It's Our Time To Lead

Amid global turmoil, many things can seem out of our control. But we absolutely can make transformative change in our own backyard. As a wellspring of invention, liberal thought, and groundbreaking innovation, Cambridge must lead in modeling a community where expressed values truly become lived reality. 

About Dana

I am a policy design researcher trained in statistics and economics. I am also a longtime Cambridge renter and board chair of YWCA Cambridge.

A Boston area native, I graduated from Wellesley College where I majored in computer science. There I researched the influence of misinformation in political discourse using unique coding methods. I then studied data, economics, and development policy at a program offered by MIT and worked as a multinationally award-winning data scientist and product manager. I then focused these skills toward ensuring that data works in the service of ordinary citizens at visionary organizations that include ClearGov and Civera. I have since joined Northeastern University, where I pursue doctoral studies on better channeling community insights to inform policy.

I am running for City Council because I love my longtime home of Cambridge and I believe I can make it better. My mission is to help all in this city have the opportunity to thrive.

I have lived in Cambridge for the past decade as a renter sans car and rely almost solely on public transit, biking, and walking. I have a deep human connection to the Cambridge community. An avid member of the local innovation ecosystem, I also serve as chair of the board of directors for the YWCA Cambridge, an incredible local organization that provides safe and affordable housing to our most vulnerable. 

Note on Conflicts of Interest

I have not accepted money, endorsements, aid, nor any other form of contribution from the real estate development community. Nor do I have related investments, associations, or even personal ties. I similarly have not accepted contributions from fossil fuel companies, corporate PACs, or any other parties with potential conflicts of interest with the city. My heart and financial interests are with the residents of Cambridge. 

My Policy Priorities

Government Integrity

In the face of an increasingly unstable federal landscape, Cambridge must do everything in its power to uphold its core values of free expression, inclusion, and support for our most vulnerable. We should resist, to the best of our ability, any federal funding cuts or policy shifts that run counter to those values. We must put forward our best effort to maintain essential services and community priorities while addressing economic uncertainty. To safeguard critical programs and projects, the city should establish a stabilization fund that helps buffer the impact of unpredictable federal support.

At the same time, we must strengthen collaborative relationships with local institutions, especially our universities, to ensure mutual support and shared progress. This also includes supporting those affected by the loss of services at vital initiatives like the Transition Wellness Center and working to ensure residents are successfully connected to alternative housing options.

Cambridge should also lead by example among municipalities by refusing to self-censor when it comes to expressing our principles and then putting our resources toward what we value most. On May 6, 2024, the City Council adopted a value statement and policy goals that reflect this commitment, prioritizing housing affordability and zoning reform, economic equity, transportation safety, climate resilience, and effective governance. We must remain unflinching in putting these values into action. 

24-Hour Voting 

I support advocating for the provision of 24-hour voting, which involves instituting a 24-hour period during which residents with less typical working hours (e.g., service workers, artists, etc.) can vote in person in addition to existing regular and early voting options. The city should also advocate for automatic and/or same-day voter registration.

Money In Politics

We need to lessen the impact of money in politics. This is a root cause of untold corruption and dysfunction. Political participation based on giving money to elected officials handicaps those of lesser means in pushing their priorities. Influence is instead concentrated among the wealthiest. This system also creates politicians whose time is spent calling up rich donors for hours on end and listening to their every thought and concern instead of constructing effective policy. Politicians, that is, who are inevitably more beholden to and who become more sympathetic with these backers.

Consequently, it is the opposite of shocking that policies benefiting the wealthy are realized at the expense of those benefiting anyone else. This increases the wealth gap, further disadvantaging the less wealthy in their ability to influence. The spiral ultimately results in crippling the ability for struggling people to have comparable political voice and deep neglect of their needs.

Let’s lead the country in building a system that serves our people, not the highest bidder. Here in Cambridge, individual campaign contributions are capped at $1000 per person, per year. This is better than in many areas. However, we live in a reality where more than one in three Americans would have trouble paying an unexpected $400 expense, let alone a $1000 gift.

