Miniard Culpepper

After the resignation of disgraced former Boston city councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, her district deserves a legislator who can restore confidence in the office and meet constituent needs without the drama that seemed to trail Fernandes Anderson. To replace her, the Globe editorial board endorses the Rev. Miniard Culpepper, a longtime Roxbury minister and former federal housing official, based on his decades of experience in the community, his detailed understanding of housing policy, and his promise to serve ethically. District councilors, unlike their at-large peers, represent only a portion of the city and are often a constituent’s first call to request help with local issues, from potholes to rats. Another part of the job is to serve as their neighborhood’s voice at City Hall, representing their area’s needs on everything from development projects to schools. They vote on the city budget, municipal ordinances, and other matters. Culpepper is highly qualified for the job; indeed, it would be hard to find a candidate with deeper roots in the district and the city. His grandparents were the first Black homeowners on Seaver Street in Roxbury. Culpepper graduated from Boston English in 1971 and Brandeis University, worked in local politics, and later served as senior pastor at Roxbury’s Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church. His work as regional counsel for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development included a successful discrimination lawsuit against the Boston Housing Authority that resulted in new civil rights protections at the agency. If elected on Nov. 4, Culpepper said he will focus on housing. While he supports preserving public housing and subsidized rental housing, he said his main priority would be to encourage homeownership as a safeguard against gentrification. “In terms of really stabilizing neighborhoods, I think you really need homeownership,” he said in an interview earlier this month with the Globe editorial board. His plan for doing so would include pushing tenant first-right-to-buy policies and the use of Section 8 vouchers for home purchases. Culpepper said he would support the planned renovation of White Stadium, which is located in District 7, as long as the community benefits are sufficient and enough of the money spent goes to local businesses. “One of the things that I think this community desperately needs is private investment,” he said. Looming over the election is the legacy of Fernandes Anderson, who was praised as a trailblazer but whose ethical lapses ultimately led to her downfall. She hired relatives to city jobs, drawing a state ethics commission fine, and ultimately pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges after taking a $7,000 kickback. She was recently sentenced to a month in prison. Everyone deserves elected officials who are looking out for voters, not themselves, and who understand the common-sense ethical guidelines that seemed to elude Fernandes Anderson. Culpepper said “integrity is not going to be an issue” if he’s elected, pointing to his own record managing the church and working in government. Part of his role at HUD, he said, was providing ethics guidance to the agency’s employees in New England. “Folks know that they can count on Miniard Culpepper to do what’s right and what’s in the best interest of the residents of District 7,” he said. Culpepper and his opponent, Said Ahmed, emerged from an 11-candidate field after receiving the most votes in the September preliminary election. The district covers Roxbury, parts of Dorchester and the South End, and a sliver of Fenway. Ahmed, a Somali refugee and running champion, graduated from Boston English, competed as a professional athlete, and has worked in the Boston Public Schools as a coach and attendance officer. While his candidacy is strong — he finished first in the preliminary — the Globe’s recent reporting on Ahmed’s misleading campaign materials raise questions about whether he is the right choice to represent a district still reeling from controversy. Since the preliminary, Culpepper has picked up endorsements from several of the candidates he defeated. It’s not hard to see why. The district includes some of the neediest parts of the city, which in turn require an effective advocate and leader. Based on his long history in Roxbury, Culpepper is the candidate who best meets those needs, and the Globe enthusiastically endorses his candidacy.

My friend Miniard Culpepper has spent his life showing up for his community - with compassion in his heart, conviction in his voice, and courage in his actions. He embodies the bold leadership District 7 deserves: rooted in justice, grounded in faith, and driven by love for the people he serves. I'm proud to endorse his campaign for Boston City Council and confident that Reverand Culpepper will be a powerful champion for all District 7.

Miniard Culpepper is exactly the kind of fighter Boston needs -- someone who doesn't just talk about change, but rolls up his sleeves and makes it happen. He knows that real progress starts listening to people, lifting up their voices, and turning good ideas into action. He'll fight for working families, for more affordable housing, and for a city where everyone has a fair shot. I've known Reverand Culpepper for many years to be a man of service, and I'm proud to endorse his campaign.