Cambridge Civic Journal Forum

June 14, 2021

Craven Attention – June 14, 2021 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Filed under: Cambridge,City Council — Tags: , , , , , , , — Robert Winters @ 4:53 pm

Craven Attention – June 14, 2021 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Here’s my first pass at this week’s effort:City Hall

Manager’s Agenda #5. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $500,000 from Free Cash to the Public Investment Fund Library Extraordinary Expenditures account to fund a comprehensive Library Building Program Study and Feasibility Study for the Central Square Branch Library.
Order Adopted 9-0

Many of us who spend a lot of time in Central Square and think about Central Square will likely agree that even though the proposed improvements are appreciated there should really be a Grand Vision for the library and the Green Street parking garage in the context of the whole district. For example, unless you believe that all cars and all parking should be abolished (in which case you should really take up farming or ascetic religion), proposals to build on surface parking lots (or continue Starlight Square) might want to consider where those vehicles might park (at least until the Rule of Robots). A couple more parking levels on Green Street might make sense even if only as a place for the robots to live.

Manager’s Agenda #6. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 21-18, regarding a report on the City’s annual stationery expenditures and percentage spent at local retailers.
Placed on File 9-0

Manager’s Agenda #12. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to first Progress Report due under the Cycling Safety Ordinance (Chapter 12.22 of the Cambridge Municipal Code), which is required to detail “…progress towards meeting the requirements set forth in Subsections C, D, E, F, G, and H. Such report shall include details on the Separated Bicycle Facilities planned for the coming twelve months.”
Referred to Transportation and Public Utilities Committee 9-0

No comment.

On the Table #3. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to further proposed amendments to the Tree Protection Ordinance and draft regulations. [TABLED IN COUNCIL MAY 17, 2021] [May 17 memo] [changes] [regulations]
Passed to 2nd Reading as Amended 7-0-0-2 (DS,TT – PRESENT)
Note: Special thanks to Councillor Toomey for pointing out the hypocrisy of the City Councillors eagerly wanting to relieve the Cambridge Police of various public safety responsibilities while adding on the responsibility of enforcement of the Tree Protection Ordinance. The ordinance was subsequently amended.

Committee Report #1. The Ordinance Committee met on Apr 28, 2021 to discuss the Tree Protection Ordinance. [proposed amendments to the Tree Protection Ordinance]
Reports Accepted, Placed on File 9-0; Ordinance Passed to 2nd Reading 7-0-0-2 (DS,TT – PRESENT)

Committee Report #1B. The Health & Environment Committee met on Oct 13, 2020 to discuss amending the Tree Protection Ordinance based on the findings of the Urban Forest Master Plan Task Force.

Committee Report #1C. The Health and Environment Committee met on Nov 10, 2020 to continue discussing amending the Tree Protection Ordinance based on the findings of the Urban Forest Master Plan Task Force.

The updated ordinance should be approved this month – probably next week. The final draft regulations are not as onerous for homeowners as they could have been, but the onward march of government control over your property continues.

Blue Heron Bridge

Order #1. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Community Development Department, the Assessing Department, the Finance Department, and other relevant City departments to explore the feasibility of purchasing properties for sale in the Alewife area to address City goals.   Vice Mayor Mallon, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Carlone
Adopted 8-0-1 as Amended (TT – ABSENT)

Order #2. That the Mayor be and hereby is requested to schedule a Roundtable meeting to discuss how the American Rescue Plan funds may best be utilized in Cambridge.   Councillor Simmons, Councillor McGovern, Vice Mayor Mallon, Mayor Siddiqui
Adopted 9-0

Order #10. That the Co-Chairs of the Finance Committee schedule a hearing to discuss the $65 million Cambridge is eligible to receive from the American Rescue Plan, and to begin the discussion on how the money can best be spent to advance racial, economic, and environmental justice in our community.   Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Carlone
Adopted 9-0

Note: “General infrastructure spending is not covered as an eligible use outside of water, sewer, and broadband investments or above the amount allocated under the revenue loss provision.” I really wish we could take some of that money and build a couple of bridges connecting the Alewife Triangle and Quadrangle and maybe build a pedestrian bridge over the Little River connecting to the Science Park area.

Order #4. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Public Health Department, the Inspectional Services Department, the Cambridge Housing Authority, and other relevant City departments to determine if the City has the discretion to waive this rule (state sanitary code re: heating & cooling), and the circumstances in which the City could administer this waiver, and report back to the City Council.   Vice Mayor Mallon, Mayor Siddiqui
Adopted 9-0

This Order grew out of the recent heat wave and the strange fact/claim that the change from heating to cooling in CHA buildings couldn’t happen until June 15 regardless of conditions. The world might be a better place if we just put the administrators out to pasture and put the supers and custodians in charge.

Order #6. Amending City Council Rules for Remote Participation.   Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler
Adopted 9-0 as Amended

The State Legislature seems to be on the verge of extending the right of elected officials to continue “phoning it in” (we’ll see tomorrow), but I hope they don’t. I really hope we return to in-person meetings. The matter of public comment is a somewhat separate matter that can be adjusted simply by amending the City Council Rules – hence this Order. I wish they would at least restrict remote public comment to Cambridge residents and invited guests. Elected officials and City staff should simply show up in person unless they are physically unable to attend.

Order #7. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to adopt certain policies related to Open Space.   Councillor Carlone, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Zondervan, Councillor McGovern
Adopted 9-0 as Amended

Order #8. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Traffic & Parking Department to make these immediate improvements to the safety of this intersection (Cardinal Medeiros Avenue, Binney Street, and Bristol Street) and to all intersections in the city that are similarly malfunctioning, and to implement longer term changes as soon as possible.   Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Carlone, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Nolan
Adopted 9-0

Order #9. That the City Manager be and is hereby requested to work with City staff to provide an update on the cost of each license and permit required by businesses in Cambridge.   Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Zondervan
Adopted 9-0

The would be useful information to see in one place, and I think most of use will readily agree that fees should be reasonable and bear at least some connection with the costs associated with the regulations. As far as continuing to waive or significantly reduce fees, unless you waive the enforcement and reduce the personnel, all you’re doing is moving the cost over to the property tax.

Committee Report #2. The Ordinance Committee met on May 12, 2021 to conduct a hearing on the Cannabis Delivery Zoning Amendments and Municipal Code Amendments.
Report Accepted, Placed on File 9-0

Perhaps I should make a short list of the highest priorities of this Council term and the previous term. Cannabis promotion would high on that list.

Committee Report #3. The Public Safety Committee met on Jan 6, 2021 to conduct a public hearing on the Cambridge Police Department inventory list.
Report Accepted, Placed on File 9-0

The Zondervan/Sobrinho-Wheeler war on law enforcement continues. – Robert Winters

June 4, 2021

Solicited and Unsolicited Advice – June 7, 2021 Cambridge City Council meeting

Filed under: Cambridge,City Council,covid — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Robert Winters @ 4:25 pm

Solicited and Unsolicited Advice – June 7, 2021 Cambridge City Council meeting

There are a number of interesting items on this week’s agenda – especially the legal analysis of City Solicitor Nancy Glowa on a number of topics.City Hall

Manager’s Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an update on the COVID-19 vaccination rollout.
Placed on File 9-0

Manager’s Agenda #2. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 21-39, regarding the status of the Gold Star Mothers Pool opening plans for the June through September summer season of 2021.
Placed on File 9-0

Communications & Reports #4. A communication was received from Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, transmitting questions for the COVID-19 Update.
Placed on File 9-0

Resolution #9. Thank You Claude A. Jacob.   Mayor Siddiqui
Tabled 9-0

Manager’s Agenda #11. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 21-23, regarding a report on permanently extending remote participation in City Council and board and commission meetings.
Placed on File 9-0

I’m really looking forward to the day when Covid updates are relegated to history rather than daily updates. I’m also eagerly looking forward to the day when City Hall, the City Hall Annex, the libraries, and all other City buildings are fully reopened. The justification for keeping them closed is rapidly fading, and when the Governor’s emergency declaration expires on June 15 (or another date if the state legislature approves an extension) there will be no legal basis for denying public access.

As for the matter of the continuation of remote access to public meetings, please read the opinion of the City Solicitor in Mgr’s Agenda #11. In my opinion, we should return forthwith to in-person meetings with the option of remote access for Cambridge residents and invited guests. Elected officials and City staff should no longer be "phoning it in" unless they are physically unable to attend in person.

Manager’s Agenda #4. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a summary of a Planning Board Meeting on the 2020 Town-Gown Reports and Presentations.
Placed on File 9-0

Manager’s Agenda #5. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to new appointments and reappointment of members of the Harvard Square Advisory Committee.
Placed on File 9-0

Manager’s Agenda #6. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a Planning Board recommendation not to adopt the Missing Middle Housing (Fuller, et al.) Zoning Petition.
Refer to Petition 9-0

Order #6. That City Manager be and is hereby requested work with the Law Department to provide an analysis of what impact the recently enacted state Housing Choices law has on the Missing Middle Housing Zoning petition.   Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Simmons, Vice Mayor Mallon
Refer to Petition 9-0

I stand by my well-considered opinion that this is a terrible petition that has only grown worse as amendments to the proposal have been introduced in order to garner political support. At this point its passage has more to do with the fealty of some elected officials to the “A Better Cambridge” group than in doing what is best for the city and its residents. There is certainly a reasonable case to be made for allowing multi-family housing to be built in all residential zones and relaxing some parking requirements (especially near transit), but that is not what this zoning proposal is primarily about. It also has nothing to do with addressing any historical remnants having to do with race – in spite of the purposefully misleading rhetoric of the proponents. This is a proposal for dramatically increasing residential density – and not just in areas that currently have lower densities.

