City Council « Cambridge Civic Journal Forum

February 17, 2020

Special Tues, Feb 18, 2020, 3:00pm City Council Meeting to discuss the Harvard Square Overlay Zoning Petition

Filed under: Cambridge,City Council,Harvard Square — Tags: Cambridge, City Council, Harvard Square, zoning — Robert Winters @ 9:34 am

Special Tues, Feb 18, 2020, 3:00pm City Council Meeting to discuss the Harvard Square Overlay Zoning Petition

City Hall The petition expires March 10, 2020. I suppose they could let it expire and go through the process again, but it seems like the inclination is to get some amended version of this petition ordained earlier than later. The March 9 City Council meeting has been cancelled, and the petition must be passed to a 2nd Reading at this Special Meeting in order to allow time (14 days) for the legally required advertisement of the petition prior to a vote on ordination. [Zoning FAQ] Assuming the advertisement appears on Thurs, Feb 20 this means that the earliest date the petition could be voted would be Thurs, March 5 (certainly not before March 3), so this petition could not be ordained at the March 2 meeting, and another Special Meeting would have to be scheduled prior to the March 10 expiration date. Hence this Special City Council Meeting and possibly another. – RW

Update – The CDD page on zoning was incorrect – it’s a 10 day advertising window. The City Clerk also shipped the advertisement off to the papers prior to the matter being passed to a 2nd Reading at this Feb 18 Special Meeting so that it could be in the queue for possible ordination at the March 2 City Council meeting. This caused some awkwardness at the meeting since the language couldn’t be amended in any substantive way without being re-advertised. I guess whatever gets you in before the deadline…… RW

COMMITTEE REPORTS
1. Report of the Ordinance Committee – Committee Meeting – Dec 11, 2019 5:30pm
Regarding the Harvard Square Zoning Petition
Present: Carlone, Devereux, Kelley, Mallon, McGovern, Simmons, Siddiqui, Zondervan

2. Report of the Ordinance Committee – Committee Meeting – Jan 30, 2020 5:30pm
Regarding the reconvened hearing regarding the Harvard Square Zoning Petition
Present: Carlone, Mallon, McGovern, Siddiqui, Sobrinho-Wheeler, Zondervan, Simmons (late), Toomey (late)

3. Motion to amend the petition by the substitution with the language as recommended by the Ordinance Committee on January 30, 2020.

4. A Zoning Petition has been received from Suzanne P. Blier regarding Harvard Square Zoning Petition.

• Petition Text
• CDD Memo – November 14, 2019
• Planning Board Presentation – November 19, 2019
• Planning Board Recommendation
• Supplemental Information from CDD Staff

Comments (0)

February 10, 2020

First Pass at the Feb 10, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Filed under: Cambridge,City Council — Tags: Agassiz, Cambridge, City Council, foreign policy, history, parking — Robert Winters @ 12:11 am

First Pass at the Feb 10, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Manager’s Agenda #4. Transmitting communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $1,200,000 from Free Cash, to the Public Investment Fund Public Works Extraordinary Expenditures Account for expanded tree planting and continued implementation of the Urban Forestry Master Plan recommendations. City Hall

Unfinished Business #3. TPO (Tree Protection Ordinance) Extension PO [Passed to a Second Reading on Jan 27, 2020. To Be Ordained on or after Feb 10, 2020]

It seems likely that the Tree Removal Moratorium extension will breeze through. Ideally, the Council would at least amend it to allow for some additional flexibility, especially for long-term residents who are simply maintaining their property rather than redeveloping it. Hope springs eternal, but I don’t have much faith that reason will prevail here or when they finally get around to implementing any master plan recommendations.

Manager’s Agenda #8. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to amending the Cambridge Municipal Code to insure a Welcoming Community Ordinance. [Red-Lined version][Clean version]

Unfinished Business #4. That the Cambridge City Council amend the Municipal Ordinances of the City of Cambridge to insert a new Chapter 2.129, entitled “WELCOMING COMMUNITY ORDINANCE” [Passed to a Second Reading on Jan 27, 2020. To Be Ordained on or after Feb 10, 2020.]

I expect this too will breeze through ordination either this week or very soon, but the rhetoric over restrictions on police activities should prove interesting, especially the clarifications from the City Solicitor in the section on the "Role of Police Department in immigration enforcement" to make it consistent with federal statutes.

