Ben Weber on the issues. What he cares about, and what he’s doing for boston

Government transparency + constituent services

To be an effective advocate for the residents of District 6, I have worked to ensure that my constituents understand what is happening at City Hall and feel like they have an effective advocate voicing their concerns at the City level.  Along with my team, I have worked to ensure District 6 residents have as many opportunities as possible to speak to me and my staff about what you need from your City Government.  To provide the highest caliber constituent services, I have assembled a staff who are able to take more phone calls and emails from residents than most other offices, have shown up at community meetings as much as possible, appeared at dozens of coffee hours and held town halls throughout the district, and why we put in so much effort into a weekly newsletter to transparently and clearly communicate what I am working on and to explain what I have looked at and why I have taken a certain position on an issue.  Without all of these methods of two-way communication, my office simply could not do its job.

what i have done

  • Opened over 1200 constituent cases since taking office in January 2024, with 75% being resolved in the first month.

  • Attended 100+ Neighborhood and Community Meetings.

  • Hosted 20+ coffee hours across District 6 meeting with constituents 1:1 and 7 Town Hall events on budget and policy issues.

  • Sent 65+ newsletters detailing each week's work on the Council.

  • Drafted and passed a City Council policy banning Non-Disclosure Agreements in City Council offices.

what i will continue to fight for

  • Expanding community town halls on relevant district issues and policies.

  • Committing to focus on constituent issues and communicating regularly with updates we receive from City Hall.

  • Being accessible in every neighborhood and on every street across District 6.

housing

Housing continues to be the issue across District 6 that I hear about the most.  There are two critical pieces to the housing puzzle that I am working on:  Increasing housing production—especially affordable housing— through clear, objective standards and shoring up anti-displacement protections.  We have to ensure that while we are building more housing, we are not pricing out our long-term and most vulnerable residents and are ensuring that the communities that make District 6 special are able to continue to live here and thrive.

what i have done

  • Spearheaded and passed two budget amendments for the Access to Counsel Pilot Program which provides an attorney for any BPS family faced with eviction.  With nearly 5,000 BPS students experiencing homelessness each year, I focused on practical ways to help these families avoid the trauma of losing their homes without legal representation.

  • Secured an additional $2.6 million dollars in budget amendments supporting City Housing Vouchers, which provide rental assistance to families, including those with mixed immigration status.

  • Passed three separate initiatives to protect residential property tax rates against dramatic increases, and advocated to the State Legislature for their swift passage.

what i will continue to fight for

  • Increasing investment in the city housing voucher program, which has proven to not only stabilize housing, but also allows families to move into improved housing via financial stability.

  • Expanding the Access to Counsel program to ensure that anyone who goes through an eviction is provided an attorney and has the time to find new housing before losing their current apartment. 

  • Supporting efforts to update our zoning code in a way that honors our existing neighborhoods while addressing the city’s housing affordability crisis.

Workers Rights

Prior to becoming a City Councilor, I was a workers rights attorney and I know how a stable job that pays a living wage and provides safe working conditions helps residents with their food, their housing, and their kids’ education.  Across Boston, we have some great protections for workers, but there are still very important steps I am currently working on.

what i have done

  • Introduced a wage theft ordinance to prevent contractors with a history of wage complaints or misclassification from receiving contracts from the City of Boston.

  • Drafted and filed an ordinance which will require covered employers to develop heat-illness prevention plans for their workers during heat emergencies.

  • Passed an ordinance codifying the Office of Labor Compliance and Worker Protections which protects and promotes workplace standards for workers across Boston.

what i will continue to fight for

  • Passing our wage theft ordinance.

  • Strengthening protections for gig workers in Boston. 

  • Expand workforce training for Boston residents to get good paying jobs.

seniors

District 6 has one of the highest percentages of seniors in the entire City of Boston.  From Egleston Square to the Dedham border in West Roxbury, seniors have built this city and we owe it to them to ensure they can continue to live and thrive here. 

what i have done

  • Successfully advocated for City funding for an extra day of senior programming at the senior pop-up at the Elk’s Lodge in West Roxbury, which kicked off in July 2025.

  • Held a hearing on need for increased Senior Programming on site at the Elk’s Lodge in West Roxbury, highlighting need for more dedicated space for seniors in Boston.

  • Supported home rule petition to expand property tax breaks for eligible senior homeowners.

  • Fought alongside fellow elected officials and the Lawyers for Civil Rights to keep the Edgar P. Benjamin Center open as a facility which has provided Boston senior residents of color a healthy place to live for over a 100 years.  

what i will continue to fight for

  • A brick and mortar senior center in West Roxbury.

  • Expanding the supply of affordable Senior Housing to ease the crunch of our most vulnerable seniors.