Also, there is no limit on what candidates themselves can contribute to their own campaigns. Nothing prevents a billionaire from plowing as much as they want, without limit, into an election that directly enriches their bottom line. Amazon already tried to do this in Seattle, injecting millions into a local city council election that would decide real estate decisions impacting their office headquarters.

Something similar can happen here. And why wouldn’t it? Cambridge contains research headquarters for nearly every multinational tech giant on the planet. Not to mention our density of pharma giants. We must plug this loophole.

No, money raised by a candidate does not, in itself, guarantee victory. There are other factors at work. Money is just one necessary, influential piece. But it’s not just about who wins elections; it’s about who is able to run in the first place. I have witnessed several prospective fellow candidates hesitate or opt out of running because they felt they didn’t have the personal funds or monied connections to be a viable contender.

This, in itself, is disgusting. There are few means for silencing an entire demographic more clearly disempowering than effectively barring some from holding office. Or, at the very least, imposing substantial, unnecessary, and wholly discriminatory added barriers. If we ever feel disappointed by an unimpressive selection of personalities from whom we must choose our governors, councillors, and presidents, we should look at our system for getting elected. Our process filters out nearly all but heavily-backed partisans. That is simply reality.

Cambridge should model a better way. There are limits to what local government can do, given unfortunate federal court decisions about money as political speech. However, even if we cannot fully implement 100% public financing, we must do everything possible to further restrict the impact of campaign donations. Boulder, Colorado, for example, a city of comparable size to Cambridge, enforces a limit of $100 per donor per election cycle for each municipal candidate. We should follow Boulder’s lead to further limit maximum donations via a home rule petition. 

Five-Star Voting

Cambridge’s ranked choice voting (RCV) system is a substantial improvement over traditional voting. Nevertheless, our process for determining who actually wins in an RCV election is complicated, obscure, and generally unintelligible to the average voter

The system also incorporates an element of chance. This means that a recount of a perfectly valid RCV election result can produce a different, but equally valid outcome. RCV systems can also exhibit a phenomenon in which increasing a candidate’s support can cause them to lose or decreasing their support can cause them to win. For some examples of how this can ever happen, see here

Although RCV surpasses traditional voting in some ways, such as reducing the probability that any given vote is wasted on a candidate who can’t win, it has major drawbacks in terms of fairness, public confidence, and transparency. 

An Alternative System

I propose experimenting with “five-star voting.” This involves simply rating each candidate out of five-stars–similar to many online rating systems–with unrated candidates getting a default of 3 stars. Voters can rate as many candidates five-stars (or one star) as they would like. Winners are those with the highest average scores. 

This is a form of score voting, a system shown to outperform other voting systems in nearly every way. Score voting fully solves the problems of wasted third-party votes, chance outcomes, and non-monotonicity (when expressing support for a candidate causes them to lose). The tallying system is also much easier to understand.   

Accountability

Five-star voting differs from other kinds of score voting in its ability to hold candidates much more accountable. For example, unlike approval voting (another score system where voters simply check off as many candidates they would like that they “approve”), five-star voting establishes a default rating that is neutral (three stars). 

This matters, since it empowers voters to submit negative feedback above and beyond simply not voting for a candidate. For example, an official who utterly fails in their duty of service can receive a rating of one star, an outcome worse than if that voter had never submitted their ballot. 

This substantially changes the dynamics of accountability. It means that saturating airwaves with sensationalized antics–productive or otherwise–is no longer a guarantee of getting even a few more votes. For, unlike traditional voting, scoring candidates means that a high profile paired with poor evaluation may hurt candidates more than if they hadn’t additionally sensationalized our media discourse. Five-star rewards those to garner positive evaluations from their constituents, even if they may have a lower profile. 

