Boston senior citizens who have owned their homes for decades are being hit hard by the higher property taxes that went into effect at the start of the year, said Michael Kozu, co-director of Project R.I.G.H.T., a collaboration of residents in Grove Hall.
Kozu, a longtime Grove Hall advocate, said he has been getting complaints from senior homeowners about the increase. With food and utility prices soaring, Kozu said elderly homeowners, particularly those on fixed incomes, are “house rich but cash poor,” a problem exacerbated by the property tax hike.
“They have to make these hard decisions about where that money comes from,” said Kozu in a recent interview. “Does it come from their food budget, or are they scrambling to pay gas bills or utility bills? Heating bills are more expensive this winter because it has been awfully cold.”
The Boston City Council voted in December to set the property tax rates at 13%, which means an extra $780 for the average single-family homeowner.
Mayor Michelle Wu, citing housing as a huge cost for residents, had sought state legislation that aimed to provide relief for Boston homeowners by temporarily shifting more of the tax burden to commercial properties. The measure was blocked in the Senate. Wu refilled the legislation, which the Senate passed in January. It is now awaiting a review in the House.
City Councilor Miniard Culpepper, who represents District 7, urged city and state officials to work in “partnership to develop solutions that support our residents in both the short term and long term.”
Culpepper, in an email, said his constituents have been expressing concerns about their higher tax bills, adding that it is causing real dread among residents who fear being pushed out of homes they have lived in for decades — homes they worked hard to purchase and maintain, he added.
“Residents are reaching out because they are feeling the impact, and many are worried about how they will manage [the] rising costs,’’ Culpepper added. “People are genuinely concerned and are looking for clarity, relief options, and long-term solutions. It’s clear that this is creating real stress for homeowners across the district.”
Fatima Ali-Salaam, president of the Greater Mattapan Neighborhood Council, said that it’s unfair that some landlords of small properties will pay less in taxes than longtime owners of single-family homes.
She said that she has advised members of her group recently on how to seek greater relief from the city. She said she and her husband work and will not be as impacted by the higher prices as others.
“It’s sticker shock for many, especially if you are a retired person and you haven’t made great changes to your home for decades,’’ she added.
Chris Lehman, a board member of the Small Property Owner Association, said the mayor’s proposal would hurt landlords and owners of commercial properties.
He said landlords, who typically pass on increased costs to their tenants, are already reeling from higher property taxes from the past two years and other operating costs. Some have said they might sell and leave the city because it won’t be worth it for them to stay here, he added.
“It’s unfortunate that the tax rate has increased,” said Lehman, “and it’s similarly unfortunate how aggressive the city’s assessing practices have been.”
The city should be more “disciplined” in its spending, Lehman added.
On January 28, the Boston City Council convened to discuss a rent control state ballot initiative, a potential ban on algorithmic price setting in the housing market and an order to remove parking minimums under newly-elected Council President Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Breadon, representing Allston-Brighton.
Nine out of 13 councilors, including Breadon, approved the return of Massachusetts Question 9 on the 2026 state ballot during the meeting. Voters will decide if rent control should be prohibited for most privately-owned housing units in the state. Question 9 was most recently on the 1994 ballot, where it passed by about 51 percent.
“[Tenants] deserve to know that after signing the lease of an apartment within their budget, their landlord won’t decide the next year to demand more than they can afford,” councilor Henry Santana said. “The vibrancy and the inclusivity of our city depend on these measures.”
Lizzie Torres, a housing policy associate for MassHousing and long-time Allston renter, said they are worried the restrictions proposed in the ballot question could hinder new housing developments and exacerbate poor housing quality.
“Alongside rent control, you have to have a better zoning code that allows for very flexible upzoning,” Torres said. “Otherwise, what you end up having is that rent control usually can create a situation where landlords then only rent to the most wealthy, stable and credit-worthy renters.”
Councilor Edward Flynn of District 2 objected to the resolution. He said he was concerned the initiative would negatively impact the city’s business climate.
“We want investors coming into Boston to invest their money to build housing,” Flynn said.