Many of us feel that Cambridge is already a relatively dense city – in fact, one of the most dense in the country – and that this proposal has more to do with creating development opportunities than it has to do with either housing affordability or good urban planning. There is also an element of hubris implicit in this petition, i.e. the notion that Cambridge can unilaterally address housing supply issues that properly must be addressed at a regional level and with modifications to the regional transportation system. There are opportunities for transit-oriented residential development that can and should be considered, but that is not part of this proposal. Perhaps the most telling comment was stated by one of the letter-writing proponents on a personal web page, “I am creating a better strategy for investments. I own multiple units in upstate NY, Rhode Island and Ohio. I currently reside in Massachusetts and am trying to find a few deals here.” Enough said.

It is interesting that Councillors Sobrinho-Wheeler, Simmons, and Mallon are so concerned about how many votes will be minimally required to ram this travesty through. Perhaps the time has come to consider how many votes may be needed to elect or replace some councillors this November.

Manager’s Agenda #8. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 21-2, regarding the possibility of implementing a Sheltered Market Program, and Awaiting Report Item Number 21-4, regarding conducting a Spending Disparity Study on City Purchasing.
Placed on File 9-0

This is a very interesting legal analysis in spite of the somewhat cryptic "Sheltered Market Program." At issue is the degree to which City purchasing may give advantages to "historically disadvantaged groups" without running afoul of current laws and judicial decisions. It’s not always clear where "doing the right thing" ends and where political patronage begins. The City Solicitor recommends “that the City, in order to determine whether a sheltered market program under G.L. c. 30B, § 18 can be implemented in Cambridge, first conduct a disparity study to review and analyze whether there are present effects of past discrimination for which such a program would be intended to address. If it is determined that a basis exists for the City to implement a sheltered market program following a disparity study, the next step to implement such a program would be for the City to authorize the Purchasing Agent to establish such a program by: (1) a vote of a majority of the City Council; and (2) the approval of the City Manager.”

Manager’s Agenda #9. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a request for support for the City of Cambridge to join in the formation of a Boston Cambridge Tourism Destination Marketing District.
Placed on File; Order Adopted 7-0-0-2 (JSW,QZ – PRESENT)

Manager’s Agenda #10. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a response regarding the City Council having its own budget for outside legal research.
Placed on File 9-0

The saga continues. I sometimes get the impression that the “bold, progressive change” councillors will simply never accept the notion that whatever they want to do still has to conform to existing laws, and that any opinion to the contrary is met with open hostility. The City’s Law Department has created a mechanism through which most or all of their needs can be met, but perhaps that’s not the real point. The combination of calls for charter change in conjunction with pursuits such as this is really about gathering more power and authority to the local legislative body. In my opinion, this is a wrongheaded quest – and the fact that this is taking place behind the veil of Covid-related limitations to transparency makes it all the worse.

Cambridge PoliceCharter Right #1. Cambridge HEART Proposal. [Charter Right exercised by Councillor Zondervan In Council May 25, 2021]
Approved 8-0-0-1 (Toomey – PRESENT)

Communications #9. A communication was received from Judith Nathans, regarding H.E.A.R.T Proposal and Public Safety Task Force Recommendations.
Placed on File 9-0

The bottom line is that whether ideas and recommendations come from a City-appointed Task Force or as suggestions from a small group of activists, any implementation will still lie with the Police Commissioner and the City Manager – presumably guided by need and best practices and informed by some of the programs that have been successful elsewhere. There is simply no value in casting this matter in terms of a political quest to “Defund the Police” or the absurd notion of “Abolish the Police” either in whole or in specific locations in Cambridge. There is also no value in casting this as a choice between “H.E.A.R.T. proposal vs. Task Force Recommendations.” If there are good ideas that make sense in the context of Cambridge, I would rather put my trust in those who understand public safety and who have proven themselves to be open to creative solutions, e.g. Police Commissioner Branville Bard.

Adopting the Budget

Committee Report #1. A communication was received from Anthony I. Wilson, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor E. Denise Simmons, Chair and Councillor Dennis J. Carlone Chair of the Finance Committee, for public hearings held on May 11, 2021 commencing at 9:00am and May 18, 2021 commencing at 10:00am and on May 19, 2021 commencing at 6:00pm to discuss Fiscal Year 2022 budget.
General Fund Budget of $707,104,105 Approved 7-0-0-2 (JSW,QZ – NO)
Note: Zondervan motion to reduce Police Dept. Budget to $65,000,000 failed 2-7 (JSW,QZ – YES)
Water Fund Budget of $13,016,825 Approved 9-0
Public Investment Fund Budget of $38,610,865 Approved 9-0Coins

Unfinished Business #5. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an order requesting the appropriation and authorization to borrow $5,000,000 to provide funds for the reconstruction of various City streets and sidewalks. [Passed to a Second Reading In Council May 10, 2021; to be Adopted on or after May 24, 2021]
Order Adopted 9-0

Unfinished Business #6. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an order requesting the appropriation and authorization to borrow $10,000,000 to provide funds for the Municipal Facilities Improvement Plan. … [Passed to a Second Reading In Council May 10, 2021; to be Adopted on or after May 24, 2021]
Order Adopted 9-0

Unfinished Business #7. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an order requesting the appropriation and authorization to borrow $1,800,000 to provide funds for various Schools for projects that include: asbestos abatement in various schools, replace the front plaza and failing masonry wing walls and recaulking the building at the Haggerty School, replace emergency generator and extend exhaust at Cambridgeport, recaulking precast panels at CRLS Field House, unit vents engineering at the Fletcher Maynard Academy and Longfellow building and replace the gym floor at the Amigos School. [Passed to a Second Reading In Council May 10, 2021; to be Adopted on or after May 24, 2021]
Order Adopted 9-0

Unfinished Business #8. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an order requesting the appropriation and authorization to borrow $28,500,000 to provide funds for the construction of sewer separation, storm water management and combined sewer overflow reduction elimination improvements within River Street and Harvard Square areas as well as the Sewer Capital Repairs Program and climate change preparedness efforts. [Passed to a Second Reading In Council May 10, 2021; to be Adopted on or after May 24, 2021]
Order Adopted 9-0

Communications & Reports #3. A communication was received from Councillor Zondervan, transmitting information on the FY22 police budget.

In most years the Budget Adoption and approval of Loan Orders for major capital projects tends to be rather pro forma with most councillors lavishing praise on all those involved (often well-deserved) and some councillors choosing to take a stand either on principal or simply to gain some political advantage. On the School Department budget, I have to side with Councillor Nolan, in particular, who may have seemed contrarian but was simply pointing out that we often don’t maintain very high standards for our schools and we achieve even less. Expressing disapproval may seem cruel in light of all the Covid-related difficulties of the past year, but even that should not let the School Committee or the School Department off the hook. Personally, I have for a long time felt that the focus of Cambridge schools has been far more about social engineering and indoctrination than about academic excellence. It’s particularly grating to listen to School Committee members who have developed their own dialect of "edu-speak" that allows them to "talk around" just about any matter of substance.

As for the rest of the City budget, I fully expect there to be plenty of grandstanding from the “bold progressive change” crowd on either the Police budget or the IT budget (because of the municipal broadband saga) and maybe a few other items before the Bottom Line comes to a final (presumably successful) vote.

Unfinished Business #9. Zoning Amendments related to Retail and Consumer Service Establishments as amended on May 17, 2021 (Ordinance # 2021-3) [Passed to a Second Reading on May 17, 2021; to be Ordained on or after June 7, 2021]
Ordained 9-0

Unfinished Business #10. Zoning Amendments related to Home Occupations (ORDINANCE #2021-4) [Passed to a Second Reading on May 17, 2021; to be Ordained on or after June 7, 2021]
Ordained 9-0

These could be ordained at this meeting, but I would be lying if I told you that I understood much about the proposed changes or the potential intended or unintended consequences.

Order #5. Live Acoustic Entertainment Ordinance.   Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Carlone
Passed to 2nd Reading 9-0

This might be OK, but the fact that percussion is considered acoustic and requires no amplification causes me some concern. Then again, the proposal does suggest that any performances must still conform to existing laws, including the Noise Ordinance. That said, I would be happier if the License Commission still had a role in at least reviewing these things and effecting compromises when appropriate. There is also a level of ambiguity in the proposal when it says “within the perimeter of their business.” Does this include outdoor patios? What about the case of relatively loud acoustic performance in a location abutting a residence – possibly where someone is working from home like so many of us are doing these days?

Order #7. That the City Manager and staff be requested to examine car storage policies and discuss potential updates with the City Council at a meeting of the Transportation Committee.   Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Zondervan
Order Adopted 9-0

Regardless of any other merits this proposal may have, let’s at least be aware of the fact that it proposes to eliminate residential and commercial parking minimums citywide and (though it doesn’t explicitly say so) significantly jacking up residential parking permit fees. So if you do choose to own a motor vehicle there will be greater competition for on-street parking and significantly greater expense for the “privilege” of doing so.

Committee Report #2. Neighborhood & Long-Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts & Celebration Committee – Committee Meeting – May 26, 2021 at 10:00am.
Report Accepted, Placed on File, Order Adopted 9-0

The purpose of the meeting was to consider the reappointment of Conrad Crawford to the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority Board (slam dunk) and to discuss the pilot of street closures in Harvard Square. Street closure discussions in Cambridge are often a witch’s brew of "ban cars" sentiments and creative ideas for improving street life and local retail. The bottom line is that emergency vehicles still need to get through, and it is often the case that when you ban vehicles from one street it becomes just a game of "Whack-A-Mole" when the vehicles simply shift to alternate routes. The Great Exceptions to this are those streets that have been designated (or should be designated) as "woonerfs" – a Dutch term for what is essentially a shared, low volume street. In Cambridge, think Winthrop Street (by Grendel’s Den), Palmer Street (Club Passim), and the yet-to-be made spectacular Blanche Street at the edge of Central Square (which is still just a delivery alley at best). There are some other streets that could be operated as shared streets or ban all but emergency vehicles without creating a cascading vehicular hellscape. Making Palmer Street an interesting street (and not just artsy fartsy) would be a good place to start. Even a hot dog vendor would be a great improvement.