Right now, officials who do the bare minimum (or less) in their jobs still benefit from the passive marketing of simply being elected leaders. The current system is a mechanism for entrenching incumbents even if they are poorly performing, which increases governing stagnation and worsens inertia. Under five-star voting, however, an incumbent is under greatly increased pressure both to be known and to actually serve their constituents. 

This also means, however, that voters are under their own additional pressure to do their homework before casting a ballot. That is because they have an enormous amount of power: Do they truly want to rate a known disappointment worse than a lesser-known entrant? That is now a viable option. Voters may feel pressure to actually get to know entrants, since doing so in this new system almost always actually matters. All candidates are equally at the mercy of the voter and all have a more reasonable chance at victory. 

Do we want this type of unprecedented accountability for our elected officials? Do we want this amount of power in the hands of ordinary citizens? 

My answer is that I simply cannot imagine a dynamic more aligned with the underlying values of democracy.  

More Nuanced Citizen Voice

An additional value of score voting is that elections can reveal more nuance in voter preferences. For example, we could see which candidates are most polarizing (rated most often either one or five-stars). This is actually of great public value, as it enables our government to better understand the revealed political and policy preferences of our populace and perhaps better respond to underlying needs. If it turns out that voters tend to vote only either one or five stars for each candidate, that is okay, too. This still reveals nuance in who voters care about versus who they do not bother to score. 

This policy might seem abstruse, but in fact it may be the single most impactful way by which to resolve substantial systematic dysfunction in our democratic system. It is akin to modifying the DNA of democracy–a lever with cascading, radiating effects on every other downstream decision. I am tired of living in a world where Uber drivers are held to greater account than our president. 

Pilot Testing

No government of which I am aware has implemented this version of score voting. In embracing our role as a forward-thinking city, however, I see no reason why Cambridge should not be first to test it. I would never suggest making any dramatic change before implementing low-stakes testing. Perhaps our next election can include a second ballot allowing voters to record their preferences according to five-star voting. The five-star results would be informally tallied and reported but would not ultimately affect the election outcome. It would, however, be a learning experience for both voters and policymakers. 

Every process in our city depends on equitably balancing the needs of all residents. Residents include not just those who show up to public meetings or who start petitions. They include busy parents, service workers, students, the unhoused, seniors, and others who simply don’t have the schedule, bandwidth, or ability to initiate such participation.

To be clear: Public comment and other such channels are absolutely valuable. I fully believe residents should be able to use these to express their views. But those who do are simply not representative of our entire population. A process fully reliant on such measures is the antithesis of equity. It means the needs of our most time-strapped, politically inexperienced, and generally overburdened continually fall through the cracks of the system. Of course, included among these are our most desperately vulnerable.

This issue strikes at the core of what it means to have any semblance of a just community. It underpins every policy decision and government operation. There is nothing more pressing.

I intend to initiate and model a “flipped lobbying” approach to citizen input through initiating proactive outreach to residents that may be impacted by potential policy changes to gain timely and more representative views into their true needs. Such a strategy puts the onus on our government, and not on our busy populace, to initiate critical communication related to just those issues likely to deeply impact their lives. Politics should not be dominated by just the connected and savvy and well-resourced. If we really do want equity in our city, there is no more urgent investment.

Innovation

Local Innovation For Community Benefit

Local Innovation for Community Benefit

Cambridge is a powerhouse of research, industry, and world-changing material innovation. We are home to world-renowned institutions like MIT and Harvard, a nearby hotbed of small but visionary startups dubbed the “most innovative square mile on the planet,” a global biotech hub, and the innovation labs for nearly every global tech giant in existence. As a birthplace of the early internet and developments ranging from residential solar power to the Moderna vaccine, Cambridge originates ideas that radiate around the globe. I believe we should leverage the dynamism of our local innovation community in strategic partnerships for public benefit.

