June 29, 2009 City Council Agenda Highlights

This is the last City Council meeting before the summer break. (The next meetings will be on July 27 and Sept 14.) Significant agenda items include:

City Mgr's Agenda #4: A Planning Board recommendation on the Vehicle-sharing Parking Facilities Petition (which today means ZipCar but which could involve other companies in the future).

City Mgr's Agenda #6: A proposed Home Rule Petition to be submitted to the State Legislature entitled "An Act Relative to the Provision of Services to the City of Cambridge by the Cambridge Energy Alliance". [Follow the link for the complete text of the Home Rule Petition.]

On the Table #2: That the City Manager is requested to make available adequate funds to the City Council so that the City Council can hire its own legal expert to review relevant issues in pending litigation.

This matter is still not resolved and this could be taken from the table and taken up if there are five votes to do it (and there won't be further discussion about it - except on the campaign trail - until the next meeting at the end of July).

Order #2. That the City Council go on record requesting that the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy maintain the existing State laws governing cable licensing, which adequately protect cities and towns, residents of the Commonwealth by defeating House Bill No.3765 and Senate Bill No.1531, An Act Promoting Consumer Choice and Competition.   Councillor Davis

This Order would oppose a bill promoted by Verizon that aims to minimize the cable licensing process and, some would argue, give Verizon a competitive advantage over Comcast. The current process now obliges Comcast to provide funding for local cable access provider CCTV, and its Executive Director Susan Fleischmann has been making the case that Verizon should have to fulfill similar obligations. Lest anyone try to portray Verizon as the bad guy and Comcast as the good guy, it's worth noting that Comcast just sent out a letter to its analog cable customers informing them that their service is about to be "enhanced" to the "World of More." What Comcast means by the "World of More" is that analog cable customers will be seeing their cable TV bills quadruple this October or else have most of their stations disappear when Comcast will eliminate its analog cable option. Comcast has mastered Orwellian language. They actually say they will enhance your cable TV package by eliminating service and dramatically increasing the cost of service. Welcome to the World of More. - Robert Winters

June 22, 2009 City Council Agenda Highlights

It is expected that the Lesley/Porter zoning proposal will be voted at this meeting. There has been plenty of public comment on the proposal - both in support and in opposition. The related landmarking of the former North Prospect Church at Roseland and Mass. Ave. is also expected be taken up.

There was an aborted attempt at the last meeting to take off the Table the item (#3 this week) that requests "to make available adequate funds to the City Council so that the City Council can hire its own legal expert to review relevant issues in pending litigation." The item also includes Councillor Toomey's substitute motion, and both relate to the matter before last week's Executive Session that lasted more than two hours. I expect there will be another attempt to take up this matter this Monday or next week - the last meeting before the summer recess. A simple majority is required to take any item from the Table and there appeared to be five votes last week to take up this matter except that one member was absent at the time of the vote, and a motion to reconsider the vote failed. If the matter is taken up, things could get very contentious.

Speaking of contentious, there's this:

Order #4. That the City Manager is requested to review whether the City of Cambridge, including the Cambridge Retirement System, has any investments in which Evergreen Investment Management Company and its affiliates are involved, and is further requested to divest itself of any such investments that may exist, and to report back to the City Council on his findings at the City Council Meeting on July 27, 2009.   Councillor Toomey

What makes this Order interesting is the fact that one of the vice-presidents of the company named in the Order apparently just co-authored a commentary in "America's oldest weekly newspaper" ripping into the City Manager and all nine city councillors over the matter of the City's AAA bond rating. These co-authors imply in their screed that the City is being mismanaged by its "reprehensible" city manager. This is an interesting charge coming from someone in the leadership of a company that just shelled out over $40 million to settle charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission on top of a previous $32.5 million settlement (according to the statement of Order #4). It is worth noting that the aforementioned vice-president is a resident of East Cambridge who reportedly intends to run for a Cambridge City Council seat this year. This could be an interesting election season.

The meeting agenda is actually quite short, but with the zoning vote and one or two potentially incendiary items, there may be a good show Monday night. - Robert Winters

June 15, 2009 City Council Agenda Highlights (and a few other observations)

I had an opportunity several days ago to run through the new Main Library building, and it really is spectacular. It won't be open for a while yet, but this is sure to be one of the grandest of all civic spaces in Cambridge. Not only is the new addition breathtaking, the restoration of the main reading room in the old building would make Frederick Hastings Rindge quite pleased about what the current City leadership has done to honor his remarkable gift. The landscaping outside the library is shaping up to be more beautiful than I could ever have imagined.

It's now just a little more than two weeks until the official kickoff of the biennial local political season when candidates can pull nomination papers for City Council and School Committee (Wed, July 1). With the pulling of papers also comes the summer recess from City Council and School Committee meetings. In the meantime, here are some items of interest on this week's agenda:

City Manager's Agenda #1. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to a request for the City Council to vote to move to Executive Session immediately following the conclusion of public comment for the purpose of discussing litigation.

This almost certainly relates to:

Tabled Item #2. That the City Manager is requested to make available adequate funds to the City Council so that the City Council can hire its own legal expert to review relevant issues in pending litigation.

The matter at hand continues to be what happens next in the City's appeal of last year's curious jury decision in the Monteiro v. City of Cambridge case. In addition to the financial considerations and what strategies may now be appropriate, there is some evidence of political gamesmanship among some of the councillors as they try to capitalize on the situation for political ends. The opportunism doesn't stop at those councillors, of course. There are also political puppeteers trying to capitalize on the case - people who have contributed nothing toward the city or its citizens and have nothing but disrespect for all of our elected officials and everyone in the City administration. Criticism of elected officials and of those who manage the city is fair game (I do it myself now and again), but these words have little meaning when spoken by those who have contributed nothing.

It's anyone's guess how long the Executive Session will last this time, nor does the agenda give any indication whether the substance of Tabled Item #2 will be part of that discussion.

There are five more citizen letters of support for the proposed Lesley/Porter Overlay District zoning petition which is expected to be voted at the June 22 meeting.

Among the City Council Orders, the first one stands out:

Order #1. That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council on the potential use by City departments and staff of social networking programs such as Twitter and Facebook.   Councillor Kelley

The Manager's response on a related Order last week makes one wonder if Councillor Kelley was even listening. Councillor Decker, the City Manager, and one department head took Councillor Kelley to school at that meeting on the topic of City programs making good use of listservs and of the potential perils of using other "social networking" devices. I expect we'll be hearing additional lessons directed at Councillor Kelley by his colleagues at this meeting. My suggestion is that when they start talking about this topic everyone should call the City Council phone number or pummel them with text messages.