Order #1. That the City Manager is requested to direct the appropriate City staff to work with the residents of the Agassiz neighborhood in furthering this important neighborhood conversation and in helping make a determination as to how to arrive at an appropriate, official name change for this neighborhood. Councillor Simmons, Mayor Siddiqui

Cambridge neighborhood names have no real legal standing. Some of them, like Mid-Cambridge, were invented by what was once called the Planning Department back when they were making maps for federal grant programs. So in some sense this is just feel-good stuff. Maybe we should just use Zip Codes to avoid any future historical crisis.

Order #2. That the City Manager is requested to rename the maintenance area within the Ryan Garage at 147 Hampshire Street in honor of Sydney Cox, with this becoming known as the “Sydney James Cox Maintenance Facility”. Councillor Simmons, Councillor Toomey

This continues what has become a DPW tradition of naming its buildings and facilities for some of our great long-time dedicated DPW employees.

Order #4. That the City Manager is requested to confer with relevant City departments on the feasibility of instituting a program to install rings on parking meters to expand bicycle parking options. Councillor Nolan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Mayor Siddiqui

This has been suggested in the past by me and by others, and the stock answer at the time was that locking bikes to parking meters somehow obstructed access to motor vehicles. Geometry and reality contradict this. The only exception would be bikes with trailers. Maybe we’ll get a different answer this time around.

Order #6. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Department of Human Services and other relevant departments to determine the feasibility of both expanding the Head Start program hours and adding additional scholarships to improve access to high-quality, early childhood educational resources. Mayor Siddiqui, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Carlone, Councillor McGovern

The single most important thing we can do to lessen inequality is to support programs like Head Start that help to level the playing field so that residents can one day succeed on their own terms. If somebody wants education we should provide it one way or another.

Order #7. That the City Council go on record calling for the Parliament of India to uphold the Indian constitution by repealing the Citizenship Amendment Act, stopping the National Register of Citizens, and taking steps towards helping refugees by ratifying various UN treaties on refugees. Councillor Zondervan, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Nolan

We’re barely one month into this Council term and it’s already looking like we need a change in the City Council Rules to establish a standing Foreign Policy Committee.

Committee Report #2. Report of the Ordinance Committee – Committee Meeting – Feb 5, 2020 5:30 PM [PDF][HTML]

This concerns the Alexandria zoning petition to establish a Grand Junction Pathway Overlay District. It is noteworthy in that the petition was likely to die a lonely death unless an alternative site for the proposed Eversource electrical substation on Fulkerson Street could be found. Thanks to the intervention of City Manager Louis DePasquale and others, an alternate site seems to have been identified but not yet revealed. – Robert Winters

Comments (0)

February 7, 2020

2019 Cambridge City Council Campaign Bank Reports (and $/Vote) – FINAL

Filed under: 2019 election,Cambridge,campaign finance,City Council — Tags: Cambridge, campaign finance, City Council, elections — Robert Winters @ 9:55 pm

The following table shows the summary bank reports (Feb 2018 through Jan 2020) for 2019 Cambridge City Council candidates and active local political action committees involved in the 2019 municipal election. These reports were updated at the middle and at the end of every month. You can sort by any of the fields shown by clicking on the field name – one click ascending and second click descending. #1 Votes and $/Vote fields were added after the election and will now be updated only if significant new bills are paid. The table is now closed with all reports through Jan 31, 2020 recorded. There will be no further updates for this campaign cycle other than corrections (which are not likely).