Innovation Liaisons

I believe that, as feasible, we should set aside modest resources for a set of liaisons for local innovation partnerships with Cambridge government. These liaisons should help facilitate local partnerships enabling exploratory pilot initiatives in areas like smart infrastructure, new green technologies, efficient mobility, and more. This would be a similar, pilot version of Boston’s Office of New Urban Mechanics. Such cross-organizational partnerships have already proved valuable in initiatives like Cambridge RISE, our universal basic income-inspired local pilot.

We have so much innovative talent here in Cambridge. I believe there is untapped potential for leveraging this through exciting public initiatives that can provide a view of what is possible.

Rise Up

I’m a strong supporter of the Rise Up program and Universal Basic Income (UBI) initiatives more broadly. Research consistently shows that direct income support is one of the most effective tools for reducing poverty, improving health, education, and overall well-being for families, while also stimulating the local economy. If possible given budgetary limits, I believe the City should step up to fund and expand Rise Up, ensuring more families can benefit from this impactful program.

Artificially distorted prices for parking can increase traffic, noise, congestion, and pollution and hurt local businesses. This is because underpriced spaces will be hoarded by existing vehicles for much longer than they would otherwise stay, causing would-be customers (or emergency vehicles) who need it more to cruise commercial centers or circle through surrounding residential neighborhoods, clogging our central districts and filling our neighborhoods. This is also a problem for local businesses, since arriving potential customers may be unable to find a place close to their destination, even those willing to pay. 

We need to handle parking better. One impactful step we can take is smart metering in commercial centers. This involves implementing dynamic meter pricing depending on parking location and time of day. Although the first 15-minutes of parking can always be free (this is useful for a quick CVS run), after that meter price can be set to the price that ensures roughly 85% of spaces per block are filled at any given time, while roughly 15% are free. Residents will continue to have access to resident (and visitor) permits enabling them to park cheaply near their homes. 

This will have several effects(1) There will nearly always be some spaces available for quick 15-minute errands as well as for emergency vehicles on every block at all times and in all locations (2) peak hours and central locations will be known to be more expensive, which will appropriately incentivize use of public transit, while also giving visitors the option to park if they absolutely need to (3) traffic congestion, noise, and pollution in commercial arteries and surrounding neighborhoods will be reduced (4) local businesses will be guaranteed a continuous 85% occupancy rate as well as readily available spaces at all times for new customers. More importantly, this improved regulation will also increase vehicle throughput; each vehicle will park for only as long as needed before making space for the next customer. Hoarding will no longer be an issue. 

The city can also consider using more multi-space meters and/or hardwareless QR code systems that enable vehicle owners to pay through an application, as successfully implemented in several other cities. Such upgrades would lower hardware maintenance costs and also potentially assist with digitally tracking parking space use across our city to inform further improvements. 

Revenue from these meters can be reinvested directly into improvements on that specific block or area of blocks in the form of planting trees, upgrading sidewalks, or moving utility wires underground, making neighborhoods more livable and commercial areas more inviting for everybody. These changes can increase community safety, reduce traffic congestion, better support our small business ecosystem, and enhance quality of life throughout our city. 

City Infrastructure

Cambridge is a vibrantly diverse community of inventors, artists, students, front-line heroes, teachers, business owners, and more. Our staggering occupational diversity fuels our creative powerhouse. This vital diversity, however, can be drained when a booming local economy causes skyrocketing housing demand, driving up prices and driving out all but the very wealthiest.  

This is about inclusion. But it’s also about our city’s ability to function as a creative and innovation powerhouse. New ideas are a direct reflection of the community from which they are born. In a place like Cambridge where ideas have transformative and global impact every single day, inclusion in our city is akin to having a seat at the table in influencing ideas that may well shape our future. 

For these reasons, we need to continue making deliberate investments in affordability in every area of our city. Moreover, we should experiment with as many other promising policy mechanisms as possible to support our vibrant community.

