Ruthzee’s Vision for Boston

Ruthzee was born and raised in Boston and still believes in what Boston can become. Because of this, she knows that we have an incredible amount of work to do— not only to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, but to ensure that we are taking a village approach to caring for the needs of our children, our businesses and all of our residents. Everyone who lives here should feel a sense of belonging, and the city’s budget must reflect what we value. Right now, we are falling short, especially on equity measures.

While the real estate market in Boston has been booming, working Bostonians are shut out, unable to purchase homes in the city they grew up in.
Many renters are choosing between making rent payments and buying the items on their grocery list.
Our students are falling behind, especially in light of the pandemic. And our most vulnerable communities are the ones hardest hit-- Black and Latinx students, students with disabilities, and English language learners.

City Hall is failing Black and Latinx business owners when it comes to doing business with the city. And the pandemic has hampered the success of these very same business owners, who often lack the capital to meet monthly business payments or to navigate City Hall bureaucracy.

Too many families are food insecure. We do not have a scarcity problem. We have a distribution problem.

And too many families live in fear of violence-- whether intimate partner violence, street-level violence, or violence at the hands of law enforcement. We must recommit to envisioning a city free of all forms of violence by working with community leaders and nonprofit organizations to strengthen community ties and a sense of community ownership. We must hold law enforcement and all individuals in positions of public trust--including our City Council-- accountable for their actions.