Candidate	From	To	Start	Receipts	Expend	Balance	As Of	#1 Votes	$/Vote	Notes
PAC - ABC	05/16/18	01/31/20	0.00	21436.41	19384.53	2051.88	02/03/20	-	-	A Better Cambridge
PAC - CCC	10/01/19	01/31/20	0.00	17891.23	12748.41	5142.82	02/05/20	-	-	Cambridge Citizens Coalition, $300 refund deducted
PAC - CResA	07/15/19	01/31/20	0.00	3166.77	2710.61	456.16	02/03/20	-	-	Cambridge Residents Alliance
PAC - Cambr. Bike Safety	07/15/19	07/15/19	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	07/15/19	-	-	Cambridge Bike Safety
PAC - Our Revolution Cambridge	10/01/19	01/31/20	0.00	1427.00	1367.00	60.00	02/03/20	-	-	filed 10/9/19 w/OCPF
Akiba, Sukia	07/16/19	01/31/20	0.00	3000.03	2370.03	630.00	02/04/20	362	$6.55	$450 refund deducted
Azeem, Burhan	05/01/19	01/31/20	0.00	13914.05	13860.37	53.68	02/04/20	961	$14.42	$550 candidate loan deducted
Carlone, Dennis	02/01/18	01/31/20	10088.58	33141.63	35999.17	7231.04	02/03/20	1479	$24.34
Franklin, Charles	03/05/19	01/31/20	0.00	33326.60	31624.44	1702.16	02/03/20	323	$97.91	new candidate, Mar 5
Kelley, Craig	02/01/18	01/31/20	4951.65	39413.20	30665.70	13699.15	02/03/20	1422	$21.57
Kopon, Derek	07/01/19	01/31/20	0.00	9716.72	9716.72	0.00	01/11/20	493	$19.71	no longer raising/spending funds
Levy, Ilan	02/01/18	01/31/20	-44.32	650.51	551.41	54.78	02/03/20	110	$5.01
Mallon, Alanna	02/01/18	01/31/20	5380.45	41744.76	42180.48	4944.73	02/05/20	1256	$33.58	refund deducted
McGovern, Marc	02/01/18	01/31/20	6376.17	105310.08	103330.23	8356.02	02/05/20	1621	$63.74	$600 refund deducted, $3000 late expend.
McNary, Jeffery	08/02/19	01/31/20	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	02/03/20	77	$0.00	will not raise/expend funds
Mednick, Risa	07/16/19	01/31/20	0.00	19618.99	16171.28	3447.71	02/03/20	244	$66.28	new candidate, July 15
Moree, Gregg	08/01/19	12/31/19	0.00	1500.00	1500.00	0.00	01/03/20	47	$31.91	ceased reporting
Musgrave, Adriane	02/01/18	01/31/20	474.67	41091.19	36864.40	4701.46	02/05/20	726	$50.78
Nolan, Patty	07/01/19	01/31/20	0.00	23587.02	16731.69	6855.33	02/03/20	1685	$9.93	new candidate, June 11
Pitkin, John	06/16/19	01/31/20	0.00	14304.68	13396.95	907.73	02/03/20	536	$24.99	new candidate, July 17
Siddiqui, Sumbul	02/01/18	01/31/20	9334.05	33624.28	27639.34	15318.99	02/03/20	2516	$10.99
Simmons, Denise	02/01/18	01/31/20	7595.50	63834.33	62767.50	8662.33	02/03/20	2007	$31.27
Simon, Ben	03/16/19	01/31/20	0.00	12456.37	11275.41	1180.96	02/03/20	294	$38.35	new candidate, Apr 2
Sobrinho-Wheeler, Jivan	03/11/19	01/31/20	0.00	27478.13	25660.24	1817.89	02/03/20	1321	$19.42	new candidate, Mar 11
Toomey, Tim	02/01/18	01/31/20	5509.52	63797.53	57780.86	11526.19	02/03/20	1729	$33.42	$24514.97 loan repayments deducted
Williams, Nicola A.	03/12/19	01/31/20	0.00	31569.22	31307.01	262.21	02/03/20	631	$49.61	new candidate, Mar 12
Zondervan, Quinton	02/01/18	01/31/20	1279.66	47100.15	48123.32	256.49	02/03/20	1382	$34.82

Summaries of potential 2019 City Council campaign bank reports. Adjustments to the totals have been made to reflect returned donations and other factors. [updated Mar 5, 2020 at 1:35pm]

Campaign Finance Reports – 2019 City Council (updated Feb 7, 9:55pm)

Comments (2)

February 3, 2020

Follow the Money – Cambridge City Council Campaign Receipts 2019

Filed under: 2019 election,Cambridge,campaign finance,City Council — Tags: Cambridge, campaign finance, City Council, elections — Robert Winters @ 6:45 pm

Why do labor unions pour so much money into City Council campaign coffers?

Money! [Originally posted Aug 15, updated periodically] – One thing I have always found puzzling is the amount of money donated to the campaign accounts of incumbent city councillors. I suppose this could be interpreted as financial support for those who have supported unions in their noble quest for better wages, benefits, and working conditions, but the fact is that all incumbents and challengers appear to share this sentiment. So perhaps it’s something different. There is a longstanding pattern of labor representatives being recruited by some of the larger real estate developers to speak in favor of new development – supposedly because of the jobs involved, but that always struck me as too simplistic. Many of the people who control the funds of these political action committees are, to say the least, politically connected.

