Murphy says he has been impressed with DeBergalis’s emphasis on civic responsibility.

“I think Matt is bringing a lot to this campaign,” Murphy says. “Anything that’s done to try to engage more people in the political process is an outstanding benefit. The sooner we can get them to be engaged in the community, the better.”

The Platform

While DeBergalis offers a vision of pizza joints open at 3 a.m. and better late-night transportation options, he has few concrete proposals as to how the council can make it happen—and neither issue falls under traditional council purview.

But he does have the personal experience to back up his arguments about what young people in Cambridge need.

He studied for five years at MIT, graduating in 2000 with a Master’s degree in computer science. Earlier this year, he started a software company, North Annex, Inc., in the city, and now resides in Cambridgeport.

“I never would have called myself an activist,” DeBergalis says.

He did, however, hold leadership roles at Zeta Beta Tau, his fraternity at MIT, and was a co-founder of Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts.

But he says it was the frustration he sensed in his fellow students that led him to consider a run for City Council.

“City councillors know damn well they can prioritize anything above any interest of a student,” DeBergalis says. “It was obvious that no one was really addressing me.”

And DeBergalis says he thinks that just one student advocate on the council could make a difference.

“The problem is not that they would shoot me down,” he says. “It is that no one is standing up to ask for this. It’s a question of having someone at the table. All the councillors are in favor of having student representation.”

He admits, though, that some changes will happen quicker than others.

“You want people to know that their vote made a difference in Cambridge while they were there,” he says, adding that the expansion of restaurant hours is an issue he hopes to address quickly.

While DeBergalis says one of his long-term goals is to bridge the gap between students and residents, some points of his platform may only exacerbate already existing tensions between town and gown.