Communications & Reports #1. A communication was received from Mayor Siddiqui, transmitting information about Homelessness Working Group.
Placed on File 9-0

There is no doubt that more is needed in this arena, but these investigations can end up as reports on shelves – and the simple truth is that these are regional problems and when one well-meaning city like Cambridge does things to address these problems it often ends up paradoxically increasing the problems in that city as individuals migrate to where the enhanced services are to be found. For example, when Boston cracks down on Methadone Mile, some of that just relocates to Central Square. – Robert Winters

May 24, 2021

Who’s Zoomin’ Who? – May 24-25, 2021 Cambridge City Council meeting

Filed under: Cambridge,City Council — Tags: , , , , , , , — Robert Winters @ 3:15 pm

Who’s Zoomin’ Who? – May 24-25, 2021 Cambridge City Council meeting

A temporary cease-fire may be going into effect in Israel and Gaza, but that won’t stop the Zoom speeches this Monday. Lots of rhetorical rockets were fired last week. This week there’s likely to be a lot of response and maybe even some skirmishes. What all this has to do with the City of Cambridge escapes me. [Note: This meeting was recessed and continued to a May 25 Special City Council meeting starting at 5:30pm.]City Hall

Here are some things that struck a chord or a nerve:

Manager’s Agenda #6. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a request the adoption of a statutory small business exemption for personal property accounts equal to or less than $10,000 in assessed value and the authorization for an exemption for personal property accounts equal to or less than $20,000 in assessed value, by requesting a special act from the Legislature and the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Orders Adopted 9-0

This exemption has been in effect for the current FY21 fiscal year, and the City sought and received a Special Act of the legislature to allow the City to make the exemption permanent. Perhaps most notable in this communication is this: “Not only will this tax exemption assist small businesses financially and administratively, but it will also relieve the burden upon the City for the collection and accounting of small accounts.”

Manager’s Agenda #7. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a request to approve the acquisition of land in Lincoln, Massachusetts for the purpose of adding to the City’s watershed lands for water supply protection and conservation purposes. [Water Board Letter] [Map/Plot Plan]
Orders Adopted 9-0

Manager’s Agenda #8. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the PFAS Treatment Grant in the amount of $115,680.00 received from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection ‘s Drinking Water Program (DEP) to the Public Investment Fund Water Extraordinary Expenditures account which will assist in the effort to remove Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) from our finished water and will also help to offset the costs of the ongoing Cambridge Water Department bench-scale study to determine the effectiveness of granular activated carbon (GAC) to remove PFAS from our water.
Order Adopted 9-0

Unlike other items on this meeting agenda (see below) that have no connection whatsoever to the City of Cambridge but which will draw public comments galore, these two items have everything to do with one of the most essential services provided by our local government – the provision and security of clean drinking water. These items will likely draw little, if any, public comment.

Charter Right #1. In Support of H.R.2590, “The Palestinian Children and Families Act”.   Mayor Siddiqui, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor McGovern [Charter Right exercised by Councillor Nolan In Council May 17, 2021]
Resolution Adopted 9-0

Charter Right #2. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Purchasing Department to review Cambridge’s corporate contracts and identify any companies that are in violation of Cambridge’s policy on discrimination, including (but not limited to) Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Hewlett Packard Incorporated over their role in abetting apartheid in the Middle East, and to suggest alternatives for Cambridge to explore in order to ensure the city embody the values it put on paper.   Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Carlone [Charter Right exercised by Councillor Nolan In Council May 17, 2021]
Order Adopted as Amended by Substitution 9-0 (see notes below)

Note 1: Zondervan introduced an amendment to the substitute language specifically calling out Hewlett-Packard (and implicitly endorsing BDS).
Amendment Fails 3-6: YES – DC,JSW,QZ; NO – AM,MM,PN,DS,TT,SS

Note 2: Zondervan introduced another amendment to the substitute language saying same but w/o specifically calling out Hewlett-Packard (yet still implicitly endorsing BDS).
Amendment Fails 3-6: YES – DC,JSW,QZ; NO – AM,MM,PN,DS,TT,SS

Note 3: Zondervan introduced another amendment regarding right of people to defend themselves and specifically calling out Israeli government attacks against Palestinean people (replacing Netanyahu w/Israeli government and removing any reference to any negative actions by Hamas and Israel’s right to exist).
Amendment Fails 3-5-0-1: YES – JSW,QZ,SS; NO – AM,MM,PN,DS,TT; PRESENT – DC

Note 4: Sobrinho-Wheeler introduced an amendment to the substitute language amending “ORDERED: That the City Manager be and is hereby requested to work with the Purchasing Department to review Cambridge’s corporate contracts and purchases to identify any vendors or manufacturers whose products are used to perpetuate violations of International Human Rights Laws and Cambridge’s policy on discrimination.”
Amendment Passes 6-3: YES – DC,AM,MM,JSW,QZ,SS; NO – PN,DS,TT

Approximately 25 communications relating to last week’s Resolution and Policy Order regarding Israel, Gaza, and boycotts.

At last count on Monday morning, there were 426 people signed up for Public Comment with the overwhelming majority of those signed up expected to comment on these two matters that have nothing whatsoever to do with the City of Cambridge. A Special Meeting was scheduled for Tues, May 25 to continue the meeting. The Monday meeting was all Public Comment (apparently 537 people

Applications & Petitions #1. A petition was received from Loren Crowe, requesting that the City Council ordain ordinance language relative to the creation and operation of Neighborhood Conservation Districts in the city. [Text of Petition]
Referred to Ordinance Committee 8-0-1 (Carlone ABSENT) [Note: QZ motion to Place on File failed 1-7-1]

This petition appears to be the latest skirmish in a battle that began when some people in East Cambridge sought to create a neighborhood conservation district a couple of years ago. This tit-for-tat battle has now turned into a “cause” for those who see preservation as antithetical to their idea of “progress.” What comes to mind when I see these battles for power and control are Jane Jacobs vs. Robert Moses in New York City, and the demolition of over half of Boston’s West End to make way for Jerome Rappaport’s Charles River Park. “If You Lived Here You’d Be Home Now” – but only if you never lived here before.

Order #2. That the City Council amend the Article 22 of the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Cambridge entitled “SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT” to insert a new section 22.24.4 (Ordinance #2021-13).   Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Carlone, Councillor Nolan
Referred to Ordinance Committee & Planning Board 8-0-1 (Carlone ABSENT) – This is same zoning peition filed in April, re-filed due to expiration.

This is being billed by its authors as the “Cambridge Green New Deal Zoning Petition.” It is presented as being primarily about reporting requirements for emissions associated with the construction and maintenance of new buildings and is being pitched in terms of “green jobs” and “economic opportunity and climate justice for our most vulnerable residents.” However, it appears to really be about forcing the elimination of natural gas as a fuel source (which cannot currently be banned according to a ruling from the Mass. Atty. General), and additional government control over property, e.g. “The developer will present a payment schedule for how to zero out the Total Emissions of the building, using a social cost of carbon formula approved by CDD. The payment schedule may be annualized over a period not to exceed 10 years. The outstanding balance shall act as a lien on the property in case it is sold. Any offset must demonstrate direct benefits to low-income and minority communities in Cambridge, including economic opportunity through job creation and or financial savings through e.g. utility bill reductions.” Oh yeah, and “any residential buildings that include affordable units” will be exempt from any of the proposed requirements.

This current City Council can be characterized best by one word: “Control”

Order #3. Cambridge HEART Proposal.   Councillor Nolan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Carlone
Charter Right – Zondervan

Communications & Reports #1. A communication was received from Councillor Simmons and Councillor McGovern, transmitting a memorandum regarding the Report for Future of Public Safety Task Force.
Placed on File 8-0-1 (Carlone ABSENT)

The so-called "HEART proposal" comes from the group that calls itself “The Black Response” and is fundamentally rooted in the abolition of traditional police. It appears that its presentation at this moment is meant as a challenge (more like a short circuit) to the report from the Task Force which nonetheless shares some similar ideas. We are fortunate to have a Police Commissioner and a City administration open to reasonable suggestions and it will be interesting to see if some helpful reallocation of resources grows from these suggestions without jeopardizing public safety. The deliberations of the Task Force have been far from transparent, but there was at least some effort to involve a greater cross-section of the community. Emphasis is needed about what exactly constitutes “the community” with councillors and residents alike routinely claiming what is not theirs in any reasonable sense. Contrary to some of rhetoric offered at the recent FY22 Budget Hearings, a proposal from a small unrepresentative group of advocates does not translate into “the community has spoken.” – Robert Winters

Don’t forget about these:

Tues, May 25

3:00pm   The City Council’s Health and Environment Committee will meet to discuss proposed amendments to the Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) that would drive down energy use and emissions in existing buildings in Cambridge as well as an update on the Net Zero Action Plan 5-Year Review process and recommendations.  (Sullivan Chamber) [Chair = Zondervan]

Wed, May 26

10:00am   The City Council’s Neighborhood and Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts & Celebrations Committee will conduct a public hearing on the reappointment of Conrad Crawford to the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority Board and to discuss the pilot of street closures in Harvard Square.  (Sullivan Chamber) [Chair = Nolan]

12:00pm   Special Meeting of the City Council  (Sullivan Chamber)
Note: There has been no notice whatsoever of the purpose of this Special Meeting.
Late Breaking News: The City Clerk finally posted the agenda for this Special Meeting on Monday afternoon. “The City Council will hold a special meeting to discuss the charter assessment conducted by the Collins Center.”

