Ayah Al-Zubi is running for City Council to make Cambridge a dignified and affordable home for all.
This campaign is grassroots. It takes a village to be able to make this campaign grow. If you have the means to financially contribute, please donate. Let’s do this together! Click the Volunteer link below to canvass with us!
Meet Ayah
Ayah Al-Zubi is a working class neighbor and democratic socialist running to represent you on the Cambridge City Council. A Muslim, born in Jordan, she immigrated to the United States as a child, and Cambridge became her home when she moved here to study at Harvard. As a renter in this city, Ayah has navigated being rent-burdened with bad landlords who have not provided a home with habitable conditions.
These experiences, as well as her work with youth-led movements such as on gun violence prevention, have shaped Ayah into a committed advocate for those who don’t believe their futures are cared for by the government. Especially in this painful time, Ayah believes that we must support each other and do everything we can to stand up to the injustice that surrounds us. With a relentless focus on the needs of the most vulnerable, her campaign is a grassroots movement rooted in an optimistic vision to make Cambridge dignified and affordable for everybody.
After coming within inches of winning a seat during her first campaign in 2023, Ayah has remained a tireless organizer for justice in our community. When the city announced the closure of a 58-bed homeless shelter, Ayah worked directly with the impacted residents and empowered them to advocate for their needs at several crucial council meetings. This work raised consciousness about the challenges faced by shelter residents in our city and led to an additional $1 million in housing vouchers specifically for them. She has also been a vocal advocate for building more affordable housing and increasing Harvard’s PILOT contribution to the city. As a councillor, she would be determined to make this city affordable and dignified for all.
Platform
Housing
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Ayah wants to bring social housing to Cambridge, building on successful models from Vienna to Maryland and Seattle. Social housing has the potential to add hundreds of new homes across the city, including many that are deeply affordable. These projects are publicly owned, democratically controlled, and contain a mix of low-, moderate-, and market-rate units.
Social housing creates truly mixed-income communities, keeps every unit under public control, and allows funding to be “recycled” for future projects through a revolving loan fund. It is simply a great use of city funds, and a great complement to Cambridge’s existing affordable housing strategies.
Ayah would:
Establish a revolving loan fund through city ordinance
Change zoning to allow taller and denser social housing developments across the city
Push the city to issue a bond order of at least $50 million
Leverage available state funding to expand impact
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Ayah is a proud supporter of the Affordable Housing Overlay and the nearly 1,000 subsidized units that have entered the pipeline as a result of it. She supports doing everything possible to continue this progress. In particular, she would like to increase the amount of money that is allocated to the Affordable Housing Trust.
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The 66% of Cambridge residents who are renters deserve much stronger protections. Ayah would:
Pass rent control by advancing a home rule petition and doing everything possible to support the 2026 ballot question in partnership with a broad left-labor coalition.
Hold landlords accountable by establishing a citywide rental registry.
Increase emergency assistance for people facing evictions, including moving costs and a right to counsel, through a new Office of Housing Stability.
Keep tenants in their homes by strengthening the city’s Condo Conversion Ordinance and pass a right of first refusal home rule petition.
Stand with tenants of all kinds and especially demand better treatment from the Cambridge Housing Authority.
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It is unacceptable that people are forced to survive poverty on the streets of one of the wealthiest cities in the world. Ayah would:
Establish a new homeless shelter modeled after the highly successful Transition Wellness Center, which used ARPA funds to co-locate resources like medical care, laundry, and food at a non-congregate, lower stress living environment.
Double case management capacity available at the Multiservice Center to ensure that everyone who scores medium, high, or very high on their C-CAN intake assessment has immediate access to housing support.
Expand production of Permanent Supportive Housing using money from the Affordable Housing Trust. One study reported that 77% of 285 people placed into this kind of housing remained there after three years, with a 40% reduction in arrests.
Renovate 240 Albany Street and make use of the Affordable Housing Overlay to build Permanent Supportive Housing on top.
Open an Overdose Prevention Center to reduce overdoses and prevent HIV transmission among people who use drugs.
Create safe and comfortable options for trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people who are unhoused, including private showers and bedroom doors that lock.