  • Protecting residential property tax rates against sharp increases.

boston public schools and youth advocacy

As a BPS parent, I know that there is nothing more important than ensuring our kids get a world-class education.  My family has experienced the highs and lows of BPS, and I know the struggles that parents go through every year to navigate our complex system.  Critically important decisions for BPS are being made right now, as we look to renovate decaying buildings and reduce our school footprint to match the loss of close to 15,000 students. We need more high quality schools so we can meet all of our kids’ needs. 

what i have done

  • Fought for more reading specialists in our elementary schools to ensure our students are getting personalized services early to read at grade level.

  • Expanding sports offerings and building the athletic facilities that our kids and communities deserve, including supporting the renovation of White Stadium as a resource for BPS students.

  • Secured City funding for youth programming at Mildred Hailey to provide support to kids and connect them with career opportunities.

  • Supported a budget amendment for $750,000 to expand youth job opportunities.  

  • Supported BPS students by launching the Access to Counsel program pilot focused on families with students in BPS to prevent them from going through the disruption of an eviction. 

what i will continue to fight for

  • Increasing transparency with parents and students at BPS regarding future changes and ensuring that all parents have a chance to plan for their child's future.

  • Expanding services for multilingual students to ensure that all students can succeed and learn in their native languages while improving English competency.

  • Fighting for appropriate staffing levels to support inclusion done right that prioritizes each child getting more personalized, individualized support based on their individual strengths and needs.

  • Conduct hearing on pros and cons of BPS-wide cellphone ban to examine ways to reduce distractions and lessen negative impacts of social media on our kids.

climate resiliency

As the Vice Chair of the City Council Committee on Environmental Justice, Resiliency, & Parks I have worked in partnership with Chair Gabriela Coletta Zapata to address the threat of climate change and ensure that we are doing all that we can to be a Green New Deal city.

what i have done

  • Supported expansion of electric vehicle charging stations and BlueBike stations in District 6.

  • Filed budget amendments to increase the tree canopy citywide that resulted in the planting of 50 trees at Millennium Park in West Roxbury. 

  • Supported the Mayor’s Net Zero Carbon Zoning Initiative which, starting on July 1, 2025, requires new buildings to meet higher energy efficiency standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

what i will continue to fight for

  • More tree canopy coverage and the potential to hire more arborists to improve the maintenance of our existing canopy.

  • Supporting a transition to clean heat and other ways to reduce our carbon footprint to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. 

  • Exploring a potential ban on the use of polystyrene products in the City of Boston.

protecting immigrant communities

As an attorney who represented predominantly immigrant workers, including farmworkers and delivery drivers, for nearly 20 years, I know how important it is for us to uplift the voices of our immigrant neighbors regardless of their status. On the Council, I have continued to fight for immigrants’ rights and vow to protect this vulnerable population here in Boston.  

what i have done

  • Co-sponsored a resolution reaffirming the Council’s unanimous commitment to the​​ Trust Act which bars local police from collaborating with ICE in Boston.

  • Organized several Know Your Rights trainings in District 6, including one for small business owners, and supported the LUCE network to ensure that we document ICE actions in the district. 

  • Opposed the Governor’s decision to limit families staying at emergency overflow shelters to five days which negatively impacted children and families, especially immigrant families seeking refuge in Massachusetts, and worked with Boston Medical Center to ensure homeless families seeking shelter were not being forced to spend the night on the street.

  • Supported a variety of pro-immigrant state bills including the Safe Communities Act, the Dignity Not Deportation Act and the Immigrant Legal Defense Act and filed a resolution that the Council adopted in support of these bills urging our state partners to act on these pieces of legislation. 

  • Pushed for additional funding for the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Advancement and an amendment which provides legal assistance for those in immigration proceedings.

what i will continue to fight for

  • Amending and strengthening the Trust Act so we best protect our immigrant neighbors from the Trump Administration.

  • Increasing legal resources for immigrants and organizing targeted Know Your Rights trainings aimed at making our communities safer. 

  • Highlighting and supporting programming for immigrants including by offering ESOL classes and job training for adults.

safer streets

I have been proud to continue to work with constituents and city officials to have safer streets where pedestrians and cyclists can move through the city without fear.  

what i have done

  • Following the tragic death of Glenn Inghram who was killed by a bus while in the crosswalk in front of the Forest Hills T Station, advocated for redesign of Hyde Park Avenue in Forest Hills that would add a crosswalk and bike lanes to ensure that pedestrians, cyclists, buses, and vehicles can share the busy street safely.

  • Supported the Egleston Square street redesign that will prioritize pedestrian and cyclist safety and allow for safe bike travel to and from White Stadium. 

  • Supported higher base salaries for BTD workers to close the shortage of staff and ensure that we are moving as quickly as we can on road improvements.

what i will continue to fight for

  • Expanding funding for BTD staff and raising base pay to close the over 100 staff gap between what we have and what we need to do work effectively.

  • Continuing to work with local neighbors and communities on intersections that are particularly dangerous.

  • Fighting to continue the speed hump program, bike lane construction, and ensure that constituents' voices are heard in the selection process.