Cambridge Civic Journal Forum

December 16, 2023

Municipal Election Voting Comparison: 2021 vs. 2023 (and then some)

Municipal Election Voting Comparison: 2021 vs. 2023

I am just now beginning to analyze the voting patterns of the recent municipal election compared to previous years. There’s a lot more analysis to come, but here’s a quick chart showing histograms of the number of people who voted by age (in 3-year groupings):

Comparison of 2021 vs. 2023 voters by age
Number of people voting in the 2021 vs. 2023 municipal elections

Note, in particular, that the number of people voting in the 24-35 age range jumped considerably, the number of people in the 56-67 age range actually dropped, and the number of people in the 74-82 age range increased considerably. The number of people voting increased from 22,097 to 23,478 (based on available data from the registered voter list and the voter history files).

Here’s the sequence of histograms for 2017 through 2023:

voted 2017

voted 2019

voted 2021

voted 2023

Here are the changes in number of people who voted for 2017 to 2019, 2019 to 2021, and 2021 to 2023:

change from 2017 to 2019

change from 2019 to 2021

change from 2021 to 2023

Feel free to interpret these changes as you see fit. Possible causes are changing demographics, who was targeted by candidates, and specific issues such as bike lanes and the AHO. More to come as the spirit moves me. – RW

October 25, 2020

Money & Politics – Featured Items on the October 26, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Money & Politics – Featured Items on the October 26, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Here are my picks for this week:City Hall

Order #2. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the Community Development Department and other relevant City personnel to establish a plan that will allow for greater outreach to women-and-minority-owned businesses, technical assistance to these businesses in applying for financial relief, and a clear plan to ensure that those small businesses that have not yet received financial assistance be granted every opportunity to access any future City funding should it be made available, and to report back to the City Council on this matter in a timely manner.   Councillor Simmons
Approved 9-0 without discussion

There should be no argument about the ideal of broad outreach and, if necessary, even targeted outreach to ensure that available resources are equitably provided. There does come a point, however, when this crosses the line into political patronage and favoritism. During the cannabis brouhaha last year over how City ordinances could be crafted to provide advantages to social equity and economic empowerment applicants one couldn’t help but notice how many former elected officials were lining up to cash in on these advantages. Inequities in financial assistance necessitated by closures due to the pandemic are likely due to some potential recipients being less savvy about how to access benefits, but suggesting that outreach should be targeted only to women-and-minority-owned businesses seems more like favoritism than anything else. Shouldn’t outreach be to any and all businesses who may be unfamiliar with how to access benefits?

Order #3. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to raise this issue with the appropriate representatives of the Cambridge Crossing buildings, and with the appropriate representatives of the Governor’s Office, to ensure that these businesses are not in violation of any current statewide Covid-19 protocols.   Councillor Simmons
Approved 9-0 without discussion

Apparently there have been “party buses” full of unmasked party animals seen driving in and out of the emerging Cambridge Crossing area, a.k.a. North Point. Perhaps the party animals could be quarantined in the buses for a couple of weeks rather than release them into the general population. Party on, Wayne. Party on, Garth.

Order #4. That the City Council adopt a municipal ordinance to reduce or prohibit 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.   Councillor Carlone, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Zondervan
Charter Right – Simmons

This is really the centerpiece of this week’s agenda. It’s not the first time such a proposal has been floated in the City Council, and it always provides a wonderful opportunity for councillor doublespeak. While my personal preference is to simply require fully transparent disclosure of political donations from anyone, including those with potential business before the City, the simple truth is that it’s ethically questionable to receive such donations. If you dig into the contributions made during the 2019 municipal election season there was a lot of money coming from people affiliated with real estate development (including labor unions whose members would stand to get additional work) and cannabis. There were also significant contributions from those in the nonprofit housing world who wanted the City to amend zoning to deliver more projects to them.

