For those who like their information in spreadsheets….
Cambridge City Council
Council2021-Unofficial
Cambridge School Committee
School2021-Unofficial
November 6, 2021
2021 Cambridge City Council and School Committee (Unofficial) Election Results
November 4, 2021
Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 523-524: November 2, 2021
Episode 523 – Cambridge InsideOut: Nov 2, 2021 (Part 1)
This episode was recorded on Nov 2, 2021 at 6:00pm. Topics: Election Day; turnout; early and mail-in voting; Candidate Page statistics; ballot questions & Quest for Control – selling control as “democracy”; truths about City boards & commissions; civic responsibilities; Federico Muchnik videos – Walden Square, The Tasty; reducing elections to “hot topics”. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters
[On YouTube] [audio]
Episode 524 – Cambridge InsideOut: Nov 2, 2021 (Part 2)
This episode was recorded on Nov 2, 2021 at 6:30pm. Topics: Changing rules for voter registration; auxiliary ballots, provisional ballots; preliminary vs. unofficial vs. official election results; campaign finance for City Council and School Committee; reporting the details of the PR Count; the down side of slate voting and the importance of voting for individuals. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]
October 26, 2021
Vote NO on all three Ballot Questions
Ballot Question Information (includes arguments for and against)
Cambridge’s ballot questions explained: Here’s what you need to know (Oct 14, 2021, Cambridge Chronicle)
As long as people are opining on the three ballot questions, I just want to say that I will be voting NO on all three questions.
Regarding Question #1, it might have been helpful if the sponsors had actually asked some members of City boards & commissions how they felt about the proposed change. They didn’t.
I think you can make a reasonable case for Council review of appointees in a system where the City Council has no say in the selection of the appointing authority, e.g. in a city with a directly elected mayor. In Cambridge the appointing authority is the City Manager who is hired by the City Council and who serves "at the pleasure of the City Council."
I have serious concerns that members of some boards will now have to toe the party line of a bare majority of city councillors. For example, I would not be at all surprised if an appointee to the Historical Commission is rejected for supporting historic preservation in an environment where five councillors want to clear out historically significant buildings in order to facilitate densification.
I will add that the proponents failed to determine or specify which boards/commissions might be subject to this change. For example, is the License Commission (Police Commissioner, Fire Chief, and Exec. Director) now subject to City Council approval? (I don’t think so.) What about the Election Commission which was established via a 1921 Special Act of the Mass. Legislature? Would the membership of a topic-specific Task Force appointed by the City Manager be viewed as a "Board" that would now be subject to City Council review?
Regarding Question #2, the City Council has always had the ability to require an annual review of their city manager – no charter revision required. So is the real point that there has been intramural fighting among councillors with the Chair of their Government Operations Committee failing to recommend or schedule a review?
Regarding Question #3, I have no problem with there being a periodic review of the City Charter. I do, however, take issue with the proposal that every member of the proposed Charter Review Committee would be appointed by the City Council. Ordinary citizens need not apply. An independent Charter Review Commission – possibly even an elected commission – would be the better way to proceed.
Robert Winters
October 6, 2021
Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 519-520: October 5, 2021
Episode 519 – Cambridge InsideOut: Oct 5, 2021 (Part 1)
This episode was recorded on Oct 5, 2021 at 6:00pm. Topics: Wild Card baseball; voter registration and voting options; tax classification & taxes, councillors wanting to tax & spend; over-reliance on commercial development, residential exemption and the condo sweet deal; neighborhood associations, community schools, & neighborhood councils; topics for candidates. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters
[On YouTube] [audio]
Episode 520 – Cambridge InsideOut: Oct 5, 2021 (Part 2)
This episode was recorded on Oct 5, 2021 at 6:30pm. Topics: Tim Toomey Park and happy reunions; from carpetbagger to townie; voting history and supervoters; reprecincting; PACs and candidate slates; campaigning door-to-door; using City Council committee meetings for political organization and promotion. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]
September 30, 2021
Voter Registration and Voting Options for the Municipal Election
Voter Registration and Voting Options for the Municipal Election
Early voting is available to all voters for the Municipal Election on Tuesday, November 2nd. Early voting is available by mail and in-person to all registered voters in Cambridge. However, you choose to vote, please be advised that once a voter casts an early voting ballot, the voter may no longer vote at the polls.
Voter Registration
For anyone wanting to vote early in-person, by mail, or by drop box, the first step is making sure you are registered. To check your voter registration status and to find information on how to register to vote, please go to www.registertovotema.com. You will need a license, or an I.D. issued by the Registry of Motor Vehicles to apply online. To be eligible to vote in the Municipal Election on Tuesday, November 2, 2021, you must register to vote or make changes to your voter registration by Wednesday, October 13, 2021. The office will be open until 8:00pm on October 13, 2021.
