headshot of candidate

Stanislav Rivkin

He/Him

Currently
Associate Director of Admissions; HUGSE
Election history
1st-time candidate

More about Stanislav Rivkin

Stanislav "Stan" Rivkin was born in Uzbekistan and immigrated to the US when he was young. Stan credits his family's experience navigating social services and building community with his desire to run for office and his platform centers around the preservation and expansion of Cambridge's social programs. For example, Stan organized and delivered a petition opposing the closing of the Transitional Wellness Center/Spaulding Shelter.

Rivkin is a vocal critic of the Trump administration and has asserted that Cambridge the city's response to the Trump administration has been "inadequate".

Throughout his career, Stan has mostly worked in higher education and its administration and he currently serves as Associate Director of Admissions at Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Incumbent
No
Education
  • BA, Knox College
  • MFA, Texas State University
  • MPA (expected), Harvard Kennedy School
Age
36 years, 5 months
Born in Uzbekistan in 1989
Voting
Reg. Feb. 24, 2024
History Updated soon, we hope!
  • 🗳️ 2024 General
  • 🗳️ 2024 Presidental Primary - Democratic

Where Stan Lives

Address
Rents at 17 Channing Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

Stan on Housing

Proposal Supported?
MFZ
Upzoning Central Square n/a

Broadly summarized, Stan is usually "yes" for subsidized, income-restricted housing and generally "no" for market-rate housing.

Stan supports funding several other mechanisms to establish and expand Social Housing. He acknowledges both the need to raise property taxes and the need to obtain a home rule exception from the state house to fund these goals; he views them as a moral imperative.

He also believes the Historical Commission's current jurisdiction (e.g. imposing demolition delay of any building older than 50 years) is generally correct, and generally thinks demolition of older buildings is worse for the climate than new buildings can make up for.

How will private construction in a particular neighborhood lower rental cost when the price per square foot in newer constructions is higher than the price per square foot of older buildings (naturally occurring “affordable” housing)? I do believe social housing, community land trusts, and an expansion of the municipal voucher program could keep communities together while preserving our existing buildings.

Stan on Other Issues

Proposal Supported?
CSO
Broadway
Garden Street n/a
Intersections

I would support a lower [parking permit] cap, but believe 1 permit per adult might be too aggressive initially. There are folks who have a personal and work vehicle, for example, who need to park both near their home. 2 per adult seems more appropriate.

Stan Rivkin , CBS Survey

How do we have such significant food insecurity? How do we have all that and have the lowest residential property tax -- 0.73 for this year. How are we OK with that? And how is that different than cutting taxes for the rich, and cutting services for the poor?

Stan Rivkin , What's That About? CCTV interview

(on Land Trusts:) It’s not about a silver bullet, it’s about a silver buckshot.

Endorsements for Stan

Organization Cambridge? Union? View
Cambridge Bicycle Safety
Harvard College Democrats this cycle

Q&A

Interviews with Stan

ABC Candidate Questionnaire 2025

Housing policy, development, governance

ABC Candidate Questionnaire 2025

Housing policy, development, governance

CBS Candidate Questionnaire 2025

Pedestrian and cycling safety, policy, infrastructure, governance

CBS Candidate Questionnaire 2025

Pedestrian and cycling safety, policy, infrastructure, governance

CPEC Candidate Questionnaire 2025

Lengthy panel on progressive issues; largely yes/no questions; only 9 respondents. This is the first year this has appeared.

CPEC Candidate Questionnaire 2025

Lengthy panel on progressive issues; largely yes/no questions; only 9 respondents. This is the first year this has appeared.

Press

Articles about or by Stan

Cambridge Day Cambridge’s big influence groups draw scrutiny from City Council candidates at a pair of forums

“The folks they endorse are accountable to the interests of the Super Pac,” said Stanislav Rivkin, a Harvard administrator who is a first-time candidate. He cited a Harvard Crimson article noting that the last city councillor to be elected without the endorsement of at least one of the super Pacs was Quinton Zondervan in 2021. “You could probably take nine random people and not much is going to change on council, because the interests they serve are the same.”

Sept. 23, 2025 — Michael Fitzgerald
Cambridge Day Cambridge’s big influence groups draw scrutiny from City Council candidates at a pair of forums

“The folks they endorse are accountable to the interests of the Super Pac,” said Stanislav Rivkin, a Harvard administrator who is a first-time candidate. He cited a Harvard Crimson article noting that the last city councillor to be elected without the endorsement of at least one of the super Pacs was Quinton Zondervan in 2021. “You could probably take nine random people and not much is going to change on council, because the interests they serve are the same.”

Sept. 23, 2025 — Michael Fitzgerald
The Harvard Crimson The Top Issues Defining Cambridge’s City Council Elections

Stanislav Rivkin, a first time candidate, said he decided to run because he does not believe the Council responded as “urgently” and “strongly” as it could have.

“There’s been a lot of strongly worded resolutions against the Trump administration that are important for us, in terms of commitment to a certain set of values, but as far as actually helping folks that are coming under attack, there’s been very little of that,” he said.

Sept. 12, 2025 — Shawn A. Boehmer, Dionise Guerra-Carrillo, and Jack B. Reardon
The Harvard Crimson The Top Issues Defining Cambridge’s City Council Elections

Stanislav Rivkin, a first time candidate, said he decided to run because he does not believe the Council responded as “urgently” and “strongly” as it could have.

“There’s been a lot of strongly worded resolutions against the Trump administration that are important for us, in terms of commitment to a certain set of values, but as far as actually helping folks that are coming under attack, there’s been very little of that,” he said.

Sept. 12, 2025 — Shawn A. Boehmer, Dionise Guerra-Carrillo, and Jack B. Reardon
Cambridge Day Stanislav Rivkin plans to save social services, stand up to Trump as a Cambridge councillor

Stanislav Rivkin has a long list of gripes with the current Cambridge City Council. At the top of that list is a failure to meaningfully oppose the federal government’s sweeping cuts to social services and its attacks on undocumented immigrants.

“They haven’t been standing up for a working-class community – they haven’t been standing up for the communities that have been under attack by the Trump administration,” Rivkin said of the councillors.

Sept. 5, 2025 — Alvin Buyinza
Cambridge Day Stanislav Rivkin plans to save social services, stand up to Trump as a Cambridge councillor

Stanislav Rivkin has a long list of gripes with the current Cambridge City Council. At the top of that list is a failure to meaningfully oppose the federal government’s sweeping cuts to social services and its attacks on undocumented immigrants.

“They haven’t been standing up for a working-class community – they haven’t been standing up for the communities that have been under attack by the Trump administration,” Rivkin said of the councillors.

Sept. 5, 2025 — Alvin Buyinza

Campaign finance

See Cambridge Review for detailed information about Stan's fundraising

TBD
Raised in 2025