Some incumbents and challengers have outright refused donations from anyone involved in real estate. I personally think that’s excessive and maybe even a bit snobby. Some people who deal in real estate are friends and neighbors who are very charitable with their time and talent (and money) in civic affairs. On the other hand, there are some councillors who take in tons of money from those with business before the City, and their votes generally do align with those interests. We all know that correlation does not imply causation, but it certainly does raise an eyebrow or two – and it should. The fact that some councillors wait until just after the election to receive such large donations seems even more problematic – at least to me – because it evades any disclosure that might have influenced voters.

The 2019 election featured a new twist – questioning the propriety of residents who own homes making political donations. The suggestion was that their favored councillors might vote in such a way that might cause their property to rise in value. Earth to Cambridge – those values have been rising primarily due to factors that have little to do with City Council actions. That fact, of course, will never stand in the way of political rhetoric by those who like to point fingers. Let’s also acknowledge that during the rent control era nobody suggested a conflict of interest in councillors receiving financial and political support from those whose primary motivation was keeping their rent controlled. Is there anyone who doesn’t have at least some sort of financial interest in election outcomes and political actions?

Order #5. That the City Manager be and is hereby requested to work with the Solicitor to draft Ordinance language to prohibit the use of tear gas in Cambridge.   Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Nolan, Mayor Siddiqui
Charter Right – Simmons

I believe the Police Department has said they don’t use tear gas, and I can’t imagine that policy changing. So what exactly is the reason for making this an ordinance other than just political showmanship?

Order #6. That the City must work with all major housing providers to eliminate or reduce the filing of evictions during the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis.   Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler
Referred to Housing Committee 9-0

Unlike the alarmist rhetoric coming from my State Misrepresentative (Connolly), this order is all about negotiation and facilitation for better outcomes. Who can argue with that? – Robert Winters

February 9, 2020

Cambridge School Committee 2019 campaign finance reports (and $/vote)

The totals from the 2019 campaign finance reports for Cambridge School Committee candidates are provided in the table below. This table will be updated when the remaining candidates file their year-end reports (which were due Jan 20, 2020).
The table can be sorted by clicking on any field – once for increasing order and again for decreasing order.

CandidateFromToStartReceiptsExpendBalanceLiabilities #1 Votes$/Vote
Allen, Ruth Ryan8/9/1910/18/19$0.00$9,397.00$3,264.85$6,132.15$1,078.92year end report missing892$3.66
Bowman, Mannika1/1/1910/25/19$3,145.07$11,892.00$11,469.80$3,567.27$0.00year end report missing3107$3.69
Dawson, Bernette6/11/1912/31/19$0.00$4,793.00$4,121.82$671.18$0.00complete977$4.22
Dexter, Emily1/1/1912/31/19$0.00$3,710.01$3,710.01$0.00$6,350.54complete3003$1.24
Fantini, Fred1/1/1912/31/19$4,184.01$9,540.00$8,682.78$5,041.23$14,695.99complete2660$3.26
Kadete, Elechi1/1/1910/28/19$51.40$3,038.62$1,547.60$1,542.42$0.00year end report missing815$1.90
Lim, Christopher1/1/1910/18/19$0.00$3,025.00$2,883.57$141.43$0.00year end report missing934$3.09
Rojas Villarreal, Jose Luis1/1/1912/31/19$0.00$1,584.99$1,068.18$516.81$0.00complete1133$0.94
Weinstein, David1/1/1912/31/19$510.77$13,056.18$9,476.18$4,090.77$15,707.99complete974$9.73
Weinstein, Rachel11/8/1712/31/19$0.00$32,438.07$26,646.39$5,791.68$5,232.63complete2178$12.23
Wilson, Ayesha11/8/1712/31/19$0.00$13,135.00$11,045.64$2,089.36$400.00complete2689$4.11

February 7, 2020

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

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).