Pay our shelter workers a living wage and invest in their success through additional professional development opportunities.
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Ayah would push for our government to support and collaborate with the recently established Cambridge Community Land Trust. From their website:
The Cambridge Community Land Trust seeks to create and maintain permanently affordable community run housing and community-determined spaces. The Cambridge Community Land Trust takes property out of the speculative market and keeps it as a collectively controlled community asset for affordable housing and other uses such as community spaces, green space and gardens.
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Ayah is proud to have played a role in establishing Cambridge’s Municipal Voucher Program. For the first time in city history, the most recent budget includes millions so that families with mixed immigration status and people surviving poverty on our streets can access a housing voucher. By targeting these very vulnerable populations with local resources, we are not only addressing gaps left by the federal Section 8 program but also preparing for the possibility of major cuts ahead. Ayah will fight to expand Cambridge’s program and ensure it becomes a permanent tool in our housing strategy, with a focus on keeping inclusionary housing accessible to low-income residents.
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Ayah strongly supports keeping the 20% inclusionary requirement for new market-rate development. The recent zoning reform was passed with a broad coalition on the back of projections that assumed 20%, and it was troubling to see some councillors begin an effort to lower the percentage mere weeks after it passed. We have seen a number of inclusionary housing projects enter the pipeline in recent months, indicating that the zoning amendments are working as intended and 20% is indeed feasible, even in these most difficult economic conditions. We should not lower the percentage of affordable housing on the basis that a few individual developers have claimed that they are not able to turn enough of a profit. We can’t let affordable housing be their scapegoat when there is considerable evidence that this program is working.
Climate
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We’ve made great progress in recent years on expanding our tree canopy and planting older saplings that have a better chance of surviving the harsh conditions of sidewalk tree wells. But our densest neighborhoods have the fewest trees, so Ayah wants to push the city to plant trees faster with a particular focus on these areas. Expanding our canopy is essential for combating the urban heat island effect, improving flood resilience, preparing for the impacts of climate change, and enhancing the overall quality of life for everyone. This is not an investment we can responsibly put off; the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago but the second best time is now!
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Ayah is a strong supporter of the Green New Deal (GND) for Cambridge, passed in 2023. This landmark legislation requires large commercial buildings to reach zero emissions by 2035. As the first compliance deadlines approach, property owners must meet their initial targets or face significant penalties. Ayah is committed to protecting this progress and making sure the process moves forward without delay. Cutting emissions from a six-square-mile city won’t by itself save the planet, but pioneering the tactics and policies that inspire and educate other cities just might. Cities and towns from Newton, MA to Evanston, IL are following our lead. They will be watching how we do as we shift from enacting to implementing. Ayah will make sure that we are doing it right.
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One piece left to the future during the GND for Cambridge deliberations was the challenge of reducing our residential emissions to zero. Though they make up a much smaller proportion of our city’s emissions profile, we cannot leave this unresolved for any longer. Ayah supports implementing time of renovation and time of sale policies that would encourage and support residents to switch to fossil fuel free (aka all electric) appliances. Combined with our ongoing successful efforts to provide 100% renewable electricity via the Community Choice Electricity program, this would put Cambridge’s residents on a strong path towards achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
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Alewife Brook is one of the most polluted waterways in Greater Boston. In 2023 alone, 26 million gallons of untreated sewage were discharged into it. Our old sewer system carries both sewage and stormwater, and during heavy rain, the surge of stormwater overwhelms the pipes and forces raw sewage into the brook. Cities are working to fix this, but separating the systems is enormously expensive and disruptive. The challenge at Alewife Brook is especially difficult because the state not only owns one of the outfalls but also controls the land where the sewer pipes run. The planned redevelopment of Alewife Station creates a rare generational opportunity to tackle this pollution. Ayah wants to ensure that as the state moves forward, we seize this chance while also maximizing affordable housing and adding a long overdue commuter rail stop.
