Henry Santana

At-Large Councilor

Henry Santana is an At-Large City Councilor who focuses on expanding affordable housing, protecting youth jobs, and making city government more accessible to working-class families. Drawing on his background in community organizing, he actively supports policies that lower the cost of living and consistently advocates for fully funded year-round youth employment programs. He balances his support for public safety funding with demands for strict transparency regarding police overtime and surveillance technologies.

⚡ henry santana stance snapshot

Policy Priorities

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Youth Employment:Made restoring $5.9 million in proposed cuts to year-round youth jobs his top budget priority, demanding the city guarantee funding for 1,800 positions rather than relying on private fundraising.

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Housing Affordability:Pushed for a 2 percent real estate transfer fee on high-value properties and supported eliminating residential parking minimums to lower the cost of building new homes.

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Public Safety Oversight:Supported an ordinance to close loopholes in city surveillance laws, requiring police to notify the City Council when changing technology vendors.

⚡ key discussions

Areas of Council Debate

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State Takeover of Elections:Voted against a resolution calling for a state investigation and receivership over Boston's early voting ballots (Docket #1616), opposing efforts to hand local election oversight to state authorities.

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Boston Public Schools Supplemental Funding:Voted against a resolution to restore Boston Public Schools employee funding through a mid-year supplemental budget (Docket #1348), disagreeing with colleagues who sought to use alternative funding mechanisms outside the standard budget process.

Policy Deep-Dive

Policy Stances

Deep Dive on Issues Page →

Zoning & Land Use Modernization

October 8, 2026

Position Summary

Santana actively advocates for removing zoning barriers, eliminating restrictive residential parking minimums to lower housing production costs, and modernizing building codes to expand affordable housing options across Boston.

Tenant Protections & Anti-Displacement

October 8, 2026

Position Summary

He is a strong proponent of rent stabilization ballot initiatives and seeks to build a more proactive housing enforcement system through strengthened enforcement and improved interdepartmental coordination. Furthermore, he emphasizes the critical need for regular, rigorous assessments of the city's Anti-Displacement Action Plan to evaluate its progress in protecting residents, businesses, and cultural assets.

Housing Revenue & Fee Structures

October 8, 2026

Position Summary

Santana supports progressive revenue sources, specifically advocating for a transfer fee on high-value real estate transactions that exempts the first $2 million to protect working-class families while funding housing justice initiatives.

Contact

Emailhenry.santana@boston.gov

Phone617-635-4205

OfficeBoston City Hall 5th Floor Boston , MA 02201 United States

First Elected2023

Official Boston.gov Profile ↗

Recent Council Activity

So my question to you both is, um, what are some starting steps that we can take as a council, um, to change that process, um, from the ground up, um, to ensure input?

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This ordinance closes a loophole in the 2022 ordinance on surveillance, oversight, and information sharing that allowed for both a change of vendors and renewed agreements for current technologies to be done without notifying the Boston City Council.

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Establishing these training standards is about investing in both worker safety and public safety.

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I also believe that this um deserves a nuance conversation. Um and I just wanted to rise to also just commit to um hosting a hearing if placed in the Public Safety Committee within the 60 days that um the lead sponsor requested.

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If we expect them to protect our communities, we must make sure they are prepared to do so. This is how we build safer workplaces, protect our workers, and create a safer Boston for everyone.

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Contested Votes

August 26, 2026Voted No

Legislation They Sponsored

412 of 412 dockets sponsored or co-sponsored

Issue Area

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Role

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Status

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Docket	Title	Issue Area	Role	Status
#1930	Resolution Recognizing the Twenty Fifth Anniversary of Opening Our Doors Day		Sponsor	Passed
#1929	Resolution Recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day		Sponsor	Passed
#1928	Resolution Recognizing Fire Prevention Week		Sponsor	Passed
#1927	Resolution Recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month		Sponsor	Passed
#1926	Resolution Recognizing National Disability Employment Awareness Month		Sponsor	Passed
#1925	Resolution Urging Emergency Shelter for Displaced Haitian Temporary Protected Status Holders	Housing	Sponsor	Passed
#1924	Resolution Honoring Bishop John M. Borders III Upon Retirement		Sponsor	Passed
#1923	Resolution Supporting the Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act	Governance & Oversight	Sponsor	Passed
#1922	Resolution Supporting Bizgrow Central and Inclusive Small Business Growth	Workforce and Economic Development	Sponsor	Passed
#1921	Resolution Urging Mass General Brigham to Negotiate in Good Faith	Workforce and Economic Development	Sponsor	Passed

Committee Involvement

Chair (2)

Vice Chair (2)

Member (9)