Councilor Mejia on Vaccination Rates, Community Building Dinners at Jamaica Pond, and More

At-Large Boston City Councilor Julia Mejia describes herself as a “movement building official.” Mejia builds such movements with an emphasis on being deeply involved in communities across Boston while using her personal and professional life to guide her. 

Mejia grew up in Dorchester after immigrating from the Dominican Republic when she was five. At the age of nine, she started fighting for her community, Mejia said. In 2019, she became the first Latina elected to the Boston City Council. She used the story of visiting a welfare office with her mom as a child–where she served as the translator between the “incredibly mean” case manager and her mom–as a defining moment in her leadership career. “I knew then that I was going to be a fighter, and I haven’t stopped fighting since,” said Mejia.

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At-Large City Council Election: Flaherty, Mejia, Louijeune Go 1-2-3; Murphy Takes 4th

The two incumbents in the At-Large Boston City Council election, Michael Flaherty and Julia Mejia, easily took first and second in Tuesday's contest. In 2019, Mejia won her first at-large city council race by a mere one vote! This time it wasn't that close as she finished second with 61,709 votes (17.27%), and Flaherty took first with 62,242 votes (17.42%), according to unofficial results from Boston's Elections Department. DAVID HALBERT
42,516
11.90%

BRIDGET M NEE-WALSH
27,424
7.68%

JULIA MEJIA
61,709
17.27%

CARLA MONTEIRO
39,648
11.10%

RUTHZEE LOUIJEUNE
54,601
15.28%

ALTHEA GARRISON
24,914
6.97%

MICHAEL F FLAHERTY
62,242
17.42%

ERIN J MURPHY
42,841
11.99%

First time candidate Ruthzee Louijeune took third place with 54,601, and will be the first Haitian-American to be on the council. Louijeune grew up in Boston, and attended Boston Public Schools.

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Social Media Recap: Insurrection, Mayoral Vacancy, Climate Change Bill and More

Since Jan. 6's attempted coup at the Capitol a lot has happened in Washington DC, and at our state capital. Our Congressional representatives impeached the president, and our local state officials fought for a climate change bill vetoed by the governor. This is the last week in social media. Both of Jamaica Plain's Congressional Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Stephen Lynch voted to impeach President Trump for inciting insurrection.

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Fireworks Complaints Exploding! Up 5,543% in June 2020 Compared to June 2019

We've all noticed that there has been an increase in renegade fireworks being shot off across the city this month. There have been so many complaints to the city that Mayor Walsh created a task force to tackle the issue of illegal fireworks. "Fireworks are a serious issue not only in the city of Boston, but all across the country. People lose sleep, babies get woken up, some people with PTSD experience real harms, pets are terrified and they're fire hazards," said Mayor Walsh. Fireworks calls to the Boston Police Department were up by 5,543% in June 2020 compared to the previous June, according to a city press release.

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City Councilor Mejia Asks: What Solutions Do You Have for Fireworks in Boston?

Does it seem like as soon as we jumped into warmer weather a lot more fireworks are being shot off than previous years? Knowing the great disturbances fireworks can cause to our emotional, social, and physical states, At-Large City Councilor Julia Mejia will be leading an online discussion on Thursday to talk about solutions to address fireworks in Boston. "We want to take a solutions-orientated approach and hear about your ideas in solving this problem," tweeted Mejia. She encouraged people to tweet, comment, direct message her on social media, or email at julia.mejia@boston.gov.

Mejia will be hosting a Fireworks Trauma conversation on her Facebook page at: facebook/JuliaforBoston on June 11 at 6 pm. The discussion will be co-hosted by Youth Liaisons Naseoj Ware, Alondra Bobadilla, and Dr. Gayl Crumpy-Swaby.

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City Council Sworn In: Mejia’s Moving American Dream Memory, Diversity, and Astrology

Mayor Marty Walsh and the Boston City Council were sworn into office on Monday, and nothing was more moving than At-Large City Councilor Julia Mejia adding to her American Dream. We'll just let Mejia tell it. And to think that Mejia was almost not elected, as she won a recount by one vote against Alexandra St. Guillen. Not only did Mejia make history, but this current Boston City Council also changed Boston history, which was pointed out by many people, including District 4 City Councilor Andrea Campbell.

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Every Vote Counts: Mejia Wins At-Large Council Recount By 1

Every vote counts is not just a saying to encourage people to get out and vote -- it's a reality evidenced by Julia Mejia's one-vote victory in the recount for the Boston City Council's fourth at-large seat. Mejia's victory actually shrank from her Nov. 5th victory in which she beat St. Guillen by a mere five votes, 22,477 to 22,472, according to the city's website. After that tight margin, St.

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Council To Be Woman-Majority: Wu, Flaherty, Essaibi-George Re-Elected, Mejia Wins At-Large Seat

Three incumbents coasted to victory in the at-large Boston City Council race, with one newcomer, Julia Mejia, earning a victory. And for the first time ever, the Boston City Council will be majority female. The at-large council race featured eight candidates vying for four spots. Incumbent Althea Garrison, who became a city councilor after Ayanna Pressley was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, came in seventh. Just as she did in September's preliminary election, Michelle Wu topped the at-large city council race.

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Election Day: What You Need to Know — Candidates, Polling Sites, and Nubian Square

Tuesday's At-Large Boston City Council election is the hot contest, but there is also a very interesting citywide non-binding question. Before we get into the at-large race, let's talk about that non-binding question:

Do you support renaming/changing of the name of Dudley Square to Nubian Square? The Nubian Square Coalition is leading the effort to rename the square, which is named after Thomas Dudley, a former Massachusetts governor who supported legislation promoting slavery and the slave trade. Nubian Square would be named after the Nubian Empire, which was an ancient empire that ranged from the Upper Nile to the Red Sea, according to National Geographic. The proposed renaming is supported by many organizations, individuals, present and past politicians, including Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, District 7 City Councilor Kim Janey, NAACP Boston, and more.

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Dorchester’s Julia Mejia Running for Boston City Council At-Large

Julia Mejia is running for Boston City Council At-Large and feels she would bring a strong focus on schools, as she founded and leads a network that helps parents and students increase equal access to high-quality public education. "I've devoted my life to helping those most impacted by the decisions made by policymakers to step out and speak up," said Mejia via press release. Professionally, Mejia founded and directs the Collaborative Parent Leadership Network (CPLAN), which is comprised of community parents and students from district, charter, parochial and METCO schools. The network works with policymakers and educations to increase equal access to high-quality public education. Formed in 2015, CPLAN has garnered influence by having five members appointed to statewide Department of Education board, while also serving as an advisory to nonprofits and public agencies to include parents in decision making.

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