Civic Participation

Councilor Louijeune knows that making local government accessible to Boston residents, includes inviting them to have a seat at the table. Residents must have a say in how the city allocates the budget via a participatory budgeting process where both the City Council and the public are more involved in budget decisions. The councilor also believes that there is a great need for citizen review of the city’s zoning and planning decisions. There must be a mechanism by which community feedback at Boston Public and Development Authority hearings is directly addressed, either during or after the meeting, and not just glossed over.

1. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many municipal activities that required public participation, became remote with a virtual option for attendance. This allowed residents across the city an opportunity to have access to meaningful community engagement for the first time. To ensure that virtual participation remains an option for all of our neighbors, beyond the defined timeline of the pandemic, Councilor Louijeune co-sponsored an ordinance to codify remote participation.  LINK 0545

2. The best part about being an At-Large City Councilor is getting to show up and meet residents across Boston. To help bring communities together, Councilor Louijeune hosted Cocoa with the Councilor in nearly twenty neighborhoods across the city. This provided space for the councilor to hear directly from constituents about their thoughts and ideas while supporting a small, local business. Not only that, neighbors could meet neighbors and build valuable relationships with those living nearby.