Thurs, May 27

Time Unknown   The City Council’s Civic Unity Committee shall meet to discuss the recently released ‘Social Equity Legislation in Cannabis: A National Study of State and Local Approaches’ by the Initiative organization.  (Sullivan Chamber) [Chair = Simmons]

Tues, June 1

3:00pm   The City Council’s Economic Development and University Relations Committee will conduct a public hearing on the small business grant and loan programs managed by the Economic Development Division of the Community Development Department throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.  (Sullivan Chamber) [Chair = Mallon]

Wed, June 2

2:00pm   The City Council’s Neighborhood and Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts & Celebrations Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss the Alewife Envision Plan.  (Sullivan Chamber) [Chair = Nolan]

5:30pm   The City Council’s Ordinance Committee will meet to conduct a public hearing on an order to amend the Municipal Code of the City of Cambridge to insert new section Restricting the Use of Chemical Crowd Control Agents and Kinetic Impact Projectiles.  (Sullivan Chamber) [Co-Chairs = Carlone, McGovern]

Tues, June 8

11:00am   The City Council’s Economic Development and University Relations Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss strategies and opportunities to alleviate permit and license fees for small businesses, through possible consolidation or elimination.  (Sullivan Chamber) [Chair = Mallon]

Wed, June 9

11:00am   The City Council’s Health and Environment Committee will meet to discuss the city’s progress on our Zero Waste Plan, and relevant items referred to committee, including eliminating single use plastics.  (Sullivan Chamber)

5:00pm   The City Council’s Neighborhood and Long-Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts & Celebrations Committee will hold a public hearing to follow-up from the initial neighborhood group hearing and further discuss how the City can work with groups.  (Sullivan Chamber) [Chair = Nolan]

Thurs, June 10

5:30pm   The City Council’s Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing on the Cambridge Missing Middle Housing Zoning Petition (Ordinance #2021-2).  (Sullivan Chamber) [Co-Chairs = Carlone, McGovern]

Tues, June 15

11:00am   The City Council’s Government Operations Committee will meet to discuss the hiring of the next City Manager.  (Sullivan Chamber) [Chair = Simmons]

May 17, 2021

Foreign Affairs and Other Adventures – May 17, 2021 Cambridge City Council meeting

Filed under: 2021 election,Cambridge,City Council — Tags: , , , , , — Robert Winters @ 2:49 pm

Foreign Affairs and Other Adventures – May 17, 2021 Cambridge City Council meeting

Election-year dynamics are in full swing as our incumbents tailor their appeal to voters whose attention lies both inside and outside the borders of our little 6.39 square mile peoples republic. Here are the items that drew my attention this week:Welcome to the Peoples Republic

Manager’s Agenda #3. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 20-58, regarding a report on creating a comprehensive digital, postal, and traditional media outreach campaign educating residents on the Cambridge eviction moratorium, tenants’ rights, and resources available to at-risk tenants.
Placed on File 9-0

Now that the Governor has announced that we’re going to 100% Reopening as of May 29 and all the Covid indicators are rapidly trending in a good direction, is there any legal justification for maintaining the eviction moratorium? By the way, there is no indication of any “tsunami of evictions” coming any time soon in Cambridge, and the communication notes that “Thankfully, numbers have been very low in Cambridge, and we believe this is due in part to the strong and ongoing partnerships the City has built and continues to build with property management companies.” It is, however, an election year, so I expect to see a tsunami of rhetoric coming regardless.

Manager’s Agenda #4. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 21-3, regarding a report on the parameters on eligible expenses from Free Cash.
Referred to Finance Committee 9-0 (Mallon)

This is great to have some clarity for our research-challenged councillors. There are definitely some councillors who would like nothing more than to hand out cash and prizes – especially to those whose memories run until at least next November – but state law and the Mass. Constitution does not grant such ease to cities and towns. We are obliged to be creative (as in paying restaurants to provide meals on a fee for service basis during the pandemic) or at least to cast such expenditures in terms of broad public benefit even if the resources are going directly to individuals (as is the case with most housing programs).

Manager’s Agenda #7. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $70,000 from the Mitigation Revenue Stabilization Fund to the Public Investment Fund Community Development Extraordinary Expenditures account from mitigation funds contributed by Regency Centers to the Harvard Square Improvement Fund as a condition of special permit #PB334 which will be used for the purchase and installation of public space improvements on Palmer Street in Harvard Square.
Order Adopted 9-0

This expenditure is pocket change, but the intention (I believe) is to work with the abutting property owners on Palmer Street to recreate it as a much more active and interesting space where the boundary between private and public space is intentionally blurred. This alley is necessary for deliveries and other utilitarian needs, but with very little other traffic it’s a perfect location for music and other performances. Movies, hot dog vendors, and other street food would also be nice. Making this a spectacular space will likely cost significantly more than $70K, but I’m sure some of the abutters can chip in. Maybe we can have a pickup game of stick-ball there sometime. If you hit the Coop bridge on the fly, that has to be at least a triple.

Manager’s Agenda #8. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to revised versions of the Retail Zoning Petition and Home Occupations Zoning Petition.
Petition Amended by Substitution (CDD text) 9-0; Passed to 2nd Reading 9-0

Committee Report #1. The Ordinance Committee held a public hearing on Apr 14, 2021 regarding the Retail Uses Zoning Recommendations – Refiled (Ordinance #2021-3) and the Home Occupations Zoning Recommendations – Refiled (Ordinance #2021-4).
Report Accepted, Place on File 9-0

Much of this is long overdue, but the list of proposed changes is just long. Would anyone like to translate and simplify for the rest of us?

On the Table #5. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 20-64, requesting Home Rule language to allow for acoustic live entertainment performances in small businesses under certain conditions without a license. [TABLED IN COUNCIL FEB 22, 2021]
Placed on File 9-0

Manager’s Agenda #9. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to additional information on a Acoustic Music response currently On the Table. [License Commission Mar 9, 2021 Memo] [License Commission Feb 22, 2021 Memo]
Placed on File 9-0

This new response from the License Commission makes a lot of sense. One area that never gets the attention it deserves is how the City and the License Commission balance competing interests in mixed use zones, e.g. when a venue that could generate noise is in close proximity to apartments. This becomes especially important with more people working from home.

Manager’s Agenda #10. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 21-13, regarding next steps on implementation of Universal Pre-K.
Placed on Table 9-0 (Sobrinho-Wheeler)

I like reading these kinds of things. All too often the refrain from City leaders is about public assistance rather than economic and personal empowerment; and education – from pre-K on up to college-level classes – is a big part of what constitutes empowerment.

Manager’s Agenda #11. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to further proposed amendments to the Tree Protection Ordinance and draft regulations. [Attachment A] [Attachment B] [Attachment C]
Placed on Table 9-0 (Zondervan)

Please, councillors, just let homeowners make reasonable choices about how we manage our property without inflicting onerous requirements or excessive costs just because you think you know what’s best. That may involve a little trust. Is that something you can warm up to?

Charter Right #1. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with all relative City departments, the Central Square BID and the MBTA to close Mass Ave. from Prospect Street to Sydney Street on Friday and Saturday evenings from 7:00pm to 1:00am through September 2021 and report back to the Council. [CHARTER RIGHT EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR ZONDERVAN IN COUNCIL MAY 10, 2021]
Order Adopted 8-0-0-1 (Zondervan – Present)

Order #3. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Community Development Department, the Traffic, Parking and Transportation Department, the City Manager’s Small Business Advisory Committee, the Cambridge Business Coalition, and other relevant City Departments to outline a plan for future outdoor dining and necessary City supports to ensure its’ success.   Vice Mayor Mallon, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Carlone, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Toomey, Councillor Zondervan
Order Adopted as Amended 9-0

It has been great seeing how creative some business owners (and business associations and business improvement districts) have been as they navigated the pandemic working cooperatively with City departments. I expect this will continue long after the pandemic. That said, just closing down a street for the sake of saying you closed down a street isn’t especially helpful. Shutting down Mass. Ave. every Friday and Saturday night would have a lot of ripple effects on transportation and on the surrounding streets, and it’s not at all clear what, if any, benefits might result. The action is on the sidewalks and outdoor patios right now and not in the middle of the street. Save the full closures for a few targeted events on some summer and fall weekend afternoons. Definitely make the extended patios a permanent part of the non-winter pedestrian experience in places like Central Square.

Charter Right #3. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to instruct the Law Department to review the proposed ordinance to reduce or limit campaign donations, POR 2020 #240, and respond to the City Council, in a reasonable time, with suggested edits, comments and recommendations. [CHARTER RIGHT EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN IN COUNCIL MAY 10, 2021]
Order Adopted 9-0

Charter Right #4. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the City Solicitor’s Office to draft a Home Rule Petition that would cap campaign contributions to any City Council candidate to $200 per person, per year, per candidate. [CHARTER RIGHT EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN IN COUNCIL MAY 10, 2021]
Order Adopted 7-2 (Carlone, Zondervan – NO)

I seriously think this is more political distraction than anything else. There’s a morality faux fight implicit in all this that’s borderline pathetic. If you simply shine a very bright light on candidates whose campaigns are fueled from questionable sources, that should be enough.

Resolution #5. Resolution on the death of John E. "Jack" Flynn.   Councillor Toomey
Resolution Adopted 9-0

This was really sad news. I hadn’t heard a word about Jackie in years. He was once upon a time a fixture in the City Clerk’s office and at City Hall.

Resolution #6. Death of Jenna Santos.   Mayor Siddiqui
Resolution Adopted 9-0

I read about this in a School Committee communication. It has been a rough year for current CRLS students and some recent CRLS graduates. I heard just the other day about another recent CRLS graduate who died of a drug overdose in Central Square.

Resolution #7. In Support of H.R.2590, “The Palestinian Children and Families Act”.   Mayor Siddiqui, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor McGovern
Charter Right – Nolan

Order #6. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Purchasing Department to review Cambridge’s corporate contracts and identify any companies that are in violation of Cambridge’s policy on discrimination, including (but not limited to) Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Hewlett Packard Incorporated over their role in abetting apartheid in the Middle East, and to suggest alternatives for Cambridge to explore in order to ensure the city embody the values it put on paper.   Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Carlone
Charter Right – Nolan

I respectfully disagree.

