Cambridge Civic Journal Forum

July 1, 2011

2011 Cambridge Candidates, Office Sought, Nomination signatures filed and certified

Filed under: 2011 Election,City Council — Tags: , , — Robert Winters @ 3:29 pm

The deadline for submitting signatures was Monday, August 1, 5:00pm.

The following candidates failed to submit sufficient nominating signatures to qualify for the ballot:
City Council: Randy Fenstermacher, Michael Andelman, Charles McNeill.

Nomination Papers - 2011

CandidateOffice SoughtAddressSignatures SubmittedSignatures Certified*Notes
Cheung, LelandCity Council157 Garden St., 02138100 (July 1)92July 1
vanBeuzekom, MinkaCity Council20 Essex St., 0213975 (July 1), 25 (Aug 1)89July 1
Moree, GreggCity Council25 Fairfield St., 02140100 (July 25)74July 1
Marquardt, CharlesCity Council10 Rogers St., 0214158 (July 6), 18 (July 11)68July 1
Decker, MarjorieCity Council61 Walden St., 0214051 (July 5), 40 (July 22)83July 1
Toomey, TimCity Council88 Sixth St., 02141100 (July 5)100July 1
Reeves, Kenneth E.City Council340 Harvard St., 0213999 (July 26)83July 1
Mello, GaryCity Council324 Franklin St., 0213975 (July 20)67July 1
Nelson, MatthewCity Council108 Pine St., 02139100 (July 11)82July 1
Kelley, CraigCity Council6 St. Gerard Terr, 0214074 (July 15)69July 1
Seidel, SamCity Council48 Maple Ave., 0213993 (July 22)83July 1
Stohlman, TomCity Council19 Channing St., 0213897 (July 11)85July 1
Maher, David P.City Council120 Appleton St., 02138100 (July 19)95July 1
McGovern, MarcSchool Committee15 Pleasant St., 02139100 (July 13)90July 1
Harding, RichardSchool Committee187 Windsor St., 0213999 (July 22)95July 1
Fantini, Alfred B.School Committee4 Canal Pk #203, 02141100 (July 5)99July 1
Turkel, AliceSchool Committee12 Upton St., 02139100 (July 27)96July 1
Williamson, JamesCity Council1000 Jackson Place, 0214041 (July 11), 26 (July 25)60July 1
Holland, John J.School Committee26 Normandy Terr., 0213855 (Aug 1)52July 5
Simmons, DeniseCity Council188 Harvard St., 02139100 (July 22)82July 5
Ward, LarryCity Council372 Broadway, 0213970 (July 29)60July 5
Fenstermacher, Philip R.City Council50 Quincy St., 02138--July 5
Tauber, NancySchool Committee137 Chestnut St., 0213987 (July 22)76July 5
Andelman, Michael D.City Council34 Chatham St., 02139--July 6
Davis, HenriettaCity Council120 Chestnut St., 0213980 (July 12)67July 6
Gerber, JoyceSchool Committee10 Fairfield St., 0214070 (Aug 1)63July 6
Osborne, MervanSchool Committee149 Auburn St., 0213950 (July 27), 12 (July 29), 17 (Aug 1)67July 6
Nolan, PattySchool Committee184 Huron Ave., 0213850 (July 25), 13 (July 27)59July 11
McNeill, Charles J.City Council73 Hampshire St., 02139--July 19
Forster, BillSchool Committee244 Lexington Ave., 02138100 (July 29)90July 22
Stead, CharlesSchool Committee598 Putnam Ave., 0213992 (Aug 1)73July 22
Pascual, JamakeCity Council10 Laurel St. #5, 02139100 (Aug 1)50July 27
Glick, Silvia P.City Council135 Inman St., 02139100 (Aug 1) - withdraw (Aug 17)90July 28
List of candidates who pulled nomination papers for the 2011 Cambridge City Council or School Committee election

* Signatures are only unofficially certified by staff in the Election Commission office. Actual certification does not take place until August when the Election Commissioners vote to certify candidates. A minimum of fifty (50) certified signatures are required for a candidate’s name to be placed on the ballot.

