Last updated on August 8, 2025
Alexandra Valdez has worn many career hats focused on Jamaica Plain throughout her professional career. She’s looking to add another this fall — to be elected as an at-large Boston City Councilor.
Valdez’s work hats include being an aide in former District 6 City Councilor Matt O’Malley’s office, she was the city’s Latino liaison, been part of Jackson Square Main Streets, Your Your Block cleanups, was the Executive Director of the Office of Women’s Advancement, and is currently the Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.
Valdez immigrated from the Dominican Republic at the age of 10, and now resides in Hyde Park with her son and husband. Valdez spoke with Jamaica Plain News about how she would address cuts in federal funding, navigating the BPS as a parent, and how to increase affordable housing opportunities.
Can you talk about your connection to Jamaica Plain and how you’ve been involved in the community?
Valdez: After living in Roxbury, my family and I moved to Jamaica Plain right before my little brother Jeffry was born. We lived on South Huntington Avenue, and for the first time since moving to Boston, I found a little piece of home in JP. JP is where I discovered my favorite empanadas from Alex’s Chimis, fell in love with Dulce de Leche cakes from Gondres Bakery, and most importantly, found community. I met my best friend in JP and played kickball behind Freddy’s Market with the rest of the kids in the neighborhood.
While in college, I interned for [former District 6] City Councilor Matt O’Malley and later served as the Latino liaison for District 6 in his office. I had the honor of supporting Boston’s Dominican Festival as a board member and served on the Hyde Jackson Square Main Streets board. I’m also a proud alum of Summer Search Boston and Bottom Line.
Later, my partner and I moved to Egleston Square, where we lived for over three years right up until the birth of our son, Adonis. During that time, I served as the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Coordinator under Mayor Martin Walsh. I proudly served on the Democratic Ward 11 Committee, deepening my civic involvement in the community I love. I hosted countless abutters meetings, supported the JP Music Festival and JP Porchfest, and helped new businesses open their doors to hosting Love Your Block cleanups. JP is where I had the most meaningful experiences of my life that inspired me to dedicate my life to public service.
To this day, I stay connected to JP through local festivals and events. JP shaped so much of who I am, and I’m proud to carry that spirit with me in this campaign for City Council At-Large and beyond.
What is your profession?
Valdez: Aside from being a mom full time, I currently serve as the Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.
What from your professional career and personal life will make you a good at-large Boston city councilor?
Valdez: As a proud daughter of Boston, a mother raising her son here, and a lifelong community advocate, I bring a deep, personal investment in the future of our city. My decision to run for Boston City Council At-Large is grounded in both lived experience and a proven track record of service across our neighborhoods. I’m running to ensure that the voices of everyday residents, especially immigrant communities like the one I come from, are not only heard, but represented in city government.
Professionally, I’ve built a career inside and outside of government that has prepared me to lead with integrity, accountability, and compassion. I started as a City Council aide to District Councilor Matt O’Malley, learning the importance of constituent services and policy work at the neighborhood level. I later served as a Neighborhood Liaison, where I sat in living rooms and community centers listening to residents’ concerns about public safety, housing, and street repairs. Mayor Marty Walsh later appointed me as Executive Director of the Office of Women’s Advancement, where I led initiatives to promote gender equity and support working women and families across Boston.
Today, I continue that work as Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs under Mayor Michelle Wu, where I support artists and elevate cultural programming in every corner of the city.
I have demonstrated my ability to work across city government, with community members, nonprofit leaders, and government officials to drive real change. I know how our city government works and how to make it work better for our residents.
I will be a councilor who listens, shows up, and gets things done.
As an at-large city councilor, I will prioritize partnership between the Council and the Mayor’s Office to move forward bold, inclusive policies that reflect the needs of all of Boston’s neighborhoods. Whether it’s fighting for affordable housing, expanding access to quality education, or ensuring our communities are safe and vibrant, I will bring the same passion and purpose that has guided my life’s work.
I am also proud of my ongoing leadership in the Dominican community. I served as Youth Director, and now as President, of FUNDOARCU (Fundación Dominicana de las Artes y la Cultura). The organization helps to elevate Dominican arts and culture in Boston. My contributions have been recognized by several organizations, including El Mundo Boston’s “30 under 30,” El Planeta Newspaper’s “30 under 30,” and IBA’s “50 for 50” honorees, a testament to my longstanding commitment to uplift my community.
Boston is my home; I’ve worked to better it, I’ve served in it, and I’m choosing to raise my family in it. I’m ready to bring my experience, my heart, and my vision to the Boston City Council.
As you visit Boston neighborhoods, what are the top 3 issues you are hearing about, and how would you address that issue?
Valdez: As I visit neighborhoods across Boston, I’m hearing a wide range of concerns from basic quality of life issues like trash pickup and street repairs to bigger structural challenges like education equity and housing affordability. Every issue matters because each one plays a role in shaping the story and future of our city.
Three of the most consistent concerns I hear are:
Affordable Housing and Displacement: Residents across Boston are feeling the pressure of rising rents, stagnant wages, and the threat of displacement. I feel for our residents because it’s a reality that I’ve also lived and I know how urgent it is to act.