Order #1. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the appropriate City staff to (1) refresh the rainbow benches outside of City Hall by June 1, 2021, (2) re-paint the crosswalks in colors that represent the Trans Flag, the Pride Flag, the Bi Flag and the People of Color Pride Flag by June 1, 2021, and (3) light City Hall up in rainbow colors in recognition of Pride Month from June 1, 2021-June 12, 2021.   Mayor Siddiqui, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler
Order Adopted 9-0

This is all well and good, but at some point the question has to be raised regarding how long any given “statement” should remain on City Hall or the surrounding area. For example, the “Juneteenth” flag appeared on City Hall last summer when that day (June 19) was recognized. One might reasonably think that the flag would come down after the holiday and return again this summer, but it remained all year – most likely because of the racial theme during a difficult year. What is awkward here is that even the suggestion that such a flag should be removed until the next celebration could likely be viewed as a hostile act. Nobody is likely to ask about policies regarding such matters because of the discomfort, but there really should be policies and practices that apply to such commemorations and statements. While I’m risking offense, I may as well also note that those POW-MIA flags have been flying now probably since the Vietnam Conflict was still raging. Here’s a suggestion – charge the Civic Unity Committee with making recommendations regarding how and for what duration flags and similar things should be displayed.

Order #2. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Traffic, Parking, and Transportation Department, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Massachusetts State Police, and MassDOT to develop a holistic plan for managing the traffic and congestion in the Alewife area and report back to the City Council.   Councillor Nolan, Vice Mayor Mallon
Order Adopted as Amended 9-0

Cambridge comes full circle. For those who didn’t just move here, let me remind everyone that this is precisely what kicked off the whole adventure that resulted in the “Envision Cambridge” process. It’s almost like our “Envision” needs a new prescription every year.

Order #4. The City Manager be and hereby is requested to consult with relevant Department heads and the nonprofit community on "Digital Equity" and report back to the Council with an implementation plan, schedule, and request for appropriation.   Councillor McGovern, Councillor Nolan, Mayor Siddiqui, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Carlone, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Toomey, Councillor Zondervan
Order Adopted as Amended 9-0

Order #5. That the City Manager be and hereby is ordered to consult with relevant Department heads on other broadband benefits programs offered by the Federal government, and report back to the City Council on the City’s plans to leverage these funds in pursuit of Digital Equity.   Councillor McGovern, Councillor Nolan, Mayor Siddiqui, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Carlone, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Toomey, Councillor Zondervan
Order Adopted as Amended 9-0

I often wonder these days how many City Council orders are ghost-written on Cottage Street or Laurel Street or in some Somerville apartment. By the way, I signed the original petition for municipal broadband, but the more this drags on the more my doubts grow regarding whether that’s even a good road to travel. Sometimes it just seems more like just a wedge issue that exists primarily to argue for charter reform and/or clear-cutting the City administration. – Robert Winters

May 10, 2021

Of interest on the May 10, 2021 City Council Agenda

Filed under: Cambridge,City Council — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — Robert Winters @ 2:56 pm

Of interest on the May 10, 2021 City Council Agenda

Big ticket loan authorizations, juggling finances, tax implications, political machinations and more.City Hall

Manager’s Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a COVID-19 Update.
Placed on File 9-0

Communications & Reports #1. A communication was received from Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui transmitting questions for the COVID-19 Update.
Placed on File 9-0

I have been updating the COVID data and graphs every day for over a year now, and there is nothing I would like more than to see the daily new infections drop to zero so that the graphs will have literally nothing to show and we can all just call it a day and start focusing on other things. We are now down to single digits, and you can actually see faces emerging again.

Manager’s Agenda #2. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the FY2021 Cultural Investment Portfolio Program Grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council in the amount of $12,100 to the Grant Fund Historical Commission Salaries and Wages account ($12,100) which will continue to support part-time archives assistants, who maintain the public archive of Cambridge history.
Order Adopted 9-0

Manager’s Agenda #5. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 21-11 regarding filling vacant positions.
Placed on File 9-0

Leaving budgeted positions unfilled was a key component of the City’s strategy for navigating the pandemic with its diminished revenue and added expenses. This year’s Budget Book shows that FY2020 had an Adopted Budget of $665,550,940 but actual expenditures of $639,240,005 – a savings of $26,310,935. The FY2021 Adopted Budget was $702,432,985, but the Projected FY2021 expenditures are $705,360,745 – just $2,927,760 more than was adopted in June 2020. The new total FY2020 Budget is $735,203,865.

It remains to be seen what the net effect of the pandemic will be on revenues and the resulting tax rates that will be determined in the Fall. Suffice to say that commercial tax revenues are tied to income generation from those properties, and many of them remained vacant or partially vacant for much of this past year. I would like very much to learn more about the property tax abatement applications and whether or not this could result in a significant shift of the tax burden from commercial properties onto residential properties – even if only for a year or two. Needless to say, revenue sources like the hotel/motel tax will be a fraction of what they have been prior to the pandemic and many fees have been reduced or waived.

The Budget Hearings start tomorrow (Tues, May 11). This week’s hearing will include the Cambridge Police Department (CPD) Budget along with many other department budgets. Look for plenty of political grandstanding. The FY2020 CPD Adopted Budget was $63,384,730 and the FY2020 actual expenditures were $61,191,815. Last June the CPD Adopted Budget was $65,925,945 amidst the confused complaints of those who thought we were Minneapolis, and the FY2021 projected CPD expenditures should ring in at around $63,919,100. The FY2022 Budget calls for $68,731,130. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the City Council insisted on reducing this by some token amount just so they could include that in their campaign literature.

Don’t be surprised if by Tuesday evening you find me arguing in favor of replacing proportional representation elections by a system of random selection of 9 people from the Registered Voting List.

Manager’s Agenda #6. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 21-31, regarding funding for housing stabilization assistance in the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget.
Placed on File 9-0

Manager’s Agenda #8. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an order requesting the appropriation and authorization to borrow $28,500,000 to provide funds for the construction of sewer separation, storm water management and combined sewer overflow reduction elimination improvements within River Street and Harvard Square areas as well as the Sewer Capital Repairs Program and climate change preparedness efforts.
Passed to 2nd Reading 9-0

Manager’s Agenda #9. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an order requesting the appropriation and authorization to borrow $1,800,000 to provide funds for various Schools for projects that include: asbestos abatement in various schools, replace the front plaza and failing masonry wing walls and recaulking the building at the Haggerty School, replace emergency generator and extend exhaust at Cambridgeport, recaulking precast panels at CRLS Field House, unit vents engineering at the Fletcher Maynard Academy and Longfellow building and replace the gym floor at the Amigos School.
Passed to 2nd Reading 9-0

Manager’s Agenda #10. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an order requesting the appropriation and authorization to borrow $10,000,000 to provide funds for the Municipal Facilities Improvement Plan. Funds will support improvements at the Department of Public Works Complex, Moses Youth Center HVAC Design, fire notification system installation at 11 buildings, Coffon building bathroom rehab and upgrades and MFIP study. Also, included is funding to support fire station improvements including: Lafayette Square fire station improvements (floor slab, kitchen and gym flooring replacement), Taylor Square fire station improvements (decontamination showers, installation and parapet improvement), East Cambridge fire station improvements (sanitary storm system replacement and generator installation) and Lexington Ave. fire station driveway construction.
Passed to 2nd Reading 8-0-1 (Simmons Absent)

Manager’s Agenda #11. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an order requesting the appropriation and authorization to borrow $5,000,000 to provide funds for the reconstruction of various City streets and sidewalks.
Passed to 2nd Reading 9-0

These loan authorizations (bonds) total $45,300,000. In addition, the FY2022 Public Investment Budget (Pay-As-You-Go) is proposed to be $38,610,865. This brings the total proposed amount for Public Investment to $83,910,865. The funding sources are: Bond Proceeds ($16,800,000), Chapter 90 ($2,706,330), Community Development Block Grant ($1,549,380), Departmental Revenue ($6,027,155), Mitigation Revenue ($3,403,000), Parking Fund Revenues ($1,150,000), Property Taxes ($15,725,000), Sewer Bond Proceeds ($28,500,000), Sewer Service Charges ($2,750,000), Water Fund Balance ($1,800,000), and Water Service Charges ($3,500,000)

The amounts associated with bonds will be paid over time through the Debt Service budget which was $74,269,970 (actual) in FY2020, $78,854,890 (projected) in FY2021, and $82,441,070 (proposed) for FY2022. Just for the sake of comparison over the years, the Debt Service was $8,277,290 in FY1992, $11,493,110 in FY2000, $23,917,070 in FY2005, $43,293,670 in FY2010, and $50,446,035 in FY2015. The choice to pay for much of the capital investments via bonds is at least in part due to the low interest rates we can get thanks to our AAA bond ratings.

Manager’s Agenda #13. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the first Cycling Safety Ordinance report which analyzes the block-by-block impacts of installing quick-build separated bike lanes on four specific segments of Massachusetts Avenue, as identified in Section 12.22.040 (E) of the ordinance.
Refer to Transportation & Public Utilities Committee 9-0

The rhetoric will be entertaining. Parking is now referred to as "private vehicle storage" in order to characterize it as diametrically opposite to "community benefit." The underlying presumption is that all righteous people will soon travel and shop via bicycle – except for those surly laborers who actually deliver your goods, fix your plumbing, install your solar panels and vegetated roofs, etc. By the way, how was your latte this morning?

Order #1. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with all relative city departments, the Central Square BID and the MBTA to close Mass Ave. from Prospect Street to Sydney Street on Friday and Saturday evenings from 7:00pm to 1:00am through September 2021 and report back to the Council.   Councillor McGovern, Councillor Simmons
Charter Right – Zondervan

I don’t yet know of anyone in the Central Square business community who supports this, and I’m sure that the traffic that’s diverted to the parallel residential streets will go over superbly with the residents on those streets. I’m not saying that there can’t be some positive aspects to this, but it strikes me as naive and political as opposed to informed and practical. Selectively re-purposing some streets in Central Square during certain hours and certain days has a lot of merit (and some of this is already planned), but vacating the Massachusetts Ave. roadway on weekend evenings seems neither necessary nor helpful. A more helpful suggestion would be to help facilitate a few summer weekend closures for festivals with music – assuming, of course, that the Covid numbers continue to drop.

