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Early voting has already begun in the city of Boston, and next Tuesday, the votes for mayor, district councilors, and at-large city councilors will be counted. You already know how Mayor Michelle Wu emerged as the only mayoral candidate after crushing Josh Kraft in the preliminary; we’ve told you which of the eight at-large candidates to keep a close eye on; and today, we bring you the story of the only open race on the ballot: the battle for District 7.
The district covers the geographic center of Boston: Roxbury, as well as smaller slices of Fenway, Dorchester and the South End. And it’s been in the news quite a bit – since former Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson resigned in July after getting arrested for orchestrating a kickback scheme with a family member on her staff. (Fernandes Anderson is currently serving a one-month prison sentence in federal prison in Connecticut for wire fraud and theft of federal funds.
A slew of candidates ran to fill her seat, and candidates Miniard Culpepper and Said Ahmed emerged from a field of 11 in the preliminary election. Ahmed topped the ticket, but only by just over 50 votes, with Culpepper hot on his heels. Still, “win is win,” Amed told me last week.
A 43-year-old father of five kids, Ahmed is a Somali immigrant who moved into Boston Public Housing in Roxbury when he was 12 years old. He went on to become a track and field star, running professionally on a Nike contract. Since then, Ahmed founded Boston United Track and Cross Country, a free track program in Boston. He often goes by “Coach” — so often that it’s even part of his name on the ballot. He lives with his family in a Roxbury rental, and has spent much of the last 15 years working in Boston Public Schools.
Culpepper, meanwhile, is a 71-year-old lifelong resident of Dorchester, who served more than two decades in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as an attorney. He often touts his record of fighting for civil rights at HUD. For the last 20-plus years, the homeowner and father of two adult sons has served as a pastor at Dorchester’s Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church (founded by his grandfather). He’s racked up endorsements from Rep. Ayanna Pressley, two former D7 preliminary opponents and the editorial boards of multiple local papers. (Notably, though, Wu hasn’t endorsed either candidate.)
When it comes to policy, these two Democrats agree on a whole lot.
They largely support Wu’s plans to rebuild White Stadium in Franklin Park to host a women’s professional soccer team (though they both want to see more community input); oppose the city’s plan to install a center-running bus lane on Blue Hill Avenue; and think rent control is part of the solution to Boston’s housing affordability problems. However, when you dig into the details, their policy plans diverge on housing, Mass. and Cass and more. And beyond policy, some in the district are concerned about how prepared the political newcomers are for the role.
Stay tuned for my full story — on air and online — about the D7 race later this week. And of course, follow along for this final sprint to election day. T minus 8 days.
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