Early Voting by Mail
To vote by mail:
- Complete a Vote by Mail Application. For voter convenience postage paid postcard applications were mailed by the Election Commission to all registered voters in Cambridge. You may also download an application at www.cambridgema.gov/earlyvoting or send a written request with your name, Cambridge address, address where you want the ballot sent, and your signature.
- Vote when your ballot arrives.
- Return your voted and sealed ballot to the Cambridge Election Commission by mail, ballot drop box, or in person to the Cambridge Election Commission office.
Send your signed application by email, fax or mail:
• Email: elections@cambridgema.gov
• Fax: 617-349-4366
• Mail: Cambridge Election Commission 51 Inman Street Cambridge, MA 02139
You can check the status of your ballot at www.TrackMyBallotMA.com.
The deadline to return a vote by mail ballot is November 2, 2021 at 8:00pm to be counted.
The deadline to submit a Vote by Mail Application for a mailed ballot for the election is Wednesday, October 27, 2021 at 5:00pm. The Cambridge Election Commission recommends submitting this application no later than October 19th to ensure the timely delivery of your ballot.
The Election Commission is open to the public by walk-in or appointment. If you would like to schedule an appointment at, please go to https://calendly.com/cambridge-election-commission.
Early Voting In-Person
To vote in person, visit any one of the three (3) early voting locations offered in Cambridge during the period from Saturday, October 23, 2021 to Friday, October 29, 2021 for the Municipal Election. You must be a registered voter in Cambridge to vote at the early voting locations. Please refer to the City’s designated early voting schedule below. The deadline to vote early in person is Friday, October 29, 2021 at 5:00pm.
DESIGNATED EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS, HOURS AND DAYS
Cambridge Water Department – 250 Fresh Pond Parkway, Cambridge
Main Library – 449 Broadway, Cambridge
Valente Library – 826 Cambridge Street, Side Entrance on Berkshire Street, Cambridge
| Saturday | Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| October 23 | October 24 | October 25 | October 26 | October 27 | October 28 | October 29 |
| 10am – 3pm | ALL SITES CLOSED |
11am – 7pm | 10am – 5pm | 11am – 7pm | 10am – 5pm | 10am -5pm |
The Election Commission office located 51 Inman Street will NOT be an early voting location for the Municipal Election, November 2, 2021. Voters must go to one of the designated early voting locations listed above.
Official Ballot Drop Box Locations
Official ballot drop boxes will be available at the following six (6) locations for Cambridge voters beginning Friday, October 9, 2021 through Tuesday, November 2, 2021 at 8:00pm. The drop boxes will be open from 7:00am to 8:00pm Monday through Sunday.
- City Hall – Near the back door of the building located at 795 Massachusetts Avenue
- Morse School – Near the front entrance of the building located at 40 Granite Street
- Cambridge Police Headquarters – Near the front of the building located at 125 6th Street
- Maria L. Baldwin School – Near the Oxford Street entrance of the building located at 28 Sacramento Street
- O’Neill Library – Adjacent to the entrance stairs of the building located at 70 Rindge Avenue
- Coffon Building – Near the front of the building located at 51 Inman Street (see note below)
Note: Location #6 located in the front of the Coffon Building is already open for use.
Relocation of Some Polling Sites & Voting on Election Day
Voting on Election Day will still be available for those who want to vote at the polls. Some polling sites were relocated for the upcoming Municipal Election on November 2, 2021. Your polling site location will be in the same ward and precinct or near your regular polling site for voter convenience and to minimize voter confusion. In the next few weeks, voters will receive an Early Voting Guide and a Voter Notification Card in the mail that will have information pertaining to where you vote, any relocated polling sites and other important election related information. Please refer to the voter information which will be mailed to you over the next few weeks. A list of wards/precincts and polling sites are available below, so you know where to go if you choose to vote on Election Day. The highlighted locations were relocated for the 2021 Municipal Election.