2011 Cambridge Municipal Election Calendar

June 26, 2011

June 27, 2011 City Council Agenda Highlights – as the campaign season kicks off

Filed under: 2011 Election,City Council — Tags: , , — Robert Winters @ 12:48 pm

June 27, 2011 City Council Agenda Highlights – as the campaign season kicks off

This is the last meeting before the summer break. The City Council won’t convene again until Aug 1 and then not again until Sept 12. The agenda is light, but there could be extensive haggling over the proposed Section 5.28.2 zoning amendments (Unf. Bus #2 and Comm. Rpt. #2). There may also be some local and imported public testimony over Councillor Decker’s Big Bad Walmart Order. But first….

Manager’s Agenda #1. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 11-70, regarding NBC violations.

The Order leading to this response really should have come a long time ago, but the prospect of a possible investigation by the Attorney General into this despicable breach of public trust is now very welcome. This is the story of a gesture from a developer to a neighborhood being twisted into a private income source by members of one family. The original 1998 agreement conveyed a 10,000 square foot parcel of land at 131 Harvard Street to the inappropriately named "Neighbors for a Better Community" (NBC) for $1 plus an initial monetary payment of $360,000 and additional payments to NBC of $710,000 spread over 10 years. The agreement required that the parcel be "a gift for public and charitable purposes" to be "used only for affordable housing, a gymnasium, community center, or a park, and accessory parking, or for any other community use approved by … the then record owner of 210 Broadway". None of these community benefits ever occurred. Furthermore, one Jonathan "Jay" Carroll appears to have paid himself at least $461,800 as "executive director" for doing essentially nothing. This is a crime, and Mr. Carroll should be prosecuted.

Unfinished Business #9. A communication was received from D. Margaret Drury, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor Sam Seidel, Chair of the Ordinance Committee for a public hearing on May 5, 2011 for the purpose of considering proposed amendments submitted in response to City Council Order No.11 of Jan 24, 2011, in which the Council requested that Community Development Department (CDD) staff engage in a comprehensive review of Section 5.28.2, including the history of the use of the section for special permit applications for conversion of commercial and institutional uses to residential building, and the recent public conversations on this section of the Zoning Ordinance. The question comes on passing to be ordained on or after June 20, 2011. Planning Board hearing held May 10, 2011. Petition expires Aug 3, 2011.

Committee Report #2. A communication was received from D. Margaret Drury, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor Sam Seidel, Chair of the Ordinance Committee for a public meeting held on June 15, 2011 to continue to consider proposed amendments submitted in response to City Council Order No.11 of Jan 24, 2011, in which the Council requested that Community Development Department (CDD) staff engage in a comprehensive review of Section 5.28.2.

What began as a clarification has become a fiasco. The well-intentioned efforts to make clearer what is and what is not permitted when certain institutional buildings are re-purposed as housing has led to what some activists are now characterizing as "city-wide upzoning". That’s probably not a fair characterization since greater constraints are being placed on what has been permitted under the current law, but the process has brought into greater focus what could potentially be built in the future at some of these sites.

Order #7. That this City Council go on record encouraging Dr. James Cash to speak out about the Supreme Court’s ruling on a controversial gender-discrimination case and to lobby executives at the world’s largest retailer to reform its policies and provide justice to its female employees.   Councillor Decker

This may well be a first – a city councillor filing an Order calling on a private citizen to speak out on a specific issue. It’s a good thing that the City Charter does not grant subpoena power to the City Council or we’d be hauling people in on the carpet every week. I can see it now – Councillor Decker grilling Mr. Cash with "Are you or have you ever been privy to managerial decisions at Walmart?" Perhaps we could draft a few blacklists while we’re at it. – Robert Winters

PS – Incumbents and challengers for seats on the City Council or School Committee can pick up Nomination Papers starting this Friday, July 1 at the Election Commission Office between 8:30am and 5:00pm (they’re staying open late). Come one, come all! [Municipal Election Calendar] Candidates must submit at least 50 certified signatures by Monday, August 1 at 5:00pm. If desired, I will personally escort any candidate to the Election Commission office in order to get there before the deadline. Don’t delay!

