Jamaica Plain’s Marvin Mathelier co-owns Ula Cafe, is a lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps Reserves, executive director of the Toussaint Louverture Cultural Center, and is running for one of the four at-large Boston City Council seats.
Mathelier, who’s lived in JP for eight years, fielded questions for Jamaica Plain News about why he’d be a good city councilor, how he’d create more affordable housing, and more.
What from your professional career and personal life will make you a good at-large Boston city councilor?
Mathelier: I have no connection to City Hall. I’m not an employee, appointee, or elected official. And I see that as an asset. I bring a fresh perspective grounded in real-world leadership and public service at multiple levels of government.
As a Marine and military diplomat, I’ve worked with governments around the world to solve complex challenges through collaboration. I’ve led diverse teams in high-pressure environments where transparency, accountability, and results mattered most. Those same leadership skills—communicating clearly, finding common ground, and staying mission-focused—are exactly what City Hall needs.
Here at home, I’m the owner of Ula Café in Jamaica Plain, where we bring people together through community-driven initiatives like our Pay It Forward Wall and Ula After Dark events. I also serve as Executive Director of the Toussaint Louverture Cultural Center, creating space for cultural expression and connection across neighborhoods. These roles keep me grounded and informed by the people and needs of our communities, from JP to Mattapan to the West End.
My experience spans leading Marines, managing a café, running a cultural institution, and serving veterans through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans Services. In each of these roles, I’ve built trust, solved problems, and delivered results without relying on insider politics.
What I bring to City Hall is not just a resume—it’s a proven track record of leadership that puts people first. My experience will help make City Hall more transparent, more accountable, and more connected to the real needs of Boston’s residents. I’m running for City Council because we need bold, long-term solutions—not quick fixes or special-interest deals. Together, we can build a more affordable Boston, improve our schools, and prepare our streets and systems for the future.
As you visit Boston neighborhoods, what are the top 3 issues you are hearing about, and how would you address that issue?
Mathelier: As I knock doors and talk to residents throughout Boston neighborhoods, the top three issues I hear about are housing affordability, Boston Public Schools, and public safety.
Housing affordability is a major concern. People are being priced out of their own communities. I support building more affordable housing, protecting renters, and helping first-time homebuyers stay in the city. We also need to make the housing process easier and more community-driven.
Boston Public Schools has a budget of over $1.6 billion, and families want to see those resources reaching the classroom. We need to look at how that budget is being invested, so students can benefit. I’d also work for more collaboration with Boston’s colleges and universities, and more vocational and career-focused programs that give students real options after graduation.
Public safety isn’t just about law enforcement. It’s about trust, prevention, and access to services. That means safer streets, more youth programs, mental health resources, and better coordination between city departments and the communities they serve.
I’ve also been hearing a lot about community process and choice. Everyday people feel left out of the conversation. We need to make sure all voices are heard when decisions are being made. That means increasing access to meetings, offering permanent hybrid options, scheduling them at times that work for working families, and providing translation in multiple languages. Most importantly, we need to remind people that their voices matter in these spaces and empower them to speak up.
These are big challenges, but I have spent my life bringing people together to solve tough problems. I will bring that same approach to City Hall by leading with transparency, accountability, and a focus on real results for Boston residents.
How would you address Boston’s growing housing affordability crisis?
Mathelier: I’ll fight for more affordable rental units and expanded first-time homebuyer programs by taxing out-of-town developers profiting from displacing hard-working Bostonians. We need to pass rent stabilization at the State House, and do more to subsidize deeply affordable units. We also need to tackle real zoning reform to improve predictability of the building approval process. Finally, we need greater transparency into the process through which projects are approved.
For the 0-30% AMI income band, ensuring voucher availability is key, in addition to city and state subsidies. Investing in the city-funded voucher program, advocating for MRVP in the state budget, and exploring creative ways to seek Section 8 vouchers (such as the Mainstream and VASH programs) will allow this housing to be created. I support the affordable project acceleration certificate, allowing affordable projects to “jump the line” for ISD review. I also support tenant Option to Purchase, since it allows tenants to remain in their homes, and empowers tenants to purchase a home.
I’d also like to ensure that when major publicly-owned parcels of land are developed they are predominantly deeply affordable. This needs to include permanent supportive housing to help families exiting homelessness achieve long-term stability.
Do you support rent stabilization or rent control measures? Why or why not?
Mathelier: I support rent stabilization. As a Haitian immigrant who grew up in a rent-controlled apartment in New York, I know firsthand how life-changing stable housing can be. If it weren’t for that apartment, I don’t know where I’d be today. It gave my family the mental, emotional, physical, and financial stability we needed to live with dignity and contribute to our community.
I understand how critical stable housing is for families. That’s why I support the Homes for All bill—it addresses the immediate needs of the people. I will work closely with my colleagues in the State House to help get it passed.
Right now, too many people are living in uncertainty. When their lease is up, they don’t know if they can afford to stay. Families are being displaced because their rent suddenly spikes. That’s not right, and it’s not fair. We need to act.
What role should the City Council play in improving Boston Public Schools?
Mathelier: City Council should ensure that a quality education is being delivered to the city’s children across their various needs. This can include ensuring materials are up to state standards and giving children a curriculum that prepares them for the jobs of tomorrow through a revamped VTE program. We should also focus on infrastructure improvements such as those recently made to make sure buses are available for all, can be tracked by parents, and can have routes shortened by pausing stops for children not reliant on them. We also need to ensure we are creating an environment that will support students regardless of federal cuts and the disassembling of the Department of Education.
What specific concerns do you have about how changes in federal funding could impact Boston, and how would you address them?
Mathelier: We must do what we can at the municipal level to limit coercion through power of the purse and to insulate our economy from the volatile swings there have been recently in national markets. This includes finding any and all supplemental revenue sources that will not only protect our economy but help it thrive. This means using every option at our disposal from advocating for a commitment to PILOT by institutions, to pushing for legislation such as the luxury transfer fee and corporate fair share tax.
With this and more, we’ll be able to resist the targeting of our immigrants and civil liberties, which make Boston what it is, a diverse city. I plan to use the relationships gained at the Executive Office of Veteran Services to reach these goals.
