Feb 1, 2010 City Council Agenda Highlights
Now that the City Council is entering its second month without choosing its Chair or forming subcommittees, it should surprise no one that the agenda is light. The fact that at least one councillor and possibly as many as three are exploring or actually running for the vacant State Senate seat also means that not a hell of a lot of attention is being paid to City Council matters. For those keeping score, here’s the record on the mayoral votes so far:
| Councillor | Ballot #1 (Jan 4) | Ballot #2 (Jan 11) | Ballot #3 (Jan 25) | Ballot #4 (Feb 1) | Ballot #5 (Feb 1) | Mayor Ballot #6 (Feb 22) | Vice-Mayor Ballot #1 (Feb 22) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheung | Decker (2) | Maher (4) | Maher (4) | Maher (4) | Maher (4) | Maher | Cheung --> Davis |
| Davis | Davis (1) | Davis (2) | Davis (2) | Davis (3) | Davis (3) | Davis --> Maher | Davis |
| Decker | Decker | Reeves (3) | Reeves (3) | Reeves (2) | Reeves (2) | Maher | Cheung --> Davis |
| Kelley | Reeves (2) | Reeves | Reeves | Davis | Davis | Davis --> Maher | Davis |
| Maher | Maher (3) | Maher | Maher | Maher | Maher | Maher | Cheung --> Davis |
| Reeves | Reeves | Reeves | Reeves | Reeves | Reeves | Maher | Davis |
| Seidel | Maher | Maher | Maher | Maher | Maher | Maher | Davis |
| Simmons | Simmons (1) | Davis | Davis | Davis | Davis | Davis --> Maher | Davis |
| Toomey | Maher | Maher | Maher | Maher | Maher | Maher | Cheung --> Davis |
As is often the case, those who argue about who should get to wear the golden tiara of Mayor mention the role of Chair and 7th voting member of the Cambridge School Committee. Here’s a suggestion that requires no charter change and might just earn the undying respect of the other 6 members of the School Committee: Once elected, the Mayor voluntarily takes a seat as an ordinary member of the School Committee and allows the School Committee through its elected Vice-Chair to lead the School Committee and chair all of the meetings unless unusual circumstances dictate otherwise. This would be a nice tradition that could start now. It would also permit the Mayor to exercise greater leadership in the more appropriate setting of the City Council.
City Manager’s Agenda #4. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appointment of Marlissa Brigget as the Executive Director of the Cambridge Human Rights Commission and Executive Secretary of the Police Review & Advisory Board effective Jan 19, 2010.
It’s good to see that this appointment has been made and that there will continue to be a joint responsibility of this person to manage both of these City Boards. A City Council Order encouraging the City Manager to further consolidate City Boards, departments, and divisions with overlapping responsibilities would be welcome, but don’t anyone hold your breath waiting for that kind of leadership.
There are a few other minor items on the agenda, but nothing to write home about. — Robert Winters