Cambridge Civic Journal Forum

May 21, 2024

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 617-618: May 21, 2024

Episode 617 – Cambridge InsideOut: May 21, 2024 (Part 1)

This episode was recorded on May 21, 2024 at 6:00pm. Topics: End of semester; Outstanding City Employees; Historical Commission Preservation Awards – recognition for John Pitkin, Robert Winters; Harvard and MIT encampments resolved; Salman Rushdie quote; Budget Hearings, the “fiscal crisis” that’s really more of a warning of sticker shock in Fall tax bills for single-, two-, and three-family homeowners; PTDM Ordinance modified, Cycling Safety Ordinance delayed – and the sky did not fall, but there were theatrics and record numbers of communications; nothing but public housing and bike lanes; Order trying to keep Cambridge Police from being involved in campus interventions, perfect response from City Manager re: mutual aid agreements; petition and other proposal to allow multi-family housing in all residential zones – plus A LOT MORE, a defense of maintaining diversity in housing stock, falsehoods promoted by advocates; questions raised by affordable housing advocates, possibility of AHO 3.0. Host: Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]


Episode 618 – Cambridge InsideOut: May 21, 2024 (Part 2)

This episode was recorded on May 21, 2024 at 6:30pm. Topics: Ronayne Petition vs. Azeem/Farooq/Cotter Petition-To-Be; Tripling the Resident Permit Parking Fee from $25 to $75; $77 million Fire Headquarters, the costs associated with meeting BEUDO standards, cost/benefit considerations – more exorbitant costs likely for future projects, Is it really worth it?; Porchfest for Cambridge? Riverfest, Dance Party coming in June; Central Square Rezoning and Central Square Lots Study – NLTP meeting, curious beliefs about outreach to select community groups, social balkanization – “first and foremost a housing production plan”, Totten wrongheadedness; treating Central Square as a utility rather than a place or destination; not just about nightlife; Charter revision process pending – June 5 Gov’t Operations meeting, unanswered questions, what needs to change and what should not change, the Manager vs. Strong Mayor question, things overlooked by the Charter Review Committee, proper ways of facilitating “redress of grievances” and citizen assemblies. Host: Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

April 16, 2024

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 615-616: April 16, 2024

Episode 615 – Cambridge InsideOut: Apr 16, 2024 (Part 1)

This episode was recorded on Apr 16, 2024 at 6:00pm. Topics: Tax Day, StuffSwap, compost giveaway, community meetings, C-Port Neighbors Assn. meeting w/CARE and the Cent. Sq. BID; CSBID background, actions, reauthorization, coming attractions, World’s Fair, Dance Party, resident survey; Eclipse; Multivariable Calculus at CRLS; mathematics in Cambridge schools; the $6100 April Fool; Crimson article on Supt. Greer being asked to resign – true? violation of Executive Session?; the importance of not violating confidence; Graham & Parks principal controversy; ward committees and notion of wards as a better alternative to proposed “citizen assemblies” in charter reform. Host: Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]


Episode 614 – Cambridge InsideOut: Mar 19, 2024 (Part 2)

This episode was recorded on Apr 16, 2024 at 6:30pm. Topics: Repairing the Cycling Safety Ordinance – original and 2020 revised, problematic implementations, impact of local businesses, political third rail, PTDM and alternate parking arrangements; Cambridge political and civic life should not be dominated by bike lanes; upcoming Budget Hearings in era of fiscal limitations; paradox of tenant protections – need not be warfare; payments-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) legislation; Ronayne Petition, simplifying ADUs, allowing multi-family buildings in all zones, reasonably adjusting FAR; crossing the RR tracks and then some; supervoters down to 77. Host: Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

March 20, 2024

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 613-614: March 19, 2024

Episode 613 – Cambridge InsideOut: Mar 19, 2024 (Part 1)

