May 12, 2008
City Council agenda
HTML    PDF 

Agenda on City web site 

City Council Pages
(subcommittees,
scoreboard, etc.)

Zoning Petitions
being considered or acted upon by the Cambridge City Council
updated Apr 16

2007 Cambridge
Candidate Pages 

2007 CCJ Notes 
(items moved from main page)

2006 CCJ Notes

2005 CCJ Notes 

2004 CCJ Notes

2003 CCJ Notes

Fall 2002 Notes

Spring-Summer 2002 Notes

Winter 2002 Notes

2001 Notes

Subscribe
to the CCJ

Comments?
Suggestions?

Cambridge Ideas

Election Day Registration
(May 2007)

In Search of a
Progressive Definition
(April 2007)

Getting Board and Commissioned
(February 2007)

Fine Feathered Nests
(January 2007)

 Running Off
(November 2006)

YouTube animation on
Instant Runoff Voting

Evolution of a Cambridge Idea
(October 2006)

Having Your Cake

Cambridge Recycles

Information on
Home Composting
in Cambridge

Will the real traitor
please stand up?

“For the majority leader of the United States Senate, in the time of war, with soldiers dying on the ground, announcing that we have lost the war, is very close to treasonous. I looked it up while we were driving over here, what the definition of 'treason' is. It's the betrayal of trust.”
  -- Tom DeLay, 2007

“I cannot support a failed foreign policy....President Clinton has never explained to the American people why he was involving the US military in a civil war in a sovereign nation, other than to say it is for humanitarian reasons, a new military-foreign policy precedent. Was it worth it to stay in Vietnam to save face? What good has been accomplished so far? Absolutely nothing.”
  -- then-House Majority Whip Tom Delay, 1999, a month into the US mission in Kosovo

“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
July 26, 1920, H.L. Mencken

“To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
-- Theodore Roosevelt (1918)

Bush Advisor Karl Rove, p. 78 of the February 19 & 26, 2001 issue of the New Yorker:
[ on education plan in general ] ... “The tax cuts will make the economy grow. As people do better, they start voting like Republicans -- unless they have too much education and vote Democratic, which proves there can be too much of a good thing.”

History Repeats

“Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger.”
   -- Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials

“I just don’t think we should go hellfire damnation around the globe freeing people, unless it is directly related to our own national security.”
   -- Gerald R. Ford

Archive of all City Council and School Committee election results, 1941-2005 (PDF)
(amended March 19, 2006)

Preview of April 28, 2008 City Council meeting:

April 28 - It's Budget Season! Tonight's the night when the FY2009 Budget Book becomes available (but only after each and every city councillor gets his or her copy - they are very sensitive about this!). I've always found this to be the most mischievous part of the year for city councillors. It's the time when quiet discussions happen behind the scenes and we only learn about the product of those discussions when we read it in print - and it's a long established fact that once it's in The Book, the likelihood of the City Council voting down an appropriation is essentially zero. Two years ago, this is how we learned about the 54% increase in the Mayor's Office Budget to fund the Sullivan Chambermaids, i.e. "research assistants" for each councillor. What will be this year's surprises?

The bottom line for this year's budget is an operating budget of $416,128,365 (up from $394,375,940 in FY2008 - a 5.5% increase), Water Fund at $17,998,625 (paid almost entirely by water rates, up from $17,898,685 in FY2008 - virtually unchanged), and a capital budget of $12,236,615 (up from $11,538,660 in FY2008 - a 6% increase).

Also of interest on tonight's agenda are a couple of "Reconsiderations" by Councillor Maher of matters passed on April 14 - a zoning-related matter and an Order regarding public/private aspects of e-mail to and from public officials. That could be an interesting discussion, but perhaps they've already had it via e-mail.

In addition to the Budget Book, there are a number of other big ticket items on the agenda:

Mgr #23. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to an order requesting the appropriation and authorization to borrow $8,630,000 to continue sewer projects in the Cherry Street/South Massachusetts Avenue, Agassiz, and Fresh Pond areas of the City.

