Cambridge Civic Journal Forum

Eve of Election – November 1, 2021 Cambridge City Council meeting

Mail-In Voting, Early Voting, and now finally Voting at the Polls on Tues, Nov 2 – and it’s anyone’s guess whether we’ll see any turnover other than the replacement of veteran Councillor Tim Toomey. Even the Election Night gathering at the Senior Center for The Count has been all but shut down by the lingering pandemic. I still don’t know what I’ll be doing on Election Night.

Will voter turnout go up? Will it go down? What effect will the availability of mail-in voting have on voter turnout? Will this result in a different cross-section of voters than in past elections? Will the Revolutionaries take over and commence a milder version of the Reign of Terror (minus the guillotines)? Will the densifiers transform Cambridge into Co-Op City North? Will automobiles be run out of town like St. Patrick drove the snakes off the Emerald Isle? Will Plan E be replaced by Plan 9? So many questions, so little time. I’m just getting ready to circle the wagons.

Vote for me and I’ll set you free….. Eve of destruction, tax deduction, city inspectors, bill collectors, mod clothes in demand, population out of hand, suicide, too many bills, hippies moving to the hills, people all over the world are shouting, end the war…. And the band played on. – Ball of Confusion, The Temptations

The Eve of Election usually means a light agenda so that candidates can run home to make last-minute pleas to voters, though sometimes it also brings a late ploy for attention by stoking the flames of controversy. There’s not much to work with in this week’s limited agenda, but you never know what surprises may pop out like a jack-in-the-box. Anyway, here are some of the ingredients for this week’s sausage.

Manager’s Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an update on COVID-19.
Placed on File 9-0

After the initial surge of the Delta Variant our numbers were trending solidly downward. There was then a resurgence (students returning, Red Sox excitement, letting your guard down?), but now things seem to be again trending downward. Damn you, Covid! Be gone! Masks are for Halloween!

Manager’s Agenda #3. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 21-79, regarding proposed amendments to Article 8.12 of the Municipal Code (labels on fuel pumps).
Referred to Unfinished Business 9-0

Unfinished Business #4. Ordinance #2021-24 That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the City Solicitor and the appropriate staff to review the language of this proposed ordinance amendment and to report back to the City Council in advance of the next City Council meeting. [Passed to a Second Reading Oct 25, 2021; To Be Ordained on or after Nov 8, 2021]

I’m sure this will easily pass next week. Perhaps this will be the start of a whole parade of “messaging”. Will parking meters soon beg people to ride a bike instead? (Uh, oh. I hope I didn’t just cause another City Council Order to be written.) Will the 7-11 soon be required to install water dispensers next to the beverage case? Oops, I see another Council Order being written.

Order #2. City Council support of MIT Divest’s campaign to divest MIT’s endowment from the fossil fuel industry.   Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Zondervan, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Carlone, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Toomey
Order Adopted as Amended 9-0

Order #3. That the City Manager is requested to instruct the Climate Crisis Working Group to include a recommendation and proposal to amend the Green Fleet Policy in their final report.   Councillor Nolan, Mayor Siddiqui, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Zondervan
Order Adopted 9-0

Committee Report #1. The Neighborhood and Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts and Celebrations Committee met on July 15, 2020 to conduct a public hearing to discuss the timeline, scope, and budget of the Tobin/Vassal Lane School Project, including updates on the Armory property, and how it fits into the long-term plan for all school buildings in the City to accommodate expected enrollment changes over the next 10 to 20 years and to receive an update on the legislative office plans. [report is missing]
Report Accepted, Placed on File 9-0 – even though the report is missing

Committee Report #2. The Health and Environment committee met on May 25, 2021 to discuss proposed amendments to the Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) that would drive down energy use and emissions in existing buildings in Cambridge as well as an update on the Net Zero Action Plan 5-Year Review process and recommendations.
Report Accepted, Placed on File, Order Adopted as Amended 9-0

Committee Report #3. The Housing Committee met on June 3, 2021 to conduct a public hearing to discuss inclusionary zoning preference/eligibility, and how the new state-level Housing Choice law will affect zoning in Cambridge. [report is missing]
Report Accepted, Placed on File 9-0 – even though the report is missing

Note that no reports were provided for either the July 15 NLTP Committee meeting nor the June 3 Housing Committee meeting. In fact, I count about 33 committee meetings that happened more than a month ago for which reports were never delivered. Come to think of it, there are even 13 committee reports from the previous term that were never delivered. Former City Clerk Donna Lopez would never have allowed the Chairs of City Council committees to be so neglectful. I don’t mean to come down hard on our current City Clerk Anthony Wilson, but he really needs to start disciplining the committee Chairs. I hope his successor understands the importance of the role of being “Clerk of Committees” in addition to issuing marriage certificates and death certificates and all the other responsibilities of the City Clerk’s Office. Of course the real negligence here falls to the city councillors themselves. – Robert Winters