Brandon Bowser
Brandon Bowser ran for election to the Boston City Council to represent District 9 in Massachusetts. Bowser lost in the primary on September 24, 2019.
Bowser completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Bowser was a nonpartisan candidate for District 9 representative on the Boston City Council in Massachusetts. Bowser was defeated in the general election on November 7, 2017. Click here to read Bowser's response to Ballotpedia's 2017 municipal candidate survey.
Biography
Bowser received a bachelor's degree in secondary education from Central Michigan University. His professional experience includes working as a middle school teacher in the Boston Public School system.[1]
Elections
2019
See also: City elections in Boston, Massachusetts (2019)
General election
General election for Boston City Council District 9
Liz Breadon defeated Craig Cashman in the general election for Boston City Council District 9 on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Liz Breadon (Nonpartisan) | 58.5 | 3,890 |
| Craig Cashman (Nonpartisan) | 41.1 | 2,730 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 28 | ||
| Total votes: 6,648 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Boston City Council District 9
The following candidates ran in the primary for Boston City Council District 9 on September 24, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Craig Cashman (Nonpartisan) | 25.4 | 1,221 | |
| ✔ | | Liz Breadon (Nonpartisan) | 23.5 | 1,133 |
 | Brandon Bowser (Nonpartisan) | 16.0 | 768 | |
| Daniel Daly (Nonpartisan) | 13.7 | 657 | ||
| Lee Nave Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 9.7 | 467 | ||
 | Jonathan Allen (Nonpartisan) | 9.5 | 458 | |
 | Amanda Smart (Nonpartisan) | 2.2 | 106 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 3 | ||
| Total votes: 4,813 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2017
The city of Boston, Massachusetts, held elections for mayor and city council on November 7, 2017. A primary election occurred on September 26, 2017. All 13 seats on the city council were up for election. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 23, 2017.
Incumbent Mark Ciommo defeated Brandon Bowser in the general election for District 9 on the Boston City Council.[2]
| Boston City Council, District 9 General Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Mark Ciommo Incumbent |
61.30% | 4,680 |
| Brandon Bowser | 38.15% | 2,913 |
| Write-in votes | 0.55% | 42 |
| Total Votes | 7,635 | |
| Source: City of Boston, "Official Ward 9 Election Results," accessed November 27, 2017 | ||
Incumbent Mark Ciommo and Brandon Bowser defeated Alexander Golonka in the primary election for District 9 on the Boston City Council.[3]
| Boston City Council, District 9 Nonpartisan Primary Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Mark Ciommo Incumbent |
58.61% | 2,076 |
| Brandon Bowser |
23.24% | 823 |
| Alexander Golonka | 17.48% | 619 |
| Write-in votes | 0.68% | 24 |
| Total Votes | 3,542 | |
| Source: City of Boston, "Official District 9 election results," September 26, 2017 | ||
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Brandon Bowser completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bowser's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
My top three priorities are: Education, Housing, and Transportation. As an educator in the Boston Public Schools I have seen first hand the challenges facing our schools. We need to ensure that every school receives the funding required to provide our students a proper education. Boston is facing an affordable housing crisis, and we need to take bold steps to build housing that is deeply affordable in order to keep residents from being displaced. We need to redefine how we talk about transportation. I believe we need to create multi-modal solutions to our transportation problems. That is to say we need to address traffic and urban planning from a system where all modes of transportation are taken into account, rather than prioritizing one over the other.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Housing, Education, and Transportation. Much of my activism is focused on housing, education, and transportation. As a renter, I want to strengthen renter protections. As developers have come into the neighborhood, I have fought for increasing the percentage of affordable units and will continue to do so, but I also realize that we need to redefine what “affordable” means. Affordability is determined by the area median income of Boston -- which is offset by the high incomes of those living in the Waterfront, Back Bay, and Charlestown. In residential neighborhoods like Allston, Roxbury and Dorchester, “affordable” units are still out of reach for most residents. Aside from the cost of renting, I also want to hold landlords accountable, and make sure that tenants know their rights and have access to city services when necessary. As a BPS teacher, I know the importance of properly funding our schools. Our schools rely on funding to provide materials, curriculum, and technology to assure them a 21st century education. As a year round cyclist and a regular rider of the MBTA, I want to focus on creating solutions that make our whole transportation network - public transportation, bikes, and cars - work together more seamlessly.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
I look up to the long-term community activists in the neighborhood. I am inspired by their decades of commitment and the service they have given to the community. As a person who has been involved in many different areas of activism, I look up to these community activists who have dedicated much if not all of their free time to fight for our neighborhood. I would be honored to have the opportunity to serve these residents and amplify their voices at City Hall.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
The most important qualities that an elected official should have are transparency and accountability to the community. I strive to fight for and amplify the voices of the community. This is not only about listening to those who are present at community meetings, but actively seeking the voices of those who are marginalized or otherwise not present in community meetings.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
As a teacher I understand the issues of our schools, their teachers, students, and their families. It is my job to communicate information to a broad spectrum of students and their parents. Being a classroom teacher, I have the ability to take input from many voices and translate that into a lesson with a clear and cohesive message.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
I believe that elected officials must be dedicated to fighting for the community, and not developers, large universities, or other special interests. It is so important that we elect people who are focused on creating equitable solutions to the problems facing our neighborhood, such as transit, education, and housing.