2021 Polling Sites
| Precinct | Location |
| Ward 1 | |
| 1-1 | COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL OF CAMBRIDGE, 245 Bent Street, Main Entrance |
| 1-2 | COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL OF CAMBRIDGE, 245 Bent Street, Main Entrance |
| 1-3 | MILLER RIVER APARTMENTS, 15 Lambert Street, Cambridge Street entrance |
| Ward 2 | |
| 2-1 | PISANI CENTER, 131 Washington Street |
| 2-2 | M.I.T., Kresge Auditorium, behind Stratton Center, 70 Mass. Avenue |
| 2-3 | M.I.T., Kresge Auditorium, behind Stratton Center, 70 Mass. Avenue |
| Ward 3 | |
| 3-1 | VALENTE BRANCH LIBRARY, 826 Cambridge Street, Side Entrance on Berkshire Street |
| 3-2 | MOSES YOUTH CENTER, 243 Harvard Street, Lower Level, Rear Entrance |
| 3-2A | MOSES YOUTH CENTER, 243 Harvard Street, Lower Level, Rear Entrance |
| 3-3 | SALVATION ARMY HEADQUARTERS, 402 Massachusetts Avenue |
| Ward 4 | |
| 4-1 | CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY CENTER, 5 Callender Street, Howard Street Entrance |
| 4-2 | CITY HALL, 795 Massachusetts Avenue, Driveway Entrance |
| 4-3 | MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. SCHOOL, 102 Putnam Avenue, Playground Gym Entrance |
| Ward 5 | |
| 5-1 | LBJ APARTMENTS, 150 Erie Street, Community Room (Parking Lot Entrance) |
| 5-2 | MORSE SCHOOL, 40 Granite Street, Main Entrance |
| 5-3 | MORSE SCHOOL, 40 Granite Street, Main Entrance |
| Ward 6 | |
| 6-1 | CITY HALL ANNEX, 344 Broadway Conference Room, Second Floor |
| 6-2 | CAMBRIDGE RINDGE & LATIN SCHOOL, 459 Broadway, Media Cafeteria, Cambridge Street Entrance |
| 6-3 | CAMBRIDGE RINDGE & LATIN SCHOOL, 459 Broadway, Media Cafeteria, Cambridge Street Entrance |
| Ward 7 | |
| 7-1 | BALDWIN SCHOOL, Community Floor, 28 Sacramento Street entrance |
| 7-2 | BALDWIN SCHOOL, Community Floor, 28 Sacramento Street entrance |
| 7-3 | GUND HALL, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge Street Entrance |
| Ward 8 | |
| 8-1 | GRAHAM AND PARKS SCHOOL, 44 Linnaean St., playground entrance |
| 8-2 | FRIENDS CENTER, 5 Longfellow Park, Community Room |
| 8-3 | MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. SCHOOL, 102 Putnam Avenue, Playground Gym Entrance |
| Ward 9 | |
| 9-1 | HOLY TRINITY ARMENIAN CHURCH, 145 Brattle Street, Parking Lot Entrance on Sparks Street |
| 9-2 | CAMBRIDGE WATER DEPARTMENT, 250 Fresh Pond Parkway |
| 9-3 | RUSSELL YOUTH CENTER, 680 Huron Avenue, Second Floor |
| Ward 10 | |
| 10-1 | PEABODY SCHOOL GYM, 70 Rindge Avenue, Rear Entrance |
| 10-2 | GRAHAM AND PARKS SCHOOL, 44 Linnaean Street., Playground Entrance |
| 10-3 | CAMBRIDGE FRIENDS SCHOOL, 5 Cadbury Road, Front Entrance |
| Ward 11 | |
| 11-1 | RESERVOIR CHURCH, 170 Rindge Avenue, Rear Entrance |
| 11-2 | PEABODY SCHOOL GYM, 70 Rindge Avenue, Rear Entrance |
| 11-3 | BURNS APARTMENTS, 50 Churchill Avenue, Community Room |
Voters are encouraged to wear a mask or face covering in the early voting locations and on Election Day at polling sites to help mitigate public health risks associated with COVID-19.
The PACs are choosing up sides
The PACs are choosing up sides
Sept 29 – Cambridge has a growing presence of Political Action Committees each trying to influence how you vote. What each of them stands for is a bit muddy in spite of their various pronouncements and what will surely soon be slick mailings to Cambridge voters. At least two of these entities have migrated to the “Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee” mode in order to be able to accept (and spend) more money under the debatable theory that they are operating independently of any of the campaigns of specific candidates.
Interestingly, all but one have so far ignored the School Committee unlike in years past when an actual civic organization like the Cambridge Civic Association (CCA) put at least as much effort into its School Committee endorsements as it did into its City Council endorsements.