Mgr #24. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to an order requesting the appropriation and authorization to borrow $1,000,000 to fund extensive improvements to the Lafayette Square Fire Station and Fire Headquarters.

Mgr #25. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to an order requesting the appropriation and authorization to borrow $6,700,000 to fund the replacement of all City and public safety radio systems.

Those must be some seriously good radios at almost $7 million dollars.

Then there's this item:
Mgr #22. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 08-18, regarding a report on the methods to provide long-term protection for Joan Lorentz Park.

The recommendation is to not change the designation of the park into something out of the hands of future City Council control, e.g. a designation that would require approval of the State Legislature in order to make even minor modifications. Makes sense, methinks.

Potentially the most contentious item is:
Charter Right #1: That the City Manager is requested to review the process by which the Board of Zoning Appeal turned down a variance request to build a new hotel in Porter Square, where the Porter Square Neighborhood Association and the majority of the abutters supported the proposal and the only opposition was from a neighborhood association not located in Porter Square and there was commentary that zoning was the domain of a given councillor. Charter Right exercised by Councillor Kelley on Order Number Eight of Apr 14, 2008.

This one had all the makings of a schoolyard fight on April 14 until Councillor Kelley shut it down via Charter Right before Councillor Decker had a chance to vent. They may need to call out the Fire Department tonight. There's also a new zoning petition (Applications and Petitions #6) relating to this matter introduced at tonight's meeting by the Kaya Hotel owner/developers. Councillors Reeves and Decker received substantial campaign donations from the developer and there's no doubt some watchers will be viewing the commentary through this lens.

Councillor Decker has four Orders on behalf of union workers at the Marriott Hotels, the Cambridge Housing Authority, and Millennium Pharmaceuticals. She should have no trouble finding people to hold her signs during her next campaign.

There are also these:
Order #1. That the City Manager is requested to direct the City Solicitor to draft a new ordinance that would replace the original ordinance (Ordinance #1138) to provide that non-profit organizations and community groups may post flyers on utility poles.   Councillor Seidel, Councillor Kelley and Councillor Decker

Order #16. That the City Manager is requested to investigate locations near and around community centers, and where permission is provided create and install Information Posting Boards for use by and for the community.   Mayor Simmons

I can understand why you might want to allow some flexibility for posting on lampposts and telephone poles, but exactly where shall the line be drawn? Are election campaign flyers acceptable? What about announcements from the Ward 5 Democratic Committee? Is that a community organization or a political organization? Does it depend on what they're hawking? As far as Order #16 goes, it's a nice sentiment but these almost invariably degenerate into depositories of commercial advertising and rubbish.

Then there are these two items:
Order #18. That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council on the status of the multiple small holes in street pavement found in groups on various City streets, to include who is responsible for drilling them, what sort of permits are required to drill them, who is responsible for filling them and what threats they might pose to maintaining safe and even streets.   Councillor Kelley

Why is this even on the agenda? Can't you just pick up the phone and ask someone, Craig? Jeez.

April and May Programs at Fresh Pond Reservation
These events are FREE and open to the public. Children are welcome in the company of an adult.

Please register for each event that you plan to attend. You will receive information on parking after you register. E-mail Elizabeth Wylde at friendsoffreshpond@yahoo.com or call (617) 349-4793 and leave your name and phone number.

Offered by Friends of Fresh Pond Reservation

Friends of Fresh Pond Reservation is collaborating with the Cambridge Water Department on a project to control the spread of the invasive plant Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) in wetlands and on shorelines of the Reservation. You can read about this biocontrol project on the Water Department website at: http://www.cambridgema.gov/CWD/purpleloosestrifebiocontrol.cfm

If you would like to learn more or to volunteer to participate, email Elizabeth at friendsoffreshpond@yahoo.com

Keep up to date on events at the Pond: visit the Friends group website at http://friendsoffreshpond.org 

Report on the Sept 19, 2007 Phragmites Project at Danehy Park

Note: A small number of intrepid volunteers have been working with Ranger Jean Rogers and Elizabeth Wylde to remove garlic mustard and other invasive plants from the recently planted areas of the Northeast Sector, the bioswales, the Weir Meadow, and other vulnerable areas of the Reservation. Although progress has been made, there is always more to be done.