Abundant, Transit-Oriented Development

We need to support more housing in a way that encourages walkability, use of public transit, and minimal commutes. This enables the most efficient use of our very limited real estate and reduces traffic congestion, accidents, noise, and pollution. It also provides residents with an accessible, healthy, and sustainable environment and facilitates those vital tight-knit connections that underpin a thriving creative community. I would like to continue to facilitate transit-oriented development focused on major hubs (subways, bus, bike stations) to encourage sustainable transportation

Intergenerational Initiatives

To foster stronger intergenerational bonds and address overlapping social challenges, Cambridge should pilot innovative housing and community programs that bring together different age groups for mutual benefit. One inspiring model comes from the Netherlands, where university students live rent-free in elderly care facilities in exchange for helping and spending time with residents. Another is designing new housing and community spaces, particularly near preschools, libraries, and community centers, so that older adults can engage with and support early childhood education, literacy programs, and neighborhood learning. 

Prioritizing Affordable Housing Development

I believe we must additionally prioritize development of affordable housing options throughout our city through continued investment in publicly financed social housing on underutilized city-owned lots and homeownership programs.

Revoke Outdated “Broader Occupancy Restriction”

Cambridge’s/Massachusetts’s outdated and inappropriate rule limiting more than three unrelated people from living together raises housing costs and limits flexibility in finding accommodations. Relaxing this limit through a home rule petition would support affordability, reflect modern living needs, and help residents share housing more efficiently.

Addressing Homelessness

I support a housing-first approach that prioritizes providing safe, stable, and supportive housing as the foundational step in addressing homelessness and housing insecurity. I believe that public investment in permanent, affordable, and service-enriched housing is not only a moral imperative but also a proven, cost-effective strategy for reducing chronic homelessness and fostering long-term wellbeing for residents most in need.

Continued Support of Community Land Trusts

One way to promote stable, affordable housing is through community land trusts, where land is held collectively and homes are rented or sold separately at lower costs. I support continued investment in these models to help insulate residents from volatile market forces.

Student Housing

The City Council should negotiate with local universities to ensure they provide adequate housing for undergraduate and graduate students, which will alleviate pressure on the housing market.

Protected Bike Lanes

As a supporter of the Cycling Safety Ordinance, I support investing in a connected, balanced network of protected bike lanes, including the installation of separated bike lanes on Broadway. This ensures the safety of our many daily bikers whose numbers grow by roughly 8% per year, not to mention that of drivers and pedestrians.

As a non-car owner who relies on biking and walking as my primary means of commuting, shopping, and general transportation, I experience the dangers of our current infrastructure everyday firsthand. Creating strong and safe bike infrastructure will help our city reach its health, environment, and livability goals.

Encouraging Transit Use

Greater investment in busing, subway access, and walkability in addition to safe bikeways is critical. Additional city-provided busing in areas not well served and reducing barriers to using transit generally (for example, providing discounts and vouchers) can also contribute here.

Municipal Sidewalk Shoveling Program

Snow removal is a matter of pedestrian safety and accessibility and it is everyone’s responsibility to share the load. Making snow removal a city service alongside regular sidewalk cleaning, therefore, makes sense for doing exactly that. Within current budgetary constraints, I would support this program. 

Vacant storefronts in Cambridge, especially in key commercial areas like Harvard Square, Central Square, and Porter Square, are a growing concern for residents, small businesses, and city leaders. While continued dialogue with landlords is important, the root of the problem lies in the structure of our property tax system, which taxes improvements just as heavily as undeveloped or vacant parcels, discouraging investment and enabling land speculation. I propose pursuing a home rule petition to incrementally move Cambridge toward a split-rate property tax system, in which land is taxed at a higher rate than buildings. This get to the root of our misstructured incentives and help ensure our limited land is put toward its highest and best use. 

Addressing Climate Change and Green Space

Climate change is an existential crisis that demands urgent action at every level of government—including locally. Our city has both the opportunity and responsibility to lead by example in mitigating climate disruption. At the municipal level, we can implement meaningful policies that reduce emissions, protect our natural resources, and promote environmental justice. Cambridge can model what it means to do our part and inspire broader change beyond our borders.

