Leftovers – Highlights from the November 30, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda
Here are the items of interest 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
Order #1. That City Manager be and hereby is requested to implement a program similar to the patio heater reimbursement program for purchasing air sanitizers that meet or exceed the above specifications for Cambridge businesses. Councillor Toomey, Councillor Simmons, Councillor McGovern
Order Adopted as Amended 9-0
Order #3. Expanding Testing in Nursing Homes PO. Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Toomey, Councillor Simmons, Mayor Siddiqui
Withdrawn 9-0
Order #4. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to present the City Council with a comprehensive data report on a weekly basis, for the duration of the pandemic emergency, including (but not limited to) regional and Cambridge-specific trends. Councillor Zondervan, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Nolan
Order Adopted 9-0
Order #5. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with relevant departments to implement comprehensive contact tracing in Cambridge including the ability to conduct backwards contact tracing facilitated with technology such as the use of QR codes, and to report back to the City Council on this matter as soon as possible. Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler
Order Adopted 9-0
Order #6. That the City Manager confer with the Cambridge Department of Public Health on the feasibility of launching mobile COVID-19 testing vans in December and report back to the City Council as soon as possible. Mayor Siddiqui, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler
Order Adopted 9-0
I suppose all these ideas are great, but it sometimes feels as though everyone is just drafting Policy Orders as soon as they hear something they don’t understand. It’s interesting that we actually have a City Council subcommittee called the "Health & Environment Committee" (emphasis on "Health") that has met a total of four times this Council term on the topics of "Net Zero Action Plan" (once) and the "Tree Protection Ordinance" (thrice). That committee has never met on the topic of the pandemic and currently has no meetings scheduled. I guess it’s Trees > NetZero > Covid as the pecking order of priorities.
Meanwhile, businesses are closing for good and our "Economic Development and University Relations Committee" has met on the topics of "MWBEs and other historically disadvantaged businesses and non-profits", a "vacant storefront registration policy", a "Retail Land Use Initiative and Retail Table of Land Use update", and "updating the commercial land use classification system", and they have an upcoming meeting on "Vacant Storefront Policy." To their credit, they also met recently on the topic of "Cambridge higher learning institutions’ return to campus plans, policies, and health guidance". How reassuring to know that we may soon have a vacant storefront policy rather than concrete steps to prevent those vacancies.
Manager’s Agenda #3. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to two appropriations totaling $9,500,000 related to the Foundry as follows: $6 million from Free Cash to the Public Investment Fund Department of Public Works Extraordinary Expenditures Account; and $3.5 million from the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority to the Public Investment Fund Department of Public Works Extraordinary Expenditures Account.
Order Adopted 9-0
I sincerely hope the Foundry project works out for the best, but perhaps we should rename "The Gift that Keeps on Taking" as simply "The Money Pit."
Charter Right #3. Policy Order to strengthen community bonds and ensure equitable access to neighborhood organizations. [CHARTER RIGHT EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR NOLAN IN COUNCIL NOV 23, 2020] [Original Order #4 of Nov 23, 2020]
Order Adopted as Amended 9-0; Late Order Adopted 9-0
I have been largely staying out of the back-and-forth over this questionable policy order, so I’ll just make a few points that you can feel free to salute or ignore:
1) Neighborhood groups have no “official” standing or “privilege” in spite of what some well-orchestrated public commenters have suggested. They are just collections of individuals who offer points of view. The notion that the Cambridge City Council or any other government entity should have any dominion over them is simply absurd.
2) Neighborhood associations and other civic organizations are only as valuable or respected as the credibility that they either gain or squander. I have seen some of them manage to greatly grow their credibility, and I have also seen some that have squandered it. No need to name them here.
3) The problem of “lack of diversity” in neighborhood associations and other civic groups is really rooted more in the fact that most people really don’t want to be involved in civic affairs (which I think is a shame), and it always seems as though getting a representative cross-section of members is difficult if not impossible. If the interest is not there, that’s no reason to fold nor should it be the basis for criticism.
4) I have a particular disgust for the whole idea of “taking over a neighborhood association” in order to push any agenda. Forming a civic group (as opposed to a neighborhood association) is the better choice. Civic/political groups can and do maintain distinctive points of view – and people can feel free to join them or do battle with them. Neighborhood associations really should be different – and should be more like a forum for different points of view. I also think that those associations that provide resources and services are generally the better for it.
5) If a neighborhood association or civic organization wants to be taken seriously these days, they really do have to maintain some kind of web presence that not only keeps people informed about current matters but also historical matters. We are rapidly losing institutional memory in Cambridge and keeping good archives can help – a lot. Having regular public meetings is also pretty important, though obviously a lot of that is currently on hold now due to the pandemic.
6) Email listservs can often lead to squabbles that can quickly get out of hand. One way to handle this, though not ideal, is to have trustworthy moderation. Really personal squabbles (like serious insults or just getting really ticked off) should be taken offline. Everyone is capable of getting ticked off and that should not be disqualifying. Better to settle things over a game of pool or a few beers or just agree to disagree.
7) Don’t pour gasoline on fires.
Unfinished Business #6. That the enclosed amendments to the Tree Protection Ordinance be adopted to extend the temporary prohibition on tree cutting permits until Feb 28, 2021. [PASSED TO A SECOND READING IN COUNCIL NOV 16, 2020. TO BE ORDAINED ON OR AFTER NOV 30, 2020] [Order #5 of Nov 16, 2020]
Ordained 7-1-0-1 (Toomey – NO; Simmons – PRESENT)
Please stay out of my yard. I’ve been here over four decades and the last thing I need is to have uninformed Cambridge city councillors overruling necessary decisions I have to make about managing the trees on my property.
Order #2. Council Opposition to Comcast Data Cap. Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Nolan, Councillor McGovern, Mayor Siddiqui
Order Adopted 9-0
I’m also wary of Comcast instituting data caps, but even though we have a lot of web traffic in and out of my house we’re still nowhere near the proposed data cap. I’m more concerned that there’s 957 Channels and There’s Nothing On. That and the fact that my two-year "introductory rate" is about to run out and I may have to play hardball with The Evil Empire.
Committee Report #1. The Ordinance Committee met on Nov 12, 2020 to conduct a public hearing on the PUD-CDK District Zoning Amendment.
Report Amended to Include Revised Language 9-0; Passed to 2nd Reading 9-0
Just build something really great, will ya? – Robert Winters