Seven incumbents and two challengers win seats to Cambridge city council
Nov. 4 election results spell a temporary victory for housing density and alter embattled school committee
At 12:28 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 5, the City of Cambridge’s election commission announced the preliminary results of the 2025 city council and school committee elections, as well as the results to a ballot question. Polls closed a few hours prior at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
A total of 19 candidates, including eight incumbents, ran for nine available seats on the council. The preliminary results, derived from a ranked-choice voting process, show that seven incumbents will retain their seats, while two newcomers will join them.
If the preliminary results stand, incumbent Mayor E. Denise Simmons and Vice Mayor Marc C. McGovern, along with councilors Burhan Azeem ’19, Patricia M. Nolan, Sumbul Siddiqui, Jivan G. Sobrinho-Wheeler, and Catherine Zusy will have won reelection to Cambridge’s Sullivan Chamber. They will be joined by Ayah Al-Zubi, a second-time candidate who graduated from Harvard in 2023, and Timothy R. Flaherty, an attorney who raised around $150,000 — almost triple the second-highest fundraiser.
Vice Mayor McGovern, who has served on the council since 2013, received the most first-choice votes, followed by Siddiqui and Al-Zubi. Ayesha Wilson, a first-term councilor, did not win reelection after being eliminated in the 12th count of ranked-choice votes. Councilor Paul Toner opted not to run for reelection after being charged for involvement in a local brothel.
The city council results sent a clear message after an election cycle that became a referendum on housing and zoning in an increasingly unaffordable city. In the wake of a historic measure led by Azeem and Siddiqui to end single-family zoning in February, two advocacy groups — A Better Cambridge (ABC) and the Cambridge Citizens Coalition (CCC) — expanded their already significant political power. ABC argued that allowing for denser neighborhoods would increase Cambridge’s affordable housing stock; on the other hand, CCC contended that upzoning would empower developers rather than residents.
In this election, housing density won. ABC saw five out of their eight endorsed candidates win seats on the council, compared to only one out of seven for the CCC. Wilson, the sole losing incumbent, was the only candidate endorsed by both groups, and just one of two CCC-endorsed incumbents. The second, Catherine Zusy, cast the single “no” vote on February’s rezoning.
Neil Miller, campaign chair of A Better Cambridge, wrote in an email to The Tech, “We look forward to working with the new Council on housing abundance and affordability.”
In a press release, Al-Zubi, one of the two new councilors-elect, also emphasized affordable housing. She wrote, “It’s time for permanently affordable housing, especially social housing, not just luxury condo developments.” Al-Zubi, a democratic socialist, cited an “ambitious vision for meeting people’s needs” as a key draw for voters.
Cambridge Bike Safety, Cambridge’s third main super PAC, saw its own success this election. Of their endorsed candidates, five of seven “Bike Champions” and two of five “Bike Supporters” were elected to the council.
On Tuesday, Cambridge voters also elected a largely new school committee following a series of controversies over the Cambridge Public School (CPS) system, including a contentious superintendent search and the closure of the Kennedy-Longfellow School. The top two finishers, Elizabeth Hudson and Richard Harding, were also the only two incumbents reelected to the committee.
Of the four newcomers to the committee, three — Luisa de Paula Santos, Caitlin E. Dube, and Eugenia Schraa Huh — currently work in or have worked in education. The last, Arjun Kent Jaikumar, is a CPS parent.
Voters also approved the new city charter proposed in the election’s single ballot question, which transfers the chairship of the school committee from the mayor to a committee member elected by their peers, among other changes.
This is a developing story and may be updated. To submit a tip, email tt-news-editors@mit.edu.