This episode was recorded on Mar 19, 2024 at 6:00pm. Topics: Middlesex Canal – history, Sullivan Square to Middlesex Village, Brooks Bridge, Medford, gypsy moth infestation, Pomp’s Wall, extensions from Concord NH to Haymarket Square; knowing where you live – Cambridge and elsewhere; Flushing Remonstrance (1657) and religious freedom in USA; Adopt-A-Drain, volunteerism; Little Things – just be a good citizen; School Committee campaign finance update; Linear Park plans – bikeway or park? Host: Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]


Episode 614 – Cambridge InsideOut: Mar 19, 2024 (Part 2)

This episode was recorded on Mar 19, 2024 at 6:30pm. Topics: Linear Park, lack of public process; paradoxical negative climate effects of electrification – increased electrical demand outpacing new energy sources; Reinventing the Wards, organizing in the wards, party ward committees, potential charter changes to create issue-specific “citizen assemblies” – a partisan, biased proposal; creation of nonpartisan ward committees; triple AAA bond ratings for 25th straight year; water & sewer rates; Red Line shutdowns and proposal for fare-free #1 Bus – better than expecting everyone to move to bikes; proposal to restrict conversions to fewer units and unintended consequences; proposal to allow multi-family homes citywide – rationale in Order based on fiction. Host: Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

March 5, 2024

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 611-612: March 5, 2024

Episode 611 – Cambridge InsideOut: Mar 5, 2024 (Part 1)

This episode was recorded on Mar 5, 2024 at 6:00pm. Topics: Super Tuesday; Iran voting boycott vs. campaign for “No Preference”; Trump vs. Biden; ward committees; City Council less dysfunctional, more collaborative w/City Manager; Finance Committee – levy projections, call for restraint, need to maintain excess levy capacity; use of operating budget for affordable housing has consequences; anticipated 10%+ annual increases in levy coming; fewer building permits – revenue not subject to Prop 2½ limits; commercial values relatively flat – shift of levy from commercial to residential; within residential, condos get sweetest deal after residential exemption and most of the increases borne by single-, two-, and three-family properties; need for intervention now to avoid future need for overrides; councillors had luxury for years in not having to think about limitations; FY24 consolidated spending categories; note that every stick of affordable housing (deed restrictions) has de minimis tax revenue – receive far more value in services that tax generated. Host: Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]


Episode 612 – Cambridge InsideOut: Mar 5, 2024 (Part 2)

This episode was recorded on Mar 5, 2024 at 6:30pm. Topics: Mar 4 City Council meeting; PERF report – police-involved shooting, good recommendations, positive evaluation of CPD practices, less-lethal options, CPD to be first in Mass. with policy on releasing names of involved officers; Central Square Lots Study in parallel with zoning changes; other assets, adjacent properties; everyone loves Central Square until they don’t; demise of current Starlight Square, need for replacement; contradictory signals on whether to gather more information or take action; exclusive focus on “affordable housing” creates net financial negative in perpetuity – math doesn’t work; plan in concert with privately-owned adjacent lots, e.g. Bishop Allen/Prospect, Green/Pleasant lot and Needle Exchange building; 44 years and 24 studies – the never-ending study of Central Square; not just about making everything bigger – need to make things better, more creative and more interesting; death of Paul Ryder; Charter Review update – next steps, desire to control process, facets of City government via Special Acts that should be part of Charter or at least be referenced – License Commission, Election Commission, Traffic Board, Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge Housing Authority, Cambridge Redevelopment Authority; housing-related orders re: real estate transfer tax and municipally-funded vouchers (a real budget buster); the more we fund affordable housing the wider the gap in affordability. Host: Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

February 21, 2024

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 609-610: February 20, 2024

Episode 609 – Cambridge InsideOut: Feb 20, 2024 (Part 1)

This episode was recorded on Feb 20, 2024 at 6:00pm. Topics: Local News – Cambridge and beyond; Valentine’s Day – 46 years; City Council Goals & Objectives; the ordeal of facilitation and training; the value of informality and interaction in committee meetings; 311 vs. SeeClickFix vs. an Ombudsman vs. a simple phone call; benefiting from the existence of a problem; pros and cons of a good idea; upside-down priorities – the essential difference between a city manager and a strong mayor system. Host: Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]


