The Boston Phoenix, a newspaper well-read and respected by many Boston students, recently disagreed with the sentiments in your editorial (‘City Councilor election poses lesson for students,’ Huntington News, Oct. 29) saying ‘Ross’s crackdown on student overcrowding has its critics, but the initiative is helping to improve neighborhoods, while his proposals for revitalizing Boston Common and helping at-risk youth are banner programs.’ Click here to read the article.

Over the past few months, I’ve been meeting with student groups at colleges and universities to hear their concerns about the future of Boston. Undergraduates have told me they want late-night T service restored, which I fought to bring to Boston earlier this decade and I believe should be restored. They’ve complained about the lack of 18+ venues, which creates more incentive for large parties that disrupt neighbors. And, of course, they’ve had tough questions about the ordinance against more than four unrelated people living together.

The law was never intended to be a cure-all for our housing problems, nor is it ‘anti-student.’ I believe, however, that a reasonable college town like Boston must have reasonable regulation to preserve its neighborhoods and ensure we have affordable housing for residents, students and graduates who decide to stay. It will take a multi-pronged approach with everyone in our city ‘- elected officials, representatives from colleges, neighborhood groups, students, and residents ‘- to find a long-term solution to high housing costs. The government needs to permit new dorm construction consistent with maintaining our neighborhoods. Colleges need to manage their undergraduate populations. And reasonable development needs to continue throughout the city to create a larger housing supply.

I am grateful that voters have trusted me to continue my work and I look forward to working with residents and students alike in the years to come.

‘- Mike Ross is the Boston City Council president and District 8 representative.