As Newton approaches its 2025 municipal election, city leadership faces challenges in providing high-quality public services while remaining affordable for families, young adults, and seniors.
Enter life-long Newtonian Cyrus Dahmubed, candidate for the Ward 4 at-large city council seat.
Dahmubed believes his background in architecture, urban design, and policy gives him a unique understanding of design thinking and spatial dynamics—skills he argues are essential to solving Newton’s affordability crisis.
“We don’t have the kind of housing options that land in a price range that people in my generation—or [young adults]—can afford,” Dahmubed said. “There’s literally not anybody my age that I grew up playing little league or going to Sunday school with that still lives here. They just can’t afford to.”
Dahmubed was born in Newton and grew up in the Auburndale area. His education was non-traditional, attending Montessori school until age 11 and then being homeschooled through middle and high school. He graduated from Harvard at just 19 and later earned a Master of Architecture from Northeastern.
Professionally, Dahmubed spent over seven years at the Boston-based design and planning firm Utile, where his work combined urban design, planning, architecture, and community engagement.
Dahmubed believes his education and professional experience have equipped him with a distinctive skill set.
“I went to a public meeting earlier this year,” Dahmubed recalled. “I thought to myself, ‘It would be really beneficial if someone who understood architecture, urban design, housing, and policy—and who had lived experience in Newton—was actually on city council.”
Dahmubed asserts that Newton is becoming increasingly unaffordable, specifically for seniors, single-households, and young people. To address this, he advocates for expanding housing options, both in terms of variety and location, to allow a broader spectrum of people to live in Newton long-term.
Dahmubed also sees well-planned growth as a tool to expand Newton’s tax base and reduce reliance on tax overrides.
“If we want great schools and city services, we have to think about how to sustainably pay for them,” Dahmubed said. “Strategic growth near transit and thoughtful zoning can help fund the things residents care about—without forcing people out”
If elected to city council, Dahmubed would bring a rare combination of technical training and deep local roots. He’s lived in Newton almost all his life and has been actively involved in the community, including service on the board of the Boston Children’s Chorus.
Dahmubed hopes to persuade constituents that through smart zoning, strategic growth, and transparent community engagement, Newton can hold its character while adapting to the economic pressures that locals are already feeling.
“This is personal for me,” Dahmubed said. “I see so many of my peers who grew up here, who want to give back to the city, but they simply can’t afford to live here anymore. That urgency is what’s driving me to run.”
