Simmons

Denise Simmons has spent her entire adult life working to better her community – first as Executive Director of the Civic Unity Committee of Cambridge in the 1980s, then as a member of the Cambridge School Committee in the 1990s, and, since 2002, as a member of the City Council. Currently in the midst of her seventh term, Denise was proud to serve as Mayor during the 2008-2009 term, and as Vice Mayor during the 2012-2013 term. Over her many decades of service, Denise has sought to make municipal government more responsive, more inclusive, and more effective.

 

Over the course of her time on the City Council, Denise has worked to open up City Hall to everyday citizens, such as through her Senior Citizen Town Hall and LGBT Town Hall meetings; as Mayor, she established drop-in constituent hours every Friday morning, a practice she continues to hold every other Friday in City Hall. She has drafted and supported legislation promoting fairer affordable housing practices, and she has released a guide to help people search for and navigate through the affordable housing process. She also continues to lead efforts to open up job training opportunities to greater numbers of Cambridge residents, and to champion jobs that pay living wages and offer fair treatment of the workers. Denise continues to be an advocate for her constituents, in addition to being a policy maker, and she continues to work to see that everybody has a voice in the conversations that will shape our community.

 

Contact Councilor Simmons via email at dsimmons@cambridgema.gov or by phone at 617.349.4280