Make History with Jeff Ross for Boston City Council At-Large

Long-time community activist and South End resident Jeff Ross has just kicked off his campaign for Boston City Council At-Large. If elected, Ross will be the first openly LGBT person elected to represent the entire City of Boston. Boston has never elected an openly gay candidate city-wide and has only had one openly LGBT City councilor in the city's history - some 20 years ago. 

"I'm running for the City Council At-Large because I believe our city is best served when it is represented by a diverse group that is reflective of the city itself" said Ross. "While I'm not in the race to make history as the first openly gay At-Large city councilor, the significance of it is not lost on me. Boston is a city that is strong because of its diversity and I am excited about how my campaign is already bringing people together across identities to focus on the issues facing us all."

Ross is a bilingual immigration attorney who represents the Second Suffolk State Senate District as the Democratic State Committeeman, first elected in 2012. As a local activist for LGBT rights, Ross initiated an annual event four years ago on St. Patrick's Day to protest the ongoing exclusion of LGBT people from the South Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade. Ross has also been a vocal proponent for Boston's passage of an ordinance that bars discrimination against transgender people city-wide, and has served on the board of the Bay State Stonewall Democrats.

"My vision and priorities for this city are the issues that impact all of us, like reducing crime in our neighborhoods, creating and nurturing small businesses, and focusing on making sure all of our schools are preparing our students for the jobs of tomorrow" said Ross. "What sets me apart is that I have a history of bringing people together to lift every resident of Boston up and make our city more vibrant."

Ross' campaign collected and submitted over 3,600 signatures to the Boston Election Commission. Ross credits the strong organizational start for the campaign to the energy around his candidacy.

"I'm so proud of the over 45 volunteers we've already had come out and help volunteer for this campaign - either by collecting signatures, making calls or donating." said Ross. "There's so much energy around this race and we hope folks will keep joining the campaign and help us make history."