Flynn also objected to a resolution co-sponsored by Santana and councilors Ruthzee Louijeune and Sharon Durkan that would place a tax of at most two percent on real estate ownership transfers over two million dollars. The revenue would fund programs assisting middle to low-income residents.
Torres said the resolution overlooks transfers between generations whose property values have increased significantly over time.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean that the generation that is inheriting that home is going to be able to pay that transfer fee,” Torres said.
Durkan and Breadon proposed an investigation and potential ban on algorithmic price setting in the housing market, which would prevent commercial property software from using public and non-consensual private data to suggest prices to buyers.
“It’s the best way to protect renters from monopolizing housing in this way,” Torres said.
Durkan and Santana also co-sponsored an order to remove parking minimums in an effort to decrease housing costs.
“Affordability is my top priority, and it should be the top priority of everyone in this body,” Durkan said. “The two hearing orders I filed for this meeting […] are our first steps.”
The real estate transfer tax, algorithmic price setting and parking minimum hearing orders were referred to the Committee of the Whole, a less formal session for all committee members to further discuss resolutions before the next council meeting.
The Committee of the Whole will meet publicly on February 2 with open public testimony to discuss funding grants sponsored by Mayor Wu.
Torres said they hope to see more action on part of the City this year.
“I think we’ve been yelling about housing affordability being a problem for a very, very long time,” Torres said. “And I think it’s just been very hard to get our elected officials to materially do anything about it.”
Ten candidates for the Boston City Council gathered at the Honan-Allston library for a two-hour meet-and-greet hosted by the Allston Civic Association (ACA) on Wednesday.
Both candidates running for District 9 City Councilor, incumbent Elizabeth Breadon and Pilar Ortiz, and all eight prospects for City Councilor At-Large were present at the event.
Kin Chow and Mike Dorgan, both longtime residents, came to learn more about candidates’ stances and priorities before the Nov. 4 elections. Both said they were looking for people who could deliver fresh ideas. “I would also say somebody that is willing to challenge, but in a positive way,” Dorgan said. “It’s a challenge not for the sake of getting on a soapbox and making noise. It’s somebody that’s challenging because maybe there’s a better way of doing it.”
Speakers inspired others to consider a future in local politics. “I was really appreciative of the fact that they all dedicated their time to speak to their constituents and talk about issues that matter,” said Jesse Liu, an aspiring public servant. “It just shows that these candidates care about their job in the city of Boston.”
Candidates said they appreciated the smaller scale and location of the meet-and-greet. “We got to spend a little bit more one-on-one time with folks,” said City Councilor At-Large Julia Mejia. “And I think that afforded us a better opportunity to connect with people.”
City Council President Ruthzee Louijuene said libraries bring her joy. “Libraries are a public good,” she said. “Everyone can use them, whether you’re rich, or you don’t have anything.”
The ACA sponsored the event, which has become a tradition in the community. “One of the missions of the ACA, of course, is to build community […] and it’s challenging,” said D’Isidoro, the association’s president. “There are a lot of people that come and go in our community, and so it’s very difficult, from a civic standpoint, to try to get people engaged and take interest in the community.”
Chow, a 30-year Allston resident, said that after the ever-present issues of housing and transportation, the idea that captured her interest was something more fundamental — elevating Allston-Brighton’s place in city government. In terms of city spending, the neighborhood placed last in the most recent budget, despite having the second largest population. The disproportionate investment in Allston has been a rallying cry in the neighborhood’s campaign for a new children and family community center.
“I don’t want Allston-Brighton to be in the back seat anymore,” said Chow. “We have never been the priority in the city council, and I would like us to be a priority.”
Ninety-two years after a Yankee-dominated state government limited the sale of liquor licenses to prevent Irish American politicians in Boston from gaining more influence, city and state politicians are finally taking steps to fix the issue.
Earlier this year, state lawmakers approved a law allowing cities to upgrade restaurants’ beer-and-wine licenses to all-alcohol. The Boston City Council adopted the resolution in September. Now, the city’s licensing board will set rules for granting the license, and final approval from the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission is expected early 2026.
