To the Editor:
Boston is a city of promise, where hard work, resilience, and community can forge opportunity. Yet for too many that promise remains elusive. Too often, City Hall fails to echo the diverse voices that make Boston home. I’m here as a candidate for an at-large seat on the City Council to be a bridge: listening deeply, collaborating tirelessly, and delivering results for working families, seniors, students, and small business owners across Boston.
As a Haitian American, husband, father, poet, and proud Roslindale resident, I’ve seen Boston’s brilliance and its inequities up close. With a B.A. in International Affairs from Bridgewater State University and a master’s in Political Science & International Relations from Suffolk University, I bring both academic insight and lived experience.
I’ve witnessed families in Mattapan and Dorchester priced out of their lifelong neighborhoods, small businesses in Fields Corner and Allston fighting to survive, students in Charlestown and Roslindale dreaming big in underfunded schools, and elders in Bay Village, the South End, and West Roxbury—still without a senior center—feeling forgotten by the city they built.
If elected, I’ll fight for:
• Affordable housing rooted in justice. I’ll push for bold investments in deeply affordable housing, equitable zoning reforms, and protections against displacement so that families in Roxbury, East Boston, and Mission Hill can stay and thrive.
• A school system that delivers. I’ll advocate for an elected school committee, fully funded public schools, and expanded access to Pre-K, vocational training, and early college programs to give every student, from West Roxbury to the South End, a fair shot.
• Public safety through prevention and care. This means investing in youth jobs, mental health services, and community-based violence prevention in neighborhoods like Dorchester, Chinatown, and Uphams Corner.
• Thriving small businesses. I’ll champion entrepreneurs in Jamaica Plain, Fields Corner, and Codman Square by expanding equitable access to city contracts, language support, and community-driven economic planning.
• Dignity for our elders. I’ll champion a long-overdue senior center in West Roxbury, better transportation access, increased home care funding, and a city-funded snow removal program to ensure no senior faces the dangers of winter alone.
• Climate and transit justice. I’ll prioritize flood mitigation in the Seaport, more green spaces in Roslindale, fare-free buses, expanded routes, and better service for outer neighborhoods like Brighton and Hyde Park.
• Cultural investment that honors our roots. From Haitian artists in Mattapan to historic jazz in the South End, I’ll fight for arts funding, heritage preservation, and cultural hubs that uplift Boston’s soul.
Learn more about my vision at yvesforboston.com. I humbly ask for your vote on Sept. 9 and Nov. 4, and for your partnership in building a Boston that truly belongs to all of us.