Anyway, the current scorecard is below. Note the crossover of candidates who appear on multiple slates and, perhaps just as significantly, the exclusion of some candidates from particular slates that actually align with in terms of policy positions. Make no mistake about it – the primary role of most candidate slates is incumbency protection and the last thing a PAC want is to have one of their challengers bump off one of their incumbents. The remaining candidates are a mix of candidates who might add to the PAC’s elected ranks as well as some “feeders” whose role is to draw in votes to the slate that will be transferred to other slate candidates upon defeat. Needless to say, nobody will ever openly tell a candidate that they are primarily a “feeder”. RW
| PAC | A Better Cambridge (ABC) |
Cambridge Citizens Coalition (CCC) |
Cambridge Residents Alliance (CResA) |
Our Revolution Cambridge (ORC) |
| Endorsed Candidates |
Burhan Azeem Tonia Hicks Alanna Mallon Marc McGovern Joe McGuirk Sumbul Siddiqui Denise Simmons Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler Paul Toner |
Dana Bullister Dennis Carlone Patricia Nolan Nicola Williams |
Dennis Carlone Tonia Hicks Patricia Nolan Theodora Skeadas Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler Nicola Williams Quinton Zondervan |
Dennis Carlone Tonia Hicks Theodora Skeadas Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler Nicola Williams Quinton Zondervan School Committee: Daria Johnson José Luis Rojas Villarreal David Weinstein Rachel Weinstein Ayesha Wilson |
2021 Proposed Cambridge Reprecincting Plan
2021 PROPOSED REPRECINCTING PLAN
Request for Public Feedback
Sept 30, 2021 – The Election Commission is seeking feedback from the public regarding its proposed reprecincting plan. Members of the public are invited to join the Board of Election Commissioners meeting on Wednesday, October 6, 2021, at 5:30pm via Zoom. The Current Ward and Precinct Map (based on 2010 census), Proposed Ward and Precinct Map (based on 2020 census), Proposed Map with Current Precinct Boundary Overlay, and the 2020 Population by Census Block Map can be viewed at https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/ElectionCommission/Reprecincting
Current Ward and Precinct Map (based on 2010 census)
Proposed Ward and Precinct Map (based on 2020 census)
Written comments, questions, or suggestions can be sent by email to elections@cambridgema.gov or by mail to 51 Inman Street, Cambridge, MA 02139. Written comments should be submitted by Wednesday, October 6, 2021 at 5:00pm to be considered at the 5:30pm meeting.
2021 Cambridge Reprecincting Proposal
The population of Cambridge increased from 105,162 in 2010 to 118,403 in the 2020 US Census, however, the changes were not evenly distributed throughout the city. Some precincts increased dramatically in population, while others stayed the same or decreased. With 33 precincts, each precinct must have a population within 5% of 3,588. Any change that is made in one precinct has a cascading effect on the entire map as other precincts will need to be adjusted to keep the population of every precinct within that range.
The Board of Election Commissioners took a number of factors into consideration in creating this proposal, such as minimizing the number of voters who need to cross major thoroughfares in order to vote and keeping most voters in the same precincts whenever possible. It should be noted that reprecincting changes will not take effect until the 2022 elections. Some of the current polling locations may be changed in 2022 in order to better accommodate voters under the new map.
What is Reprecincting?
Every ten years after the Federal Census is complete, new ward and precinct boundary lines are drawn to reflect changes in the City’s population and to anticipate the needs of the City’s election system for the next decade.
Voting precincts established by a city or town must meet the following requirements:
- Each new precinct must be “composed of compact and contiguous territory” without protruding fingers or long tails to the extent possible.
- Precincts must be bounded by the center-line of streets or other well defined boundaries such as streams or other bodies of water, railroad tracks, power lines or other clearly visible geographic figures.
- No precinct may contain more than 4,000 residents.
- Every precinct’s population must be within five percent (5%) of the average precinct population for that ward or town.
- Ward populations must be within five percent (5%) of the average ward population for the city.
- Redrawn ward and precinct boundaries must not result in the dilution of minority group members’ votes.
September 28, 2021
Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who’s the votingest of them all?
Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who’s the votingest of them all?
