Roberto’s Priorities

Housing

Safe and affordable housing is essential for our residents and community. ​​Having a stable home leads to greater economic stability for families, and in particular better academic outcomes for school children. Unfortunately, far too many people are being pushed out of our community because of housing policies that prioritize profits over people. We have to protect people from being displaced, regardless of if they are renters, homeowners, or people hoping to become homeowners. We do that by both building more housing and protecting families.

  • As City Councilor, Roberto will advocate for:

    • Stabilizing rents by limiting yearly rent increases.

    • Just cause eviction protections.

    • Tenant opportunity to purchase, so community members can more easily become homeowners. This should be paired with investments to support tenants being able to actually exercise this right.

    • Right to counsel in housing court, so renters can fully exercise their rights.

    • Increasing affordability requirements on new development, properly scaled between 30-80% of AMI to ensure people from the lowest income levels have access to a home.

    • Zoning reform, so that areas around transit hubs are required to develop density, particularly in communities with little affordable housing.

    • Expanding community land trusts to support local efforts in improving long-term affordability.

Environmental Justice

Every day, more than 63,000 vehicles cross the Tobin Bridge, dozens of planes fly over Chelsea, and huge ships navigate down the Chelsea Creek. The salt piles, the New England Produce Center, and the fuel terminal in Everett further worsen our air quality. We must hold corporate polluters accountable for the harm they inflict on our community.

  • As City Councilor, Roberto will advocate for:

    • Establishing a 100% renewable, carbon-free electric grid by 2030, including an expansion of off-shore wind production.

    • Expanding the MassSAVE program to target communities that have been most impacted by environmental injustice, such as Chelsea.

    • Developing green space projects across the city to improve air quality and reduce heat islands.

    • Retrofitting homes with heat pumps and electric appliances to make them safer, healthier, and more energy efficient, reducing utility bills and improving safety.

Public Transit

The people of Chelsea deserve a public transit system that allows us to get to work and back quickly, so we can rest and spend time with our families. Our residents often work weekends and evenings, and the MBTA is not doing enough to serve us.

  • Even though we are right next to Boston, Chelsea’s average commute is significantly higher than the US average, and over 5% of people have a 90+ minute commute, almost double the national rate of “super commuters.” Chelsea is only regularly serviced by buses, which are often late and overcrowded, meaning that residents have to transfer vehicles multiple times to reach their destination.

    A strong public transit system leads to a stronger economy, reduced emissions, and improved air quality.

    As City Councilor, Roberto will advocate for:

    • Freeing the T: making all MBTA bus and train routes free for all riders.

    • Connecting the Red and Blue lines.

    • Further developing the commuter rail to connect other communities to Boston, which would reduce housing pressure on our district.

    • Mandating electrification of public transit systems.

Education

Chelsea schools are suffering the consequences of decades of state neglect and underfunding. Our children have a constitutional right to an adequate education, which will help put them on a path to success. I believe in the power of education as a tool for economic mobility but also as the way to drive civic engagement and develop the next generations of community leaders. A student in Chelsea should have access to the same opportunities as a child in a wealthy suburb. We can make that happen by staffing up, paying attention to our children’s mental health, and ensuring that they see themselves reflected in our staff and the curriculum in school.

  • As City Councilor, Roberto will advocate for:

    • Properly funding the Student Opportunity Act so the state can provide us the necessary resources to support our students.

    • Supporting parent-to-educator and paraprofessional-to-teacher programs to address the educator shortage