Order #2. In support of H. 3559, An Act Relative to Public Transit Electrification.   Councillor Nolan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Vice Mayor Mallon, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Carlone, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Toomey
Order Adopted 9-0 as Amended

This is specific to public transit and calls for (a) blocking any proposed conversion to fuel-powered buses on any of bus routes now powered by overhead wires; (b) having an all-electric MBTA bus fleet within approximately a decade; and (c) converting all commuter rail lines from diesel to electric. While I find a lot of this to be unnecessarily rigid, especially in terms of the durability and route flexibility of the buses, I would like to see not only the electrification of many of the commuter rail lines, but also the folding of some of those lines into an expanded rapid transit system with far more frequent service.

Committee Report #1. The Ordinance Committee met on Feb 24, 2021 conduct a public hearing on the following ordinance amendments.
(1) That the City Council adopt a municipal ordinance to reduce or limit campaign donations from donors seeking to enter into a contract, seeking approval for a special permit or up-zoning, seeking to acquire real estate from the city, or seeking financial assistance from the city.
(2) The Cambridge City Council direct the City Manager to work with the City Solicitor’s Office to draft a Home Rule Petition that would cap campaign contributions to any City Council candidate to $200 per person, per year, per candidate and limit candidate loans to $3,000 per election cycle.
Charter Right – McGovern

We have heard variations of these proposals more times than I care to count, and the legal complications of some of the proposed ideas aren’t even worth repeating at this point. It’s as though proposals like this are integral parts of the campaign rhetoric of some candidates – and whether they are ever implemented in some form is almost irrelevant.

Local political campaigns nowadays do not necessarily require a fortune to be successful – and there is a lot of evidence that the keys to a successful campaign have more to do with social media and shoe leather than with mammoth campaign war chests. In fact, there are some voters (like me) who look upon excessively funded campaigns with more suspicion than respect. The increasing role of political action committees (PACs) in local campaigns is not even being raised by city councillors, and that goes especially for those councillors who are backed by these PACs and appear on their candidate slates – even as the campaign accounts of these PACs are being converted to "Independent Expenditure PACs" with little or no transparency. [References: Cambridge City Council Campaign Receipts 2021 and Cambridge City Council Campaign Receipts 2019]

Personally, I would rather see voluntary caps on spending and full disclosure by all players in the political campaigns – including all organizations who are working to unlevel the playing field and influence the outcomes. A roster of all the people associated with these organizations would also be helpful since simply calling yourselves "Better" means about as much as saying "Make Cambridge Great Again" when what you’re really doing is just creating more investment opportunities to exploit (not that there’s anything wrong with investment). – Robert Winters

May 3, 2021

For Your Consideration on the May 3, 2021 Cambridge City Council meeting

Filed under: Cambridge,City Council — Tags: , , , , , , , — Robert Winters @ 3:24 pm

For Your Consideration on the May 3, 2021 Cambridge City Council meeting agenda

Here are the things I found interesting, alarming, or downright absurd this week:

Manager’s Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a COVID-19 update.
Placed on File 9-0

Communications & Reports #3. A communication was received from Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, transmitting questions for the COVID-19 update.
Placed on File 9-0

It was a pleasure going for a walk this weekend without the mask (except when in close proximity with other people). Let’s hope that things continue on the road to normalcy (or at least close to normal).

Manager’s Agenda #3. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appointment of The Port Infrastructure Project Working Group, effective May 3, 2021 for a period of 12-15 months.
Placed on File 9-0

Manager’s Agenda #5. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 21-25, regarding a report on monitoring drought conditions and an update on demand projections.
Placed on File 9-0

Manager’s Agenda #6. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 20-66, regarding a report on establishing a Black and Brown-Owned Business Task Force.
Placed on File 9-0

Manager’s Agenda #7. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the FY2022 submitted budget and appropriation orders. [FY2022 Summaries] [FY2022 Budget Book]
Referred to Finance Committee 9-0Budget Season!

I like to track how the budgets of the various City departments change from year to year and in the long term. Here’s a chart showing the one-year and two-year changes as well as the 17-year changes.

The big jumps upward this year are for the Law Department (up 23.4% in one year and 38.6% over two years), the Executive Department, i.e. the City Manager’s Office (up 14.3% in one year and 28.8% over two years), and the Animal Commission (up 12.4% in one year but just 0.9% over two years). It is notable that the Mayor’s Office budget dropped 15.3% from the previous year. The overall proposed budget is up 4.7% from the previous year and 10.5% from two years earlier.

It’s not so easy to ascertain from just the summaries how the Covid-19 pandemic expressed itself in the FY22 Budget, but perhaps that will become more clear when information about positions purposely left unfilled is known. There will also be $83.9 million in Loan Authorizations for Capital Projects that will appear on next week’s agenda.

Charter Right #1. That the City Manager is requested to present a plan to the City Council to increase the affordable homeownership stock over the next 10 years by financing the construction of affordable homeownership units through a bond issue of no less than $500 million. [CHARTER RIGHT EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS IN COUNCIL APR 26, 2021] [Order #3 of Apr 26, 2021]
Order Adopted as Amended 9-0

As I said last week: “I think it’s a great idea to encourage and even facilitate homeownership – especially for those who have lived in Cambridge for a long time or possibly their entire lives. Of course in Cambridge-speak, the phrase ‘affordable homeownership’ doesn’t just mean facilitating the purchase of a home. There are always strings attached with ‘social housing,’ and ultimately a ‘homeowner’ could never actually build up any significant equity in the property. For many prospective homeowners, looking elsewhere would still likely be the better long-term option. A program I could definitely warm up to would be one involving loan guarantees to assist prospective homeowners seeking to buy housing in the big wide housing world with fewer strings attached.”

Order #6. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Community Development Department, the Affordable Housing Trust, and other relevant City departments to provide options to update the HomeBridge and Affordable Home Ownership Programs to better align with the City’s values, and promote racial equity and socioeconomic justice.   Vice Mayor Mallon, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Nolan
Order Adopted as Amended 9-0

See above. The Housing Division of the City’s Community Development Department is so addicted to control of the city’s housing stock that it’s doubtful they’ll ever shift their priorities toward actual home ownership and economic equity. The Cambridge municipal view of “socioeconomic justice” generally involves some form of government control and limited or nonexistent equity.

Charter Right #2. That the City Manager is requested to work with the Cambridge Police Department to present a plan to the City Council for demilitarization, including the destruction and recycling of all rifles and shotguns, and elimination of the Lenco Bearcat. [CHARTER RIGHT EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS IN COUNCIL APR 26, 2021] [Order #5 of Apr 26, 2021]
Order Adopted as Amended by (McGovern) Substitution 8-1 (Zondervan – NO)

See my comments from last week on this item. To repeat: “I don’t believe most city councillors ever consider the really exceptional circumstances where greater security is needed. They see only situations where people engaged in protests are offended by ‘the optics’ of large vehicles, weapons, and extra defensive gear. It’s a great luxury (and privilege) to never have to consider the exceptional circumstances.”

On the Table #4. That the City Council shall have its own budget for outside legal research to be utilized at the discretion of the Council when designated by a majority of members in pursuance of the Council’s authority to exercise the legislative powers of the City as specified in the City charter. [TABLED IN COUNCIL APR 26, 2021] [Amended Order #8 of Apr 12, 2021]
Adopted as Amended 7-2 (Simmons, Toomey – NO)

On the Table #5. A communication was received from City Solicitor, Nancy E. Glowa, transmitting Legal Opinion Regarding Request to Have Legal Resources Committed to Assist City Council with Legal Research and Drafting of Ordinances Pursuant to Orders Voted Upon in Public at Scheduled City Council Meetings. [TABLED IN COUNCIL APR 26, 2021] [Late Communication of Apr 26, 2021]
Placed on File 9-0

My comments from last week, including in the aftermath of the Late Communication from City Solicitor Nancy Glowa (who was simply stating facts and not "defending her turf" as some have described her comments): “If this were to happen there is no doubt whatsoever that we would soon see five councillors hand-picking their own lawyer who would then be pitted against the City Solicitor – a recipe for chaos. Furthermore, the City Council is under no obligation to abide by the legal advice of the City Solicitor – though that would generally be a rather poor choice.”

Ms. Glowa’s well-researched and informative communication includes the following: “However, it is not possible, legally or ethically, to provide independent legal counsel to the City Council that would not be under the direction of and reporting to the City Solicitor for the reasons set forth above. It could lead to "dualling lawyers", representing different components of the same client – the City of Cambridge – a situation which “creates a serious potential for confusion and contradiction in the direction of the City’s litigation, as well as the potential for disruption of the City’s business in the event that the advice rendered differs between each attorney.”

In addition to this Late Communication, the City Solicitor forcefully reminded the City Council of the potential jeopardy of proceeding with the Order as originally written. Specifically, Section 107 of the Plan E Charter (which is part of the Mass. General Laws) states that “Neither the city council nor any of its committees or members shall direct or request the appointment of any person to, or his removal from, office by the city manager or any of his subordinates, or in any manner take part in the appointment or removal of officers and employees in that portion of the service of said city for whose administration the city manager is responsible. Except for the purpose of inquiry, the city council and its members shall deal with that portion of the service of the city as aforesaid solely through the city manager, and neither the city council nor any member thereof shall give orders to any subordinate of the city manager either publicly or privately. Any member of the city council who violates, or participates in the violation of, any provision of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or both, and upon final conviction thereof his office in the city council shall thereby be vacated and he shall never again be eligible for any office or position, elective or otherwise, in the service of the city.

After the April 26 meeting Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler opined that this section of the Charter was only meant to prevent a councillor from forcing the firing of a City employee. That is a woefully incorrect reading of this clause. Some councillors appeared to be mock-offended at the suggestion of jail time, but it should be obvious to anyone who can read that the greater penalty would be removal from office and the prohibition from ever seeking that office again.