Episode 610 – Cambridge InsideOut: Feb 20, 2024 (Part 2)

This episode was recorded on Feb 20, 2024 at 6:30pm. Topics: Ambiguity in affordable housing – buy vs. rent, market vs. subsidized; the DEI lens – one lens in addition to effectiveness, efficient delivery of services, and transparency; Envision – quote it when it suits you, ignore it when it doesn’t; the mythology of Central Square progress; Cycling Safety update – drawing conclusions from the inconclusive; Community Safety update – tiptoeing around the HEART problem; foreign policy or not; Charter Review Report gets political right out of the gate. Host: Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

February 7, 2024

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 607-608: February 6, 2024

Episode 607 – Cambridge InsideOut: Feb 6, 2024 (Part 1)

This episode was recorded on Feb 6, 2024 at 6:00pm. Topics: Charles Fried and a Capitol tale; Peter Valentine archive; Mapping Black Cambridge; campaign finance wrap-up; Gaza capitulation and activist misbehavior; the long history of foreign policy at the Cambridge City Council; City gobbling up Central Square; what’s in store for ’24. Host: Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]


Episode 608 – Cambridge InsideOut: Feb 6, 2024 (Part 2)

This episode was recorded on Feb 6, 2024 at 6:30pm. Topics: Foreign policy; Charter Review Final Report – manager vs. mayor, voting age, non-citizen voting, even-year elections, citizen assemblies – a critique; dysfunction in how we involve residents in decision-making; City Council “finding itself”, coming to terms with prioritization; City Council committee appointments; fending off the socialists; smart ideas vs. unreasonable mandates; better ways to manage public meetings with less Zoom and more interaction. Host: Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

January 17, 2024

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 605-606: January 16, 2024

Episode 605 – Cambridge InsideOut: Jan 16, 2024 (Part 1)

This episode was recorded on Jan 16, 2024 at 6:00pm. Topics: Shout out to DPW; OCPF reports due Jan 20; Council committees pending; Clean Slate at Jan 8 Council meeting; Jerry’s Pond; dealing with the nonresident protesters and bad political theater. Host: Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]


Episode 606 – Cambridge InsideOut: Jan 16, 2024 (Part 2)

This episode was recorded on Jan 16, 2024 at 6:30pm. Topics: Looking back at the 2022-23 City Council term and ahead to the 2024-25 term; single-issue advocacy at the root of the problem, need for cost/benefit analysis – examples with transportation, housing, energy; Charter considerations; phantom Traffic Board; confounded analysis of slate voting; and a Big Wish for better Squares and more fun. Host: Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

January 2, 2024

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 603-604: January 2, 2024

Episode 603 – Cambridge InsideOut: Jan 2, 2024 (Part 1)

This episode was recorded on Jan 2, 2024 at 6:00pm. Topics: City Council and School Committee Inaugural Meetings – entertainment courtesy of PSL (Party for Socialism and Liberation); Mayor Denise Simmons; protests and groupthink; Simmons appointments guaranteed better than predecessor; Charter considerations pending; Resignation of Harvard President Claudine Gay and other Harvard observations; university presidents as fundraisers. Host: Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]


Episode 604 – Cambridge InsideOut: Jan 2, 2024 (Part 2)

This episode was recorded on Jan 2, 2024 at 6:30pm. Topics: Globe article on Bernie Goldberg, Brookline Lunch; Charter Review Committee – horror of Zoom-only process, nothing binding, strong mayor vs. manager form, bad behavior of CRC member(s), voting age, non-citizen voting, term length, recall provisions, at-large PR elections, citizen assemblies, citizen petitions, citizen initiative petitions, late proposals rejected, policy order vs. “action” orders; some highlights/lowlights of 2022-23 City Council term. Host: Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

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