Cambridge Civic Journal Forum

Making the News – June 17, 2024 Cambridge City Council meeting

Here are the items that drew my attention this week:

Manager’s Agenda #1. Transmitting Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $15,000 to the Grant Fund Public Celebrations (Arts Council) Other Ordinary Maintenance account. This funding will support District-based initiatives that drive economic growth and strengthen the distinctive character of the Central Square Cultural District.
Order Adopted 9-0

Every little bit helps. I really hope we can revive the Central Square World’s Fair not only for this year but for future years. In my perfect world, the large parking lot at Prospect Street and Bishop Allen Drive should be transformed into the Cambridge Fairgrounds with rides, miniature golf, a batting cage, and other attractions. Hey, a guy can dream.

Manager’s Agenda #8. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to update on the City’s efforts to support the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Track Improvement Program in 2024. (CM24#132) [text of report]
pulled by Sobrinho-Wheeler; comments by Sobrinho-Wheeler, Nolan, Iram Farooq (CDD); Placed on File 9-0

Order #1. That the City Manager is requested to explore with the MBTA how to best ensure that the public art, Gift of the Wind, is preserved.   Councillor Pickett, Mayor Simmons, Vice Mayor McGovern, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Siddiqui, Councillor Toner, Councillor Wilson
pulled by Pickett to add additional sponsors; Order Adopted as Amended 9-0

Order #2. That the City Manager is requested to develop a policy and systems to ensure that an infrastructure safety audit is made to intersections where a crash results in a serious injury and implement needed safety improvements.   Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Vice Mayor McGovern, Councillor Siddiqui, Councillor Azeem, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Pickett, Councillor Toner, Councillor Wilson, Mayor Simmons
pulled by Sobrinho-Wheeler; comments by Sobrinho-Wheeler, Pickett, Azeem, Nolan, Wilson, Toner, add all as sponsors; Order Adopted as Amended 9-0

Order #4. That the City Manager is requested to work with the Community Development Department and all relevant City departments to report on how have community events and ways to inform residents of all efforts to improve driving, cycling, and pedestrian safety and educate residents on how best to safely follow the rules when using roadways.   Councillor Nolan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Toner
Order Adopted 9-0

151 Communications – mostly robotic form letter submissions generated by the Bike Lane Advocates deflecting attention from the fact that a bicyclist fatality recently occurred at a location where there were already fully implemented separated bike lanes.

Suffice to say that a safety audit of hazardous intersections and those sections of road that are inherently dangerous should have been done prior to any adoption of a Cycling Safety Ordinance – if indeed safety was the actual priority. As was made clear with the recent fatality at Mt Auburn/DeWolfe, infrastructure changes alone can never eliminate the role of human error leading to fatalities or severe injuries.

Order #3. That Chair of the Government Operations, Rules, and Claims Committee is hereby appointed to manage the City Manager performance evaluation process via his role as Chair of this committee.   Mayor Simmons, Vice Mayor McGovern
Order Adopted 9-0

Because the revised Charter says it must be done – whether or not it is actually needed.

Order #5. City Council support of the mission of the June delegation to strengthen the contact between Cambridge and El Salvador and to foster ties between the communities as well as the community-building in our home communities.   Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Siddiqui, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Wilson
Order Adopted 9-0

Foreign policy is back on the agenda.

Charter Right #1. That the City Manager is requested to support local news production as a public good by conducting a $100,000 per year City-backed news fund pilot for up to three years to be administered through an independent intermediary that will decide on funding criteria and selection of local newspapers that provide material coverage of Cambridge news. [Charter Right – Azeem, June 10, 2024]
comments by Azeem, Wilson, Siddiqui; Tabled 9-0

This Order was on a crash-and-burn trajectory last week prior to the Azeem Charter Right, and it’s doubtful whether it can be amended to make it something other than a City bailout in violation of state law. That said, it may be possible to craft a substitute Order that can address the larger question of the inadequacy of local news coverage in Cambridge. There are many of us who would like to be part of that solution, but the authors of the Order chose not to include anyone outside their small circle. Ideally, I would like to see the Civic Unity Committee or an ad-hoc committee take up the larger issue of local news and information in Cambridge – and I hope this could be an opportunity to get a representative from Gannett (current owners of the Cambridge Chronicle) to appear before this committee to explain why they have forsaken Cambridge and what their long-term plans are for the Cambridge Chronicle.

1924 Cambridge City Council reporters

This is really a time for reinvention and not just subsidizing partial solutions. I will have a lot more to say about this in the weeks to come. As City Manager Huang noted last week, Cambridge at one time had assigned seats in the City Council chamber for five newspapers. Most Cambridge residents at one time read one or more of these newspapers every week. A lot has changed since then, including the way businesses advertise that was a primary source of revenue for these newspapers. This loss of local press is a national problem and there are some good examples available of how some places have taken up this challenge. It’s actually far easier to publish these days, so this should really be about discovering a sustainable solution particular to each community that incorporates a maximum number of voices and keeps the vitriol to a bare minimum.

Resolution #1. Congratulations to Laura Nichols on her retirement from the City of Cambridge.   Mayor Simmons, Councillor Toner

Best wishes to Laura Nichols, a long-time friend and a jewel of a person, on her upcoming retirement.

Committee Report #1. The Neighborhood and Long-Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts and Celebrations Committee held a public hearing on May 21, 2024 to discuss the upcoming Central Square zoning process and next steps following the Central Square Lots Study, City Manager Agenda Item 2024 #33, with a focus on 105 Windsor Street, 205 Western Ave, and 84 & 96 Bishop Allen Drive (Lots 4 and 5). [text of report]
Report Accepted, Placed on File 9-0

Late Order #6. That the City Council formally go on record in expressing its strong hope that the City engage in a thoughtful, deliberative, and collaborative community process to determine the future of the Central Square Library and the Green Street Garage.   Mayor Simmons, Councillor Toner
Order Adopted 9-0

I’m still not sure where this process is eventually headed. For many years the choices for Central Square have been somewhere between nothing and hosting services wanted nowhere else. Never forget that there was a day decades ago when many people traveled to Central Square from elsewhere as a kid-friendly destination for shopping and recreation – and not just in the evening hours for clubs and restaurants.

Committee Report #3. The Government Operations, Rules, and Claims Committee held a public hearing on June 5, 2024 meeting to discuss Charter Review recommendations and develop draft recommendations to the Full City Council for reviewing, deliberating, adopting, and processing possible changes to the Cambridge City Charter for a future vote by Cambridge voters. [text of report]
Report Accepted, Placed on File 9-0

Based on the testimony from the June 5 meeting, my sense is that the City Council should be content with a general reformatting of the Charter with modern language and modest changes to permit more flexibility in our PR elections. One thing that should be absolutely clear is that making substantial changes to a city charter in order facilitate the political desires of a councillor or two is not such a bright idea. – Robert Winters