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Ayah believes that investing in the Squirrel Brand Community Garden is an urgent matter of environmental justice. Located in The Port, right outside a subsidized apartment building, this garden is maintained largely by residents of color, yet the city has failed to invest in it. Drainage problems persist, the garden beds are broken, and until recently there was no shed to store tools. Residents had to purchase supplies and build one themselves. Conditions like these are not found in other community gardens across the city, and that inequity is unacceptable. Fixing these issues would not require a large investment, and Ayah will make sure it gets done.
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Ayah wants to partner with stakeholders and the School Committee to expand green job programs at the Rindge School of Technical Arts (RSTA). For example, an electrician track could prepare students for union careers installing solar panels, heat pumps, induction stoves and other electrification tasks, while an urban forestry track could train them to care for and help expand our tree canopy. Traditional four-year college is not the right path for everyone, and Cambridge should do more to prepare young people for good-paying green careers that are essential to preventing the destruction of our planet.
Racial & Economic Justice
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Ayah supports establishing municipal broadband. The City took steps to finally move this forward with CHA housing at two apartment buildings. She will continue to advance conversations so that the City can outline a city-wide plan.
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Ayah believes in making access to civic engagement easier. She is committed to making an engagement guide, in multiple languages, on how to reach out to city councillors, participate in public comment, etc. She also wants to explore ways to structurally change meeting timings so that they can be more accessible to residents. Also, like cities across the United States, Ayah wants to create a 311 hotline to report infrastructural problems like roads, sidewalks, needles, etc.
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With Daily Table closing due to the Trump administration’s chaos, Ayah recognizes the significance of having access to fresh and affordable food. She wants to build a plan to create the city’s first grocery store in the Central Square area. No one should have to worry about accessing affordable food.
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HEART, the Cambridge Holistic Emergency Alternative Response Team, needs more financial support from the City to continue their support of our community members. They have been able to emotionally support residents, de-escalate conflict, empower through mutual aid, and more to support our community members. Especially under Trump’s administration, Ayah understands that residents may not feel safe engaging with city infrastructure, so HEART is a powerful organization that can keep our community members supported.
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Ayah believes that our artists and artistry are a part of the fabric of our community. She wants to make sure arts-related institutions remain in the city, including preserving our public art. She wants to work on expanding opportunities for young artists and creating affordable housing designated for artists. Within Central Square, Ayah believes that we need to protect Starlight and ensure development does not erase the community building it has created. Generally, Ayah believes in creating more community spaces like the Democracy Center so that organizations have places to meet and build together.
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Our local economy needs more support. We have tens of vacancies and high turnover in areas like Central Square. Ayah believes in advocating for a vacancy tax rate on the state level to incentivize leasing spaces. She also believes in creating a small business catalyst fund to help businesses leverage capital quickly to get past starting costs which can be the largest barrier. She also believes that the city needs to do better with its procurement of minority owned businesses (currently ~1%).
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Ayah recognizes we’re experiencing an increase of health hazards in our community like needles across our squares and parks. She wants to work on a needle buy-back program and increase disposal boxes. Ayah wants to expand educational resources for our community members struggling with addiction and work on the state level to open a center.
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With more developments shaping our city, Ayah believes that developers need to pay their fare share to support our community organizations and residents, as well as ensuring we have an equitable plan to distribute funding.
Transit
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Ayah supports fare free public transit and would begin by partnering with Boston and the MBTA to make the #1 bus free for all riders. This is essential to mobility justice because the #1 route connects Cambridge and Roxbury. Many agree this is a good idea, but Ayah is ready to make it happen. In Boston, free bus routes have increased ridership and the city chose to extend the program. We can make it happen here!
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Ayah wants the city to repair broken sidewalks more quickly and improve winter cleanup. For people with disabilities, a broken or icy sidewalk can mean losing access to food, work, or medical care. Ayah supports passing a Sidewalk Safety Ordinance that requires more regular maintenance and stronger snow-clearing standards. This will take additional resources, but meeting basic accessibility needs must no longer be treated as a “nice to have.”
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Ayah is determined to complete the Cycling Safety Ordinance. We have made real progress on this matter of life and death and now it is time to finish the job. Ayah will ensure Cambridge stays on track to complete protected bike lanes on Cambridge Street, Broadway, Main Street, and Mass Ave by November 2026 as required by law.