“A lot of the restaurants affected by this [were] concentrated in the North End, Beacon Hill, Back Bay, the South End,” said North End Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata, the bill’s sponsor, at a hearing last month. “This provides an opportunity for them to share in the economic prosperity [of liquor sales]. Restaurants really do operate on thin margins.”
Zapata added that the old fears surrounding all-alcohol licenses relating to an increase in public disturbance reflected “an outdated narrative” that no longer fits Boston’s restaurant scene. “These are really places centered around food and the culinary experience,” she said.
Like many political conflicts, Boston’s battle over liquor licenses tracks to two quintessential issues – power and money.
After Prohibition ended in 1933, the Massachusetts Legislature refused to let Boston issue its own liquor licenses. At the time, City Hall was run largely by Irish American politicians under Mayor James Michael Curley, whose working-class base clashed with the Yankee establishment at the statehouse. By keeping licensing power at the state level, lawmakers could control who was allowed to sell alcohol in Boston, limiting a major source of money and influence from Curley’s allies. Historians say the decision reflected deep political and ethnic divisions that many people believe still shape Boston’s liquor laws today.
For Kevin Flemming, president of the North End Neighborhood Council, the reform is long overdue. He said the restrictions were “really a ploy by the old Yankee legislators at the State House to control the Irish politicians in Boston.”
The number of North End restaurants allowed to sell liquor could more than double under the new law, according to data published by the city. Currently, only 32 of 87 restaurants with alcohol licenses are allowed to sell spirits.
Flemming said the change could be a boom for businesses.
“Clearly they feel like they can increase their revenues by having full alcohol,” he said. “So, I don’t really see any downside in it because at least in the North End, everyone applying for these are pretty much established restaurants. No one’s trying to open a nightclub or change their hours.”
Testimony ran strongly in favor of allowing beer-and-wine license holders to convert to full alcohol service at a city hearing last month. Mimi Chan, co-owner of Dynasty Restaurant in Chinatown, told councilors the change would let her serve traditional Chinese spirits such as baijiu or rice wine, which are not permitted under her current license.
“It would allow a more authentic dining experience for our customers,” she said.
City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune also voiced support for the new bill. “By creating opportunities for these businesses to grow,” she said, “we’re investing in the future of our neighborhoods – raising the bar for equity and opportunity.”
The Boston Licensing Board is drafting regulations for converting beer-and-wine licenses into full alcohol licenses. The city will sponsor outreach events and workshops to help eligible restaurateurs understand the process. To qualify, business owners must file a petition with the licensing board and submit required forms to the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. The first wave of upgrades could be approved within months, city officials say, meaning some restaurants may begin serving cocktails by early 2026.
Applicants will be required to pay a $200 state fee, $100 to the licensing board and $170 to cover the cost of publishing a legal notice in the local newspaper. The board will hold a public hearing, send certified mail to neighbors, and evaluate whether there is a “public need” in the location. After local approval, the application will be forwarded to the state for final consideration.
The new law does not sanction an unlimited pool of new liquor licenses. Under Massachusetts law, the number of full-alcohol and beer-and-wine licenses Boston can issue is still capped by the state Legislature. The reform simply allows existing beer-and-wine license holders to apply to upgrade to full-alcohol service, creating a new class of nontransferable licenses that cannot be sold on the private market. Boston’s older transferable licenses, established under the state quota decades ago, still exist and can be bought and sold with state approval. Supporters say the new non-transferable licenses make the system more equitable, even as the overall cap on liquor licenses remains in place.
Full liquor licenses have sold for $200,000 to $600,000 on Boston’s private market in recent years, according to city records. Beer-and-wine licenses have cost about $50,000. By contrast, the new nontransferable licenses will only cost standard filing fees. The wide gap illustrates why many small business owners say they were locked out of the system until the recent changes.