Would you like to come work with us? We will be happy to teach you how to recognize the plants and we will work along side you. This is a task that can be accomplished a couple of hours at a time from now through the fall. Any amount of time--once or a series of volunteer days would make a real impact.

E-mail Elizabeth at friendsoffreshpond@yahoo.com or call Jean at 617-349-4793 to let us know when you are available. Your participation will be greatly appreciated.

MIT professor Edward Lorenz, father of chaos theory, dies at 90
By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer

WASHINGTON - Edward Lorenz, the father of chaos theory, died at his home in Cambridge, Mass., Wednesday. He was 90.

He was a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology when he came up with the scientific concept that small effects lead to big changes, something that became known as the "butterfly effect." He explained how something as minuscule as a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil changes the constantly moving atmosphere in ways that could later trigger tornadoes in Texas.

His discovery of "deterministic chaos" brought about "one of the most dramatic changes in mankind's view of nature since Sir Isaac Newton," said the committee that awarded Lorenz the 1991 Kyoto Prize for basic sciences. It was one of many scientific awards that Lorenz won. There is no Nobel Prize for his specific field of expertise, meteorology.

Jerry Mahlman, a longtime friend, noted that the man who pioneered chaos theory was "the most organized person I ever knew."

Lorenz came up with the chaos theory concept in the 1960s through his own meticulous work habits, said Kevin Trenberth, a student of Lorenz's. Trenberth is now climate analysis chief at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

He inadvertently ran what seemed like the same calculations through a creaky computer twice and came up with vastly different answers. When he tried to figure out what happened, he noticed a slight decimal point change — less than 0.0001 — wound up leading to significant error. That error became a seminal scientific paper, presented in 1972, about the butterfly effect.

Lorenz was "the quiet geek" who turned the old concept of "wiggle room" into hard numbers and scientific theory, said Mahlman, a retired federal climate scientist. Meteorologists today base their forecasts on his techniques. Lorenz's 1967 book "The Nature and Theory of the General Circulation of the Atmosphere" is considered a classic textbook in meteorology.

The concept of small changes turning into big effects also influenced many basic sciences. Other fields probably benefited more than meteorology, said MIT meteorology professor Alan Plumb.

Lorenz also was incredibly quiet. Getting him to talk was painfully difficult, his colleagues said, except around his late wife, Jane. He rarely wrote papers with others.

"Of all the geniuses of that era, he was the quietest and most humble and the most kind," said Mahlman.

Lorenz was born in West Hartford, Conn., in 1917 and later wrote in a biographical sketch: "As a boy I was always interested in doing things with numbers and was also fascinated by changes in the weather."

He had degrees from Dartmouth College and Harvard University as well as MIT where he joined the meteorology staff in 1948. He later became department head and retired in 1987.

In 1983, with a colleague, he won the $50,000 Crafoord Prize by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which recognizes leaders in scientific fields not eligible for a Nobel.

Lorenz was an avid hiker and climber, who well into his 80s would "put many younger people to shame in terms of his fitness and love of going into the mountains," Trenberth said.

Lorenz is survived by three children.