June 20, 2011

City of Cambridge – 2011 Final Re-Precincting Plan

Filed under: elections — Tags: — Robert Winters @ 3:32 pm

Press Release – Cambridge Election Commission – June 20, 2011

City of Cambridge

2011 Final Re-Precincting Plan

Every ten years after the Federal Census is complete, ward and precinct boundary lines are re-drawn to reflect changes in the City’s population and to anticipate the needs of the City’s election system for the next decade. This process is separate from the state legislature’s role to re-draw congressional boundaries along with the state senate and representative districts.

In 2000 there were 101,355 people living in Cambridge. By 2010 that number had increased 3.76% to 105,162. Because there has been uneven growth over the years in sections of the city, we were required, by law, to adjust the precinct lines city-wide to ensure that there is an even distribution of population across precincts. The target number was 3,187 people per precinct—the total number of residents divided by the number of precincts (105,162/33=3187). The law allows up to a 5% (+/-) variance for the number of residents per precinct. A goal was set by the Commission to use a smaller variance of 3%.

Although guided by law, the Board also factored into its considerations input from the public and other practicable concerns, such as: minimizing the need for voters to cross major thoroughfares, walking distance to polling locations and also minimizing change to existing precincts lines. The Board has successfully developed and approved a proposed plan that would allow voters in most areas to continue to go to the same polling places to cast their ballots as they have in the past.

The Board was required to vote on the proposed re-precincting by June 15, 2011. On June 15, 2011 the Board met and voted unanimously to approve the proposed re-precincting plan. The proposed re-precincting plan has been submitted to the Secretary of the Commonwealth (SOC). Once received, the SOC will transmit the proposed re-precincting plan to an independent commission consisting of three members known as the Local Election District Review Commission (LEDRC) for review. The LEDRC has the authority to accept or reject the plan.

It should be noted that the re-precincting changes would take effect on December 31, 2011 and therefore in time for the 2012 elections.

Final Proposal showing new Cambridge wards & precincts

June 13, 2011

Voter Choice Local Option Proposal

Filed under: elections — Tags: — Robert Winters @ 9:37 am

A bill was filed (January 2011) in the Massachusetts State Legislature that would permit cities and towns in Massachusetts to adopt Instant Runoff Voting using ranked choice ballots in their local elections. This local option could be adopted for single winner elections and/or multi-seat (at-large) elections such as a city council or school committee.

How do people feel about this enabling legislation? Bear in mind that this proposal would not impose any changes to any local elections. It would simply grant the right to Massachusetts cities and towns to adopt ranked choice voting without having to file a home rule petition for a Special Act of the legislature. More information is available at http://voterchoicema.org. The text of the bill follows.

Voter Choice Local Option Proposal (January 2011)

HD 02026: An Act Providing a Local Option for Instant Runoff Voting in City or Town Elections

SECTION 1: Section 44A of chapter 43 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2008 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 7, the words "section forty-four G" and inserting in place thereof the words "sections 44G and 103R".

SECTION 2: Section 77 of chapter 54 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2008 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 5, the words "section thirty-three E" and inserting in place thereof the words "sections 33E and 103R".

SECTION 3: Chapter 54 is hereby further amended by inserting after section 103Q the following section:-

