As chair of the Boston City Council’s Public Safety & Criminal Justice Committee, first-term At-Large City Councilor Henry Santana has been focused on investing in funding mental health services, substance abuse treatment, and violence prevention programs alongside of traditional public safety measures.
After immigrating from the Dominican Republic as a child, Santana grew up in Mission Hill, which he feels is similar to his current neighborhood in Roxbury. Santana said both neighborhoods, like Jamaica Plain, are places where working families are building their lives while often navigating around issues of affordability and access to opportunities he experienced growing up in Boston.
Santana spoke with Jamaica Plain News about the work he’s done advocating for expanding evidence-based best practices for inclusive learning environments for multilingual and special education learners, his greatest accomplishment as a city councilor so far, getting his haircut at the same JP barbershop since he was a kid, and more.
Can you talk about your connection to Jamaica Plain and how you’ve been
involved in the community?
Santana: As a Dominican, JP has always held a special place in my heart. The strong Dominican
community here in JP played a crucial role for me, especially when I was young. I’ve been
getting my haircut at Fernandez Barbershop weekly since I was 13 years old. I was able to
connect with my culture and feel at home even when I wasn’t physically in the Dominican
Republic. Meeting and expanding my community and connecting with people who looked like
me, who had the same lived experiences as me, was really important for my development as a
young person. Jamaica Plain is my second home here in Boston.
That cultural connection helped ground me in my identity while I was also navigating growing up
in Boston. The Dominican community in JP understood the challenges of building a life here
while staying connected to where we came from, and that shared experience created bonds that
have lasted throughout my life. My favorite restaurants are in JP, like Alex’s Chimis and Same
Old Place.
As a councilor, the residents of JP have always been extremely supportive. Just this past
weekend, we hosted a youth canvass here in JP, and seeing young people from the community
getting involved in civic engagement reminded me why this work matters. This neighborhood
has supported me in all stages of my life, and as a councilor, I’m able to give back to the
community that helped shape who I am today.
What has been your greatest accomplishment as an at-large Boston city councilor?
Santana: My greatest accomplishment as an at-large Boston City Councilor has been codifying the Office of Youth Engagement and Advancement through an ordinance I championed with [District 3 City Councilor John] FitzGerald and [District 6 City Councilor Ben] Weber. For me, this was about institutionalizing my commitment to young people and ensuring their voices are permanently centered in city government. This work builds on everything I’ve done throughout my career. I spent over 15 years with the Mission Hill Summer Program, fostering academic growth and leadership among youth in the neighborhood where I grew up.
What from your professional career and personal life have made you a good at-large
Boston city councilor?
Santana: My entire professional career has been built around community service and organizing. I spent over 15 years with the Mission Hill Summer Program, working directly with young people and their families to foster academic growth and leadership. I’m extremely proud of that experience; it was my introduction to understanding how policy decisions made in City Hall impact people’s daily lives.
Before becoming a councilor, I served as the inaugural director for Mayor Wu’s Office of Civic
Organizing, where I worked specifically to eliminate barriers to civic engagement and empower
Boston residents to participate in their communities. Before that, I was Director of Operations
and Mission Hill and Fenway Liaison for [Former District 8 City] Councilor Kenzie Bok, helping constituents navigate city services during the pandemic.
Each of these roles taught me something essential about representation. Working with youth
taught me the importance of long-term investment in communities. The civic organizing work
showed me how to build coalitions and turn community voices into policy change. Working for
Councilor Bok during COVID taught me how to help families access resources when they need
them most.
These experiences shaped my approach to addressing problems now as an At-Large Councilor.
Santana’s CAPE, a program made up of constituents who advise me and guide me on policy
priorities, perfectly reflects my organizing background.
As you visit Boston neighborhoods, what are the top 3 issues you are hearing about, and
how would you address that issue?
Santana: Housing. This is the issue I hear about most consistently across every neighborhood. Families are being priced out, young people can’t afford to stay in the communities where they grew up, and homeownership feels impossible even for people with good jobs. I’ve championed the city’s new $110 million Housing Accelerator Fund, which specifically helps to speed the creation of mixed-income and social housing, along with new homeownership opportunities. Moving forward, I’d continue pushing for real estate transfer fees on luxury properties, maintaining strong inclusionary zoning requirements for affordable units, and exploring rent stabilization authority.
