Cambridge Civic Journal Forum

May 21, 2022

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 549-550: May 17, 2022

Filed under: Cambridge,Cambridge government,Cambridge InsideOut,City Council,schools — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Robert Winters @ 10:25 pm

Episode 549 – Cambridge InsideOut: May 17, 2022 (Part 1)

This episode was recorded on May 17, 2022 at 6:00pm. Topics: Hiring the City Auditor (Joseph McCann), City Clerk (Diane LeBlanc), and City Manager (4 finalists); the ability to say NO as an essential quality in a city manager; reports on the Budget Hearings; councillors on their best behavior – especially in regard to Police Dept. and Community Safety budgets. Apologies for the poor audio/video quality. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

Episode 550 – Cambridge InsideOut: May 17, 2022 (Part 2)

This episode was recorded on May 17, 2022 at 6:30pm. Topics: Alewife Moratorium pending – Quadrangle and Triangle, roadway connections, bridges, and some history – connecting the cul-de-sacs; blurred Envision; YIMBY cult vs. thoughtful consideration of where density makes sense; Cambridge schools, vocational education, and opportunities; discussion of municipal broadband continues to ignore Cable TV; broadband options and financial risk. Apologies for the poor audio/video quality. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

May 4, 2022

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 547-548: May 3, 2022

Filed under: Cambridge,Cambridge InsideOut — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Robert Winters @ 9:35 am

Episode 547 – Cambridge InsideOut: May 3, 2022 (Part 1)

This episode was recorded on May 3, 2022 at 6:00pm. Topics: FY2023 Budget arrives, significant changes; new Community Safety department; HEART or CARP?, Police budget increased and not “de-funded”; public investment and annual loan orders. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

Episode 548 – Cambridge InsideOut: May 3, 2022 (Part 2)

This episode was recorded on May 3, 2022 at 6:30pm. Topics: ARPA funding, long-term intentions; Alewife Moratorium pending – Quadrangle and Triangle, blown chances; fare-free transit; “hostile architecture”; bike lane intransigence; fearful rhetoric, actual vs. perceived risk. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

April 19, 2022

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 545-546: April 19, 2022

Filed under: Cambridge,Cambridge InsideOut,City Council,covid,history — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Robert Winters @ 11:35 pm

Episode 545 – Cambridge InsideOut: Apr 19, 2022 (Part 1)

This episode was recorded on Apr 19, 2022 at 6:00pm. Topics: Board appointments; Charter Review details in process – “activist” vs. neutral review?; roles of regulatory boards; power, politics, agendas & who gets to appoint. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

Episode 546 – Cambridge InsideOut: Apr 19, 2022 (Part 2)

This episode was recorded on Apr 19, 2022 at 6:30pm. Topics: Mass. Ave. bike lane and roadway alternatives; pushing back against the “Pledge”; bureaucratic simplification; anti-idling bounty hunters; tweeting in your political silo, and the dark side of proportional representation; ageism and ignorance; wandering through history in Concord and Cambridge. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

April 5, 2022

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 543-544: April 5, 2022

Filed under: Cambridge,Cambridge InsideOut,Central Square,City Council,covid — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Robert Winters @ 11:26 pm

Episode 543 – Cambridge InsideOut: Apr 5, 2022 (Part 1)

This episode was recorded on Apr 5, 2022 at 6:00pm. Topics: Baseball; Covid status; Zapping Rats (rabbits get a pass); compost do’s and don’ts; community gardens – history and policies, agency, urban agriculture; simplified regulations at small scale. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

Episode 544 – Cambridge InsideOut: Apr 5, 2022 (Part 2)

This episode was recorded on Apr 5, 2022 at 6:30pm. Topics: Reputation and character (and not qualifications and experience) of applicants…; criteria for review of Board appointees; Budget Hearings coming – and a “Community Safety” category; ignoring citizen petitions; 5 votes to hire a City Manager, a City Clerk, and a City Auditor – regardless of the process; assault in Central Square. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

March 16, 2022

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 541-542: March 15, 2022

Filed under: Cambridge,Cambridge government,Cambridge InsideOut,covid,Kendall Square,planning — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Robert Winters @ 2:29 pm