Order #10. That the City Manager is requested to direct the Cambridge Police Department and the Department of Human Services to convene a series of meetings with the Civic Unity Committee immediately in Jefferson Park and invite the surrounding neighbors to discuss the Boston Globe article concerning violence in the neighborhood - the goal of the meeting is to provide a forum to listen to resident concerns, provide current information and resources available to help promote a safe and healthy neighborhood.   Councillor Decker

Two weeks ago, an Order from Councillor Decker regarding banning the use of cell phones while driving was referred to the Civic Unity Committee rather than to the more appropriate Ordinance Committee. There's a meeting of the Civic Unity Committee on July 1 "to explore the possibility of creating small scale solar panels that would enable the powering of small household items." Now comes another Order calling for the Civic Unity Committee to take up a matter that seems more appropriately referred to the Public Safety Committee. Are the functions of these City Council committees completely arbitrary?

There are other items of interest on the agenda, but we'll leave it at that for now and wait to see what, if anything, comes out of the Executive Session on Monday night. Election year politics can be ever so ridiculous. - Robert Winters

June 8, 2009 City Council Agenda Highlights

There not a whole lot on the agenda this week. Perhaps the meatiest item is the pending ordination of the zoning amendment for the Lesley Porter Overlay District. All 15 of the Communications are from residents expressing their points of view both for and against the proposed zoning change. The City Council has until the end of the month to vote on this (the last meeting before the summer break is June 29), and though there are few outstanding issues, the Ordinance Committee report on the matter indicates that the vote on ordination will likely take place at the June 22 City Council meeting. There's also a new zoning petition received from Jean Connor, et al., requesting the City Council to amend the Zoning Map from its current designation as a Residence C-1 to a Residence B District in the area of Garden, Winslow, Fenno, Stearns, Esten, Sherman Streets and Upland Road. This was the subject of much public comment last week.

Of the Council Orders, the only one that jumps out is Order #8 from Councillor Decker that proposes a smoking ban in all Cambridge public parks. The complete text of the order is:

O-8     June 8, 2009
COUNCILLOR DECKER
WHEREAS: We are aware of the negative health effects of second hand smoke; and
WHEREAS: Cambridge was one of the first cities to ban smoking in restaurants and public buildings; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the appropriate departments to implement the immediate ban of smoking in all Cambridge public parks; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council on this matter.

You would be hard-pressed to find anyone more anti-smoking than me, so I'm not so alarmed by this Order. However, there is a certain irony in how this City Council raises red flags about the perceived infringement of civil liberties with surveillance cameras and red light enforcement cameras, yet they may embrace a ban on this relatively benign activity in public parks which are, dare I suggest, rather well ventilated. I think it's fair to characterize the second hand smoke argument offered here as "just blowing smoke." - Robert Winters

June 1, 2009 City Council Agenda Highlights

The 800 pound gorilla in the room this week is the unresolved matter of the Council's challenge of the City Manager over continuing legal action after the recent jury decision in the case of Monteiro v. City of Cambridge. When the FY2010 Budget was voted at the May 18 City Council meeting, Councillor Kelley moved that the portion of the Law Department budget that covers the cost for outside legal counsel not be approved. After the City Manager pointed out that this Budget is used for a range of activities having nothing to do with this specific case, the motion was defeated on a 4-4-1 vote with Councillors Kelley, Reeves, Seidel, and Simmons voting YES; Councillors Davis, Maher, Toomey, and Ward voting NO; and Councillor Decker voting to ABSTAIN. While the ultimate intentions of Councillor Decker are unknown, she is to be congratulated for preventing this reckless action.

The matter didn't stop there. There was still Order #2 by Councillors Kelley, Simmons, and Reeves (such good friends) which stated: "That the City Manager is requested to make available adequate funds to the City Council so that the City Council can hire its own legal expert to review relevant issues in pending litigation." Anyone familiar with the Plan E Charter knows that the City Council is prohibited from directly engaging in personnel matters, so this Order is highly problematic. Unstated in the Order was how a Council not known for its mutuality might actually decide on legal counsel. There is also the question of what would happen if the Council's counsel (sorry, couldn't resist) radically disagreed with the opinion of the City's Law Department.

It is the proper role for the City Council to establish general policies not particular to any specific case, and that includes legal and employment matters. They can do this by an Order (really a formal request) or by Ordinance (such as when they establish a commission with staff - arguably the reason we find ourselves in this mess in the first place). Councillor Toomey, to his credit, understands the Charter and the potential hazards of publicly discussing pending litigation. He introduced a Substitute Order which referred the matter to the City Solicitor for a legal opinion. After an extended Executive Session, the Council unanimously voted to table both the original Order and Toomey's substitute. That matter could be taken up this week and more Executive Sessions will surely follow. Meanwhile the City has filed an appeal of the most recent court ruling now that post-trial motions appear to have run their course.

This is probably not the place to go into the whole history of the Monteiro v. City of Cambridge case, but since the newspaper reports have been so thoroughly lacking, there are a few things that should be stated. Malvina Monteiro was the Executive Director of the Cambridge Police Review & Advisory Board (PRAB) which was established by a 1984 ordinance. The job of the executive director was established as a full-time job with duties that were part-time at best. At some point, perhaps out of boredom or a desire to move up, Monteiro enrolled as a full-time student at Tufts while still working "full-time" at the PRAB. She also sought a City scholarship. When she did not receive the scholarship, she filed a joint (racial) discrimination complaint (1998) along with Marian Hampton (Library Dept.) and Mary Wong (Kid's Council). At the time of the discrimination complaint, the City Manager stated that the City must on occasion "take corrective action when performance and expectations are not met. In those cases we attempt, whenever possible, to work with the employee to improve performance. . . . If that is not successful, disciplinary action may be required."

By early 1999, Linda Stamper of the City's Law Dept. joined the complaint. Eventually, several others joined the complaint that was being pursued by lawyer Ellen Zucker, formerly the president of the Boston Chapter of the National Organization of Women (NOW). [As a side note, Zucker's spouse is Ellen Clegg who was until recently the deputy managing editor for news operations for the Boston Globe and previously served as the editor of the Globe's City Weekly.] Florencia LaChance who briefly worked for the City as Manager of Employment Services also joined the complaint.

