Boston University College Democrats held a City Council Candidate Forum Wednesday, in which three Boston City Councilors encouraged students to get involved with local government politics.

Held at the Metcalf Science Center, the event featured Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, Councilor Liz Breadon and a candidate for a councilor-at-large spot — Marvin Mathelier. Councilor Julia Mejia was originally scheduled to speak, but Breadon spoke in her place.

BUCD Treasurer Divya Gummuluru said with the November city council election approaching, the event aimed to inform students — even those not from Boston — of their local representatives.

“It’s really important that we shine a spotlight on stuff that’s happening locally and at the state level,” she said. “This feels a little bit more accessible and approachable to people who just want to start getting involved in politics or who are already interested.”

The event opened by discussing affordable housing projects as the price of housing continues to rise for residents. 

Mathelier said current zoning policies are slowing the construction of housing, and he suggested new zoning methods to make the process more streamlined. Mathelier also proposed rent stabilization as a solution.

“I’m for rent stabilization. I know rent stabilization [or] rent control was abolished back in 1994, but I think that’s something that we need to take a look into now, so we could be able to keep people living here in Boston,” he said. 

Louijeune and Breadon both praised the Acquisition Opportunity Program, which the City Council has put $27 million into to prevent profit driven entities from displacing residents.

BU specifically can make an impact on the housing crisis, Louijeune said.

“[We have] got to encourage BU to build more on-campus housing,” she said. “That also helps the residents of the city of Boston because it’s not students who are competing with families.”

On immigration, all three speakers said they harshly oppose the presence of U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement in Boston.

“Our communities are living in fear,” Louijeune said. 

She pointed to when the Council reaffirmed the Trust Act in December 2024, which states the Boston Police Department will not take part in any civil deportations for ICE.

“We did not skip a beat on the Boston City Council when we realized who was coming back into power,” Louijeune added. 

The speakers discussed Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard — also known as Mass and Cass — which is an intersection facing public health and safety issues due to the growing presence of opioid addiction and homelessness in the surrounding neighborhoods. 

Louijeune said the opioid crisis is “not a Boston creation” — but rather a result of “corporate America and the entities that got people addicted to opioids.” 

She said long-term treatment is needed to solve this crisis, pointing to the Long Island Bridge. Across this bridge was a campus of recovery centers and homeless shelters. However, Louijeune said, this bridge was destroyed 10 years ago, making these resources inaccessible to Boston residents.

Breadon said the problem is heightened by the “dumping” of people experiencing homelessness from other local governments to Boston. 

Mathelier said the influx of people requires a comprehensive plan to take action.

“This has really become a Boston problem, so it’s become a Boston solution,” he said.

BUCD Vice President Anabil Biswas said he wanted to motivate college students to be aware of more opportunities.

“Getting involved in local politics is one of the most important things you can do as a member of the city and as a member of the university as a whole,” he said. “Even if you only spend your four years here, you still play an integral part into the whole ecosystem of Boston.”

Sophomore Landry Garland said the event helped her become more aware of local issues.

“I’m not too big on city politics,” she said. “It was really interesting to get to know some of the issues that were specific to Boston, where I see myself living for a long time.”

Junior Ashley Benoist attended the forum to learn the actions City Council is taking since she feels “overwhelmed by the state” of the United States.

“I’ve sort of been feeling like any efforts to improve our situation are sort of futile,” she said. “I suppose I was looking for a little bit of reassurance that we are actually making strides and we are actively fighting against the federal government that’s trying to silence our voices and trying to peel back hard-won progressive legislation.”