CandidateFromToStartReceiptsExpendBalanceAs Of#1 Votes$/VoteNotes
PAC - ABC05/16/1801/31/200.0021436.4119384.532051.8802/03/20--A Better Cambridge
PAC - CCC10/01/1901/31/200.0017891.2312748.415142.8202/05/20--Cambridge Citizens Coalition, $300 refund deducted
PAC - CResA07/15/1901/31/200.003166.772710.61456.1602/03/20--Cambridge Residents Alliance
PAC - Cambr. Bike Safety07/15/1907/15/190.000.000.000.0007/15/19--Cambridge Bike Safety
PAC - Our Revolution Cambridge10/01/1901/31/200.001427.001367.0060.0002/03/20--filed 10/9/19 w/OCPF
Akiba, Sukia07/16/1901/31/200.003000.032370.03630.0002/04/20362 $6.55$450 refund deducted
Azeem, Burhan05/01/1901/31/200.0013914.0513860.3753.6802/04/20961 $14.42$550 candidate loan deducted
Carlone, Dennis02/01/1801/31/2010088.5833141.6335999.177231.0402/03/201479 $24.34
Franklin, Charles03/05/1901/31/200.0033326.6031624.441702.1602/03/20323 $97.91new candidate, Mar 5
Kelley, Craig02/01/1801/31/204951.6539413.2030665.7013699.1502/03/201422 $21.57
Kopon, Derek07/01/1901/31/200.009716.729716.720.0001/11/20493 $19.71no longer raising/spending funds
Levy, Ilan02/01/1801/31/20-44.32650.51551.4154.7802/03/20110 $5.01
Mallon, Alanna02/01/1801/31/205380.4541744.7642180.484944.7302/05/201256 $33.58refund deducted
McGovern, Marc02/01/1801/31/206376.17105310.08103330.238356.0202/05/201621 $63.74$600 refund deducted, $3000 late expend.
McNary, Jeffery08/02/1901/31/200.000.000.000.0002/03/2077 $0.00will not raise/expend funds
Mednick, Risa07/16/1901/31/200.0019618.9916171.283447.7102/03/20244 $66.28new candidate, July 15
Moree, Gregg08/01/1912/31/190.001500.001500.000.0001/03/2047 $31.91ceased reporting
Musgrave, Adriane02/01/1801/31/20474.6741091.1936864.404701.4602/05/20726 $50.78
Nolan, Patty07/01/1901/31/200.0023587.0216731.696855.3302/03/201685 $9.93new candidate, June 11
Pitkin, John06/16/1901/31/200.0014304.6813396.95907.7302/03/20536 $24.99new candidate, July 17
Siddiqui, Sumbul02/01/1801/31/209334.0533624.2827639.3415318.9902/03/202516 $10.99
Simmons, Denise02/01/1801/31/207595.5063834.3362767.508662.3302/03/202007 $31.27
Simon, Ben03/16/1901/31/200.0012456.3711275.411180.9602/03/20294 $38.35new candidate, Apr 2
Sobrinho-Wheeler, Jivan03/11/1901/31/200.0027478.1325660.241817.8902/03/201321 $19.42new candidate, Mar 11
Toomey, Tim02/01/1801/31/205509.5263797.5357780.8611526.1902/03/201729 $33.42$24514.97 loan repayments deducted
Williams, Nicola A.03/12/1901/31/200.0031569.2231307.01262.2102/03/20631 $49.61new candidate, Mar 12
Zondervan, Quinton02/01/1801/31/201279.6647100.1548123.32256.4902/03/201382 $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)

Vote!

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?