Obituary in MIT News    Boston Globe obituary 

Preview of April 14 City Council meeting:

It's mainly fund transfers within the School Department capital budget and minor appropriations this week on the relatively short City Manager's Agenda. Much more interesting are several City Council Orders:

Order #2. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Director of Information Technology, the City Purchasing Agent, the City Clerk and the Assistant to the City Council to report back to the Government Operations and Rules Committee on the feasibility of a paperless City Council agenda.   Councillor Maher

This isn't a bad idea, but I can assure you that for any newcomers to City Council meetings who are already somewhat bewildered by the proceedings, this could put them completely in the dark. They'll have to keep at least a little paperwork available for the public to know what's going on. Personally, I always just bring my own printed PDF version of the meeting agenda, but I do like to read in advance of the meeting the printed materials not available via the City website, especially the communications of some of the stranger characters.

Order #5. Questions regarding public/private aspects of e-mail to and from public officials.   Councillor Kelley and Councillor Seidel

This promises to be a nice "acting out" of the current (mainly contrived) tempest regarding e-mail sent to the School Committee via their website. My sense is that this whole matter is just a way of creating political cover for reconsideration of the School Superintendent's contract extension. To every member of the public who wants to say something privately to a public official, here's some advice: Don't do it via e-mail or even by letter. Say it face-to-face. Clear enough?

Order #6. That the subject of the use of City Council meeting time to make public announcements be referred to the Government Rules and Operations Committee to determine an appropriate procedure to make such announcements.   Councillor Toomey

This is noteworthy mainly in relation to a recent Order regarding possible changes to the Public Comment portion of City Council meetings. Councillor Toomey understands that it's not just the public who needs to follow some basic rules.

Order #8. That the City Manager is requested to review the process by which the Board of Zoning Appeal turned down a variance request to build a new hotel in Porter Square, where the Porter Square Neighborhood Association and the majority of the abutters supported the proposal and the only opposition was from a neighborhood association not located in Porter Square and there was commentary that zoning was the domain of a given councillor.   Councillor Reeves

This should be fun. Who is the offending councillor? Nothing like a little jealous indignation to spice up a local legislative body. You may also want to look into the campaign finance reports to see who received $500 checks from the developer seeking the variance.

Order #10. That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council with a line item explanation accounting for every dollar given to the Cambridge Health Alliance, specifically to what department and for what project the money was given; said narration should be a dollar-to-dollar review.   Councillor Decker

Order #11. That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council whether the Cambridge Health Alliance is committed to maintaining women’s health services, specifically OB/GYN and access to midwife care, at the East Cambridge Neighborhood Health Clinic.   Councillor Decker

I love it. Note the phrase "line item explanation accounting for every dollar given to the Cambridge Health Alliance." I'm sure that both of these Orders are all about using this year's Budget hearings and process to leverage restoration of services at the Windsor Street Health Clinic - regardless whether such restorations make any fiscal or policy sense (which they might). -- Robert Winters 

Preview of April 7 City Council meeting:

The City Manager's Agenda this week consists primarily of routine appropriations of grants from state and federal sources. There's also a report on the decision of the Mass. Appellate Tax Board that telecommunication companies are now taxable on poles and wires. From the report: “... the City of Cambridge should benefit by approximately $900,000 to $950,000 in additional personal property taxes on poles and wires on public ways on the Verizon system alone. Since the case is still in the appeal process through FY08, the City of Cambridge cannot realize any of the potential tax revenue at this time. Although this represents a sizable increase in personal property taxes it still only represents a portion of the revenue which could be realized under the proposed Municipal Partnership Act, which would allow for taxation of other items currently exempt by Massachusetts General Law.”

Order #7. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Assistant City Manager for Community Development and the City Solicitor to provide the City Council with a draft amendment to the Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance to provide for using square footage as an alternative way to calculate the required donation in order to provide units with more than two bedrooms to further the City Council goal to support family housing in Cambridge.   Councillor Maher and Vice Mayor Murphy

I have no comment on this Order except to ask: When did the phrase “square footage” become the new term for area or floor area? Should we measure the volume of a liquid in “gallonage” and the length of City Council meetings in “hourage”? -- Robert Winters 

A few thoughts before the March 31, 2008 City Council meeting:

City Manager's Agenda - The nature of the Manager's Agenda changes from week to week. Some weeks feature one or two major fiscal items such as last week's setting of the water & sewer rates, the mid-May vote on the annual budget, and the setting of the property tax rates in the fall. (The Manager always correctly points out that the City Council merely votes on tax classification, exemptions, and various other parameters, and the Mass. Department of Revenue sets the rates.) The primary focus of this week's Manager's Agenda is catching up on Council requests for reports on various matters. Of the 26 items on "Awaiting Report", the Manager answers 10 this week covering topics from parking meters to bicycles to rodents to block grants to tree plantings to bricks on Cedar Street. Not too sexy or controversial, but these are all part of managing a city.

Last week's Council Order from Mayor Simmons regarding possible changes to the rules governing Public Comment at City Council meetings is sure to elicit further response from the usual suspects. It's been funny watching the reactions to this highly non-specific Order that doesn't actually propose any changes, though you would never know it from the reactions. A little history may be helpful here. There are few people among those who now attend Council meetings who go back to times before the current protocols were in place, but I am one of them. The reporters, in particular, have no basis for comparison. It used to be that if you wanted to speak on a particular item, you waited until that item came up during the meeting and you stepped up to the microphone and were recognized by the Chair. The great advantage of that system was that members of the public were obliged to address a specific agenda item at the time the item was under discussion. I preferred that system because it allowed those who had something serious to say to do so when that topic was before the Council. It was not uncommon that there would even be some interaction between the councillors and the person making the comments. The major down side of that system was that you had to stick around until your item came up, and some of those meetings could run pretty long.

Because rent control was always the big deal of the day, this meant that you could count on seeing Mike Turk, Connie Thibault, Bill Noble and others from the Cambridge Tenants Union dutifully occupying their usual seats in the Sullivan Chamber just in case anything involving rent control came up during the meeting. We were also blessed with the presence of Bill Jones who would regularly offer his perspectives on current events and local history (though not always accurately) when he was not partaking of the plentiful food provided in the Council's Green Room. Though everyone was supposed to address specific agenda items, it was an unwritten rule that Mr. Jones could stray somewhat from the agenda. Say what you will about Billy, but none of the would-be comedians who now work the Sullivan Chamber can hold a candle to Mr. Jones in terms of pure entertainment. More importantly, just about everyone liked Billy Jones. That cannot be said of today's crop of crabby complainers.

One East Cambridge woman at last week's meeting who generally speaks intelligently on matters of substance during Public Comment seemed upset at possibly being lumped in with the "nut cases". Let's be clear about this. Whether or not you want to see some changes in the protocols governing Public Comment, no one wants to curtail the rights of any member of the public to speak on relevant matters before the City Council. The principal problem, as I see it, is that some members of the public feel they have license to use this opportunity to mock and attack anyone and everyone for no purpose other than to draw attention to themselves. I agree with Councillor Toomey that the rules as they stand do not need to be changed. They merely need to be enforced - perhaps, in some cases, with an iron hand. Most or all of the principal abusers of Public Comment have “blogs” in which they freely express themselves - just as I freely express myself on this website (as I am doing now). Nobody is obliged to read my erratic ramblings. Anyone can similarly read “From the Port” or “Enough Room” if they want to listen to the erratic ramblings of Councillor Podgers or Councillor Bercaw. Free speech reigns.

Anyone who reads my ramblings can easily discern some of my likes and dislikes of elected officials and others who work in the City administration. Most have picked up on the fact that I'm generally supportive of candidates (new ones in particular), elected officials, department heads, and City workers. I actually believe Cambridge is a well-run city - as compared to many other Massachusetts cities, especially those without a city manager form of government. This doesn't mean I believe there's no room for improvement. I think we do a piss-poor job of community policing, we don't do nearly enough to address problems of vandalism and loud cars, and I believe there are a number of City programs that exist primarily to preserve the jobs of those who work in them. I will likely never be convinced that city councillors need personal aides (perhaps better referred to as Sullivan chambermaids or manservants). I am flabbergasted by some of the salary levels in the City administration and how the elected officials go along to get along just as long as we're flush with property tax revenue. It bothers me that the executive director of the Election Commission treats one of the best friends the commission ever had like an enemy for no rational reason, and I still believe that the Dept. of Traffic & Parking owes me $80 for towing my VW Bus away without warning. Then again, my mechanic has been holding my Bus hostage in Natick since December 13, so T&P is looking pretty good in comparison.