Section 103R. Instant Runoff Voting in city or town elections

(a) Notwithstanding any other general or special law to the contrary, any city or town may conduct a local election using instant runoff voting in which voters rank the candidates for an office in order of preference. Instant runoff voting elections may be used for single-winner elections, such as Mayor, or for elections that elect multiple candidates to office, such as city council. Instant runoff voting elections are tabulated in rounds using the "single transferable vote" method. Winning thresholds shall be calculated based on the number of countable votes and the number of seats to be filled. General provisions for either single-winner elections or multiple-winner elections shall be specified by ordinance, provided that a person’s lower ranked choices shall not harm the likelihood of their higher ranked choices becoming elected. Such ordinances shall be enacted by the municipality’s legislative body, be it a city council, board of alderman, board of selectmen, or town meeting, and the body shall request the input of the community’s registrars of voters and town clerk or city election commissioners. The ordinance shall specify at a minimum the method of calculating winning thresholds, how candidates with the fewest votes shall be eliminated before a subsequent round of the tally, how votes for eliminated candidates shall be transferred to the voter’s next valid choice, how ties shall be dealt with, how ballots that skip a ranking or otherwise are mismarked shall be counted, and in the case of multi-seat contests, how surplus votes above the winning threshold for a candidate shall be transferred to alternate choices. Preliminary elections shall not be held in cities and towns using instant runoff voting for all offices that would otherwise require preliminary elections.

(b) A voting method authorized by this section may be adopted by any of the following:

(1) By approval of a ballot measure submitted to the voters by the governing body of the city or town at a regular or special election.

(2) By initiative ordinance or charter amendment.

(c) Any city or town using a instant runoff voting method shall conduct a voter education and outreach campaign to familiarize voters with ranked voting.

(d) The instant runoff voting ballot shall allow voters to rank as many choices as there are candidates. In the event that the voting equipment cannot feasibly accommodate a number of rankings on the ballot equal to the number of candidates, town registrars of voters or city election commissioners may limit the number of choices a voter may rank to the maximum number allowed by the equipment. If there are three or more candidates, this limit shall never be less than three.

(e) The ballot shall not interfere with a voter’s ability to rank at least one write-in candidate. For the purposes of this section, a mark for an unqualified write-in candidate shall not be considered a mark for a candidate.

(f) After four years, a city or town which has adopted instant runoff voting may choose to return to its prior voting method by any of the following:

(1) By approval of a ballot measure submitted to the voters by the governing body of the city or town at a regular or special election.

(2) By an initiative ordinance or charter amendment.

SECTION 4: This act shall take effect upon its passage.

May 25, 2011

Cambridge Re-Precincting – May 31 Final Vote

Filed under: elections — Tags: — Robert Winters @ 6:00 pm

PROPOSED VOTING PRECINCTS AVAILABLE ONLINE

The Board of Election Commissioners met on May 24th to discuss the suggestions made at that meeting and the May 19th public hearings. After reviewing many suggestions, the Commissioners are now considering the following two maps:

May 31st Proposed Scenario 1 (with current precinct overlay in red)

May 31st Proposed Scenario 2 (with current precinct overlay in red)

The Commissioners will vote on a final map at their meeting scheduled for May 31, 2011 at 5:30pm.

In many areas of the City, voters would continue to go to the same polling places to cast their ballots as they have in the past. It should be noted that the re-precincting changes would not take effect until the 2012 elections.

Questions or comments can be sent to elections2@cambridgema.gov.

Other maps of interest:

Population by Census Block

The current map with 11 wards and 33 precincts

The May 19th proposed map with 11 wards and 33 precincts

The May 19th proposed map with the present precinct overlay in red

Editor’s Note: Each of the proposed new maps has only minimal changes from the current map. The main changes are in East Cambridge where above-average population growth over the last decade requires that precincts be adjusted so that all 33 precincts in the city have approximately equal population.

May 24, 2011

2011 Cambridge Municipal Election Calendar

Filed under: 2011 Election — Tags: — Robert Winters @ 10:01 pm

2011 Cambridge Municipal Election Calendar (and advice for candidates)

Fri, July 1:

Municipal Election Nomination Papers available at Election Commission office, 8:30am to 5:00pm.

Nomination papers will be available through the Aug 1 submission deadline, but it is advisable that a candidate pick up papers early and get started collecting signatures. The process is an excellent way for a new candidates to "get their feet wet" and acclimate to the process of asking for support. ALL pages of your nomination papers must be notarized and there are a total of three sheets. You will also want to get a current database of registered voters. This is available from the Election Commission free of charge to any candidate who has pulled nomination papers. Voter history files and the street listing are also available. If you are a legitimate candidate and want a merged file showing all currently registered Cambridge voters with their ten year voting history in Cambridge elections (if they voted – not who they voted for!!), you can request it from me free of charge.
Mon, Aug 1:

5:00pm deadline to submit nomination papers & statements of financial interest for candidates.