Net-Zero Carbon Emissions

I support continuing to move our city toward net zero carbon emissions, particularly by targeting large commercial developments through reasonable building performance standards and financial penalties for non-compliance.

Tree Canopy, Permeable Surfaces

I support maintaining and growing our tree canopy according to the Urban Forest Master Plan to restore our much needed tree cover. 

Public-Private Partnerships for Local Environmental Innovation

As a vibrant hub of innovation, Cambridge also has the opportunity to partner with local research and innovation institutions to explore creative new ideas and sustainable technologies in urban agriculture, energy use, and infrastructure monitoring. I am a proponent of pilot testing iterative, microscale versions of new programs to get feedback before potentially growing them into mature initiatives. 

Green Space

Green Space is critical for livability, health, sustainability, and mental and social well being. I support prioritizing areas for recreation and play. I also support the equitable provision of dog parks for our nonhuman residents.

Saving Alewife Brooke

We must invest in safe, robust, and sustainable water, gas, and utility infrastructure. I support Save the Alewife Brook in addressing persistent, extensive untreated sewage discharges containing harmful bacteria like E. coli, parasites, and viruses into the Alewife Brook. These pollutants are a major environmental and public health concern and potential solutions include installing a pumping station and integrating climate change impacts into future sewer infrastructure planning. 

 Sound Pollution and Quality of Life

I am also a supporter of ongoing improvement and maintenance of the other built infrastructure of our city. In doing so, however, we must also respect the ongoing quality of life for our community. I support updating our guidelines for noisy roadside construction from a 7:00am to a 9:00am start time for the sanity of all residents.

Investing in the Arts

The arts are core to the cultural richness of our community. I support the continuation of our public art initiatives, including the Cambridge NITES Grant Pilot and other creative programs that merge the arts with cultural events, community building, climate preparedness, and city beautification.

Local Art Shows 

Galleries in the CambridgeSide Galleria Mall during the winter, for example, located within a bright, lush, heated indoor garden, would be a burst of fresh air to get us through these dark months while nourishing the soul. 

Community Appreciation

At a time when many are facing uncertainty and disconnection, it is especially important to ground ourselves in acts of kindness, service, and shared community spirit. I propose establishing a simple and accessible way for residents to nominate individuals, whether neighbors, city workers, or small business owners, who have demonstrated compassion, creativity, or civic dedication, to be recognized during City Council meetings. 

Youth Programming

Our youth are our future and our city should model how we may best serve our young adults.  Additional programming for workforce and skills training and internships with local employers can tie our youth into their local community, hone marketable skills, and forge mentorship relationships. I also support otherwise encouraging our companies and businesses to hire more local talent.

Hackathons, competitions and awards in a variety of domains, sponsored by local businesses, are another way to encourage participatory learning, job marketability, self-esteem, and active engagement in the community.  The city can organize themed challenges that encourage our youth to submit projects in art, journalism, technology, science, cuisine, or other categories to be judged by local professionals in the field. Winners of these challenges can be publicly honored and all participants can be showcased, gaining them visibility for potential employers, mentors, and other professional connections and inspiring others to become involved in such events.

Starting a new tradition of short creative performances by local public school students to begin each city council meeting is another way, not just to inspire and enliven our public meetings with local talent, but to engage more youth and families in community discussion.

Other programs to get students involved in public creative and service projects like community art, urban agriculture, and neighbor assistance can also help further community engagement.

If you have an idea you believe would make a positive change in our city, please reach out. I can potentially uplift it with my platform and maybe even help turn it into reality. Also, if you think I am mistaken on an issue, I am always open to thoughtful dialogue. If you make a strong case I am committed to evolving my perspectives. 

-Dana
(774) 270-1385
dana.bullister@gmail.com / meet sign-up

Election Countdown

Election Day is Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Cambridge Municipal Elections will be held in person. Polls are open 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. All vote-by-mail ballots (except overseas absentee ballots) must arrive at the Election Commission office by 8 p.m. to be counted.

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