The City filed for Summary Judgment and in February 2003 a Justice of the Superior Court ruled that the LaChance and Hampton complaints should be dismissed. However the Wong, Monteiro, and Stamper cases were allowed to proceed through the legal system. By this time, the Monteiro complaint also included a charge of retaliation (she was fired) for having filed the original complaint. Consequently a jury failed to reach a verdict in the Monteiro case, but a subsequent jury trial led to a May 23, 2008 award of $962,400 in back and front pay and damages, $100,000 for emotional distress, and (ch-ching!) $3,500,000 in punitive damages. The City, of course, filed motions challenging this jury award. Nonetheless, in April 2009 a different Superior Court judge denied the City's motion. This only sets the stage for an appeal to a higher court. The question that is now being tossed about and politicized is whether the City should pay the judgment even if it is believed to be excessive and improper and avoid any future legal costs. The Stamper complaint and the Wong complaint (Wong is still Exec. Director of the Kid's Council) are still pending. [By the way, I'm a mathematician and not a lawyer, so please forgive (or correct) any misinterpretations of all the legal mumbo-jumbo.]

There are other policy aspects to this matter that should be discussed by the City Council but will almost certainly not be discussed. The administrative functions of the Police Review & Advisory Board were merged with the Human Rights Commission several years ago. Both commissions were established by ordinance in 1984 and always had overlapping functions. This administrative consolidation should have happened long ago, and it can be argued that such a consolidation may have prevented the conditions that led to the Monteiro case in the first place. It is, after all, not so easy to attend a full-time college program when you have actual work responsibilities. At the recent Budget hearings, Councillor Seidel indirectly asked about consolidation of some of the City boards and commissions but them quickly retreated when the City administration expressed interest in the concept. It is a fact that some City commissions (such as the Peace Commission) have become sacred cows whose purpose is rarely questioned by elected officials even though their functions are often vague and could easily be absorbed into other City departments.

Enough said about the 800 pound gorilla. Back to the rest of the agenda:

City Manager's Agenda #6. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 09-53, regarding a report on the status of the Malik Academy lease.

Order #13. That the City Council go on record asking Winn Management and Homeowners Rehab, Inc. to respond immediately to the City Council on their decision to provide Malik Academy, at the very least, a short-term resolution allowing for the continued operation of the pre-school and the child-care facilities for the next school year.   Councillor Decker and Councillor Reeves

This is also a good intention and probably a net positive idea, but there is an inefficiency in asking residents to schlep additional containers to supermarkets and redemption centers when they can just put them out in their recycling bins. Many will do just that, so the great beneficiaries of this proposal will be the scavengers raiding residential set-outs for deposit bottles. We can only hope that the survival and expansion and redemption centers are factored into this proposed law. For those of us who already recycle to the maximum extent, this change is actually a net inconvenience. - Robert Winters

May 18, 2009 City Council Agenda Highlights

The central item of business is the vote on the FY2010 Budget. Even though this was supposed to be "a tough budget year," this year's Budget sailed through the Finance Committee's budget hearings like green corn goes through the new May. The Council will likely take up the Budget vote (Committee Reports #1-3) early in the meeting before taking up the rest of the agenda. There are a few other items of interest, such as:

It should be pointed out that the Harvard Senior Picnic has always been a prime campaign spot for City Council and School Committee candidates. Heaven forbid that the rumor turns out to be true and the picnic is not held this year. Perhaps Harvard could lay off a janitor or two to cover the costs of the picnic. - RW

April 27, 2009 Cambridge City Council Agenda Highlights

Without question, the most significant item on tonight's agenda is the submission of the FY2010 Budget (City Manager's Agenda #1). The annual Budget Hearings of the City Council's Finance Committee will commence this Thursday, April 30 at 9:30am. Here is a list of the items I found interesting, important, or ridiculous:

Reconsideration #1. Reconsideration filed by Councillor Reeves on the adoption of Order Number Thirteen of Apr 13, 2009 requesting the City Council convey its wishes for the continuing publication of The Boston Globe to the publishers of The Boston Globe.

Apparently, Councillor Reeves wants the Boston Globe to die a painful death along with the Cambridge Chronicle and any other media outlet who has failed to meet his high standards of professional ethics. This Order passed at the Council's April 13 meeting, but Councillor Reeves would like another bite at the apple. The political cynics among us might observe that it has been Mr. Reeves' political modus operandi to always identify someone or something as his biannual evil entity around which he can rally his campaign. This is really the game of Al Vellucci who would rail endlessly against Harvard University while at the same time have dinner with then Harvard President Derek Bok. In 2007, Reeves' game focused on the Cambridge Chronicle (and others) as persecutors of his noble reign as mayor. We'll have to wait and see who he designates as this year's political bad guy. The Boston Globe? Cambridge Chronicle? Cambridge Health Alliance? Harvard University?

City Manager's Agenda #1. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the FY2010 submitted budget and appropriation orders.

The FY10 Budget Book will be available after all the city councillors get their copies. It will also be available online, and it's always worth the read. Comparison with previous years' budgets is a good exercise, especially now that things are tighter in the current economic climate.

City Manager's Agenda #15. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $14,290,000 to continue sewer projects in the Harvard Square, Agassiz, and Alewife Watershed areas of the City.

Perhaps not so interesting to everyone, but this is the stuff that keeps a city running and, say what you will about the City Manager, one legacy of Robert Healy will be a dramatically improved infrastructure in Cambridge.

City Manager's Agenda #18. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 09-25, regarding a report on the installation of black fire hydrants in West Cambridge.

This grew out of an Order from Councillor Decker which apparently sought to find fault in the City's infrastructure in the wake of a serious house fire on Lexington Avenue. See note above. In any case, it's interesting information.

Order #5. That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council on what efforts can be done to increase the number of Cambridge businesses and institutions that compost.   Vice Mayor Seidel

I'm not so sure that this City Council Order will accomplish anything other than to distract Recycling Director Randy Mail from the great job she's been doing to promote organics recycling in Cambridge. For your information, the possibility of residential curbside organics recycling is on the table for future contracts for recycling collection and processing. Whether or not it happens anytime soon is a matter of relative cost.

