"Young man on the run, all the time," is how the Boston Globe describes the busy life and career of Boston City Councilor Michael P. Ross. First elected in November 1999, Mike represents District 8, a diverse community of 65,000 Boston residents living in Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway, and Mission Hill. Now in his second term, he is the youngest Boston City Councilor to hold office.

Mike Ross grew up in Newton, Massachusetts and graduated from Clark University in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Governmental Studies. Before his election to the City Council, he worked as an Assistant to the Mayor and helped develop the first Boston city government website. In 2001, Mike earned his Master's Degree in Business Administration at Boston University. He currently lives on Beacon Hill.

Mike's family background gives him a special understanding of the importance of public service. His father, Stephan Ross, is a Holocaust survivor who spent five years in ten different concentration camps until he was finally liberated by American soldiers. Once he arrived in America, Mr. Ross engaged in community service and founded both the New England Holocaust Memorial and the Liberators Monument in Boston, always carrying with him a small American flag he received the day he was freed. From his father, Mike learned to truly appreciate the freedoms that many Americans take for granted every day. He recognizes that public service is not just a great opportunity, but also a great responsibility to help others.

The biggest challenge of Mike's public career has been earning the trust of his constituents, especially since he was not raised in Boston. The campaign for City Council in 1999 was Mike's first journey into electoral politics, running against a cavalry of politically experienced, established opponents. Mike worked diligently to earn the trust and support of his constituents, both at work and in his free time. He and his mother, Suzanne, cycled in the NY/Boston AIDS Ride of 1998. In the same year Mike ran - and finished - the Boston Marathon.

What does the future hold for this young dynamo? Not even Mike knows just yet: "Like everyone else, I want to continue to grow and learn from others around me - whether that growth is academic, political, or other I am not yet sure. For now, I'm fortunate to serve in a leadership capacity on the Boston City Council representing constituents that I am proud to work for."

Mike does know how to do his job well, receiving many local awards for his hard work. In 2000, the Boston Tab voted him Politician of the Year. He was also named Boston Magazine's "One to Watch" in 2002. Mike's priorities in office include affordable housing, education, quality of life and public safety.

Mike realizes that affordable housing is a key issue. To help create and preserve affordable housing, Mike personally contacts landlords who drastically raise rents, negotiating on behalf of the tenants. He pressures development projects in his district to include on-site affordable units, and has fought for legislation that supports the creation of affordable housing. During each of his three years in office, Mike advocated a budget increase for affordable housing funding. The results are showing: in conjunction with city agencies, Mike has negotiated rent reductions for hundreds of residents in his district.

Mike has made education a top priority. Working together with parents, teachers, and administrators, Ross secured city funding for badly needed renovations to schools in his district. In 2001 he served as Vice-chair of the Council's Education Committee. In 2002, as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Ross oversaw the school department's $640 million budget. An advocate of Special Education and Bilingual Education programs, he continues to fight for the creation of new schools, especially in his own area of Beacon Hill, Back Bay, and Fenway, which presently has no public elementary schools.

Mike understands that quality of life is important for city residents. It's the little things, from recycling and clean streets to better parks and playgrounds, that make a district family friendly. Mike loves to participate in the many exciting celebrations that take place within his district, and is aware of the social balance that keeps these neighborhoods home to professionals, families, and children alike. He also understands the values of his constituents and brings them to City Hall each day. As the lead sponsor of the Anti-Sweatshop initiative, Mike made sure that the city would not purchase any apparel from companies that engage in sweatshop employment. Mike tremendously improved bicycle access and safety in the city, changing it from one of Bike Magazine's worst cities for bicyclists to a city with a full-time Bicycling Coordinator. Mike rode around in a Zip-Car to promote the Zip-Car automobile sharing initiative, which reduces city traffic and air pollution.

Mike works diligently to maintain public safety. He and his colleagues worked to increase police on the streets in the 2003 budget. In his district, meeting directly with District Captains and community organizations, he tirelessly supports crime prevention programs that address a myriad of social issues. In 2001, Mike started a softball league in Mission Hill, taking a neighborhood park back from local drug pushers, returning it to the community. Soon after, the city secured a Federal grant to rebuild the park.

Mike is the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. In this position, he oversees the city's $1.8 billion budget and ensures that the city continues to provide essential city services effectively and efficiently to city residents. This year, Mike has continued leading his peers on key legislative issues. On April 24, 2002, the City Council and Mayor passed the Access to Recycling Ordinance. Introduced by Councilor Ross, the ordinance guarantees that every tenant in apartment buildings of six or greater units has access to recycling. Also in April, Mike unveiled his Enhanced Resident Parking Program. The program increased nighttime and weekend enforcement and penalties for non-resident parking in the city, protecting residents from illegally parked out of town cars. Mike also led the Council effort to extend MBTA Service to 2:30 am on bus routes along subway lines and other selected bus routes.

Mike reaches out to young residents and students through intern and fellowship programs. The summer of 2002 is his first time participating in the Ward Fellowship Program.

His Ward Fellow is Trang Tran.