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)ReceiptsCambridgePctunionsPctReal EstatePctunions+REPct
McGovern, Marc C.$107,006.21$46,638.0043.6%$12,550.0011.7%$30,200.0028.2%$42,750.0040.0%
Simmons, E. Denise$64,111.19$31,466.1949.1%$6,250.009.7%$20,600.0032.1%$26,850.0041.9%
Toomey, Timothy J., Jr.$63,112.80$33,325.1452.8%$5,100.008.1%$13,350.0021.2%$18,450.0029.2%
Mallon, Alanna$42,475.25$28,537.2567.2%$6,450.0015.2%$1,900.004.5%$8,350.0019.7%
Siddiqui, Sumbul$33,654.68$19,871.6859.0%$5,250.0015.6%$350.001.0%$5,600.0016.6%
Musgrave, Adriane$42,278.35$20,919.3549.5%$4,200.009.9%$600.001.4%$4,800.0011.4%
Kelley, Craig A.$40,385.00$32,378.0080.2%$2,500.006.2%$1,650.004.1%$4,150.0010.3%
ABC - PAC$25,850.26$21,593.2383.5%$0.000.0%$2,907.0011.2%$2,907.0011.2%
Sobrinho-Wheeler, Jivan$28,430.00$18,710.4265.8%$1,500.005.3%$0.000.0%$1,500.005.3%
Carlone, Dennis$33,648.00$27,098.0080.5%$500.001.5%$250.000.7%$750.002.2%
Mednick, Risa$19,541.00$13,908.0071.2%$500.002.6%$0.000.0%$500.002.6%
Azeem, Burhan$14,724.35$11,969.3581.3%$450.003.1%$35.000.2%$485.003.3%
Williams, Nicola A.$31,662.28$24,412.0277.1%$0.000.0%$50.000.2%$50.000.2%
Akiba, Sukia$3,000.00$980.0032.7%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
BikeSafety-PAC$3,480.00$2,155.0061.9%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
CCC - PAC$19,155.00$18,275.0095.4%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
CResA - PAC$3,173.08$3,005.0094.7%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
Franklin, Charles$34,392.78$22,639.7865.8%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
Kopon, Derek Andrew$8,873.16$7,295.0182.2%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
Levy, Ilan S.$650.00$550.0084.6%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
McNary, Jeffery$0.00$0.00-$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
Moree, Gregg J.$1,500.00$1,500.00100.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
Nolan, Patricia M.$23,236.23$13,630.0058.7%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
ORC - PAC$1,992.00$1,892.0095.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
Pitkin, John$14,335.00$12,172.0084.9%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
Simon, Ben$12,863.56$7,118.2355.3%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
Zondervan, Quinton$47,226.23$34,317.2372.7%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
Total$720,756.97$456,356.4463.3%$45,250.006.3%$71,892.0010.0%$117,142.0016.3%

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”

January 16, 2020

2020 School Committee Vacancy Recount – David J. Weinstein elected

Filed under: 2019 election,elections — Tags: , , , — Robert Winters @ 9:55 pm

David WeinsteinJan 16, 2020 – As expected, David Weinstein was elected at the Jan 16 Vacancy Recount to the Cambridge School Committee seat vacated by Emily Dexter (who was elected in the November 2019 municipal election but decided not to serve the term to which she was elected).

Dexter Vacancy Recount (Jan 16, 2020) – David Weinstein elected


2020 School Committee Vacancy Recount

City SealJan 9, 2020 – A vacancy has been created in the School Committee due to the decision of Emily Dexter to not serve as a member of the School Committee for the term beginning January 6, 2020. Pursuant to the Cambridge Charter and Massachusetts General Law Chapter 54A, the Cambridge Election Commission will hold a Vacancy Recount to fill the seat.

This “Vacancy Recount” of Emily Dexter’s ballots will be held on Thursday, January 16, 2020 at 5:30pm in the Election Commission office, 51 Inman Street (1st Floor), Cambridge, Mass. Tanya L. Ford-Crump, the Election Commission Executive Director, has been designated as the Director of the Count for this purpose.

Eligible candidates will be invited to attend and are entitled to appoint two witnesses and two alternative witnesses provided that written notice of the names and addresses of the appointees signed by such candidate is filed with the Election Commission no later than 24 hours before this Vacancy Recount.

