Sharon’s approach to public service has always been shaped by one simple belief: when neighbors come together, real change is possible. Long before joining the City Council, she saw that firsthand as a community organizer and as Chair of the Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee.

Today, Councilor Durkan proudly serves as the Boston City Councilor for District 8, representing Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway, Audubon Circle, Kenmore, Mission Hill, and the West End. First elected in 2023 and now continuing that work with the trust of her constituents, she has focused on bringing City Hall closer to the people it serves, one block, one issue, and one conversation at a time.

A renter and longtime Beacon Hill resident, Sharon has lived in District 8 for more than a decade. She understands the realities of city life because she lives them too. Rising rents, aging infrastructure, accessibility challenges, and the everyday frustrations that come with navigating Boston are not abstract policy questions, they are part of daily life for her and her neighbors. That lived experience grounds her work, whether she is pushing for more affordable housing, zoning changes, fixing bricks or repainting the crosswalks beneath our feet.

In this new term, Sharon serves again as Chair of the Boston City Council Committee on Planning, Development and Transportation, as well as Chair of the Committee on PILOT Agreements, Institutional and Intergovernmental Relations. These roles place her at the center of decisions about how Boston grows, how people move through the city, and how major institutions contribute to the services residents rely on. She is focused on making sure planning is inclusive, community driven, and rooted in the real needs of neighborhoods, and that public resources deliver results people can actually feel.

Sharon is known for a hands on, collaborative style with community members, the business community and her small but mighty team. She has led sidewalk audits, pushed for safer and more accessible streets, introduced new ideas around public health and licensing, and fought for zoning changes that make it easier to build housing and cut red tape. She believes that getting the small things right matter most, because those are often the things that most directly affect residents experiences with city government.

Sharon grew up in rural North Georgia, raised by working class parents who taught her the value of hard work and following through. Her childhood was shaped by family struggles with mental illness and substance use, and by the steady presence both of her grandfathers, a Spanish immigrant who modeled community service and a local business owner who grew to be a titan of industry. They both have now passed, but she carries their work ethic and care for community with her everyday.

She carried those values with her to Smith College, where she became the first in her family to graduate from college. While there, she served as President of the Smith College Democrats and Vice President of the College Democrats of Massachusetts. After graduating with a degree in Government, she moved to Boston to work for then Councilor (now Mayor) Michelle Wu’s reelection campaign in 2015.

Before joining the Council, Sharon built a career as a community organizer, small business owner, and Democratic Party leader. In 2019, she was elected Chair of the Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee, where she helped bring new energy into local politics and built coalitions across generations and neighborhoods. That grassroots experience still shapes how she leads today.

As a City Councilor, Sharon is proud of what District 8 has accomplished together. From securing federal funding for affordable housing on Beacon Hill, to saving the Mission Hill Post Office from closure, to pushing for smarter development and safer streets, she has worked to turn community concerns into action. Whether she is hosting coffee hours, working with city departments to resolve issues, or showing up at neighborhood events, her love for District 8 is front and center.

Sharon believes public service should be rooted in care and follow through. She knows District 8 deserves a City Hall that does more than listen. It should follow through and get results. That is the work she is committed to doing every day for her constituents across 5 neighborhoods.