Councilor Coletta said the new policy marks a turning point for a neighborhood long known for its restaurants but has been hemmed in by outdated liquor rules. “It’s an opportunity for them to share in the economic prosperity,” she said, adding that full licenses can help businesses stay competitive and expand their profit margins. “These are places centered around food and the culinary experience. This reform just lets them serve what their customers are already asking for.”
After years of delay, Allston’s Post Office is slated for reconstruction by the start of next year.
The original Allston Post Office closed after a record-breaking North American Blizzard dropped nearly two feet of snow, exacerbating its structural issues. In 2021, Eden Properties, a developer, purchased the site and planned to build a new mixed-use building. Within their plan included a space for a new post office. In addition, the developer proposed 170 housing units as well as a parking garage with 58 spaces.
In the four years since, however, plans to reopen the space ran in fits and starts. Earlier this year, after persistent petitioning by local residents, The Harvard Crimson reported that construction was slated to begin by the summer. Eight months later, the site is still inactive.
According to Lizzie Torres, an Allston resident working in housing policy, the delays are attributed to difficulties navigating the city’s approval process. She says that access to the sole post office is crucial for folks in the Allston area, especially considering its high population of renters, who frequently move around.
Optimism is beginning to tinge conversations about the prospects for the post office.
“I’ve spoken with the developer, and they are […] ready to start demolition on the old building,” says Allston-Brighton District Councilor Elizabeth Breadon. “They’re sort of starting out the final details for the requirements […] for a retail post office on the side as well as with the United States Postal Service.”
Breadon said the Boston City Council believes it is in a good position to advance the project, but USPS staff cuts have complicated the process. Both Torres and Breadon said in the past, the main reason for the delay was worrying about funding for the project, including rising interest rates, tariffs making materials harder to buy, and construction loans.
Allston resident La’Femme Bolden says that the lack of a neighborhood post office is an inconvenience and extra costs that present an unnecessary burden for residents. She says that residents have had to travel to Cleveland Circle or the Brighton Post Office.
However, the impasse may be coming to an end.
Breadon said demolition is supposed to start this fall, with reconstruction beginning next year.
At-Large City Council panel: (from l to r) Marvin Mathelier, Julia Mejia, Erin Murphy, Will Onouha, Henry Santana, Alexandra Valdez, Frank Baker and Ruthzee Louijeune. Photo by Jacqueline Manetta.
A forum for candidates running for at-large seats on the Boston City Council revealed stark differences in how the candidates would approach education, public safety, housing and other issues.
The June 16 forum at Suffolk University — organized by a group of Democratic ward committees— drew eight of the nine candidates seeking four seats: incumbents Ruthzee Louijeune, Julia Mejia, Henry Santana and Erin Murphy, and challengers Will Onuoha, Marvin Mathelier, Alexandra Valdez and Frank Baker. Yves Mary Jean, who did not attend the first candidates’ forum, did not attend this one either. The event was moderated by UMass Boston professor Travis Johnston.
On issue after issue, Onuoha and Baker – often joined by Murphy – voiced opinions in polar opposition to the rest of the field.
Education
The question of whether Boston School Committee members should be elected or appointed by the mayor, as they are now, elicited strong reactions from the candidates. Only Valdez, Baker, and Onuoha said they do not support having an elected committee.
“Our kids matter far too much for us to start playing politics with education,” Onuoha said.
Mejia quickly countered him.
“To say that Black and brown people are under-educated or unable to decide what democracy looks like, I take offense to that,” Mejia said, “because we’re in a moment right now that we have to understand that people want more democracy, not less.”
Baker, Murphy and Onuoha said they do not support the state’s decision to drop the MCAS as a graduation requirement.
The candidates agreed on other school issues, including expanding early education programs to infants and imposing a bell-to-bell ban on cellphones in schools.
Asked how they would address inequities in education, the candidates offered different ideas. Murphy emphasized tackling chronic absenteeism and boosting support for mental health, music and art. Valdez and Frank called for more space for pre-K students. Louijeune, the current councilpresident, highlighted poverty and the need for affordable child care.
Mejia stressed supporting early childhood education practitioners. Onuoha said he would advocate for helping parents who are struggling with housing. Mathelier and Santana said they would focus on transportation and housing, as 10 percent of students have been homeless during the school year.
