We can't afford to have residents priced out of District 5 by soaring rents and skyrocketing home prices. Diversity makes our district special, with people of different backgrounds and means coming together in a community. That is why Enrique’s housing is centered on people — not developers or multimillionaire investors.

On the City Council, Enrique will work to improve our Boston Housing Authority developments and ensure that the city is only building sustainable and accessible public housing. Additionally, he will make sure we build more 30% and 40% AMI units so Boston’s lowest income families can still afford to stay in their city.

Enrique will also advocate for major municipal investments into housing. Specifically, he supports increasing municipal funding for nonprofit housing developers that commit to making their housing permanently affordable, with capped costs. That should be accompanied by zoning reform that delinks housing from strict parking requirements, so it’s easier to build the multi-family units that are proven to lower housing prices.

Finally, Enrique will make sure future neighborhood development does not repeat the mistakes of the early Seaport construction. Neighborhoods need to be built with livability, reliable transit, and public space in mind — not just high-priced amenities and luxury condos.

Every child deserves a high quality, public education that prepares them for college or a career in a skilled vocational sector. Enrique attended Boston Public Schools (BPS,) graduating from the Hurley K-8 and the John D O’Bryant High School. He and his wife are currently enrolling their oldest child in public pre-K and plan to send both children to BPS.

Improving public education starts by listening to the people who know it best. As an elected official, Enrique will center the voices of BPS students, parents, and teachers. Classroom teachers know what they need to be successful, the job of politicians is to listen and give them the resources they need. Parents and students know what wrap-around services need to be expanded to address the root causes of education inequity, like food insecurity and unreliable transportation.

At a time when far-right extremists are making public schools into a battleground for cultural conflict, Enrique will proudly support anti-racist educational practices and social/emotional learning. He will work alongside Mayor Wu to continue dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline and oppose any attempt by federal immigration authorities to surveil BPS students.

Finally, Enrique supports a major expansion of school-based mental health services. Teen depression and suicide rates have been steadily increasing over the last decade. Last year, 16% of high school students experienced at least one major depressive episode. Every school should have qualified guidance counselors, nurses, and mental health professionals.

Boston has no shortage of innovative ideas or entrepreneurs, and our small businesses make it a great place to live, work, and raise a family. The past few years have transformed the workplace for every industry and as our economy continues to change. In this time of uncertainty, we need a City Council that works alongside organized labor to champion workers and support the small businesses that create good paying jobs.

During his time as Director of Neighborhood Services, Enrique worked with small business owners to help them access city services. He learned what entrepreneurs need and how the municipal government can help. He will put that knowledge into practice as a City Councilor.

The cost of childcare is a major obstacle to inclusive economic growth, so Enrique will work to expand access to pre-K and early childhood education. Specifically, he will support a pilot program modeled on Cambridge’s universal pre-K. This is an ambitious goal but one worth working toward for every Boston family.

Additionally, Enrique will assist local businesses and stand with workers by: Investing in Black and Brown-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, and LGBTQ+owned businesses; advocating for stricter wage theft penalties alongside the state legislative delegation; strengthening worker protection; and always supporting new unionization efforts.

“Public safety” must include every Bostonian — not just safety for some groups at the expense of others. That means it’s about more than just policing and law enforcement. Public safety also requires addressing institutional racism, homelessness, and inequitable emergency response procedures. Enrique worked on all of these issues as the liaison for Boston’s Office of Neighborhood Services. Part of his job was responding to fires to assist residents who were displaced from their housing and connecting them with city resources to get new housing. He will continue to prioritize these issues on the City Council.

The intersectional issue of public safety requires holistic solutions, which is why Enrique will: expand diversionary and support programs for youth offenders; increase funding for community-led after school programming; and support nonprofits and violence intervention groups that are engaging with at-risk populations.

Enrique will also support Mayor Wu’s ongoing efforts to demilitarize the police. He supports having trained mediators respond to 911 calls about homelessness and mental health episodes in order to de-escalate dangerous situations and connect people in need with the appropriate services.

The use of facial recognition software by law enforcement has the potential to reinforce racial inequalities and Enrique would support strict limits on the technology. Right now, the software is simply not accurate. One study found that some facial recognition algorithms misclassified Black women nearly 35 percent of the time, while nearly always being accurate for white men. The consequences for a false match can be as severe as a wrongful conviction. Boston needs strict limits on the use of this flawed technology by police.

Additionally, Enrique supports expanded city services for crime victims. The lasting trauma of crime, especially violent crime, requires long term support for victims both during their engagement with the legal system and after the case has been resolved.

We cannot wait to address the climate crisis. Rising sea levels, worsening hurricanes, and other extreme weather effects threaten every part of Boston. Unfortunately, our federal government is unwilling to do what is necessary to combat climate change. But cities like Boston have the opportunity to step up and be leaders on the issue.

Enrique will be an environmental champion on the Boston City Council as an advocate for a municipal Green New Deal, getting to carbon neutral as soon as possible, and building reliable infrastructure that protects Boston from the worst impacts of climate change. Working alongside stakeholders like academic experts and environmental nonprofits, Enrique will also combat pollution in order to improve our air and water quality.

Environmental justice must be centered in any new construction project. There is no reason for Boston not to insist on the highest standards of sustainability and livability in new housing. This will make housing less expensive, not more, because sustainable construction uses less energy and reduces the risk of catastrophic weather effects from climate change.

Enrique will also protect open space as a City Councilor. Every neighborhood needs high quality public parks and other places for residents to enjoy the outdoors. This is especially true on our waterfront, where new development should not be allowed to reduce public access to the ocean. Nature is for everyone and that common sense rule should guide any new waterfront construction.

Enrique has always been passionate about improving public transit. Growing up, he was often frustrated by how the MBTA made it hard to get around the city. After college, he worked at the Transportation for Mass nonprofit and advocated for increased transit funding, including the bus lane pilot program on the Tobin Bridge.

The goal of transportation policy should be making it as easy as possible for Boston residents to travel without an automobile. Fewer cars means lower carbon emissions, fewer accidents with pedestrians and cyclists, and better air quality. It also means that there will be less traffic when people do need to drive. Towards that goal, Enrique will support expanding bus lanes and cyclist infrastructure.

As a City Councilor, Enrique will support Mayor Wu’s plan for fare-free transit, starting with the existing pilot programs and working to expand them. He will also be an advocate for legislation giving the City of Boston a permanent representative on the MBTA Fiscal Control Board.