Order #6. That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council on methods and policies that are in place to guarantee that all residents have equal access to city information and services.   Vice Mayor Seidel

The rationale behind this Order is to ensure that City officials do not simply say "it's on the web" as the final word in response to requests for information by Cambridge residents. This is a valid point - not everyone has web access, and many simply prefer to get information verbally or in print. It's abundantly clear that widespread access to web-based resources has dramatically increased the ability to deliver detailed information to residents, but there's the risk (and the reality) that some officials will use this in order to avoid assisting those with reasonable (and sometimes unreasonable) requests. I would liken this to the development of paved roads that made transportation much faster but which has often made things more difficult for pedestrians and cyclists. The information superhighway should not eclipse other avenues of communication.

Order #8. That the City Council request that the City Manager consider the possibility of establishing multi-sector (public, private, and university) partnership that funds a 24 Hour Drop-In Center to provide a variety of essential services to individuals on the street.   Mayor Simmons

..... which will, of course, be located in Central Square and further secure its future as the City's favorite dumping ground.

Order #12. That the City Council go on record as urging the Cambridge Legislative Delegation to work to enact a municipal relief bill that allows local option taxes and closes the telecommunications property tax loopholes that give the telephone company a $50 million tax break.   Councillor Davis

Translation: Councillor Davis would like to raise your taxes. This Order will likely pass on a unanimous vote. - Robert Winters

April 13 - There's not much to be said about the April 13 City Council Agenda. They'll have to do something with the Decker-Reeves farcical Order (Charter Right #1) to provide a City "stimulus package" to Harvard and MIT, but my guess is that they'll just let it fade away or refer it to the University Relations Committee to be properly buried. There's a more adult Order #12 from Councillors Davis and Ward on this week's agenda that speaks to the same issue:

Order #12. That the City Manager is requested to urge Harvard, MIT and other businesses to use the progressive practice of asking for concessions from all employees at all levels before resorting to layoffs of the lowest paid workers.   Councillor Davis and Councillor Ward

The Order also calls for referring this to the University Relations Committee, the only Council committee which has yet to meet even one time this Council term. It would seem that this City Council would prefer to lob grenades at Harvard and MIT rather than actually have any meaningful discussions with university representatives.

I'd love to see the Council do something in response to Councillor Kelley's Order #4:

Order #4. That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council prior to the final June meeting on the City's plans to enforce relevant laws about noise from motorcycles and loud cars.   Councillor Kelley

Of course we've been down this road before - and it always leads nowhere. Expect at least one councillor to suggest that cracking down on ear-splitting car sound systems would be an infringement on cultural rights and civil liberties. - Robert Winters

April 6, 2009: March 30 and April 6 City Council Agenda Highlights and other Notes from the Peoples Republic

The March 30 City Council meeting was recessed at the start in order that members could attend the School Superintendent dog and pony show at CRLS, i.e. the first of two School Committee meetings on consecutive days which should lead to the selection of a Superintendent of Schools. The agenda of the April 6 City Council meeting includes all of the March 30 items plus a number of new items. The three Superintendent finalists are Dr. Mary C. Nash, currently the Academic Superintendent for the Boston Public Schools; Dr. Carolyn L. Turk, currently Deputy Superintendent of the Cambridge Public Schools; and Dr. Jeffrey M. Young, currently Superintendent of the Newton Public Schools. [Update: Mayor Simmons announced at the beginning of the April 6 City Council meeting that the choice is now down to two candidates - Carolyn Turk and Jeffrey Young. The School Committee will go into Executive Session at its meeting on April 7 at 6:00pm at CRLS in order to deliberate. They are then expected to emerge at some point and vote in open session to choose the next Superintendent of Schools.]

I have not followed the current Superintendent drama as it has developed over the last several months, primarily because watching this School Committee is like listening to the sound of fingernails scratching a chalkboard (OK, maybe just some of the School Committee members have this effect). There's also the "process junkie" problem common to all too many decisions in Cambridge. Elected officials strive for the appearance of public input - whether or not they're actually listening. Then there's the "consensus" goal common to Green Party aficionados like Luc Schuster. Add to one School Committee member's need to come across as technically proficient as she cherry-picks data to serve her agenda and you have all the ingredients of a very bad movie. Sometimes I think we'd be better off if the School Committee just disappeared into a back room with a box of cigars and came out with an announcement of who they're hiring. As a taxpayer, my greatest concern is that the School Committee may have voted to piss away $100,000 for a search process that was just political cover for a decision they had already made before the search began. We may learn the answer on Tuesday (April 7).

I attended the first of the two Superintendent candidate forums, and I'm sure we'll do just fine with any of the three candidates. However, it was abundantly clear at the Monday night forum that an effort to pack the hall with supporters of Carolyn Turk had been undertaken. In a time when the race of the person to be hired should be less of a factor, it is quite clear that there are some who would make it a primary criterion. For example, former CRLS teacher Larry Aaronson had an Op-Ed in the Cambridge Chronicle titled, "Cambridge School Committee vote is classic affirmative action in the best sense". Comments on the Chronicle website (11 as of this writing) are all signed by anonymous pseudonyms, and all of them are shilling for their preferred candidate. There's also a copy of an e-mail message from School Committee member Marc McGovern on the Chronicle blog that hints at the overwhelming pressure being directed at those who will vote on this. This "classic affirmative action in the best sense" to which Aaronson refers may well lead to accusations of either tokenism or racism by the time the vote is taken, and one thing I would say about Cambridge is that elected officials always tend to run for political cover whenever anything with potential racial overtones comes up.

Here are a few noteworthy items from tonight's combined agenda:

City Manager's Agenda #1. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the City of Cambridge retaining the rare distinction of being one of approximately twenty-four municipalities in the United States with three Triple A ratings from the nation's three major credit rating agencies.

Resolution #19. Congratulations to the City Manager and his fiscal staff for achieving a Triple A bond rating for the City of Cambridge for the tenth consecutive year.   Councillor Toomey, Councillor Maher

It's the same story every year, but it's still worth noting that the City's good fiscal health makes many things possible that other cities cannot afford.

City Manager's Agenda #10. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appointment of Peter Sheinfeld as a Cambridge Election Commission for a 4-year term to expire Mar 31, 2013.

Congratulations, Peter!

City Manager's Agenda #14. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of a $50,000 Grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's (MTC) Clean Energy Choice program to the Public Investment Grant Fund Public Works Extraordinary Expenditures account. This grant will provide funding to install two 2 kilowatt PV systems on the roof of the DPW Frazier Administration building and the Frisoli Youth Center.

I find this noteworthy primarily as an indication of a slow but sure trend in the City toward environmentally smart initiatives. There was a day when even establishing a recycling program was seen as a radical change in the City. Now we're talking about photovoltaics on DPW buildings, LEEDS-certified buildings, citywide energy conservation programs, and even the possibility of organics recycling (for composting).