What legacy would you like to leave?
I would like to leave a legacy of a person who has used my time on earth amplifying other peoples’ voices to increase opportunity. As the son of a Pastor, I was taught at a young age to give my time to others, and to always focus on the larger picture of bettering the moment for our community.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
In 1989 when I was four and a half, I distinctly remember seeing images and news stories of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. Even though I could not contextualize the long-term ramifications of this spill it was cemented into my early memory.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
My first job was working as a dishwasher at a small Italian restaurant in Flint, Michigan. I worked that job for roughly a year.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
My favorite holiday is New Years. I love spending time with my friends and family celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of a new one. This day has always represented a fresh start.
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
I am fortunate to live in a house with two apartments in it. The friends who live in my house represent many different backgrounds. We are house of artists, small business owners, a construction worker, and an architect. I am fortunate to be able to share a porch with so many creative people.
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
A notable struggle that I have had in the past ten years is finding housing that is affordable. This is a common experience with renters across the City of Boston.
What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?
I believe that a City Councilor should be an effective communicator and advocate. As a teacher I communicate information and knowledge to dozens of people on a daily basis. As an Executive Board member of the Allston Civic Association I communicate the voices of community members that I have heard while attending community meetings and talking to residents throughout the community. It is important that we have a City Councilor who will use the seat as an opportunity to fight for our neighborhood and be able to have a nuanced understanding of how housing, transit, and education all fit together in Boston.
What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the local government?
The City Councilor has a unique opportunity to serve as a convener, absorbing ideas and experiences from residents across the district and proposing solutions that could help not just residents of our district, but residents across the city. The Council makes substantive change at the most local level, in issues that affect peoples’ daily lives. I will focus on constituent services and be accountable to the neighborhood.
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?
I believe that experience working in the neighborhood outweighs experience in government. I want to transfer my skills and experience as a Boston Public School teacher and a community activist to serve the citizens of Allston-Brighton. While I have not held public office, I have worked for 7 years serving the students and families as a teacher in Allston-Brighton.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2017
Candidate survey
Bowser participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of municipal government candidates.[4] The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | My top priority would be listening and engaging with my constituents, and representing their ideas, interests, and concerns to the rest of the city of Boston[5] | ” |
| —Brandon Bowser (July 6, 2017)[1] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important: city services (trash, utilities, etc.), civil rights, crime reduction/prevention, environment, government transparency, homelessness, housing, K-12 education, public pensions/retirement funds, recreational opportunities, transportation, and unemployment. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important.
| Issue importance ranking | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking |
Issue | Candidate's ranking |
Issue |
| Housing | City services (trash, utilities, etc.) | ||
| K-12 education | Public pensions/retirement funds | ||
| Civil rights | Government transparency | ||
| Environment | Homelessness | ||
| Transportation | Recreational opportunities | ||
| Crime reduction/prevention | Unemployment | ||
Nationwide municipal issues
The candidate was asked to answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions.
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| Important | |
| Federal | |
| Public outreach/education programs | |
| Focusing on small business development | |
| I am proud to live in a city with a diverse population, one which has a strong identity and culture. | |
| I would like to see a Boston where families and young adults can afford to stay in the city rather than buy houses in surrounding towns. |
Additional themes
Bowser's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[6]
Affordable housing
- Excerpt: "We must focus on stabilizing rents so that those who wish to continue living in Allston-Brighton are able to do so. Landlords must make sure that their units are up to code. No one should ever have to worry about how safe their home is. We need to establish a neighborhood housing plan that is developed with a meaningful community process to meet both the needs of homeowners and renters."
Culture
- Excerpt: "Artists and cultural workers can be, and should be, strategically placed in public-use projects alongside equitable partnerships with residents and stakeholders. In addition, businesses and property owners should be incentivized to hire local artists to create murals on the sides of their buildings."
Transportation
- Excerpt: "No matter what your preferred mode of transportation, it is important that safety and efficiency is key. Safe and secure foot and bike traffic needs to be central to planning of all development going forward."
See also
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2017, "Brandon Bowser's Responses," July 6, 2017
- ↑ City of Boston, "Election Department Certifies Candidates For Municipal Election," June 5, 2017
- ↑ City of Boston, "Election Department Certifies Candidates For Municipal Election," June 5, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Brandon Bowser campaign website, "Issues," accessed July 7, 2017
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