WORCESTER— For Keith Linhares, running for District 1 City Council is personal: he wants Worcester to be a city his children—and all families—can call home. “I’m running because I love this city and I want to make it a better place for my kids to grow up and a place they’ll want to stay when they grow up,” Linhares told the Worcester Guardian.
A first-generation college graduate who grew up in a working-class family, Linhares said his personal experience as both a renter and homeowner shapes his priorities. “My lived experience as a former renter,” he said, “and someone who grew up working class drives my commitment to fight for a city where everyone has a chance to feel love, community, and safety, like I do.”
Housing affordability tops Linhares’ platform. He argues that Worcester’s current zoning and development approach favors luxury units and real estate speculation over the types of housing residents actually need. “We desperately need what’s called ‘missing middle’ housing; apartments that can accommodate families, duplexes, multi-families, small houses,” Linhares said.
He supports pushing for local rent stabilization measures in collaboration with the state, ending exclusionary zoning, and rebalancing the market toward affordability. “Our current system of exclusionary zoning, paired with an appeals system that favors real estate speculators, is not working for regular people,” he said.
On city services, Linhares maintains that residents’ frustration often stems less from potholes and roadwork themselves and more from poor communication. He filed a petition to improve the city’s 311 app to provide more transparency and data on service requests. “311 is a good start, but we need to build up its capabilities,” he said, adding that Worcester should invest more in DPW, both in staffing and in technology.
His vision extends to what he calls “municipal resiliency.” Linhares suggested Worcester could explore options like municipal broadband. “We have leadership that doesn’t believe in itself, and doesn’t believe in our people. I wholeheartedly disagree,” he said.
Regarding the issue of public safety, Linhares advocates reallocating some funds toward non-police responses to issues like homelessness, mental health, and substance use. “Residents are frustrated with the cyclical nature of the police response,” he said, adding that expert support services would be “less costly than armed police officers” and more effective. He also supports creating a Civilian Review Board with subpoena power.
From his door-to-door campaign, Linhares argues residents around Lincoln Street feel overwhelmed by homelessness, affordability, and public safety issues, while also feeling neglected by city leadership. “The neighborhood is being treated like a ‘containment zone’ for our shared, societal problems,” he said. Linhares said residents are calling for more equitable distribution of services and new solutions, including permanent supportive housing and mobile outreach.
“The first step to addressing this is being more open, honest, and communicative with District 1 residents,” Linhares said. “We need to stop treating mental health and substance abuse as problems that require a legal-criminal response and begin providing better services.”
Linhares said Worcester must reform zoning to encourage denser housing and support local businesses without displacing current residents. He favors a phased, strategic approach, beginning with commercial corridors, to win public support. “From speaking with residents, there is a feeling that City Hall is building this city for the residents we want, not the residents we have,” he said.
In favor of a land-value tax, Linhares described it in an op-ed for the Worcester Business Journal as a fairer system that could help address housing affordability.
Linhares said he would maintain accessibility through phone calls, email, regular office hours, and community meetings, both in-person and online. He has proposed improving the city’s petition process so residents can track ideas and hold the council accountable.
“I will use my platform to demystify complex issues like zoning and city budgets,” he said. “I believe a healthy local democracy is one where every resident feels like they have a voice and that their concerns have a clear path to City Hall.”
Outspoken at City Hall about police accountability and immigration enforcement, Linhares has called for Worcester to establish a Civilian Review Board and to separate local police from federal immigration agencies such as ICE. “Most residents I’ve spoken with believe our local police should not act as a de facto arm of federal agencies like ICE,” he said.
He also favors reviving the city’s former Police Aides program to reduce the burden on officers, and supports using civilian flaggers at construction sites to save police resources for other duties.
Linhares describes himself as a “bridge-builder,” not a firebrand. “I have been called a ‘chaos candidate,’ but I see my role as a bridge-builder,” he said. “Dialogue about improving our city can be uncomfortable, but it can be extremely productive if we hear each other out.”
He said his goal is to talk to everyone — from Mayor Joseph Petty to residents with opposing political views — to find common ground. “We may disagree on what that looks like, and how to get there, but let’s have that dialogue in public, and find a way to work together to strive for continual improvement.”
Linhares lives in Worcester with his wife and three daughters. He describes himself as a “hardworking, minivan-driving dad” who envisions a Worcester with strong schools, clean parks, and thriving small businesses. “Not only is Worcester my home, it’s where I see my family’s future,” he wrote on his campaign page.
This article is part of the Worcester Guardian’s 2025 election coverage. As part of our ongoing series, we are publishing individual candidate profiles and stories related to key issues facing the city ahead of the Nov. 4 municipal election. We have reached out—or are in the process of reaching out—to every candidate running for Worcester City Council and School Committee. If you are a certified candidate and would like to ensure you are included, please contact us at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org.