It's tough enough for challengers to go up against incumbents in a municipal election without using taxpayer money to hire political staff and supporters. - RW

March 23, 2009 City Council Agenda highlights

Here are the items I found interesting, important, or ridiculous:

Mgr #3. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the block rates for water consumption and sewer use for the period beginning Apr 1, 2009 and ending Mar 31, 2010.

Here's the lowdown:

All rates are per CcF (100 cu. ft., approx. 750 gallons). The water rates are proposed to increase an average of 2.7% (compared to 0% and 2.1% the previous two years). The sewer rates are proposed to increase an average of 7.9% (compared to 0% and 4.8% the previous two years). The combined rates are proposed to increase an average of 6.3% (compared to 0% and 4.0% the previous two years). The City Manager also reports that the annual combined water/sewer rate is projected to increase by an average of approximately 5.7% each year for FY10-14.

Order #9. That the City Manager is requested to require appropriate City departments and staff to begin collecting data based on gender and to make available to the Cambridge Commission on the Status of Women and all other departments the gender based data while securing anonymity and confidentiality as appropriate.   Mayor Simmons

Though I'm sure to get some nasty e-mail messages for saying so, this is ridiculous. What's next, requiring weight, height, and tattoo information in the annual City census?

Order #13. That the City Manager is requested to obtain from the Fire Department how many black hydrants are in the West Cambridge area, and whether or not the number of black hydrants in West Cambridge is relatively high in comparison with the rest of the city.   Councillor Decker

It would appear that Decker is feeling the sting from the Mar 2 response to her Dec 15 Order about fire hydrant pressure during the Lexington Avenue fire several months ago. Will there be an upcoming Council Order establishing a Fire Hydrant Equity Commission? I'm sure she'll want it to be fully staffed with health and dental benefits.

Order #15. That the City Manager is requested to report to the City Council with a proposal to label trees at appropriate locations to educate Cambridge residents.   Councillor Davis

Great idea, really - and simple and inexpensive. Just like at the arboretum or the Mt. Auburn Cemetery. - RW

March 9, 2009 City Council Agenda highlights

Here are the items I found interesting, important, or ridiculous:

A quick read of this petition shows that the expressed purpose of the affected part of the Zoning Code is "to provide an incentive for residential development within the designated East Cambridge Housing Overlay District (ECHO) as an extension of the existing residential neighborhood and to permit housing to be developed in combination with other uses permitted on a lot where a mix of uses is desirable." This part of the Zoning Code prescribes height limits ranging from 35 feet up to 65 feet in the area bounded between Charles Street and Binney between Cardinal Medeiros Way (Portland St.) and Sixth Street; and between Charles Street and Binney between Third Street and Second Street.

Of particular interest is the proposed new section 20.48:

1. Where it is proposed to demolish and relocate portions of a structured parking facility in existence as of July 1, 2001 that is exempted from the requirements as to Floor Area Ratio pursuant to Article 5.25.3, then such facility, including, without limitation, the relocated portions thereof shall be exempt from the requirements as to Floor Area Ratio provided that there is a net reduction in the number of parking spaces of at least 15%.

2. The minimum yard setback requirements of Section 5.34 Ind. A-1 may be reduced by Special Permit from the Planning Board provided that a portion of the land situated between the structured parking facility and land abutting the rail road tracks is dedicated for the implementation of a multi-use path.

3. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 6.36, parking requirements for uses in this area may be modified by the Planning Board upon a finding, in addition to those set forth in Section 6.35.1, that an existing or proposed parking facility has adequate capacity to meet the parking demand given the shared use nature of the property.

I'm not exactly sure about this, but could this be a reference to the Binney Street garage that gave rise to the Citizens for Livable Neighborhoods (CCLN) and the infamous Interim Parking Freeze nearly 20 years ago? This zoning proposal is rather cryptic but definitely worth looking into. There is another communication in the agenda from many abutters objecting to the Beal Company's proposal to build a 105-foot bio-lab tower at the northeast corner of Binney Street and Cardinal Medeiros Way and to extend its existing 72-foot-high garage.

It was not so long ago that an upzoning proposal like this would have been Dead-On-Arrival at the Cambridge City Council. However, in today's climate and with the existing membership of the City Council, it's not out of the question that this proposal or a modified version of it could actually pass based on this Council's unquenchable desire to raise revenue to support its various programs. It is worth noting that the timing of this proposed zoning change may likely result in it being voted on not long before this Fall's municipal election - and the outcome could be a factor in that election.

Communications #3. A communication was received from Senator Anthony D. Galluccio, transmitting a copy of the sent to Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray requesting assistance with the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School Renovation Project.

This is a letter from Senator Galluccio to Lt. Governor Murray which strongly suggests that this is a "shovel ready" project worthy of consideration for federal stimulus money. The letter gives an estimate of 816 jobs that may be created for this project.

Order #4. That the City Manager is requested to examine the possibility of creating a publicly accessible, appropriately confidential database of broad average or median neighborhood rents for retail space in Cambridge.   Vice Mayor Seidel

Councillor Seidel notes that "This information would be helpful to landlords in making sure the rental prices they ask for vacant retail space accurately reflect the supply and the demand, and the actual current rents being collected, for comparable retail spaces at any given point in time." It's an interesting development that the City is being asked to act as a go-between in the traditionally private matter of negotiating rents between a willing lessor and a willing lessee. Then again, the federal government also seems eager to get involved in many matters never before conceivable in a country with free markets.

Order #5. Support for peaceful, educational actions that promote tolerance over hatred, both on Mar 13, 2009 and on any other day of every other year.   Mayor Simmons

This is a reference to the nut cases of the Westboro Baptist Church that travel the country to rant and rave and who will be carrying out their bad theater outside CRLS on Friday, March 13. Mayor Simmons' Order essentially proposes that these nutballs be ignored and that peaceful  educational actions take place in lieu of any counter-demonstration against these idiots. Good advice. [Update: It has been pointed out to me that Simmons' Order can actually be interpreted as encouraging counter-demonstrations. If so, this is just stupid.]

