E. Denise Simmons
She/Her
- Currently
- City Councillor
- Election history
- Mayor; 11th term in office
She/Her
Born and raised in Cambridge, Denise Simmons has been active in the Cambridge community for many years.
Denise served as Executive Director of the Cambridge Civic Unity Committee in the 1980s, a city established committee dedicated to ending racial discrimination against veterans. She was a member of the Cambridge School Committee in the 1990s.
A member of city council since 2002, Denise is currently serves as Mayor for the third time. She is the first Black, openly-lesbian mayor in the United States and the first Black woman to be mayor in Massachusetts.
Denise is a political institution who has succeeded in maintaining her position on city council through decades of a changing city.
Denise is generally "yes" on housing. She voted to pass the 2025 Multifamily Housing zoning reform, passed the Affordable Housing Overlay, and would consider reforms to the historical commission bodies. She wants to zone higher in certain squares and corridors.
The goal of any reform should be to ensure that the city’s preservation tools are aligned with its equity goals. We cannot preserve the past at the cost of pushing out current residents.
I do not want us to become a city of the haves and the have-nots, and I do not want the rich people on one side of town, and the poor on the other side
| Organization | Cambridge? | Union? | View |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Better Cambridge | |||
| Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus | this cycle | ||
| Greater Boston Labor Council | this cycle | ||
| Cambridge Firefighters IAFF Local 30 | |||
| Sheet Metal Workers Local 17 | |||
| Painters and Allied Trades District Council 35 | |||
| Painters and Allied Trades District Council 35 | |||
| Boston Plasterers and Cement Masons Local 534 | |||
| Boston Plasterers and Cement Masons Local 534 |
Housing policy, development, governance
Housing policy, development, governance
Housing, zoning, governance, infrastructure
Housing, zoning, governance, infrastructure
Not everyone was on board with Murphy.
“He’s not my first choice, nor my second,” said Mayor E. Denise Simmons, who chairs the committee, and said she had concerns that he was “not an instructional leader.”
Simmons and member Caroline Hunter, who is the committee’s vice chair, backed Sanchez.
Oct. 6, 2025 — Spencer Buell and John HilliardNot everyone was on board with Murphy.
“He’s not my first choice, nor my second,” said Mayor E. Denise Simmons, who chairs the committee, and said she had concerns that he was “not an instructional leader.”
Simmons and member Caroline Hunter, who is the committee’s vice chair, backed Sanchez.
Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons, who serves as the chair of the school committee, declined to comment on the candidates directly, but said she was confident the search process had been done properly.
“The process is wonderful. It’s been very, very inclusive, very engaging on new and different levels,” she said.
“We are following the process that the school committee voted for,” Simmons added.
Simmons would not comment on the behind-the-scenes work that led to the selection of the finalists, but said she stood by the firm and the work it did.
“They were extraordinary,” Simmons said. “I’m so glad that the district decided to retain them.”
Sept. 29, 2025 — Spencer BuellCambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons, who serves as the chair of the school committee, declined to comment on the candidates directly, but said she was confident the search process had been done properly.
“The process is wonderful. It’s been very, very inclusive, very engaging on new and different levels,” she said.
“We are following the process that the school committee voted for,” Simmons added.
Simmons would not comment on the behind-the-scenes work that led to the selection of the finalists, but said she stood by the firm and the work it did.
“They were extraordinary,” Simmons said. “I’m so glad that the district decided to retain them.”
At a School Committee meeting last week, Mayor E. Denise Simmons said that four finalists had been selected and would be announced on Monday. The announcement arrived on schedule — but with a surprise.
Only three finalists were announced in a message sent out by Simmons and School Committee vice chair Caroline Hunter, who are helping run the search.
It is unclear what prompted the change, and Simmons and Hunter did not respond to inquiries from The Crimson on Monday evening. In total, seven candidates were interviewed as semifinalists for the position, according to Monday’s announcement.
Aug. 12, 2025 — Ayaan AhmadAt a School Committee meeting last week, Mayor E. Denise Simmons said that four finalists had been selected and would be announced on Monday. The announcement arrived on schedule — but with a surprise.
Only three finalists were announced in a message sent out by Simmons and School Committee vice chair Caroline Hunter, who are helping run the search.
It is unclear what prompted the change, and Simmons and Hunter did not respond to inquiries from The Crimson on Monday evening. In total, seven candidates were interviewed as semifinalists for the position, according to Monday’s announcement.
At the meeting, School Committee member Elizabeth C.P. Hudson raised concerns about a lack of transparency in the finalist selection process and pressed Simmons to explain how the finalists were chosen. Simmons responded that she would need to consult with the district’s search firm, The Equity Process, before providing an answer.
Aug. 8, 2025 — Ayaan AhmadAt the meeting, School Committee member Elizabeth C.P. Hudson raised concerns about a lack of transparency in the finalist selection process and pressed Simmons to explain how the finalists were chosen. Simmons responded that she would need to consult with the district’s search firm, The Equity Process, before providing an answer.
Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons said immediately after the vote that the committee “will work with great speed to appoint someone in the interim while we try to find a full-time new superintendent.”
May 30, 2024 — Darcy G Lin, Emily T. SchwartzCambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons said immediately after the vote that the committee “will work with great speed to appoint someone in the interim while we try to find a full-time new superintendent.”
City Councilor E. Denise Simmons exercised her “charter right” on the policy order, thereby delaying a decision on the matter, due to her objections on behalf of people living on the detour streets.
“The Memorial Drive debate has echoes of so many past battles in which the voices of concerned neighbors, Black people, moderate-income people, minorities, people who are often referred to as the have-nots among us, have been so callously, casually, and dismissively brushed aside,” she said.
Simmons characterized the opposition to Riverside residents’ concerns as insensitive to the historical dismissal of people from marginalized groups in Cambridge.
“The response is, ‘The benefits of the many outweigh the inconveniences of a few, so too bad for you,’” she said.
Feb. 15, 2023 — Samuel P. GoldstonCity Councilor E. Denise Simmons exercised her “charter right” on the policy order, thereby delaying a decision on the matter, due to her objections on behalf of people living on the detour streets.
“The Memorial Drive debate has echoes of so many past battles in which the voices of concerned neighbors, Black people, moderate-income people, minorities, people who are often referred to as the have-nots among us, have been so callously, casually, and dismissively brushed aside,” she said.
Simmons characterized the opposition to Riverside residents’ concerns as insensitive to the historical dismissal of people from marginalized groups in Cambridge.
“The response is, ‘The benefits of the many outweigh the inconveniences of a few, so too bad for you,’” she said.