Cambridge water is good enough to win prizes, and that doesn't happen by accident. The Cambridge Department of Public Works has a public service philosophy that can't be beat. If anyone wants to complain about the condition of Cambridge sidewalks or snow plowing, they should visit almost any other city or town in Massachusetts to see just how good we are in comparison. Cambridge is way ahead of most cities in terms of recycling and environmental initiatives - and the City Manager deserves most of the credit for this. I attended a public hearing last week about the Cambridge Energy Alliance and the programs they will be providing for Cambridge residents and businesses, and it made me feel very proud to live in this city. Though some of the City Manager's appointments are, in my opinion, driven by the desire to avoid trouble rather than to improve things, I still believe Mr. Healy is possibly the best in the business and, unlike some of the naysayers, I believe our multiple AAA bond ratings speak volumes about how well this city is managed.

Hmmm... maybe I should say that during Public Comment, but it's not on the agenda and I don't know if I can squeeze it in under three minutes.  -- Robert Winters

Coming up at the March 24, 2008 City Council meeting:

Water and Sewer Rates - "That the City Council approve the following block rates for water consumption and sewer use for the period beginning Apr 1, 2008 and ending Mar 31, 2009. The City administration and City Council continue to recognize that it is important to mitigate the effects of water and sewer increases both for FY09 and future fiscal years as much as possible. Therefore, I am pleased to submit a recommendation that calls for a 2.1% increase in the water rate, a 4.8% increase in the sewer rate and a 3.9% increase in the combined rate."

Resolution #15. Resolution on the death of Isaac Meyers.   Councillor Davis
Order #1. That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council on how the March 17 accident in Central Square happened and that said report back contain a copy of the relevant police report to the extent that that information may be shared.   Councillor Kelley, Councillor Seidel and Councillor Davis

Suffice to say that this intersection where trucks turn right from River St. onto Mass. Ave. is hazardous for pedestrians - especially for those who don't consider the mechanics of a turning truck with a long wheel base. The death was both horrible and preventable.

Order #5. That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council on the City's policies and regulations concerning the number of unrelated people living in the same dwelling unit and any suggestions to modify that number.   Councillor Kelley

Monkey See, Monkey Do. The City of Boston just put limits on the number of unrelated people who may live in a single household, and the Boston Globe wrote a story about it. Is this really a problem in Cambridge? Why is this being brought up now? This seems like a solution in search of a problem.

Order #6. That the Mayor is requested to hold a special combined meeting, to be open to public comment and to be televised as with a normally scheduled meeting, of both the School Committee and the City Council to start a discussion on how to best coordinate various youth services.   Councillor Kelley, Councillor Seidel, Councillor Maher and Councillor Toomey

I expect this to generate discussion and future committee meetings, but it's worth noting that not all youth centers and other activities draw many participants. Part of this is political - building youth centers and establishing related programs makes for good copy on political campaign brochures, but this does not necessarily imply either good planning, good allocation of resources, or practical benefits. Cambridge politicians love to build youth centers on which they can hang their hats (and possibly their names) even if nobody shows up at them. My model program would integrate the Police Department and the Recreation Department in a manner similar to the Police Athletic League in New York City. In such a model, you would get all the best aspects of community policing as well as better security and supervision. In my opinion, there is far too much emphasis on youth centers. Whatever happened to the community schools model? Does it make any sense to have school buildings and their facilities open only during school hours and a limited range of after-school activities?