A minimum of 50 valid signatures must be filed and a candidate may submit up to 100 signatures. Once a voter’s signature has been recorded for a particular candidate, it cannot be used for another candidate in the same race. That is, a voter should sign for exactly one candidate for City Council and one candidate for School Committee. Candidates should submit as many signatures as possible over the minimum of 50 because it is very likely that some signatures will not be certified. It is advisable that all signatures be checked against the voter registration list before submitting them. Candidates do not have to submit all their signatures at one time, and it is advisable that signatures be submitted as each sheet becomes full. The Election Commission staff traditionally checks signatures soon after they are submitted, so it is possible to know how many signatures have been tentatively certified in case it is necessary to obtain more signatures to reach the minimum of 50 certified signatures. Actual certification is only official when the Election Commission votes to approve them.
Mon, Aug 15: 5:00pm deadline for Election Commission to certify signatures on nomination papers.
Wed, Aug 17: 5:00pm deadline for municipal candidates to file withdrawal of nomination.
Wed, Oct 19: 8:00pm deadline to register to vote in municipal election. In person registration hours are 8:30am to 8:00pm at Election Commission office only. (Mail in registration must be postmarked by Oct 19).
Mon, Oct 31:

5:00pm deadline for School Committee candidates and Political Committees to file Municipal Campaign & Political Finance Reports. (City Council candidates should consult their OCPF packets regarding depository-filing requirements).

City Council candidates are required under state law to set up a depository account at a bank. The bank will report all deposits and expenditures directly to the state’s Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF). School Committee candidates are not required to set up a depository account, but they must file a campaign finance report in mid-October and at the end of the year.
Fri, Nov 4: Election Commission will be open 8:30am to 5:00pm for over-the-counter absentee voting.
Sat, Nov 5: Election Commission office will be open 9:00am to 5:00pm for over-the-counter absentee voting.
Mon, Nov 7: Noontime (12:00pm) deadline to apply for absentee ballot, either for mail-in or over-the-counter voting.
Tues, Nov 8:

Municipal Election. Polls are open 7:00am until 8:00pm.
All absentee ballots (except Overseas Absentee Ballots) must arrive at the Election Commission office by 8:00pm to be counted. Ballot count begins at Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square after the polls close. Overseas Absentee Ballots are due by 5:00pm on Friday, November 18th, but must be postmarked by November 8th.

Overseas Absentee Ballots and Provisional Ballots will be counted on Friday, November 18th at 5:00pm.

It is expected that the Election Commission will report preliminary election results Tuesday evening (Nov 8), but this tally does not include auxiliary ballots (write-in ballots and other ballots not yet counted for a variety of reasons). These will be scanned and tabulated on Wednesday. Unofficial election results are expected to be announced on Wednesday when all of the auxiliary ballots have been included. The official election results will not be complete until any overseas absentee ballots and provisional ballots have been included on Friday, November 18.
Wed, Nov 9: 9:00am-5:00pm. Ballot count resumes at Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square.
Fri, Nov 18: Overseas Absentee Ballots and Provisional Ballots will be counted at 5:00pm.

Regular Election Commission Office Hours: (Unless otherwise indicated)
Mondays: 8:30am to 8:00pm
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays: 8:30am to 5:00pm
Fridays: 8:30am to Noon

Holidays: The Election Commission will be closed for the following holidays:
Independence Day – Monday, July 4th
Labor Day – Monday, September 5th
Columbus Day – Monday, October 10th

Printable copy of 2011 Municipal Election Calendar

January 10, 2011

Looking Ahead to the 2011 Cambridge City Council Election

Filed under: 2011 Election,campaign finance,City Council — Tags: — Robert Winters @ 9:00 am

Though it may be the time for Seasons Greetings for most of us, for local City Council candidates this is also the time for planning the campaign for the November 2011 election. Though the landscape will likely change somewhat between now and then, it’s interesting to look at the money raised and spent by the incumbent councillors and by those expected to run in November 2011. Here are the most recent figures.