Pictured at the forum (from l to r) Travis Johnston, the moderator, Marvin Mathelier, Ruthzee Louijeune, Henry Santana, Alexandra Valdez, Erin Murphy, Julia Mejia, Frank Baker and Will Onouha. Photo by Jacqueline Manetta.
Public safety
Onuoha, Murphy, Baker and Valdez said they would not want police to stop working with the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC), a federally funded counterterrorism agency that aims to prevent crime through data-gathering and analysis.
Onuoha, a Mission Hill native, said growing up in a neighborhood directly impacted by street gangs in his youth is part of why he supports BRIC’s work. Louijeune mentioned a deportation that resulted from the center’s intelligence sharing, but Baker said that example is outdated and is not a reason to stop working with it.
Murphy, Onuoha and Baker said they do not support legalizing overdose prevention centers, where people can safely consume drugs. The candidates all said they would support a policy banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from schools and courthouses.
Housing
Baker and Onouha said they do not support Boston’s updated Inclusionary Zoning policy (IDP) that requires 20 percent of new housing units to be income-restricted as a way to increase affordable housing in the city.
Housing construction has slowed in Boston, Baker said, because it has become unsustainable to follow the 20 percent policy.
“So 20 percent of nothing is nothing at the end of the day,” he said.
Onuoha agreed and said focusing on workforce housing – aimed at tenants who earn too much for subsidized housing but not enough for market-rate housing – would be his solution.
“You have to be poor to get into affordable housing,” Onuoha said. “You have to be poor to stay in it.”
Baker, Onuoha and Murphy said they don’t support Mayor Michelle Wu’s rent control proposal to cap rent increases at inflation plus 6 percent.
Baker explained why he opposes it: “Because a lot of renters like myself are small property owners, and I don’t think we necessarily need the government to tell us what we can charge for rent.”
Onuoha said the regulation aimed at stabilizing rent doesn’t work. “We outlawed rent control,” he said, because it increased the cost of housing.
Asked how they would ensure that Boston prioritizes long-term stability for low-income residents, families, and older people, Onouha again mentioned workforce housing, while Baker said he would direct city dollars at housing rather than focusing on policies.
Louijeune emphasized the need for rent stabilization policies as a commitment to Black and low-income communities, preventing them from being displaced by gentrification.
Mathelier advocated for revising Article 80, the process that governs how new development projects are reviewed and approved by the Boston Planning Dept. Santana used the city of Austin, Texas, as a model of what they should aim for.
Valdez said the most secure generational housing is achieved by creating tenant protection programs. Mejia and Murphy talked about their work on the City Council and the importance of working with the communities.
Transportation and infrastructure
Baker was the only candidate to oppose extending past 2026 free bus fares for all riders on routes 23, 28 and 29 through parts of Mattapan, Roxbury and Dorchester.
“To say that fares are free, we’re paying for it one way or another,” Baker said.
He was also the only candidate to oppose updating zoning rules to require new buildings to achieve net-zero carbon emission standards.
Mejia, Murphy, Baker, Onuoha and Louijeune all said they oppose the renovation of White Stadium.
Each candidate then offered their visions for a transportation system that balances safety, sustainability, and the needs of drivers, bicyclists, transit riders, and pedestrians.
“Transportation and housing issues are actually married,” Onouha said.
Baker said the city should do more with water taxis.
“And we should also look to see what Uber and Lyft are doing,” he said.
Civic engagement and leadership
Murphy, Onuoha and Baker said they oppose increasing the $2 million allocated for participatory budgeting, which now allows residents to decide how part of the city budget is spent.
The candidates were asked to grade the city’s success in engaging the voices of diverse residents.
Mathelier, Murphy, Onuoha, Santana, Valdez and Baker all gave Boston a C. Louijeune gave the city a B-, and Mejia gave it an incomplete.
They were asked to share what steps they would take to engage the voices of small businesses. There was overall agreement on the need to listen closely and find creative ways to include residents in conversations.