Unfinished Business #7. A Zoning Petition has been received from Amy Oliver, regarding that the City require the installation of GREEN ROOFS vegetated or BioSolar on future construction and significant rehab of buildings that are 20,000 square feet and larger. [PASSED TO A SECOND READING IN COUNCIL APR 12, 2021] [Text as Amended on Apr 26, 2021]
Ordained as Amended 6-0-0-3 (Mallon, Simmons, Toomey – PRESENT)

Though the Planning Board voted 8-1 against this petition as originally drafted, our compulsively prescriptive City Council will likely ordain this by a comfortable margin.

Order #1. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to ensure that additional funding for Housing Stability shall be made available throughout FY22 if the City Council advises that the need is present.   Councillor Simmons, Councillor McGovern, Mayor Siddiqui
Order Adopted as Amended 9-0

Order #3. That the City Manager be and is hereby requested to work with Community Development and Traffic, Parking and Transportation to include an EV requirement in their review of development projects, including that a minimum of 25% of all parking spaces shall be EVSE-Installed, meaning a parking space equipped with functioning Level 2 Chargers, or the equivalent thereof must be provided, and that all parking spaces be EV-ready, meaning raceway to every parking space, adequate space in the electrical panel, and space for additional transformer capacity; the City approved EV Requirement Equivalent Calculator must be used if chargers other than Level 2 Chargers are installed.   Councillor Nolan, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Carlone
Order Adopted 9-0

There is little doubt that with electric vehicles becoming more common there will have to be a lot more rethinking about how "filling stations" give way to "charging stations". Even with the best of new battery technologies it’s unlikely that the time needed to charge up an electric vehicle will ever be close to the time it takes to fill up the gas tank. It’s not hard to imagine a future where charging is widely available in most garages, but it’s not nearly so easy to imagine how cars parked on the street will routinely access the necessary charging. I imagine long road trips will also have to be reimagined to allow time and the means for charging. All this makes me think of a relevant song by Phil Ochs.

Order #5. That the Cambridge City Council goes on record in support of the Bathroom Bill of Rights being sponsored by Free to Flush.   Councillor McGovern, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Zondervan
Order Adopted 9-0

I wonder if this Bathroom Bill of Rights will encompass the right to deal and inject drugs or provide sexual services like the toilet now parked on City Hall property on the Inman Street side. The red indicator on the door used to mean "occupied" but now means "open for business."

Order #7. Free The Vaccine Resolution.   Councillor Zondervan, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Nolan
Order Adopted 9-0

I believe resolution of this is already happening even without a Cambridge City Council resolution.

Order #8. That the City Manager be and is hereby requested to work with the Traffic, Parking and Transportation Department to apply for the Shared Streets and Spaces Grant Program and if grants are received to work with the community before implementation of a program.   Councillor Nolan, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Vice Mayor Mallon
Order Adopted as Amended 9-0

It’s nice that the Cambridge City Council recognizes some of the adaptation and success that has come about thanks to the initiative of the Central Square BID in cooperation with the City administration, but I don’t really know what role, if any, the City Council has played in any of this other than the photo ops.

Order #9. That the Cambridge City Council go on record standing in solidarity with the MNA nurses campaigning for fair contract negotiations with Cambridge Health Alliance.   Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Zondervan, Councillor McGovern
Order Adopted 9-0

Committee Report #1. The Ordinance Committee met on Dec 9, 2021 to conduct a public hearing on the Cannabis Delivery-Only Zoning Ordinance petition.
Report Accepted, Placed on File, Order Adopted 9-0

It’s all about the money – and picking the winners.

Communications & Reports #2. A communication was received from Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, transmitting charter assessment: review and reform. [2nd Memo provided late]
Placed on File 9-0

Rarely have I seen a more vacuous communication as this. It refers to the attached memo that supposedly contains “an overview of the individual discussions with each Council member, recommendations and alternatives for the Council to consider, and potential next steps for this process.” There was no attachment other than a link to the previous memo from nearly 7 weeks earlier. It’s pretty clear that conversations on this topic have been happening but only in this Council’s characteristic lack of transparency. – Robert Winters

April 26, 2021

Monday Night Live – Featured Items from the April 26, 2021 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Filed under: Cambridge,City Council,covid — Tags: , , , , , — Robert Winters @ 1:29 pm

Monday Night Live – Featured Items from the April 26, 2021 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Here you go:

Manager’s Agenda #12. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an update on the COVID-19 vaccination rollout.
Placed on File 8-0-1 (Simmons ABSENT)

Communications & Reports #2. A communication was received from Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, transmitting questions for the COVID-19 update.
Placed on File 8-0-1 (Simmons ABSENT)

7-day averages (April 11)

Manager’s Agenda #8. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 21-16, regarding creating a Commercial Composting Pilot program. [Report from DPW]
Placed on File 9-0

Manager’s Agenda #9. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to proposed amendment to Section 8.66 of the Municipal Ordinance related to Tree Protection and related Orders. [attachment A][attachment B][attachment C][attachment D]
Orders Adopted 8-1 (Toomey – NO) to (1) pass the amendment through all stages of legislation in one
session pursuant to City Council Rule 20, and (2) to extend the temporary moratorium to June 30, 2021.

Another Ordinance Committee meeting is scheduled for this Wed, Apr 28 to take care of any remaining details prior to ordination. It is my understanding that even though the current proposal calls for permits for removal of "Significant Trees" even on small lots, there is at least some recognition that exceptions should be made re: mitigation – e.g. dead and dangerous trees, exceptional circumstances, etc. I just hope that if a homeowner has a sensible plan there won’t be any burdensome costs imposed or other punitive actions. Homeowners should have a right to make reasonable choices without government intervention.

It’s worth noting that developers of subsidized housing projects can do whatever they damn well please.

Manager’s Agenda #11. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City City HallManager, relative to follow up materials relative to the Green Roofs Zoning Petition. [Report]
Referred to Petition 9-0

Unfinished Business #4. A Zoning Petition has been received from Amy Oliver, regarding that the City require the installation of GREEN ROOFS vegetated or BioSolar on future construction and significant rehab of buildings that are 20,000 square feet and larger. [PASSED TO A SECOND READING IN COUNCIL APR 12, 2021 TO BE ORDAINED ON OR AFTER APR 26, 2021]
Amended and left on Unfinished Business for another week

This will likely have the votes necessary for ordination either this week or next week. Debate continues on whether an all-solar option should be allowed. This proposal would only apply to new construction with gross floor area in excess of 25,000 sq ft.. It was a bit chilling, however, to hear one city councillor suggest that this should apply to a roof as small as 1,000 sq ft even for renovations. While I think it would be great if homeowners were willing to do such a roof treatment, it is likely that maintaining a "green roof" (as opposed to some solar panels) would be neither simple nor inexpensive. Anyone who has ever had to diagnose and correct a roof leak will understand this.

It’s worth noting that developers of subsidized housing projects can do whatever they damn well please.

Charter Right #1. That the City Council shall have its own budget for outside legal research to be utilized at the discretion of the Council when designated by a majority of members in pursuance of the Council’s authority to exercise the legislative powers of the City as specified in the City charter. [CHARTER RIGHT EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS IN COUNCIL APR 12, 2021]
Amended 9-0; Tabled 5-4 (DC,AM,MM,DS,TT – YES; PN,JSW,QZ,SS – NO)

LATE COMMUNICATION
Communications & Reports #3. A communication was received from City Solicitor, Nancy E. Glowa, transmitting Legal Opinion Regarding Request to Have Legal Resources Committed to Assist City Council with Legal Research and Drafting of Ordinances Pursuant to Orders Voted Upon in Public at Scheduled City Council Meetings. [original]
Tabled 5-4 (DC,AM,MM,DS,TT – YES; PN,JSW,QZ,SS – NO)

To repeat: “If this were to happen there is no doubt whatsoever that we would soon see five councillors hand-picking their own lawyer who would then be pitted against the City Solicitor – a recipe for chaos. Furthermore, the City Council is under no obligation to abide by the legal advice of the City Solicitor – though that would generally be a rather poor choice.”

In addition to this Late Communication, the City Solicitor forcefully reminded the City Council of the potential jeopardy of proceeding with the Order as originally written. Specifically, Section 107 of the Plan E Charter (which is part of the Mass. General Laws) states that “Neither the city council nor any of its committees or members shall direct or request the appointment of any person to, or his removal from, office by the city manager or any of his subordinates, or in any manner take part in the appointment or removal of officers and employees in that portion of the service of said city for whose administration the city manager is responsible. Except for the purpose of inquiry, the city council and its members shall deal with that portion of the service of the city as aforesaid solely through the city manager, and neither the city council nor any member thereof shall give orders to any subordinate of the city manager either publicly or privately. Any member of the city council who violates, or participates in the violation of, any provision of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or both, and upon final conviction thereof his office in the city council shall thereby be vacated and he shall never again be eligible for any office or position, elective or otherwise, in the service of the city.

After the meeting Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler opined that this section of the Charter was only meant to prevent a councillor from forcing the firing of a City employee. That is a woefully incorrect reading of this clause. Some councillors appeared to be mock-offended at the suggestion of jail time, but it should be obvious to anyone who can read that the greater penalty would be removal from office and the prohibition from ever seeking that office again.

Order #1. Divestment from Fossil Fuels and Private Prisons.   Councillor Nolan, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Carlone, Councillor Zondervan
Adopted as Amended 9-0

It’s not so clear that the City of Cambridge has ever invested in either fossil fuels or private prisons. This Order seems to be directed more toward investment choices of the Cambridge Retirement Board. Though I’m sure such advice should be seriously considered, it’s not at all clear whether the City Council should be directing how the Cambridge Retirement Board invests funds for current and future retired City employees.