City Council Campaign Finance (2009-2010) - updated Feb 18, 2012
CandidateOpenReceipts (2009-10)Expend. (2009-10)BalanceDate#1 Votes$/VoteNotes
Adkins, Lawrence$34.93$495.00$199.80$330.1312/31/2010103$1.94
Cheung, Leland$0.00$21757.50$13675.87$8061.6312/31/2010756$11.48$5000 repaid loan subtracted
Davis, Henrietta$11185.16$57901.70$66267.88$2818.9812/31/20101858$35.67
Decker, Marjorie$1867.27$101624.90$101716.40$1775.7712/31/20101285$79.16includes money related to State Senate campaign
Flanagan, Mark$0.00$140.35$140.35$0.0012/31/2010112$1.25
Glick, Silvia$0.00$12466.22$12424.01$42.2112/31/2010256$48.53
Kelley, Craig$6465.86$12620.92$9321.41$9765.3712/31/20101250$7.46
Leavitt, Neal$0.00$5856.17$5439.21$416.9612/31/2010136$39.99
Maher, David$12827.62$58636.50$53595.34$17868.7812/31/20101286$41.68
Marquardt, Charles J.$0.00$34909.40$31449.90$3459.5012/31/2010385$81.69
Nelson, Matthew P.$0.00$2255.00$90.50$2164.5012/31/2010--Filed papers for candidate account (Dec 2010)
Podgers, Kathy$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.0012/31/201078$0.00no records
Reeves, Ken$6401.11$65906.34$67526.48$4780.9712/31/20101166$57.91
Seidel, Sam$775.16$27934.02$26701.73$2007.4512/31/2010900$29.67
Simmons, Denise$8689.90$117709.78$120780.40$5619.2812/31/20101785$67.66includes money related to State Senate campaign
Stohlman, Tom$0.00$5525.00$2790.76$2734.24 12/31/2010378$7.38
Sullivan, Edward$3950.24$25100.00$28420.48$629.7612/31/2010885$32.11
Toomey, Tim$34043.27$68070.73$97092.27$5021.7312/31/20101748$55.54includes money related to State Rep. campaign
vanBeuzekom, Minka$0.00$22097.64$19218.64$2879.0012/31/2010682$28.18
Ward, Larry$132.86$16933.34$16817.73$248.4712/31/2010736$22.85
Williamson, James$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.0012/31/201090$0.00

Click on the field names to sort in ascending order and again to sort in descending order.

As always, you can look this up yourself at the website of the Office of Campaign & Political Finance (OCPF).

September 13, 2010

Final Results – Sept 2010 State Senate Primary (Middlesex, Suffolk, and Essex)

Filed under: 2010 Election,2010 State Senate election — Tags: , — Robert Winters @ 1:46 pm

Until we get separate results, the totals for Charlestown and Allston-Brighton will be reported together under Charlestown.

CandidateAllston-
Brighton		CambridgeCharlestownChelseaEverettRevereSaugusSomervilleTotalPercent
DiDomenico, Sal09939577213249423440227701050.6
Flaherty, Tim0259314997011028448323237682949.2
Write-In/Other056128200330.2
Total03591
(11 complete)		2462
(13 complete)		1434
(16 complete)		4285
(18 complete)		873
(3 complete)		763
(3 complete)		464
(2 complete)		13872
(66 complete)		100.0

These are now official vote totals.
Sal DiDomenico won this election by a margin of 181 votes.
The Somerville Journal reported that candidate Flaherty filed for a recount of the ballots cast in Everett. This recount was expected to commence on Saturday, Sept 25, but Tim Flaherty has now rescinded his request for a recount.
For comparisons, the results of the April 2010 Special Primary Election may be found at: http://cambridgecivic.com/?p=616.

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