There’s also the matter of political contributions from people tied to real estate development. This is always difficult to evaluate because of the simple fact that it’s very difficult, if not impossible, to determine motive. There are people who have been generous charitable contributors for ages who also happen to own and/or develop Cambridge real estate. Are their contributions related to their real estate interests or not?

Of course, there’s also the matter of whether or not contributions come from Cambridge residents. It’s not always easy to draw conclusions from this – primarily because some candidates have family and friends scattered across the rest of the state and the country.

Here’s a revised account of the (a) Cambridge contributions, (b) union contributions, (c) real estate contributions (as best as I could discern), and (d) total of union and real estate money contributed over this election cycle starting from Feb 1, 2018 through Jan 31, 2020 (a full two-year election cycle) for all City Council candidates (notes: – receipts include loans from candidates to their campaigns; refunds deducted if clearly a refund):

Table of reported City Council campaign receipts (Feb 1, 2018 - Jan 31, 2020 - a full two-year election cycle) - Total, Cambridge, Unions, Real Estate - updated Oct 24, 2:16pm to include extremely late-reported receipts to ABC and Zondervan

Candidate (and PACs)	Receipts	Cambridge	Pct	unions	Pct	Real Estate	Pct	unions+RE	Pct
McGovern, Marc C.	$107,006.21	$46,638.00	43.6%	$12,550.00	11.7%	$30,200.00	28.2%	$42,750.00	40.0%
Simmons, E. Denise	$64,111.19	$31,466.19	49.1%	$6,250.00	9.7%	$20,600.00	32.1%	$26,850.00	41.9%
Toomey, Timothy J., Jr.	$63,112.80	$33,325.14	52.8%	$5,100.00	8.1%	$13,350.00	21.2%	$18,450.00	29.2%
Mallon, Alanna	$42,475.25	$28,537.25	67.2%	$6,450.00	15.2%	$1,900.00	4.5%	$8,350.00	19.7%
Siddiqui, Sumbul	$33,654.68	$19,871.68	59.0%	$5,250.00	15.6%	$350.00	1.0%	$5,600.00	16.6%
Musgrave, Adriane	$42,278.35	$20,919.35	49.5%	$4,200.00	9.9%	$600.00	1.4%	$4,800.00	11.4%
Kelley, Craig A.	$40,385.00	$32,378.00	80.2%	$2,500.00	6.2%	$1,650.00	4.1%	$4,150.00	10.3%
ABC - PAC	$25,850.26	$21,593.23	83.5%	$0.00	0.0%	$2,907.00	11.2%	$2,907.00	11.2%
Sobrinho-Wheeler, Jivan	$28,430.00	$18,710.42	65.8%	$1,500.00	5.3%	$0.00	0.0%	$1,500.00	5.3%
Carlone, Dennis	$33,648.00	$27,098.00	80.5%	$500.00	1.5%	$250.00	0.7%	$750.00	2.2%
Mednick, Risa	$19,541.00	$13,908.00	71.2%	$500.00	2.6%	$0.00	0.0%	$500.00	2.6%
Azeem, Burhan	$14,724.35	$11,969.35	81.3%	$450.00	3.1%	$35.00	0.2%	$485.00	3.3%
Williams, Nicola A.	$31,662.28	$24,412.02	77.1%	$0.00	0.0%	$50.00	0.2%	$50.00	0.2%
Akiba, Sukia	$3,000.00	$980.00	32.7%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%
BikeSafety-PAC	$3,480.00	$2,155.00	61.9%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%
CCC - PAC	$19,155.00	$18,275.00	95.4%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%
CResA - PAC	$3,173.08	$3,005.00	94.7%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%
Franklin, Charles	$34,392.78	$22,639.78	65.8%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%
Kopon, Derek Andrew	$8,873.16	$7,295.01	82.2%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%
Levy, Ilan S.	$650.00	$550.00	84.6%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%
McNary, Jeffery	$0.00	$0.00	-	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%
Moree, Gregg J.	$1,500.00	$1,500.00	100.0%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%
Nolan, Patricia M.	$23,236.23	$13,630.00	58.7%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%
ORC - PAC	$1,992.00	$1,892.00	95.0%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%
Pitkin, John	$14,335.00	$12,172.00	84.9%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%
Simon, Ben	$12,863.56	$7,118.23	55.3%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%
Zondervan, Quinton	$47,226.23	$34,317.23	72.7%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%	$0.00	0.0%
Total	$720,756.97	$456,356.44	63.3%	$45,250.00	6.3%	$71,892.00	10.0%	$117,142.00	16.3%