Episode 541 – Cambridge InsideOut: Mar 15, 2022 (Part 1)

This episode was recorded on Mar 15, 2022 at 6:00pm. Topics: Ides of March; Spring Training Baseball; Covid status; City Manager search & interim possibilities; Council complaints & light workload; Board appointments – “apply at your own risk”; misunderstanding the Charter and roles of councillors vs. manager. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

Episode 542 – Cambridge InsideOut: Mar 15, 2022 (Part 2)

This episode was recorded on Mar 15, 2022 at 6:30pm. Topics: “Moving Forward Together” w/o most involved councillor; Planning Board discussions re: single-family zoning, evolving roles as planners vs. petition reviewers; building the tax base; some history of Kendall Square, University Park, NorthPoint, Alewife Triangle, Alewife Quadrangle; planning before and after demise of rent control; Blurred Envision; real routes to affordability requires transit and not unilateralism; flexibility in residential uses. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

March 2, 2022

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 539-540: March 1, 2022

Filed under: Cambridge,Cambridge InsideOut — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Robert Winters @ 9:37 am

Episode 539 – Cambridge InsideOut: Mar 1, 2022 (Part 1)

This episode was recorded on Mar 1, 2022 at 6:00pm. Topics: Ukraine invasion hits home; higher education reinventing itself; adjusting the center; Covid updates; assaulting the Boards; efforts to eviscerate neighborhood conservation districts and some history of their success; turning grudges into policy. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

Episode 540 – Cambridge InsideOut: Mar 1, 2022 (Part 2)

This episode was recorded on Mar 1, 2022 at 6:30pm. Topics: dependent vs. independent councillors; charter review; city manager search; budget process misunderstandings; purpose of City Council orders under Plan E; some history of responsiveness of city managers and the nuclear option; AAA bond ratings; regulation and taxation; envisioning transit and urban planning. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

February 2, 2022

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 535-536: February 1, 2022

Filed under: Cambridge,Cambridge government,Cambridge InsideOut — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , — Robert Winters @ 2:40 pm

Episode 535 – Cambridge InsideOut: Feb 1, 2022 (Part 1)

This episode was recorded on Feb 1, 2022 at 6:00pm. Topics: Wildlife, snowpocalypse; continued bus/bike lane controversies, options, advisory committee; future planning and Quick Build shortsightedness; Fresh Pond Golf Course controversy, revolutionary stupidity, new councillor naivete, ideology superseding reason. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

Episode 536 – Cambridge InsideOut: Feb 1, 2022 (Part 2)

This episode was recorded on Feb 1, 2022 at 6:30pm. Topics: Groundhog Day; City Manager search, schedule, screening concerns; civic knowledge on a need-to-know basis; simultaneous searches for City Manager, Clerk, & Auditor under cloud of possible charter changes; opportunity to reexamine job descriptions of City Manager, Clerk, Auditor, and City Council Aides and staff; test cases coming in review of Board appointments. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

January 19, 2022

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 533-534: January 18, 2022

Filed under: Cambridge,Cambridge government,Cambridge InsideOut,covid — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Robert Winters @ 12:56 pm

Episode 533 – Cambridge InsideOut: Jan 18, 2022 (Part 1)

This episode was recorded on Jan 18, 2022 at 6:00pm. Topics: Police Commissioner Christine Elow and some history of Chief vs. Commissioner; optimistic Covid update; bikes & buses – controversy and alternatives; ideology within Community Development Department; future prospects. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters
[On YouTube] [audio]

Episode 534 – Cambridge InsideOut: Jan 18, 2022 (Part 2)

This episode was recorded on Jan 18, 2022 at 6:30pm. Topics: Filibuster and the value of slow legislation; Charter questions – past, present, and future; Envision history; Charter Change while seeking new City Manager, City Clerk (and City Auditor); proportional representation (PR) realities and distortions by single-issue politics; role of planning within CDD vs. responding to partisan petitions; PR revisions for fractional transfers should be part of future Charter revision discussions. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

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