After multiple sessions of advocacy, Chris secured passage of legislation authorizing the redevelopment of 555–559 Columbia Road in Dorchester as affordable housing paired with a brand-new branch of the Boston Public Library — clearing the procurement pathway for the BPDA to move forward on a long-awaited project for Uphams Corner residents.
At the ceremonial signing, Governor Maura Healey credited Chris and Senator Nick Collins for their leadership in moving the bill across the finish line.
“The creation of both a renovated Uphams Corner Branch Library and new housing is a win-win for Dorchester and the entire city.” — Rep. Worrell at the signing
For nearly a century, Boston’s liquor license system locked Black and brown neighborhoods out of the city’s restaurant economy. A state-imposed cap and a transferable secondary market — where licenses traded hands for upwards of $600,000 — concentrated restaurants downtown while Dorchester, Mattapan, and Roxbury went decades without enough sit-down restaurants to anchor their commercial corridors. Mattapan, for years, didn’t have a single full-service liquor license at all.
As the original House sponsor, Chris led the charge to deliver 225 new liquor licenses to Boston — the single largest expansion since the end of Prohibition — developed in close partnership with City Councilor Brian Worrell and Senator Liz Miranda.
“I don’t even drink. But I know the importance of this legislation.” — Rep. Worrell
Distributed across 13 ZIP codes covering Dorchester, Mattapan, Roxbury, the South End, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, West Roxbury, and Charlestown — issued in waves of 5 per ZIP code per year over three years.
Every neighborhood license under this law cannot be sold off to downtown buyers when a business closes. That single provision breaks the cycle that drained licenses out of communities of color for decades.
15 community-space licenses for theaters and non-profits, 3 licenses for Oak Square in Brighton, and 12 citywide licenses round out the package.
The law requires food to be prepared on-site, ensuring these licenses go to the kind of establishments that anchor commercial corridors and employ neighborhood residents.
Five of the 13 ZIP codes covered by Chapter 202 sit at the heart of Chris’s district: 02121, 02122, 02124, 02125, and 02126 — covering Dorchester, Mattapan, and parts of Roxbury. Over the three-year rollout, these ZIP codes alone are receiving 75 new licenses that cannot be siphoned off to other parts of the city.
“Blue Hill Avenue is one of the busiest streets in the Commonwealth, but it has only three to five sit-down restaurants. Chapter 202 is changing that equation block by block.”
The Boston Licensing Board began issuing licenses in early 2025. By February, 37 new licenses had been approved across Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Oak Square, Roslindale, and Roxbury.
“This is just the beginning. In the coming years, waves of new restaurants, bars, and community spaces will revitalize areas of the city that have long been neglected.”
Recognizing that Boston’s police and fire departments need to recruit from the full pool of qualified, mission-driven candidates from our communities, Chris filed and secured passage of four separate home rule petitions allowing experienced applicants to join the Boston Police Department despite age-based hiring restrictions. Each candidate lives in or has deep ties to the 5th Suffolk, and each represents a more diverse, community-rooted Boston Police force.
Additional age-waiver legislation pending in the 194th session for Gissell Melo, Alex J. Rodriguez, and Luisa Fernandes.
From the State House floor to the community, Chris delivers funding for organizations doing the real work in Dorchester, Roxbury, and across the Commonwealth.
To bridge opportunity gaps and empower youth in underserved communities through education and innovation.
To assist in expanding grant opportunities for Black and Brown-led nonprofits across the Commonwealth.
For the Saving Towards Affordable and Sustainable Homeownership program — assisting first-generation homebuyers in a regionally equitable manner to benefit communities throughout the Commonwealth.
Secured funding for community-based recovery programs, expanded access to mental health services, and advanced education and awareness around substance use prevention across the district.
Helped direct a $20,000 M&T Charitable Foundation grant to Catholic Charities Boston to fight hunger — one piece of a broader commitment to ensuring no family in the 5th Suffolk goes without.
Organized a lacrosse workshop for 300 Boston youth, a month-long boxing seminar on non-violence, and founded the 180 Degrees program providing crucial support to at-risk young people in Boston.
Co-created the Mental Shift Workshop to support boys and men with their mental health, helping them transform their mindsets and build healthier futures — a conversation long overdue in our communities.
Opened a joint constituent office with City Councilor Brian Worrell on Erie Street in Dorchester, providing direct on-the-ground community support to residents — because accessibility is the foundation of representation.
Honored while serving as Director of Constituent Services for State Senator Nick Collins — a sign of things to come, and a preview of the career-defining commitment to community service that has followed.
See what Chris is fighting for in the 194th General Court — housing, criminal justice reform, workers’ rights, and more.
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