Source: Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF)

ABC-PAC: “A Better Cambridge Political Action Committee”
BikeSafety-PAC: “Cambridge Bicycle Safety Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee”
CCC-PAC: “Cambridge Citizens Coalition Political Action Committee”
CResA-PAC: “Democracy for Cambridge Political Action Committee” – Cambridge Residents Alliance
ORC-PAC: “Our Revolution Cambridge Political Action Committee”

Comments (0)

February 2, 2020

Post-Candlemas: Little Nuggets from the Feb 3, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Filed under: Cambridge,City Council — Tags: Cambridge, Cambridge Recycling Center, City Council, City Manager, Louis DePasquale, Plan E, political patronage, short-term rentals, voter age, voting — Robert Winters @ 9:23 pm

Post-Candlemas: Little Nuggets from the Feb 3, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

groundhog Here are the little nuggets that I found comment-worthy this week:

Manager’s Agenda #6. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a home rule petition to the state legislature that would lower the voting age to sixteen (16) in municipal elections.

As I said last April when this idea had its day in committee: "As for lowering the voting age for municipal elections to 16 years old, my belief is that the minimum voting age should be the same across the entire Commonwealth and not vary from town to town. If you want to make the case for this, try to convince the state legislature to do it statewide or pursue other matters." As the City Solicitor notes in her message, the City Council submitted home rule petitions in 2002 and 2006 to be permitted to lower the municipal voting age to 17, and neither of those petitions was approved. The current petition asks to drop the voting age even lower.

Manager’s Agenda #7. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, recommending the appointment of the following person as a member of the Cambridge Housing Authority Board of Commissioners for a term of 5-years, as recommended by the Greater Boston Labor Council: Louis Bacci, III.

That makes two appointments to the Cambridge Housing Authority Board in as many weeks. As noted last week, the CHA Board is one of only two City boards where appointees require City Council confirmation, so the appointment of Louis Bacci (who presumably will succeed Anthony Pini) will likely be referred to the Housing Committee for a formal hearing – maybe even a two-for-one deal along with appointee Gerald Clark. [Members of Cambridge Boards & Commissions (updated Jan 24, 2020)]

Manager’s Agenda #8. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the Mayor’s recommended appointments of the following member of the Family Policy Council, effective Feb 3, 2020 for the 2020-2021 Council term: Vice Mayor Alanna Mallon and School Committee Member Ayesha Wilson.

Resolution #4. Retirement of Mary Hart from her role as Chief Information Officer for the Information Technology Department. Mayor Siddiqui, ~~Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Carlone, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Toomey, Councillor Zondervan~~

Though it’s been corrected in the revised agenda, this resolution initially went in with 9 co-sponsors. Heaven forbid that there would have been a conspiracy among a majority of councillors in defiance of the Open Meeting Law on this purely congratulatory resolution. [Some rules are just plain silly.] I’m a bit curious if retiring "from her role as Chief Information Officer" for IT is the same as retirement from working for the City. In any case, look for the City Council to step up in their call for Municipal Broadband – especially in light of Communications & Reports #2 (below).

Order #1. That the City Manager is requested to review the roles, responsibilities, and compensation of City Council Aides with an eye toward designating this as a full-time position. Councillor Simmons, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Carlone

I dispute the foundation of this Order, specifically the assertion that "This role has, in the ensuing years, greatly expanded and evolved, with Council Aides managing the schedules of their Council members, conducting constituent intakes and triage, planning and participating in Committee hearings, representing their Council member in public and private meetings, serving as liaisons between their Council members and other elected officials, and serving as an additional conduit between the municipal elected officials and their constituents, in addition to their originally outlined duties." Is the new practice of having stand-ins for city councillors something that should be celebrated and rewarded? City Council committees may need additional support to function optimally, but not individual councillors. Let’s also not forget that the primary route to a job as a City Council aide is to work in the election campaign of the councillor. Finally, I will note that efforts to grow this particular form of political patronage have often coincided with mayoral elections and proposed extensions of a city manager’s contract. Again, see Communications & Reports #2 (below).

I will also note City Hall parking that was once open to anyone working in City Hall (except for Monday evenings) is now exclusively for city councillors on all days and all hours regardless when any councillors are in the building.