Safety. What I’m hearing isn’t just about crime statistics but more to do with how people are feeling. People want to feel secure walking to school, going to work, using public transit. My approach as chair of the Public Safety & Criminal Justice Committee has been investing in
community-based solutions that address root causes. This means funding mental health
services, substance abuse treatment, and violence prevention programs alongside traditional
public safety measures. I’ve advocated for community policing models that prioritize dialogue
and relationship-building. Safety is bigger than statistics and I try to center that throughout my
work addressing public safety.
Access. Whether it’s access to city services, quality education, healthcare, or economic opportunities, I consistently hear that families feel locked out of systems that should serve them. I’ve worked to improve constituent services, advocated for language access legislation, and pushed for policies that make city government more responsive to residents’ needs.
How would you address Boston’s growing housing affordability crisis?
Santana: Boston’s housing affordability crisis requires both immediate action and long-term systemic change. Following the Housing Accelerator Fund, the implementation of real estate transfer fees on high priced properties is an extremely important way to generate revenue taking the burden off of home owners, specifically those on fixed incomes bearing the brunt of the tax
burden currently. My approach is grounded in understanding that housing isn’t just a commodity
but the foundation for everything else. When families have stable, affordable housing, kids do
better in school, parents can focus on work instead of constantly searching for apartments, and
communities stay strong.
Do you support rent stabilization or rent control measures? Why or why not?
Santana: Yes. I’ve spent my first term being a fierce advocate for rent control. When working families see modest wage increases but their rent goes up 20-30% annually, those raises become
meaningless. People working full-time jobs oftentimes can’t afford to stay in the communities
where they work. That’s not sustainable for our city. I believe rent stabilization should focus on
investor landlords rather than owner-occupant landlords. I believe that small property owners
face different circumstances than large investment companies that are purely profit-driven. We
need state authorization to implement these tools effectively, which is why I’d advocate for
legislation that gives municipalities like Boston the authority to stabilize rents and require just
cause for evictions.
What is your opinion on the growing % of investors purchasing single/double/triple-family homes?
Santana: This trend is a direct threat to Boston’s working families and over all neighborhood stability. These properties have traditionally been pathways to homeownership for working families – places where people could buy a triple-decker, live in one unit, and rent out the others to help with the mortgage. Now we’re seeing investment companies swooping in, outbidding families, and converting these properties into pure rental investments.
These investors aren’t just taking away home ownership opportunities from families, they’re
changing the character of our neighborhoods. Owner-occupant landlords have a stake in their
communities – they live there, their kids go to local schools, they care about long-term neighborhood health. Investor landlords often have different priorities focused purely on
maximizing returns.
What role should the City Council play in improving Boston Public Schools?
Santana: As chair of the Education Committee, I believe the City Council’s role is being an active partner with Boston Public Schools leadership while holding them accountable to families and students. We have a responsibility to ensure BPS is actually serving the communities that depend on it. I’ve used my committee position to focus on practical issues that directly impact students and families. We’ve held hearings on expanding evidence-based best practices for inclusive learning environments for multilingual and special education learners, discussed transportation for student athletes, and worked to preserve historical artifacts in schools facing closure or merger. These might not make headlines, but they determine whether kids can actually access quality education.
The Council also plays a crucial oversight role. I’ve pushed for hearings on security camera
usage in schools and advocated for better working conditions for bus monitors. When BPS
faces challenges, our job is ensuring they have the resources they need while making sure
those resources are used effectively.
What specific concerns do you have about how changes in federal funding could impact Boston, and how would you address them?
Santana: My biggest concerns about federal funding cuts center on programs that working families depend on most. I’ve already been fighting against proposed cuts to life-saving cancer research and NIH funding that directly impact Boston’s hospitals and research institutions. These cuts don’t just hurt our economy; they threaten healthcare access for families who can’t afford private care. I’m also deeply concerned about cuts to programs that support immigrant communities, LGBTQIA+ services, and social safety net programs. I’ve consistently opposed the rollback of temporary protected status for Haitian, Venezuelan, and other communities, and federal cuts to these programs would force more families into crisis.
My approach has been to build coalition support for federal advocacy while strengthening local
alternatives. When I supported resolutions condemning cuts to veteran services and cancer
research, it wasn’t just symbolic – it was about coordinating with our federal delegation to
demonstrate unified opposition from Boston leadership.