Sept 28 – Political campaign organizations love to do “opposition research” on other candidates. One of the things they often inquire about is voting history. Fortunately, I have all that data on hand, so allow me to save you the trouble. Bear in mind that younger candidates, recently naturalized citizens, and candidates who only recently moved to Cambridge (or moved back to Cambridge) are at a bit of a disadvantage in terms of the totals. Though I have all the voter histories for 45 city-wide elections going back to 1997, here are the voting records for just the November elections (24 of them). [Note: It’s possible that some records were corrected in the intervening years, but the table below comes from the original voter history files with some updates I made over the years as better information became available.] – Robert Winters
| Candidate | reg_date | n97 | n98 | n99 | n00 | n01 | n02 | n03 | n04 | n05 | n06 | n07 | n08 | n09 | n10 | n11 | n12 | n13 | n14 | n15 | n16 | n17 | n18 | n19 | n20 | Total |
| Fantini, Alfred B. | 7/9/1982 | n97 | n98 | n99 | n00 | n01 | n02 | n03 | n04 | n05 | n06 | n07 | n08 | n09 | n10 | n11 | n12 | n13 | n14 | n15 | n16 | n17 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 24 |
| Nolan, Patricia M. | 10/5/1992 | n97 | n98 | n99 | n00 | n01 | n02 | n03 | n04 | n05 | n06 | n07 | n08 | n09 | n10 | n11 | n12 | n13 | n14 | n15 | n16 | n17 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 24 |
| Simmons, E. Denise | 6/1/1987 | n97 | n98 | n99 | n00 | n01 | n02 | n03 | n04 | n05 | n06 | n07 | n08 | n09 | n10 | n11 | n12 | n13 | n14 | n15 | n16 | n17 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 24 |
| Toner, Paul F. | 8/18/1984 | n97 | n98 | n99 | n00 | n01 | n02 | n03 | n04 | n05 | n06 | n07 | n08 | n09 | n10 | n11 | n12 | n13 | n14 | n15 | n16 | n17 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 24 |
| Carlone, Dennis J. | 10/4/1980 | n97 | n98 | n99 | n00 | n01 | n02 | n03 | n04 | n06 | n08 | n09 | n10 | n11 | n12 | n13 | n14 | n15 | n16 | n17 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 22 | ||
| McGovern, Marc C. | 9/30/1994 | n99 | n00 | n01 | n02 | n03 | n04 | n05 | n06 | n07 | n08 | n09 | n10 | n11 | n12 | n13 | n14 | n15 | n16 | n17 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 22 | ||
| Moree, Gregg J. | 4/18/1984 | n98 | n99 | n00 | n01 | n02 | n03 | n04 | n06 | n07 | n08 | n09 | n10 | n11 | n12 | n13 | n14 | n15 | n16 | n17 | n18 | n20 | 21 | |||
| Weinstein, David J. | 8/28/2002 | n02 | n03 | n04 | n05 | n06 | n07 | n08 | n09 | n10 | n11 | n12 | n13 | n14 | n15 | n16 | n17 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 19 | |||||
| Zondervan, Quinton Y. | 6/4/2004 | n04 | n05 | n06 | n07 | n08 | n09 | n10 | n11 | n12 | n13 | n14 | n15 | n16 | n17 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 17 | |||||||
| Mallon, Alanna M. | 9/27/2004 | n04 | n06 | n08 | n09 | n10 | n11 | n12 | n13 | n14 | n15 | n16 | n17 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 15 | |||||||||
| Williams, Nicola A. | 8/30/2006 | n06 | n07 | n08 | n09 | n10 | n11 | n12 | n13 | n14 | n15 | n16 | n17 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 15 | |||||||||
| Hunter, Caroline M. | 7/19/2021 | n97 | n98 | n99 | n00 | n01 | n02 | n03 | n04 | n05 | n06 | n07 | n08 | n09 | n10 | 14 | ||||||||||
| Johnson, Daria A. | 6/24/1996 | n00 | n03 | n04 | n07 | n08 | n12 | n13 | n14 | n16 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 12 | ||||||||||||
| Weinstein, Rachel B. | 7/28/2009 | n09 | n10 | n11 | n12 | n13 | n14 | n15 | n16 | n17 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 12 | ||||||||||||
| Lim, Christopher | 7/18/2006 | n06 | n08 | n10 | n12 | n14 | n16 | n17 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 10 | ||||||||||||||
| McGuirk, Joe | 3/5/2010 | n10 | n12 | n13 | n14 | n16 | n17 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 9 | |||||||||||||||
| Siddiqui, Sumbul | 6/6/2006 | n14 | n15 | n16 | n17 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||
| Levy, Ilan | 7/13/2015 | n15 | n16 | n17 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Pierre, Frantz | 6/21/2003 | n05 | n08 | n10 | n11 | n12 | n15 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rojas Villarreal, José Luis | 9/19/2015 | n15 | n16 | n17 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bullister, Dana | 6/4/2016 | n16 | n17 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Skeadas, Theodora Theo | 6/10/2016 | n16 | n17 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Azeem, Burhan | 10/14/2015 | n16 | n17 | n19 | n20 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Bhambi, Akriti | 8/6/2018 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Hicks, Tonia D. | 8/15/2018 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sobrinho-Wheeler, Jivan | 3/28/2018 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Wilson, Ayesha | 11/14/2017 | n18 | n19 | n20 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Eckstut, Robert | 8/8/2019 | n19 | n20 | 2 |