Order #3. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Department of Public Works and any other relevant City departments to update the Council on the plans for the Cambridge Recycling Center. Councillor Toomey, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Zondervan

As one of the people who argued for the continuation of the Recycling Center after the City began curbside recycling (July 1991) and who recommended some of the features of the current setup, I’m quite interested in how this resource may evolve. Whether the City moves toward having a mobile Recycling Center or a better layout for the DPW Yard, this question is fundamentally linked to the long-term plans for the DPW Yard and whether it will remain at 147 Hampshire Street or be relocated. I sure appreciated being able to bring some heavy scrap metal there this weekend.

Order #5. Improvements to STR Ordinance to Enhance Compliance. Councillor McGovern, Councillor Carlone

Perhaps this is what you get when you choose to have an ordinance go into effect on April Fools Day.

Communications & Reports #2. A communication was received from Councillor Simmons, transmitting a letter from City Manager Louis A. DePasquale, who is serving formal notice of his desire to enter into formal negotiations with the City Council to extend his contract with the City beyond January 2021.

I’m glad to see that Louis DePasquale wants to continue as City Manager. He deserves an extension simply on the merits of his job performance. That said, I can well imagine more than a few pet projects of individual councillors getting funded in this budget cycle. Just sayin’. – Robert Winters

Comments (0)

January 27, 2020

Notable Items on the Jan 27, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Filed under: Cambridge,City Council — Tags: ban, boards and commissions, Cambridge, City Council, transportation, Tree Ordinance — Robert Winters @ 12:42 am

Notable Items on the Jan 27, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Here’s my first pass at the interesting stuff ("interesting", of course, being a relative term):

Manager’s Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the recommendation to reappointment of Gerard Clark as a member of the Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA) Board of Commissioners for a term of 5-years.

Manager’s Agenda #2. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appointment of the following person as a new member of the Affordable Housing Trust Board for a term of three years, effective Jan 22, 2020: Elaine DeRosa

Manager’s Agenda #3. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the reappointment of the following members of the LGBTQ+ Commissioner for a term of three years, effective Feb 6, 2020: Mal Malme, Robert Parlin, Aren Stone, Catherine Grams, Noelani Kamelamela, Gregory MacDonough and Britt Huhmann

Many board appointments this week. The City Manager is "the appointing authority" under the City Charter, but there are two boards for which City appointments require City Council confirmation – the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority and the Cambridge Housing Authority – so the CHA appointment will likely be referred to the Housing Committee for a formal hearing. [Members of Cambridge Boards & Commissions (updated Jan 24, 2020)]

Manager’s Agenda #4. Transmitting communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $46,000 from Free Cash to the General Fund Elections Department Salary and Wages account ($6,145) and to the General Fund Elections Department Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($39,855) which will be used to cover the additional costs associated with recently approved early voting for the Presidential Primary, Mar 3rd, 2020.

Early Voting for the Presidential Primary will be available Feb 24 through Feb 28 at 6 locations [www.CambridgeMA.gov/EarlyVoting]. Election Day is Mar 3, 2020.

Unfinished Business #3. Fuel pump warning labels [Passed to Second Reading on Jan 13, 2020 to be ordained on or after Jan 23, 2020.]

I expect this perfectly meaningless gesture will be ordained unanimously.

Resolution #2. Congratulations to Sydney Cox for 45 Years at DPW. Councillor Simmons

One of the best things about being involved in recycling and composting promotion in Cambridge was the opportunity it afforded me to meet so many of the really great people at the Department of Public Works – many of whom, including Sydney Cox, have careers with the City spanning many decades. The annual DPW Commissioners Awards Ceremony in the spring has always been one of my favorite City events (and not just for the cookout!).

Resolution #11. Resolution on the death of Richard B. Griffin. Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Simmons

Richard was one of the most decent people I ever met in Cambridge civic life. Perhaps the most moving tribute I have seen is this editorial by Cambridge Chronicle editor Amy Saltzman: Richard Griffin, longtime Chronicle columnist, dies at 91

Order #5. That the City Manager is requested to confer with relevant City Departments, and, where relevant, the MBTA and counterparts in other municipalities for routes not wholly in Cambridge, on the feasibility of instituting and funding a fare-free pilot bus program. Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Mayor Siddiqui

The chance of doing this just within the boundaries of Cambridge is very low. The idea, however, is not crazy. If done more broadly it could be transformative, but the cost would not only be in lost fare revenue. Ridership would likely jump, and more buses (and drivers) would have to be added with greater frequency of buses (shorter headways). This would also likely lead to demands for more routes as well.