January 5, 2020

The Eve of Inauguration

Filed under: 2019 election,Cambridge,School Committee — Tags: , , , , , — Robert Winters @ 11:02 pm

The Eve of Inauguration

City HallSun, Jan 5 – It’s the Eve of Inauguration of the 2020-21 City Council (10:00am start, City Hall) and School Committee (6:00pm start, Cambridge Public Library, Lecture Hall, 449 Broadway). Upon inauguration of the City Council, they will proceed directly to the Election of the Mayor (and then the Vice Chair should a Mayor actually be elected). There has been the usual chatter among residents (as well as some posturing of incumbents meant to suggest who might have disproportionate influence in the process) but other than the logic of those with high vote totals deserving an advantage in the selection, I have no specific information on how the vote will go. Often the person who is seen as delivering the decisive vote is rewarded by being elected Vice Mayor or getting choice committee assignments. I have attended these inaugurations every two years for a very long time and have generally found the mayoral maneuvering to be interesting, especially in trying to decipher which favors are granted to whom in exchange for votes. It would so much more interesting if there were actual horses being traded.

Whoever does end up with the five votes to become Mayor will then have the distinct privilege of becoming the 7th voting member and Chair of the School Committee. If the tone and focus of the upcoming School Committee is even remotely similar to the outgoing one, a prison sentence might be preferable to being Mayor. Perhaps with mostly new members things will be different. A Mayor who is capable of resolving differences rather than exacerbating them will help. Time will tell.

One City Council Committee appointment (by whomever ends up as Mayor) will be Chair of the Government Operations, Rules, and Claims Committee. We are now entering the final year of the contract with City Manager Louis A. DePasquale. The process of deciding whether to extend that contract or to seek a new City Manager has traditionally been shepherded by the Chair of Government Operations, though any route to five votes would be completely consistent with the Plan E Charter under which the Manager "shall hold office during the pleasure of the city council". As to the timing, the current contract states: "If the City intends to continue Mr. DePasquale’s employment beyond January 8, 2021, it shall give written notice to Mr. DePasquale on or before September 14, 2020, and initiate negotiations for a successor employment contract, which contract, if agreed to, shall become effective January 9, 2021. Absent agreement on a successor employment contract, this Agreement shall terminate on January 8, 2021." – Robert Winters

PS – At this time it appears to still be the case that Emily Dexter may not accept her election to the School Committee. If this does prove to be the case, her replacement will be officially determined later this month. I sincerely hope that this situation is somehow reversed, that the will of the voters is respected, and that a "teachable moment" is somehow recovered. There is an opportunity here for a new Mayor to actually show real leadership. Or not. – RW

City Councillors-Elect: Dennis Carlone, Alanna Mallon, Marc McGovern, Patty Nolan, Sumbul Siddiqui, Denise Simmons, Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, Tim Toomey, Quinton Zondervan

School Committee Members-Elect: Mannika Bowman, Emily Dexter, Alfred Fantini, Jose Luis Rojas Villarreal, Rachel Weinstein, Ayesha Wilson

December 17, 2019

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 441-442: December 17, 2019

Episode 441 – Cambridge InsideOut: Dec 17, 2019 (Part 1)

This episode was broadcast on Dec 17, 2019 at 5:30pm. Topics: On Elections & Vacancies; The Departure of Councillors Craig Kelley & Jan Devereux; Karp Petition and East Cambridge development, Contract Zoning a.k.a. “Let’s Make A Deal”; Mall Tales and Mini-Retail. Hosts: Patrick Barrett, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]


Episode 442 – Cambridge InsideOut: Dec 17, 2019 (Part 2)

This episode was broadcast on Dec 17, 2019 at 6:00pm. Topics: Harvard Square Zoning Petition – how zoning might help retail.; Form-Based Zoning – Citywide Somerville Rezoning; Finding the “Sweet Spot” in zoning density. Hosts: Patrick Barrett, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

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