Order #6. That the City Manager is requested to direct the appropriate City staff to tag for removal bicycles that, as evidenced by the snow around them, appear to have been abandoned.   Councillor Kelley

This is a good Order, but we can only hope that City staff implement it as intended. Several years ago there was an effort by City staff in the same spirit as this Order that led to the tagging of bikes locked to parking meters and other fixtures and which served no purpose other than to harass cyclists and dissuade the use of bicycles. Clear the bike racks of abandoned bikes, yes, and maybe even add a few more racks, but please don't insist that these are the only acceptable places to lock up a bike (any more than insisting that a bike lane is the only acceptable place to ride a bike).

This reminds me of the days from 1990 to 1992 when I was actively involved in putting together Cambridge's Earth Day celebrations. My friend George Mokray made the case that one-day events like Earth Day were counterproductive and that the focus should be on engaging in more responsible environmental behavior every day of the year. At the time, I thought he was just being a sourpuss, but I later came to completely agree with his point of view. I haven't attended an Earth Day event since and I find them boring and irrelevant. Instead, I chose to actively promote recycling and composting as well as other environmentally sensible actions every day of every year. In this spirit, I consider "Earth Hour" to be the ultimate irrelevant action. - Robert Winters

March 2, 2009 City Council Agenda highlights

Things get underway a little earlier tonight at 5:00pm with a Special Meeting to administer the oath of office to Councillor-elect Larry W. Ward (who replaces Brian Murphy). Since Brian was also Vice-Chair of the City Council, the election of a new Vice-Chair will follow. Though some have used the title of Vice-Mayor (which should properly be called Vice-Chair of the City Council) to boost their reelection odds or to justify getting personal staff, there are no additional privileges or responsibilities associated with the title.

As far as the regular business is concerned, here are the items I found interesting, important, or ridiculous:

City Manager's Agenda #6. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the transfer of $115,000 from Water Salaries and Wages account to Water Other Ordinary Maintenance account to cover an operating shortfall caused by an unanticipated increase in the cost of potassium hydroxide which is a chemical used to treat the City's water.

City Manager's Agenda #7. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the transfer of $200,000 from Water Public Investment Extraordinary Expenditure accounts to the Water Operating Other Ordinary Maintenance account to cover an operating shortfall caused by an unanticipated increase in the cost of potassium hydroxide which is a chemical used to treat the City's water as described in Agenda Item Number 6.

These are items only an operations and infrastructure geek would love, so they greatly interest me. Where else would you learn that the current cost of potassium hydroxide is $7.76/gallon as compared to $2.17/gallon a year ago and that sodium hydroxide is a bargain at $2.83/gal? That's why the Water Department is switching chemicals. Instead of a $1,008,000 annual cost increase, we'll only have a $568,000 increase this fiscal year - small change in this day of trillion dollar bailouts and stimulus packages.

City Manager's Agenda #8. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the transfer of $100,000 from Executive Public Investment Extraordinary Expenditures account to the General Fund Police Extraordinary Expenditures account to cover the purchase of five replacement unmarked vehicles.

I wonder of Nancy Murray and the ACLU are aware that police are spying on the citizens of Cambridge from secret unmarked vehicles. I can feel my sacred rights being violated even as I type this sentence. Quick, tell Councillors Decker, Kelley, and Seidel to file a Order to Stop The Intrusion!

City Manager's Agenda #12. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 09-09, regarding a report on the effects of new Bicyclist Safety Laws on Cambridge.

Nothing special here, but it was interesting to read the details of the new law.

Applications and Petitions #5. A zoning petition has been received from Lesley University, to amend the Zoning Map and Article 20.000 of the Zoning Ordinance by adding "Section 20.200 Lesley Porter Overlay District."

This appears to be a re-filing of (a possibly revised version of) the existing petition that expires on March 11.

Order #1. That following the administration of the Oath of Office to the Councillor-elect, the City Council shall proceed to the election of a Vice Mayor.   Mayor Simmons

See comments above.

Order #3. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Chief Public Health Officer to investigate the possibility of requiring chain restaurants to display calorie information on their menus.   Councillor Decker

While I don't particularly agree or disagree with the idea contained in this order, please note that Ms. Decker only wants chain restaurants to display this information. Notwithstanding a decision of a Federal Appeals Court in New York, it seems pretty clear that requiring only chain restaurants to do this is skating on legally thin ice. It'll be interesting to see the caloric content labels on the donuts, etc. at Dunkin' Donuts. Maybe they should imprint the calories on the hamburgers at Wendy's. Why not print the nutritional information on every glass of beer at every Cambridge bar while we're at it?

Order #4. That the City Council is requested to approve the amount of $1500 in additional travel expenses.   Councillor Davis

There's nothing particularly extraordinary about this routine matter, yet the last time one of these came up Councillor Reeves referred to it as "disgusting." - Robert Winters

Feb 9, 2009 City Council Agenda highlights [Brian Murphy submitted his resignation at this meeting]

The agenda is relatively light this week. The noteworthy items (to me) are:

City Manager's Agenda #7. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 08-139, regarding a report on fiscal lessons from past recessions and implications for the next few budgets in Cambridge.

This communication has a nice description of what is anticipated in the coming Fiscal Year.

Committee Report #1 and Unfinished Business #5. A communication was received from D. Margaret Drury, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Vice Mayor Brian Murphy and Councillor David Maher, Co-Chairs of the Ordinance Committee, for a public meeting held on Jan 29, 2009 to continue to discuss a petition to amend the zoning in the East Cambridge area filed by Alexandria Real Estate Equities.

The Alexander II zoning petition will definitely come up for a vote at this meeting (since there is no other meeting prior to its expiration date).

A note on last week's meeting: It came as no surprise that the City Council voted in favor of several paranoid Orders last week regarding security cameras, Fusion Centers, and such. After all, this is the same Cambridge City Council that gets itself exercised over meaningless sanctuary city resolutions and other  feel-good rubbish that warms the hearts of peace commissioners and other self-help groups. Nonetheless, it makes you wonder if the term "proportional representation" has any meaning at all. Does anyone really think that a 9-0 vote opposing the security cameras is proportionately representative of the views of the population of Cambridge? My estimate would be: 50% don't care one way or the other, 25% are opposed, and 25% are in favor. Of course, we'll never really know. One thing, however, is certain. Election results are never a good measure of how people feel about any one issue.

February 2, 2009 City Council Agenda Highlights - With only the briefest of comments, here are the items that seemed interesting, funny, or ridiculous on this week's City Council agenda.

City Manager's Agenda #10. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the Planning Board recommendation on the Alexandria Petition to amend the zoning map and ordinance in the East Cambridge neighborhood along Binney Street.