Order #9. That the Cambridge City Council amend the Municipal Ordinances of the City of Cambridge to insert a new Chapter 2.129, entitled WELCOMING COMMUNITY ORDINANCE. Councillor Carlone, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Zondervan, Mayor Siddiqui

Sanctuary City Rebranded

Committee Report #1. Report of the Ordinance Committee – Dec 11, 2019, 2:00pm (Natural Gas Ban)

Committee Report #2. Report of the NLTP Committee – Dec 19, 2019, 5:30pm (Cambridge Carnival)

Committee Report #3. Report of the Health & Environment Committee – Jan 22, 2020, 2:30pm (Tree Protection Ordinance)

There are more effective strategies than an outright ban on new gas hookups. Hopefully the various "stakeholders" can make their case, but it’s likely that this will be just one more step down the Road To Ban Everything. As for where the "Tree Protection Ordinance" is headed, I’m sure those trees will be lining The Road To Ban Everything. Any notion that the eventual permanent version of the Tree Protection Ordinance will allow reasonable people to do reasonable things is likely pure fantasy. – Robert Winters

Comments (1)

January 15, 2020

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 445-446: Jan 14, 2020

Filed under: Cambridge,Cambridge InsideOut,City Council — Tags: Alewife, budget, Cambridge, City Council, City Manager, Judy Nathans, mayor, Robert Winters, zoning — Robert Winters @ 1:44 am

Episode 445 – Cambridge InsideOut: Jan 14, 2020 (Part 1)

This episode was broadcast on Jan 14, 2020 at 5:30pm. Topics: New year, new City Council; Jan 13 Council meeting, Tree Removal Moratorium extension debated; practical vs. ideological; committee appointments; City Manager contract and budget growth. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

Episode 446 – Cambridge InsideOut: Jan 14, 2020 (Part 2)

This episode was broadcast on Jan 14, 2020 at 6:00pm. Topics: Schmidt Petition, definition of “family” in zoning, rooming houses; rent control vs. helping people; What’s Next? chasing a crisis vs. promoting a good idea; Will this be a confiscatory Council?; incentives vs. mandates. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

Comments (0)

January 13, 2020

It’s Opening Day – Jan 13, 2020 Cambridge City Council meeting

Filed under: Cambridge,City Council — Tags: Cambridge, City Council, mayor, School Committee, zoning — Robert Winters @ 2:14 pm

It’s Opening Day – Jan 13, 2020 Cambridge City Council meeting

City Hall This is the first regular City Council meeting of the 2020-21 term. The mayoral vote at the Jan 6 Inauguration was a single take, and newly minted Mayor Siddiqui broke the record for fastest City Council committee appointments. Here are a few items on the agenda of some interest.

Unfinished Business #4. Amendment to Chapter 8.12 of the Municipal Ordinances of the City of Cambridge. [Passed to a Second Reading on Dec 16, 2019 To Be Ordained on or after Dec 29, 2019]

This is the proposed municipal ordinance that would ban mobile fueling operations throughout Cambridge, i.e. where a vehicle shows up where you are and fills your gas tank for you. As I said when this was first introduced as a zoning amendment last October: "Yet more evidence of the lazy ass, ‘call the servants’ times that we now live in. If pumping your own gas at the filling station is so burdensome that you must use a phone app to have the ‘little people’ show up to do it for you, then maybe it’s time to reconsider your life choices."

Applications & Petitions #1. A Zoning Petition has been received from Christopher Schmidt, regarding an amendment to Section 2.000 of the Zoning Ordinance.

This is a simple and sensible proposal that would amend the definition of "family" in the Zoning Ordinance to remove restrictions on unrelated family members. Specifically, it would simply say: "Family. One or more persons occupying a dwelling unit and living as a single nonprofit housekeeping unit."

The current definition is this:

Family. One or more persons occupying a dwelling unit and living as a single nonprofit housekeeping unit; provided that a group of four or more persons who are not within the second degree of kinship shall not be deemed to constitute a family.

Notwithstanding the definition in the preceding paragraph, a family shall be deemed to include four or more persons not within the second degree of kinship occupying a dwelling unit and living as a single, nonprofit housekeeping unit, if said occupants are handicapped persons as defined in Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, as amended by the “Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988.” Such unrelated individuals shall have the right to occupy a dwelling unit in the same manner and to the same extent as any family in the first paragraph of this definition.