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Ayah believes that our seniors should be able to access their food, medicine, and needs with ease. She will work to explore investing more resources and expanding access to shuttle services.
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Ayah wants to improve pedestrian safety by identifying intersections across the city that should have light-up crosswalks. These projects cannot remain dependent on participatory budgeting as has typically been the case. Light-up crosswalks dramatically improve safety for everyone, and it is time for the city to make a clear and intentional commitment.
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The Cambridge Street Code is an excellent resource that “educates all users of the road about rules, etiquette, and how to get around town safely”. It is seriously useful. But most people don’t know it exists! Ayah would push for mass distribution of a printed version of the Code, such as was done in 2018 in partnership with Vision Zero Boston.
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Memorial Drive was originally designed as parkland, but today it functions mostly as a highway. It is unsafe and uncomfortable for pedestrians and cyclists, especially near Magazine Beach. Since the tragic death of John Corcoran last year, the state has begun making improvements, but progress has been too slow. Ayah supports moving in this direction by:
Supporting a quick completion of the Phase 3 Improvements project, which just began! The project includes a road diet along the river from JFK Street to the Eliot Bridge to make way for an expanded pedestrian and bike path. It will also plant a hundred new trees along the river!
Pushing the state to begin the design phase of the Phase 4 Improvements, which will hopefully apply a similar treatment to the section east of JFK Street to the BU Rotary.
Expanding closures of Memorial Drive: bring back full weekend closures and pilot a closure of the eastern portion by MIT and the boathouses.
Education and Childcare
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Every child and their caregiver(s) should be able to access free, high quality afterschool care. But last year, the city turned away more than 300 applicants, including 88 low income applicants. Working families need universal afterschool care just like they need universal preschool! The obstacles that the city has brought up are entirely solvable, and we have the financial resources. Let’s get this done to support our youth and their caregivers!
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Our city’s youth centers should not be falling apart - they need more resources in the budget. In past years, youth center upgrades have been included in participatory budgeting votes, alongside “nice to have” ideas. But the spaces where our youth spend their afternoons should not be viewed as “nice to have”. Let’s audit the condition of each space and prioritize upgrading the ones that serve high numbers of youth of color, such as the Moses Youth Center. We also need to invest in non-profit spaces that function as youth centers, such as the Cambridge Community Center and the Community Art Center. We need to take time to address the longevity of our centers.
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Our educators and library staff should all be paid a living wage. We need to be more responsive to their contract needs, budget priorities, and concerns. Ayah will support them!
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We need to get serious about addressing the glaring racial and socioeconomic achievement gap that exists in our schools. We need to do more than say we are antiracist on paper by dismantling the systemic racism that persists within CPSD. We need to reconsider how controlled school choice plays a role in our inequity and reexamine it. We need to make sure students of color are getting all the academic support they need to be able to engage meaningfully with their academics. Cambridge should not be a tale of two cities where Black students and low income students have a very different experience than white and wealthy students. It is completely at odds with who we want to be as a city.
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Gender non-conforming students report alarming levels of “bad or unfair treatment” compared with the rest of the student body. They are far more likely to be bullied and have thoughts of self harm. We need to ensure that schools will continue to have the funds to provide extra counseling and therapy in partnerships with local organizations in order to support their mental health and well-being. She will work towards ensuring that our LGBTQ+ students have the support they need to feel seen and heard.
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Ayah understands that it is not on the School District to overcompensate for systemic failures on the Council level. So, she wants to create a committee of caregivers, students, and educators to better understand how issues like housing, food access, etc. affect the learning experience. This is a vital piece in knowing how we can address inequities in our learning spaces.
Endorsements
Below are endorsements from local advocates and organizations that support Ayah’s run for City Council.
Evan MacKay (they/them): “Ayah Al-Zubi brings a deep passion for justice and a belief in truly listening to one another to ensure that no one is left behind. She will be a thoughtful city councillor who lifts up the voices of those too often pushed to the margins.”
Evan is a labor leader, teaching fellow, anti-corruption and good government activist, community organizer.
