Meet City Council Candidate Justin Tseng

How many years have you lived in Medford? My parents and I moved to Medford 23 years ago, settling in Wellington where they could pursue their careers in science and raise a family.

Please describe your professional background and education.

I am currently a student at Harvard Law School. When not in the classroom or in the community advocating for our residents, I volunteer as a legal researcher for civil rights and human rights cases.

I am a proud product of our Medford Public Schools. After graduating as valedictorian of the Class of 2018, I continued my studies at Harvard College, where I graduated with an honors degree in social studies (politics, economics, and history) and East Asian studies. At Harvard’s Institute of Politics, I worked on several policy commissions, chairing the Education Policy Commission, and also served as the chair of the Harvard Public Opinion Project, America’s premier youth public opinion research group, where I advocated for young Americans on the national stage.

What, if any, city positions (appointed or elected) have you held, and for how long?

I’ve served as a Medford city councilor since 2022, when I became the first Asian American and youngest individual elected to the City Council. I also serve as a member of the Community Fund Committee, which distributes mitigation funds from Encore Casino to local community nonprofits.

What volunteer roles have you participated in that you feel have made a difference in Medford?

As vice president of my high school graduating class, I served as the student representative to the School Committee and the Superintendent Search Committee, where I helped pass two school improvement plans and select Medford’s first school superintendent of color. In these roles, I worked with administrators, teachers, and community stakeholders on action plans to address the vaping epidemic, infrastructure repairs, and policies that increased classroom transparency while also negotiating more affordable class activities.

I wanted to give back to the Medford After School Program, where I had found a meaningful community; I volunteered as a helper there for many years.

Additionally, I am also a supporter of the Friends of the Medford Public Library and Friends of Chevalier Theater and Gene Mack Gym, Medford Family Network, and our citywide and elementary PTOs.

Why should residents vote for you?

Over the past four years, Medford hasn’t just made progress — we’ve made history. While some leaders are busy banning books and turning neighbors against each other, we’ve been building a city that welcomes everyone and works for all of us. Together, Medford has made record investments in our schools and passed laws to protect our neighbors and our freedoms. Our City Council is now passing one-in-a-lifetime reforms to make housing more affordable, spur local business growth, and lead the fight against climate change — right here at home. As national politicians gamble with our economy and threaten our neighbors, Medford needs steady hands and bold leadership. We have more work to do — I am humbly asking for your vote to keep building a Medford that works for us all.

What do you believe are the top 3 issues currently facing the city of Medford? How do you specifically plan to address those issues?

1. Addressing affordability

Too many folks are being priced out and left behind. As the cost of living rises and the dream of homeownership slips out of reach, too many residents who wish to call Medford home can no longer afford to live here. Too many of our neighbors remain on the waitlist for affordable housing, and too many folks, including my friends and classmates who want to continue calling Medford home, are being forced to move over an hour away from home. To address this over my last two terms, I’ve partnered with councilors to create an Affordable Housing Trust, approve new affordable housing units, and pass reforms that incentivize and raise the bar for big developers to create affordable housing units. The current City Council has been instrumental in passing reforms that cut red tape for new affordable housing units and rejuvenate our local business districts, particularly through allowing the building of new units. If re-elected, I will continue to work to ensure that our housing strategy and rezoning approach center our community’s shared goals of affordability, anti-displacement, and accountability for developers and institutions. I will work to create more housing that fits in our neighborhoods and accounts for the diversity of housing needs here in Medford.

2. Protecting Medford against federal attacks and instability

The safety of our residents is paramount. Federal attacks on our neighbors’ rights, such as ICE’s abductions and deportations without due process, and federal threats to the safety of LGBTQ+ and unhoused, are creating an atmosphere of fear and instability in our community. As a city councilor, I’ve been leading the charge to protect our residents by passing a Welcoming City Ordinance, which codifies Medford’s policy of non-cooperation with ICE in non-criminal cases, and a Gender-Affirming Care and Reproductive Healthcare Ordinance, which protects residents, patients, and doctors from out-of-state attacks on their rights. I will continue to ensure that all of our residents feel safe in Medford, that our city government continues to fight for all of our rights, and that we are prepared to deal with the new challenges that the Trump administration throws at us.

3. Invest in schools and public services

Not only are our rights at stake, but so is our economic stability. DOGE cuts and erratic economic decision-making in Washington, D.C., are trickling down and posing a threat to Medford’s own economy, be it for our residents or for our city budget. That’s why it will be more important than ever to secure the investments we’ve already made, increase investment in city services, and help families who are facing economic difficulties.