Order #3. That the City Manager is requested to present a plan to the City Council to increase the affordable homeownership stock over the next 10 years by financing the construction of affordable homeownership units through a bond issue of no less than $500 million.   Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Simmons
Charter Right – Simmons

I think it’s a great idea to encourage and even facilitate homeownership – especially for those who have lived in Cambridge for a long time or possibly their entire lives. Of course in Cambridge-speak, the phrase “affordable homeownership” doesn’t just mean facilitating the purchase of a home. There are always strings attached with “social housing,” and ultimately a “homeowner” could never actually build up any significant equity in the property. For many prospective homeowners, looking elsewhere would still likely be the better long-term option. A program I could definitely warm up to would be one involving loan guarantees to assist prospective homeowners seeking to buy housing in the big wide housing world with fewer strings attached.

Order #5. That the City Manager is requested to work with the Cambridge Police Department to present a plan to the City Council for demilitarization, including the destruction and recycling of all rifles and shotguns, and elimination of the Lenco Bearcat.   Councillor Zondervan
Charter Right – Simmons

When I read an Order like this, my mind immediately drifts back to that day some years ago when the President of the United States and the President of China made a visit to Sanders Theater/Memorial Hall at Harvard. There were thousands of people lining the streets and the security was impressive – with one exception. I was able to step out onto a roof overlooking the motorcade with a direct line of sight from four stories up (think Texas Book Depository). A few minutes later a swarm of police rushed up to that rooftop to very politely escort me and another person from this roof that they previously had no idea was accessible. Worry not, there were snipers who would have prevented any bad intentions on my part.

The reason this little adventure comes to mind is that I don’t believe most city councillors ever consider the really exceptional circumstances where greater security is needed. They see only situations where people engaged in protests are offended by “the optics” of large vehicles, weapons, and extra defensive gear. It’s a great luxury (and privilege) to never have to consider the exceptional circumstances.

Order #7. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Director of Personnel and the Law Department on updating the City of Cambridge’s Parental Leave Policy for City of Cambridge employees.   Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Carlone, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Simmons
Order Adopted 9-0

Committee Report #1. The Housing Committee will conduct a public hearing to receive updates from the Community Development Department, the Cambridge Housing Authority, Homeowners Rehab, Inc., and Just-A-Start on the work they are currently engaged in, and the impact of the continuing Covid-19 pandemic upon their operations.
Accept Report, Placed on File 9-0

Communications & Reports #1. A communication was received from Mayor Siddiqui, communicating information from the School Committee.
Placed on File 9-0

Lots of informative reading for your civic pleasure. – Robert Winters

And don’t forget about these:

Wed, Apr 28

5:30pm   The City Council’s Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing on the proposed amendments to the Tree Protection Ordinance.  (Sullivan Chamber – Televised)

Thurs, Apr 29

5:30pm   The City Council’s Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing on the Broad Canal Zoning Petition.  (Sullivan Chamber – Televised)

April 8, 2021

A Peek at the April 12, 2021 Cambridge City Council meeting agenda

Filed under: Cambridge,City Council — Tags: , , , , , , , — Robert Winters @ 7:22 pm

A Peek at the April 12, 2021 Cambridge City Council meeting agenda

Here are a few things coming up:Peoples Republic of Cambridge

Manager’s Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an update on the COVID-19 vaccination rollout.
Placed on File

Communications & Reports #2. A communication was received from Mayor Siddiqui, transmitting questions for the COVID-19 Update.
Placed on File

The beat goes on. Things will get better but right now the variants are temporarlity making things worse. That said, I have seen good statistical models that suggest that the latest wave may peak by early May and drop substantially as we head into June and July. For the moment, however, we still have to take precautions, get vaccinated, and curb our enthusiasm.

7-day averages (April 11)

Charter Right #1. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $130,000 from Free Cash to the Public Investment Fund Electrical Extraordinary Expenditures account which will fund the purchase of a new aerial bucket truck. [CHARTER RIGHT EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR NOLAN IN COUNCIL APR 5, 2021]
Order Adopted 8-1

Regardless of Councillor Nolan’s enthusiasm to obliterate fossel fuels, motor vehicle, and anything that might create emissions (like cows?), there is more than a touch of micromanagement when a city councillor second-guesses a vehicle purchase that had already been vetted for its environmental worthiness (it’s bio-diesel, but not electric).

Resolution #2. That the City Council go on the record in support of this session’s proposed TOPA bills, SD.1672 and HD.2984, and in urging the Cambridge State Legislative Delegation to advance this legislation to swift passage.   Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Carlone
Resolution Adopted 8-1 (Toomey – NO)

My guess is that this resolution will pass without any substantial questions – and there should be questions raised about these bills. For example, should it be the rule that the "right of first refusal" can be assigned to a third-party entity so that existing tenants are not the ones getting an advantage in possible home-ownership opportunities? As one friend with first-hand knowledge of the Washington, DC law noted: “It is largely a mistake and hasn’t really done much for DC real estate values or tenant protections. The right in DC is transferable which has created a sub-market that has really only harmed small owners who need to sell in a pinch or in estate succession.”

My personal take on the proposal is that it is yet another attempt to move residential property from private ownership to “social ownership” with no real intention of empowering existing tenants to own their own housing. If you think this is about the admirable goal of forming tenant-owned coops, think again.

Order #1. Policy Order re: Making Remote Participation Permanent.   Councillor Simmons, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Zondervan
Order Adopted 8-0-1 (Carlone – ABSENT)

Order #2. Policy Order Re: Making Remote Public Participation Easier.   Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Simmons, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor McGovern
Order Adopted 8-0-1 (Carlone – ABSENT)

I spoke at a Government Operations Committee meeting on this topic last week. While I think it is clearly a good idea to continue to provide an opportunity for people to chime in remotely, this will never be a substitute for in-person participation. Getting 120 seconds to hastily read a statement with no opportunity for any back-and-forth interaction is more political theater than actual democracy. More importantly, remote participation should not just be about public comment.

On several occasions in the past I testified at Government Operations Committee meetings that there should be a separate website for every City Council committee that clearly shows what the current activity of the committee is, what actions have been taken or are pending, all supporting documents, and a mechanism for public input with a mechanism for ongoing feedback. I also believe that aides should assigned to committees rather than to individual councillors. Say what you will about remote participation during the pandemic, but the dark side is that much of the City Council business now takes place entirely out of view, and springing late orders at Council meetings or recruiting a parade of Zoom commenters is a poor substitute for deliberative public process.

Order #4. That the City and CPD create laminated, information cards detailing how an individual can file complaints and concerns regarding their interactions with CPD.   Councillor McGovern, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Simmons, Vice Mayor Mallon
Order Adopted 9-0

I remember a day when the Cambridge Police Department produced a series of trading cards (same size as baseball cards) for most and possibly all members of the Police Department. They even had a card for City Manager Bob Healy (I have it in my collection). Making informational business cards available may be useful, but I preferred the trading cards.

Order #5. That the Chair of Civic Unity schedule a meeting to discuss survey results, progress made to date, and recommendations to diversify City’s Boards and Commissions.   Mayor Siddiqui, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Carlone, Councillor Simmons
Order Adopted 9-0

With all that has gone down over the last year it’s worth noting that the last time the City Council’s Civic Unity Committee held a meeting was in May 2019 during the previous City Council term. Perhaps we should just trade it in for a Civic Disunity Committee and call it a day. Regarding the boards and commissions, the real difficulty has generally been in getting enough people to apply.

Order #6. That the City Manager be and is hereby requested to consult with the Water Department and report back to the City Council by the end of the month on plans for monitoring the situation, for early communication on conserving water and for instituting water savings measures, and to inform the Water Board of this request.   Councillor Nolan, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Zondervan
Order Adopted 9-0

Information is good. I will, however, point out that anyone (including city councillors) can go to the Water Department site to learn most of this information. In particular, there’s a Drought Status page.

Order #7. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Community Development Department, the Law Department, and the City Manager’s Housing Liaison to discuss and advise on ways to increase equity in the initial application process for tenants looking to rent in Cambridge that does not violate fair housing laws.   Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Vice Mayor Mallon
Order Adopted as Amended 9-0

Some of us don’t do credit checks at all, but I certainly wouldn’t want to deny a property owner the right or choice to do a credit check of potential tenants. On the other hand, if the sponsors of this Order want to personally contribute to a fund to underwrite any losses due to nonpayment of rent, that would be a very generous thing for them to do.

Order #8. That the City Council shall have its own budget for outside legal research to be utilized at the discretion of the Council when designated by a majority of members in pursuance of the Council’s authority to exercise the legislative powers of the City as specified in the City charter.   Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Carlone, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Zondervan
Charter Right – Simmons

If this were to happen there is no doubt whatsoever that we would soon see five councillors hand-picking their own lawyer who would then be pitted against the City Solicitor – a recipe for chaos. Furthermore, the City Council is under no obligation to abide by the legal advice of the City Solicitor – though that would generally be a rather poor choice.

Committee Report #1. The Ordinance Committee met on Feb 4, 2021 to conduct a public hearing on the Green Roofs zoning petition.
Report Accepted as Amended 9-0

Committee Report #2. The Ordinance Committee met on Mar 31, 2021 to continue a public hearing on the Green Roofs zoning petition.
Report Accepted; Passed to 2nd Reading as Amended 9-0
[Note: Two late policy orders were passed – (1) requesting information about possible impacts of removing the rooftop parking exemption, and (2) where to insert the phrase "That all affordable housing projects, including those that fall under the Affordable Housing Overlay, will be exempt from this section."]

I expect this will pass to a 2nd Reading and may even be ordained in a few weeks in its amended form. It is worth noting, however, that the Planning Board recommended against adoption and I would hope that all of the Planning Board’s concerns are fully addressed before ordaining this. – Robert Winters

And don’t forget about these:

Wed, Apr 14

10:00am   The City Council’s Health and Environment Committee will meet to conduct a public hearing regarding the City’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  (Sullivan Chamber – Televised)

5:30pm   The City Council’s Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing on the Retail Uses Zoning Recommendations – Refiled (Ordinance #2021-3) and the Home Occupations Zoning Recommendations – Refiled (Ordinance #2021-4).  (Sullivan Chamber – Televised)

Thurs, Apr 29

5:30pm   The City Council’s Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing on the Broad Canal Zoning Petition.  (Sullivan Chamber – Televised)

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