Order #7. That the Government Operations Committee review City Council policy on Public Comment with a view towards making any necessary amendments and report back to the City Council on this matter.   Mayor Simmons

I'm not sure what the mayor has in mind with this order, but we would all benefit from changes that limit the role of the narcissists that now dominate public comment at City Council meetings. There's an old phrase we used to hear a lot around Cambridge: “The bad drive out the good.” When nut cases (do I really have to name them) turn the opening of every City Council meeting into a circus side show, this benefits no one and does nothing to promote democracy. Of course you don't really have to refer this to a committee for a solution. All it takes is a mayor with a firm hand and a heavy gavel. Enough already!

Order #8. That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council on the impact an exodus of bio-tech companies from Cambridge may have on the tax base of our city, and further report back on Northpoint and what likelihood there may be for further development.   Mayor Simmons, Councillor Reeves and Councillor Toomey

I mention this item only to note the changing tone over the course of the last 10 to 15 years. There was a time when entities like the Cambridge Citizens for Livable Neighborhoods (CCLN) and it's cousin, the Cambridge Citizens for Growth Management (CCGM) were very vocal in opposing any kind of development in Cambridge, and many elected officials would butt heads with City planners and the City Manager over development issues. Nowadays, the tone seems to be consistently one of maintaining the revenue stream to support every imaginable affordable housing program and human services program in addition to a parade of major capital projects. I offer no opinion on this shift in political winds - I merely note the change in the weather. -- Robert Winters

Feb 23, 2008 (updated) - How has voter turnout changed in the Cambridge municipal elections over the last 50 years? Here are the numbers:

Notes:
Of the 58666 registered voters in 1999, 42500 were listed as "active", so if you were to use that as a better measure of actual potential voters, you'd have a percentage of 45% rather than the 33% caused by the provisions of the Motor-Voter Law.
Of the 56973 registered voters in 2001, 43911 were listed as "active", so if you were to use that as a better measure of actual potential voters, you'd have a percentage of 40% rather than the 31% caused by the provisions of the Motor-Voter Law.
Of the 55831 registered voters in 2003, 41069 were listed as "active", so if you were to use that as a better measure of actual potential voters, you'd have a percentage of 51% rather than the 38% caused by the provisions of the Motor-Voter Law.
Of the 58666 registered voters in 2005, 41271 were listed as "active", so if you were to use that as a better measure of actual potential voters, you'd have a percentage of 39% rather than the 29% caused by the provisions of the Motor-Voter Law.
Of the 56339 registered voters in 2007, 39462 were listed as "active", so if you were to use that as a better measure of actual potential voters, you'd have a percentage of 35% rather than the 24% caused by the provisions of the Motor-Voter Law.

January 14 - It's Mayor Simmons and Vice-Mayor Murphy

My fellow occupant in the balcony of the Sullivan Chamber called it as soon as people began arriving for tonight's City Council meeting. The tip-off was the assembled campaign people, family and friends of Denise Simmons over on her side of the Sullivan Chamber. All that remained was to see how the details would play out. Rumors had been swirling since last week about which councillors were going to cross over to cut the deal to make either Denise Simmons, Henrietta Davis, or Brian Murphy mayor. In the end, it was Simmons who was able to garner the five votes and Henrietta Davis and Brian Murphy made it clear as the roll call got underway that the outcome would not be determined this time around by the Billy Walsh coalition. The coalition of the reasonable, including freshman Councillor Sam Seidel, would determine the outcome. In the end, after the outcome was clear, both the vote for mayor and for vice-chair of the City Council was made unanimous as the other councillors changed their votes.

This promises to be a good City Council term. Newly elected Mayor Simmons showed us that the Sullivan spirit is still alive and well in the Sullivan Chamber as she swiftly and expertly moved through the City Council agenda and wrapped up the meeting by 7:30pm. We've had to suffer through two years of poorly run meetings that often dragged on toward midnight, but there's hope now that we'll see efficiently run meetings and good City Council subcommittee appointments. The best start would be to give Henrietta Davis any and all appointments she wants since she's been the most consistent in her committee meeting attendance and preparation.