Education and Early Childhood Access: Families are deeply concerned about the state of our public education system, including school safety, funding to access universal pre-K, and dual language programs. As a mother navigating our education system, I share those concerns.
Basic City Services and Neighborhood Infrastructure: From missed trash pickup, broken sidewalks, the need for better lighting, and cleaner parks, I hear daily how basic services shape residents’ daily lives. As a former neighborhood liaison, I know how to navigate city departments to get results and I’ll prioritize strong constituent services to ensure no resident feels ignored. I also believe in budget justice to make sure every neighborhood, especially those historically underinvested in, gets its fair share of resources.
How would you address Boston’s growing housing affordability crisis?
Valdez: Housing is a human right. Our working families, immigrants, and seniors are our city’s strength, and we are losing more each day due to our housing crisis. We need to address this crisis with urgency and innovation to ensure Boston is an affordable place to live and grow a family.
I support rent stabilization and stronger tenant protections to prevent displacement. I will prioritize expanding affordable housing for residents making $30K–$50K per year.
We also need to rethink how we define affordability. Many families are combining multiple incomes just to survive, and we need housing models that reflect that reality, not just rely on outdated AMI standards. I support co-purchasing programs, community land trusts, and the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) to help families build stability and wealth.
We must also get creative and rethink how we use vacant buildings, city-owned land, and underutilized spaces to create housing that meets real community needs.
Do you support rent stabilization or rent control measures? Why or why not?
Valdez: Yes, I strongly support rent stabilization and rent control as essential tools to fight displacement and build a more just and livable Boston.
The housing crisis we face today is no accident; the policy decisions that have prioritized corporate developers and speculative profits over the needs of working people and families has created this mess. As rents soar, too many longtime residents, especially immigrants, communities of color, and seniors, are being pushed out of the neighborhoods they’ve called home for generations.
Rent stabilization is one of the strongest ways we can protect tenants from being priced out and provide families with the stability they need. This isn’t just about renters, it’s also about fairness and balance. I believe we need to support good, small landlords, the ones who live in our communities, who rent the second or third unit in their homes, and who often rely on that rental income to stay afloat. These are not the big developers driving displacement, they’re part of our neighborhoods and communities, too.
Any rent control policy I support would be thoughtfully designed to ensure mom-and-pop landlords are protected, allow reasonable rent increases, and support resources for property maintenance. The goal isn’t to punish, it’s to create a housing system that works for everyone, not just those at the top.
Rent control is one piece of a broader housing justice vision. My vision includes investing in deeply affordable housing, preserving existing units, passing policies like the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA), and expanding community ownership models. I will ensure that public dollars and housing programs uplift those who have been historically excluded and displaced.
If Boston is going to be a city for everyone, (and) not just the wealthy, we need bold, compassionate, and people-centered solutions. Rent stabilization, when done correctly, helps keep families and communities intact and I’m committed to making it a reality.
What role should the City Council play in improving Boston Public Schools?
Valdez: While the City Council doesn’t directly run the schools, it plays a critical role in shaping education through oversight, budgeting, and advocacy. The Council helps determine how city funds are allocated to Boston Public Schools, ensures accountability from city leadership, and uses its platform to uplift the voices of students, families, and educators.
It’s essential that we have leaders on the Council who are not only committed to educational equity, but who are also living the realities of the system. As a mother currently navigating Boston’s early education pipeline, I bring a deep understanding of what families are enduring. We need voices at the table who are experiencing the system in real-time because they know best where it’s falling short and where opportunities for real change exist.
As City Councilor, I will advocate for stronger investments in early childhood education, expanded dual language programs, equitable funding across schools, and better engagement with parents and communities. Every decision we make on the Council should be rooted in a commitment to every Boston child’s success regardless of zip code, income, or language spoken at home.
What specific concerns do you have about how changes in federal funding could impact Boston, and how would you address them?
Valdez: Like most major cities, Boston relies heavily on federal funding for critical programs including affordable housing, public health, education, and transportation. Cuts to federal funding could deeply impact working families, seniors, immigrants, and the most vulnerable members of our community.
I’m especially concerned about the future of programs like Housing Choice Vouchers, Head Start, and community development block grants, which keep people housed, employed, and cared for. If these resources are reduced, as a City Councilor, I would work proudly and proactively with my colleagues on the council, the mayor, the state legislature and congressional delegation to clearly identify these funding gaps and advocate for the federal government to prioritize investments in housing, education, and health care. I’d also push for stronger coordination within our coalition to fight for Boston’s fair share and ensure we’re not leaving federal dollars on the table.
In the meantime, Boston will need to get creative and rethink how we use city-owned property, improve public-private partnerships, and engage the CDC’s that already do incredible work with limited resources to help us solve the housing shortage already in front of us. Boston must be resilient in the face of federal uncertainty and that means centering equity, transparency, and community-driven budgeting as we navigate the unpredictability of the federal government’s actions.