This is only a preliminary report, but the Planning Board does highlight seven elements of this zoning proposal that they hope survive the process. There is also Committee Report #2 on the agenda on the proposed Lesley Porter Overlay District, and this could be passed to a 2nd Reading.

City Manager's Agenda #16. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the Governor's Proposed Budget for FY2010 as it relates to Cambridge.

The letter from the City Manager, together with the supporting documents, indicate that Cambridge will have $2,605,447 Local Aid cut from the remaining 5 months of the current fiscal year, and an anticipated cut of $5,628,010 from the Local Aid for FY2010, though it's likely that the cut could rise to $8,665,954 if new taxes are not approved by the state legislature. Mr. Healy's main directive is: "All City agencies must closely examine their expenditure plans for the remainder of this year, and anticipate reductions in the upcoming proposed budgets."

Resolution #33. Resolution on the death of Geneva Tallman Malenfant on Jan 25, 2009.   Councillor Davis, Councillor Maher

Geneva Malenfant was a great friend and mentor. The Malenfant family will be having calling hours on Tues, Feb 3 and Wed, Feb 4 from 4 to 7pm at the Norton's Woods located at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 200 Beacon Street, Somerville.

Order #18. City Council opposition to the installation of these eight Department of Homeland Security surveillance cameras in Cambridge.   Councillor Decker and Councillor Seidel

Order #20. That the City Manager is requested to provide information regarding the circumstances under which the Fusion Center would receive data from Cambridge City Departments.   Councillor Decker

Order #21. That the City Manager is requested to halt all work on the Department of Homeland Security camera network, to include supporting infrastructure, until the City Council and relevant City agencies have developed an appropriate regulatory framework to install and utilize this equipment.   Councillor Kelley

These three orders show that paranoid elected officials are still well-represented on the Cambridge City Council. I would file all three of these Orders under the "ridiculous" category, but I'm sure they'll each get at least four votes and maybe even pass. I'm waiting to see the Committee Report from the recent meeting on this topic. I'm sure the Peace Commission and their affiliated loonies were well-represented at the meeting.

Committee Report #5. A communication was received from D. Margaret Drury, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor David Maher and Vice Mayor Brian Murphy, Co-Chairs of the Government Operations and Rules Committee, for a public meeting held on Jan 27, 2009 to finalize the draft City Council objectives and rules for recommendation to the City Council.

I don't personally put a lot of stock in the City Council's biannual "Goals & Objectives" process, but it's interesting to look at the subtle changes from each iteration of the Goals to the next. More on this at another time. -- Robert Winters

Proposed FY2010-2011 Goals     City Council Goals - FY2008-2009     City Council Goals - FY2006-2007 

January 12, 2009 City Council Agenda - When you boil down the primary responsibilities of the Cambridge City Council, the most fundamental task is choosing a city manager or, as is the case on Monday, extending the contract of the city manager. Robert W. Healy first took over as Acting City Manager on July 1, 1981 and was chosen as City Manager on December 14, 1981. Mr. Healy's current contract expires on Aug 31 and a provision of the contract is that either party must inform the other party of their desire to extend or terminate the contract six months prior to the end of the contract, i.e. the end of February.

At a recent meeting of the Government Operations Committee, Mr. Healy publicly expressed his willingness to continue on the job. Since then, there has been a public hearing, all of the councillors have met one-on-one with the Mr. Healy, and the Co-chairs of the Government Operations Committee, Councillors Maher and Murphy, have announced that it is their intention to bring the contract extension to a vote this Monday. The current contract was adopted on an 8-0-1 vote on February 27, 2006 with Councillors Davis, Decker, Galluccio, Murphy, Simmons, Sullivan, Toomey and Mayor Reeves voting YES. Councillor Kelley voted PRESENT. It is anticipated that the vote Monday will yield a similar result. [Update: The contract was extended for an additional three years.]

There are other matters on this week's agenda as well. In particular:

Order #3. That the issue of multi-passenger jitney service between Cambridge hotels and Logan Airport and its potential impact on Cambridge's taxi services be reviewed by the Traffic, Transportation and Parking Committee with the intent of forming a recommendation to the City Council on whether the current limitations on jitney service be revised or left in place.   Councillor Kelley and Councillor Seidel

This Order grows out of a discussion at last week's meeting in which two jitney license applications were denied in accordance with the negative recommendation of the License Commission. Councillors Reeves raised serious questions about the sense of the current system which protects the owners of taxi medallions and has led to one-way fares from Cambridge to Logan of between $40 and $50. "$80 to and from the airport is not to be missed as illogical," said Reeves who also noted that the Silver Line will get you there almost as quickly for a fraction of the cost. He suggested looking at the regulation of the cab industry and he was joined by Councillors Kelley, Davis, and Murphy in raising questions about the current regulatory arrangement and the exorbitant prices for a taxicab medallion - comparable to the purchase price of a home. Councillors Davis, Maher, Reeves voted NO on denying the applications and they were denied on a 6-3 vote.

It's doubtful that any changes will come out of this discussion, primarily because there is so much money now invested in taxicab medallions and this City Council is unlikely to be so bold as to challenge the way this well-protected and politically active industry functions, even if it is functioning poorly and not in the best interest of consumers.

Order #11. That the City Manager is requested to appoint a central figure within his office who shall be placed in charge of implementing and maintaining the City’s boards and commissions, and who shall work to make these entities more robust elements in the governance of the City of Cambridge.   Mayor Simmons, Councillor Seidel and Vice Mayor Murphy

This Order has the potential for far-reaching consequences, especially if it can be amended to provide more specific guidelines for the City Manager and maybe even a blueprint for how such an initiative might be implemented. It would also be helpful if at least five councillors cosponsored it. There is no question that under the Plan E Charter it is the City Manager who is the appointing authority for the City's boards and commissions and, despite the wishes of some that the City Council should have some form of veto power over the Manager's appointments, there is no doubt that the authority should remain solely in the hands of the Manager. That said, the Cambridge City Council can and should provide guidance for their Manager as far as what policies they want the Manager to use in making these appointments.

More important than the somewhat red herring of who the City Manager should be appointing is the whole matter of how Cambridge residents get involved in their government in the first place. [Hint: Stepping up to the microphone during Public Comment is not the best way to get involved - not by a long shot.] The current practice is to post an announcement on the City website, on Cable TV, and in the local papers letting it be known that there is a vacancy in a particular City board. Word of mouth is and always has been another primary method of getting the word out, and some City boards actively recruit new members to fill vacancies.