There was a comic moment late in the meeting when Councillor Kelley spoke on an Order from Henrietta Davis asking the City Manager to publish Cambridge's snow removal policies “in the Cambridge Chronicle and other local papers” several times this winter. Kenneth Errol Reeves responded that the City should not use the Cambridge Chronicle at all - continuing the kafuffle that raged last year between him and the Chronicle. Councillor Decker then weighed in on the side of Reeves and exercised her charter right to delay the Order until the next Council meeting.

For the record, the mayoral vote (the 2nd ballot officially) initially had Davis, Kelley, Murphy, Reeves, Seidel, and Simmons voting for Denise Simmons; Maher and Toomey voting for Tim Toomey; and Decker voting “present” (I won't even bother trying to figure that one out). David Maher then asked to change his vote to Simmons and make the vote unanimous. Decker then changed her vote to Simmons and City Clerk Margaret Drury gaveled the vote closed before Councillor Toomey had a chance to weigh in - declaring the vote unanimous even though no such vote was taken. I suppose you could argue that the vote was actually an 8-1 vote for Simmons since the rules are clear that the vote is final when the gavel drops. Nonetheless, Councillor Toomey did ask to have his vote changed to Denise Simmons after she had already been sworn in. Let's just call it unanimous, regardless of the technicalities.

The vote for Vice-Chair of the City Council (traditionally called Vice-Mayor) came next. In the initial vote, all councillors except Decker voted for Brian Murphy. Decker again voted “present”. Only afterwards did she join the others as she changed her vote to Murphy to make the vote unanimous.

Some have focused on Denise Simmons' racial and gender identity in regard to her election as mayor. I prefer to think of her as the person who has shown more interest in local Cambridge history than any of the other city councillors. In this regard, she and I are siblings. Cambridge is a city with a history like few others in the United States, and it's great to have someone in the public eye who appreciates this. -- Robert Winters

Mayor Simmons

Vice-Mayor Murphy

The Board & Commission Project

The City of Cambridge has a long list of appointed boards, commissions, authorities, and advisory committees on which hundreds of Cambridge residents (and City employees) serve. In almost all cases, the "appointing authority" is the City Manager. Not long ago there was a City Council Order requesting a list of members who serve on all of these boards, but a complete response was not forthcoming. There was a 1997 "City of Cambridge Boards and Commissions Manual" published by the City Manager's Office that listed most of the existing boards with brief descriptions of each, but this manual is now out of date and, to the best of my knowledge, unavailable.

That's where YOU come in. I have set up a web page for all of the City boards and commissions, but it's very much a work in progress. Many who are reading this serve on one or more of these boards and are in an ideal position to provide a list of members and their terms as well as concise descriptions of the purpose of some of these committees. Other attend some of the meetings of these committees are in a good position to provide information. So, here's your invitation. The page is located at http://rwinters.com/docs/boards.htm. My request is that you look over this page and send me suggestions on how best to organize it, provide statements of purpose and other relevant information about each committee, and to give the names and terms of the members of these committees. Some of this information can be taken from various web pages of the City of Cambridge. Other information will come from your personal knowledge from either serving on these committees or attending their meetings.

Contact information for board members will not be provided unless members specifically request to have it included. Citizen members of these committees serve out out of a sense of civic duty and should be respected for their willingness to give of their time, their energy, and their intellect. It is rarely, if ever, appropriate for members of the public to contact members of these boards outside of the context of public meetings of the respective boards.

June 19 - Selected City of Cambridge References:

Plan E Charter (Cambridge's city charter)       Acts of 1921, Chapter 239 as amended (establishment of Cambridge Election Commission)

Mass. General Laws Chapter 54A (governing Cambridge's PR elections)