This term, I worked hard with city leadership to secure a record $8 million investment in our schools and new investments in our street and sidewalk repair crew. We’ve kept important city services running despite tight budgets. Going forward, I will work to make sure we better manage our community benefits and PILOT agreements, increase feedback mechanisms so that we make sure our city services are working efficiently, and work to finance important infrastructure and facility repairs that our residents will benefit from. I will continue working with city staff and councilors to spur growth that will generate revenue and revitalize our squares.

Transparency and communication are vital in representative government. What steps will you or have you taken to keep your constituents informed about local decisions and to explain your voting rationale?

I ran for City Council in the first place because I saw too many residents historically left out of the decision-making process here in Medford. Since getting elected, I’ve prioritized key reforms to make City Hall more inclusive and transparent. Among other things, I’ve worked with my fellow councilors to develop a monthly City Council newsletter, monthly listening sessions, working with community liaisons and the Senior Center to increase outreach to immigrants and senior citizens, and a City Council budget survey to give residents more say during the budget-making process.

In addition to presentations, website and social media updates, and door knocking, I’ve worked hard to make sure to include residents who don’t speak English in the policymaking process as well, fighting for more secure funding for translation services and our community liaisons. I personally provide constituent services and communicate city decisions in foreign languages, including Spanish and Chinese.

What specific methods will you use to gather and represent your constituents’ perspectives on issues that come before the City Council?

I believe strongly in bringing City Hall to the people and meeting our residents wherever they are. I can often be found at community events, neighborhood block parties, or canvassing neighborhoods to gather resident feedback. I’ve also put out input surveys for residents to participate in setting our policy and budget priorities, and as mentioned above, instituted a listening sessions program through the City Council. I can also be reached by phone at 781-866-2572, by email at jtseng@medford-ma.gov, or via direct message on my social media pages (@justin4medford).

The past two years, the City Council has been updating the zoning across the city. Many residents feel the process has been too quick and has covered too much at once. What are your thoughts on that? If elected, how would you approach zoning?

The reality that I see from my email inbox and that I hear from conversations through phone calls and doorstep conversations is much more nuanced than the premise of this question presents. There is a spectrum of views of how procedurally the City Council should approach the rezoning process, from folks who are impatient that these reforms haven’t been finished years ago to folks who want us to slow, or stop, this project. Yet through these conversations, I believe that Medford residents align on our goals: affordability, anti-displacement, and accountability for developers and institutions.

I believe that to make lasting progress on these goals, we can’t abandon a rezoning project that our city — and thousands of residents — have been hard at work on for the last six years. And frankly, the status quo just isn’t working. Study after study confirms that only by increasing the number of housing units can we make sure that everyone who wishes to call Medford home can call it home. 

The rezoning project is also an important vehicle to make sure that all neighborhoods in Medford can see vibrant growth and boost our local squares by increasing foot traffic. It is central to Medford’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, and through this process, we have been able to pass a Green Score Ordinance to add green space and trees to our heat islands and to hold developers to higher environmental standards.

Still, I hear the concerns. We will need to work with our Mayor to improve our outreach to our residents about the zoning process, and we will need to make sure that residents who are not traditionally engaged in local politics are not left behind either. While some may wish to present rezoning like a binary choice, the truth is we can say yes to more affordable housing and to preserving our history and environment. A historical conversion and tree protection ordinance work can and should happen alongside rezoning efforts.

There have been City Council meetings that have gone past midnight. Do you really think these marathon meetings are serving the public? Should there be a time cap on meetings for everyone’s sake?

Ever since I was a kid, Medford has been famous for its long and seemingly-endless public meetings, even featuring in the Boston Globe. One of my missions on the City Council has been to make City Hall a more inclusive and accessible place. Late meetings may be hard for residents who have to sleep early or get up early to attend. This is why I’ve worked to pass reforms to our meeting structure, making sure that we hold more, more focused, and more substantive committee meetings and ensuring that more residents can talk before the City Council at a reasonable time. But at the same time, I believe it is important for City Hall to be a place where all can be heard and all can participate. Medford stands out relative to our neighboring communities as a place where public participation is spirited and accessible. While we should explore new ideas like limiting councilors’ speaking time, we should not forget that this facet of our politics makes Medford a special beacon of democracy as well. Any reform should balance inclusion, accessibility, and the need to get things done with the encouragement of lively and open discourse.