on Sept. 9 and Nov. 4.
Julia Mejia of Dorchester is a sitting Boston City Councillor-at-Large. The Reporter has invited candidates on the ballot in this year’s municipal election to submit a letter to the editor outlining their candidacy.