It’s unknown when the last time the current definition was ever enforced, and households consisting of several unrelated persons are very common in Cambridge and the region. The only potential downside of this simplification might be that an apartment specifically designated as "family housing" may become just another roommate situation.

Resolution #2. Resolution on the death of Carol Cerf. Councillor Simmons

Resolution #5. Resolution on the death of Susan Noonan-Forster. Councillor Toomey

Resolution #9. Resolution on the death of Thomas F. Courtney. Councillor Toomey, Councillor Simmons, Councillor McGovern

I knew Carol Cerf from the CCA Board over 25 years ago and would often run into her on her bicycle for years after that. She was one of the more kind and generous people I met in local politics over the years. There was a moment of silence at the Jan 6 School Committee Inauguration noting the death of Susan Noonan-Forster. Thomas F. Courtney, among many other notable distinctions, was the father of our most beloved Deputy City Clerk Paula Crane.

Order #4. TPO Extension PO. Councillor Zondervan

The cryptic summary refers to a proposed extension of the Tree Protection Ordinance, i.e. Moratorium, from the current expiration date of March 11, 2020 to December 31, 2020. The Order also encourages that more permanent language be soon established based on recommendations of the Urban Forest Master Plan Task Force. I can only hope that some flexibility is written into the more permanent ordinance to allow reasonable homeowners to do reasonable things without exorbitant cost, but recent trends tend to be the opposite.

Communications & Reports #2. A communication was received from Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, transmitting information from the Jan 7, 2020 Regular Meeting of the School Committee.

It’s good to see intermural communication like this from the Mayor to the City Council regarding School Committee matters.

Communications & Reports #3. A communication was received from Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, announcing the formal 2020-2021 appointments to the City Council Committees.

This has to be a new record for fastest City Council committee appointments. It usually takes weeks and Mayor Siddiqui had it done in three days. – Robert Winters

Comments (0)

« Newer Posts — Older Posts »

Cambridge Civic Journal Forum

February 17, 2020

Special Tues, Feb 18, 2020, 3:00pm City Council Meeting to discuss the Harvard Square Overlay Zoning Petition

Special Tues, Feb 18, 2020, 3:00pm City Council Meeting to discuss the Harvard Square Overlay Zoning Petition

Like this:

February 10, 2020

First Pass at the Feb 10, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

First Pass at the Feb 10, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Like this:

February 7, 2020

2019 Cambridge City Council Campaign Bank Reports (and $/Vote) – FINAL

Like this:

February 3, 2020

Follow the Money – Cambridge City Council Campaign Receipts 2019

Why do labor unions pour so much money into City Council campaign coffers?

Like this:

February 2, 2020

Post-Candlemas: Little Nuggets from the Feb 3, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Post-Candlemas: Little Nuggets from the Feb 3, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Like this:

January 27, 2020

Notable Items on the Jan 27, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Notable Items on the Jan 27, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Like this:

January 15, 2020

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 445-446: Jan 14, 2020

Episode 445 – Cambridge InsideOut: Jan 14, 2020 (Part 1)

Episode 446 – Cambridge InsideOut: Jan 14, 2020 (Part 2)

Like this:

January 13, 2020

It’s Opening Day – Jan 13, 2020 Cambridge City Council meeting

It’s Opening Day – Jan 13, 2020 Cambridge City Council meeting

Like this:

We take civility very seriously here. Any threats or abusive behavior of any kind will get you banned for life.

February 17, 2020

Special Tues, Feb 18, 2020, 3:00pm City Council Meeting to discuss the Harvard Square Overlay Zoning Petition

Share this:

Like this:

February 10, 2020

First Pass at the Feb 10, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Share this:

Like this:

February 7, 2020

Share this:

Like this:

February 3, 2020

Why do labor unions pour so much money into City Council campaign coffers?

Share this:

Like this:

February 2, 2020

Post-Candlemas: Little Nuggets from the Feb 3, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Share this:

Like this:

January 27, 2020

Notable Items on the Jan 27, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Share this:

Like this:

January 15, 2020

Episode 445 – Cambridge InsideOut: Jan 14, 2020 (Part 1)

Episode 446 – Cambridge InsideOut: Jan 14, 2020 (Part 2)

Share this:

Like this:

January 13, 2020

It’s Opening Day – Jan 13, 2020 Cambridge City Council meeting

Share this:

Like this:

We take civility very seriously here. Any threats or abusive behavior of any kind will get you banned for life.