What is lacking is a clear way for a public-spirited citizen who wants to volunteer to explore the possible ways in which he or she might be able to contribute his or her time and talent. A good start would be to create a prominent and permanent link on the City website that takes an interested person to an informative page that lays out the whole universe of ways in which a resident can take part in City government. There should also be periodic open houses for residents to come in and learn how they can volunteer. It goes without saying that the City should also hold periodic events to thank all the people who serve on City boards and to celebrate all that they do without receiving a dime for their efforts. Speaking personally, serving on a City board can be a terrific education, and it would be great if more people knew and appreciated this fact. [I'll add that candidacy for City Council or School Committee can also be a great education - if you choose to learn from it.]

Order #15. That the Cambridge City Council go on record recognizing the grievous impact of the loss of lives in the conflict on families and communities, mourning those lives on both sides of the conflict, condemning the attacks and invasion of Gaza by the Israeli military and the rocket attacks upon the people of Israel, and call for an immediate end to all attacks on civilians on both sides.   Councillor Decker and Mayor Simmons

Not surprisingly, I continue to question the practice of the Cambridge City Council passing resolutions such as this. I believe I can say with some certainty that neither Hamas nor the government of Israel will ever read this City Council resolution. It's sole purpose is for Cambridge city councillors to feel better about themselves. Meanwhile, as the Cambridge City Council asks, "Why can't we all get along?", Sunday's New York Times reports that: "Hamas, with training from Iran and Hezbollah, has used the last two years to turn Gaza into a deadly maze of tunnels, booby traps and sophisticated roadside bombs. Weapons are hidden in mosques, schoolyards and civilian houses, and the leadership's war room is a bunker beneath Gaza's largest hospital, Israeli intelligence officials say."

I'll take the Peoples Republic of Cambridge over that land of religious zealots any day. As Blaise Pascal said, "Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction." -- Robert Winters

Jan 13 - Follow-up to January 12 City Council meeting

The meeting opened with two hours of public comment on events 5535 miles away over which the Cambridge City Council has neither jurisdiction nor influence (Gaza). Once that was cleared away, the City Council brought forward the contract extension for City Manager Robert Healy. After brief comments from Councillors Kelley and Seidel about the unavailability of the contract details on the City website, the Council voted 8-1 to approve the 3-year contract extension. Councillor Kelley, as expected, voted NO. [text of the City Manager's 2009-2012 contract]

January 5, 2009 City Council Agenda - This week's agenda is a very short one. What follows are those items I found important, interesting, curious, funny, etcetera...

City Manager's Agenda #2 and #3. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to a recommendation from the License Commission to disapprove [#2] the jitney application from H/M Transportation for a shuttle service between the airport and hotels in Cambridge and [#3] the jitney application of Copley Coach, Inc. for a shuttle service from the airport to hotels in Cambridge.

What's interesting about these are the reasons given by the License Commission for recommending denial of a permit. Specifically: 1. Taxi-cab drivers fear this business will cut into their business during this economic downturn; 3. In order for the taxicab community to provide for short trips, they depend on the airport runs; and 6. Unlike the price of medallions, it is difficult to assess the impact of jitney services in terms of devaluing the cost of [taxi] medallions. It is difficult to assess how many jitney licenses are too many.

Nowhere in the analysis from the License Commission is there any mention of the impact on consumers. What is a typical fare for a taxi from a Cambridge location to Logan airport? I've heard that it's upwards of $30. [According to Councillors Reeves and Davis, it's actually over $40, close to $50 one-way to the airport.] What would be the fare for the proposed jitney service(s)? If a convenient shuttle service is offered at an affordable price, shouldn't this option be made available to Cambridge residents and visitors? Why should protection of the relatively small universe of taxi owners be the one and only priority of the Cambridge License Commission and the Cambridge City Council? At the very least, some city councillors should be asking these questions - regardless of how they ultimately vote. Failure to do so is dereliction of duty (or maybe just payback to those who have written campaign contribution checks).

Committee Report #1. A communication was received from D. Margaret Drury, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor Kenneth E. Reeves, Chair of the Human Services Committee, for a meeting held on Nov 3, 2008 regarding an update on the new transitional jobs program.

Those who actually pay attention to all this civic stuff may recall that during the last City Council term there was a "Neighborhood Safety Task Force" established (Aug 2, 2006 City Council Order) to look into the problem of violent crime in the city. The co-chairs were then-Mayor Reeves and City Manager Bob Healy. It took forever to convene the group after much debate about who should be represented on the task force. When the task force report was finally issued (Dec 6, 2007, prepared by Abt Associates), some city councillors characterized its recommendations as some sort of blueprint for future policies, but the jury is still out on whether anything substantial has grown out of the recommendations or if the report will collect dust like so many reports of the past. Employment programs topped the list of recommendations.

Most of the recommendations were relatively generic, but one that stood out dealt with enhancements to the City's "transitional jobs program." There was a lot of discussion about how the existing "nine-week program" which provides short term City jobs should be expanded by the addition of an "11 to 14 week program," especially for people between the ages of 18 and 35, that would run parallel to the nine-week program. My recollection from the December 2007 hearing was that there are some people whose sole employment is the nine-week program and that this does not generally lead to continued employment with the City or with other employers. The idea was to establish a jobs program coupled with additional training that would actually lead to long-term employment for some of the more difficult-to-employ residents of Cambridge and that this would somehow lead to a reduction in crime and greater neighborhood safety. That's a noble goal, but we'll have to wait and see if anything like this actually materializes. The current Committee Report is an outgrowth of things identified in the earlier report.

A disturbing item in the report is that former Kenneth E. Reeves campaign manager Gabriel Mondon, himself a patronage employee in the Mayor's Office during Reeves' term, now has a key role in the intake for all of the the nine-week patronage jobs for the City. Anyone who wants to get on the nine-week list must now first meet with Mondon. For those who don't know the history of the nine-week program, this was traditionally a way for any city councillor to recommend someone for a short-term city job, one of the few legal patronage vehicles under the Plan E Charter. These were never particularly well-paying jobs, but it was a way for someone with political connections to get a foot in the door. One has to wonder how the other eight city councillors feel about the fact that Councillor Reeves now has the upper hand in handing out all of these jobs.

You are, of course, free to continue in the belief that "good government" Cambridge doesn't give out patronage jobs to the politically connected, but from this observer's vantage point it seems that this practice has been growing steadily over the last several years. - Robert Winters