Stephanie Guirand (she/her): “I support Ayah Al-Zubi for Cambridge City Council because she brings a fresh and focused vision to our city. Ayah is a strong advocate for rent stabilization, expanded tenant rights, and housing affordability, key issues facing our community. She also champions environmental justice, supports the city’s Green New Deal, and is committed to preserving Cambridge’s tree canopy. Ayah brings lived experience, bold ideas, and genuine commitment to our community. She is exactly the kind of leadership Cambridge needs right now.”
Stephanie is a community activist, racial and economic justice leader, and researcher.
MA State Rep. Mike Connolly
Quinton Zondervan (he/him): “If you want more justice for Cambridge’s most vulnerable, vote Ayah #1! She truly cares, and will fight hard for more affordable housing, more bicycle and pedestrian safety, more tree canopy and better public transportation options.”
Former Cambridge City Councillor Quinton Zondervan, in his personal capacity and not reflecting the views of his employer or anybody else.
Andrew King (he/him): “I wholeheartedly endorse Ayah for Cambridge City Council. She has shown herself to be a tireless advocate for affordable housing and tenant rights, education justice, environmental justice and safe, free public transportation. As the only Gen Z young person and Muslim-American woman of color candidate, she will bring a much-needed perspective, along with a strong background in youth development work and grassroots organizing to uplift youth and marginalized community voices in our city government. Ayah is committed to fighting for real policy change to improve the lives of working families, so that we have a livable and affordable Cambridge for all.”
Andrew is a community organizer, CRLS alum, Citizens for Public Schools Board member, Cambridge Residents Alliance Board Member, former Cambridge School Committee candidate.
Phyllis Bretholtz (she/her): “I enthusiastically support Ayah Al Zubi for Cambridge City Council. In addition to being a deeply thoughtful thinker, Ayah is a very good listener - a quality essential for a councilor representing our wide range of residents. She is committed to issues of social justice, especially when it involves housing for everyone in Cambridge. As a biker, she understands the complexity of safety issues for pedestrians, drivers, the disabled, the elderly - as well as the bikers. Ayah will be a voice for women whose voices are under-represented in Cambridge. And she will also be a voice for artists in terms of living space, studio space, gallery space, all of which is in very short supply. Ayah will bring a strong and independent voice to the Cambridge City Council.
Phyllis is a community activist, retired CRLS teacher, former member of Cambridge Women’s Commission, Cambridge Arts Council.
Run For Something
Cambridge Residents Alliance
Boston Democratic Socialists of America
32BJ SEIU
UAW Region 9A
Cambridge Bicycle Safety
Harvard Democrats
Sierra Club
Our Revolution Cambridge
Committee of Interns and Residents SEIU
FAQs
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Local government is a powerful tool in building community and affects your day-to-day life from essential services to schooling and more. With a nearly one billion dollar budget, Cambridge has a lot of opportunity to lead on issues.
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Ayah is a young Muslim woman and renter with a lived experience that uniquely positions her to understand the struggles of immigrants in Cambridge, young people, renters, and more. She does not accept real estate or corporate money because she believes in people over profit.
Ayah’s campaign centers mechanisms like the Affordable Housing Trust, investing in the Community Land Trust, and not lowering the 20% inclusionary zoning requirement, amongst many others to build permanently deeply affordable housing. For transportation, Ayah has a focus on making the #1 bus free, as well as improving access to services for elderly in Cambridge. Finally, Ayah’s campaign is dedicated to making food more accessible especially in light of Daily Table closing to create Cambridge’s first city-run grocery store. Everyone deserves to live in this city with dignity and Ayah will work hard to bring this vision to life.
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Affordable Housing, Transportation, and Economic Justice
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See here for the requirements to vote and how to register (deadline is 10 days before Nov. 4, 2025). More information on the Rank Choice Voting (RCV) can be found here. See here to find out where your voting location is on Election Day. For the early voting process including locations, see here. To vote early by mail, see here. To request an absentee ballot, see here.
If you have any questions or would like support, please reach out to us at alzubiforcambridge@gmail.com. Remember to rank Ayah number one!