Cambridge Civic Journal Forum

October 25, 2020

Money & Politics – Featured Items on the October 26, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Money & Politics – Featured Items on the October 26, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Here are my picks for this week:City Hall

Order #2. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the Community Development Department and other relevant City personnel to establish a plan that will allow for greater outreach to women-and-minority-owned businesses, technical assistance to these businesses in applying for financial relief, and a clear plan to ensure that those small businesses that have not yet received financial assistance be granted every opportunity to access any future City funding should it be made available, and to report back to the City Council on this matter in a timely manner.   Councillor Simmons
Approved 9-0 without discussion

There should be no argument about the ideal of broad outreach and, if necessary, even targeted outreach to ensure that available resources are equitably provided. There does come a point, however, when this crosses the line into political patronage and favoritism. During the cannabis brouhaha last year over how City ordinances could be crafted to provide advantages to social equity and economic empowerment applicants one couldn’t help but notice how many former elected officials were lining up to cash in on these advantages. Inequities in financial assistance necessitated by closures due to the pandemic are likely due to some potential recipients being less savvy about how to access benefits, but suggesting that outreach should be targeted only to women-and-minority-owned businesses seems more like favoritism than anything else. Shouldn’t outreach be to any and all businesses who may be unfamiliar with how to access benefits?

Order #3. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to raise this issue with the appropriate representatives of the Cambridge Crossing buildings, and with the appropriate representatives of the Governor’s Office, to ensure that these businesses are not in violation of any current statewide Covid-19 protocols.   Councillor Simmons
Approved 9-0 without discussion

Apparently there have been “party buses” full of unmasked party animals seen driving in and out of the emerging Cambridge Crossing area, a.k.a. North Point. Perhaps the party animals could be quarantined in the buses for a couple of weeks rather than release them into the general population. Party on, Wayne. Party on, Garth.

Order #4. That the City Council adopt a municipal ordinance to reduce or prohibit campaign donations from donors seeking to enter into a contract, seeking approval for a special permit or up-zoning, seeking to acquire real estate from the city, or seeking financial assistance from the city.   Councillor Carlone, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Zondervan
Charter Right – Simmons

This is really the centerpiece of this week’s agenda. It’s not the first time such a proposal has been floated in the City Council, and it always provides a wonderful opportunity for councillor doublespeak. While my personal preference is to simply require fully transparent disclosure of political donations from anyone, including those with potential business before the City, the simple truth is that it’s ethically questionable to receive such donations. If you dig into the contributions made during the 2019 municipal election season there was a lot of money coming from people affiliated with real estate development (including labor unions whose members would stand to get additional work) and cannabis. There were also significant contributions from those in the nonprofit housing world who wanted the City to amend zoning to deliver more projects to them.

Some incumbents and challengers have outright refused donations from anyone involved in real estate. I personally think that’s excessive and maybe even a bit snobby. Some people who deal in real estate are friends and neighbors who are very charitable with their time and talent (and money) in civic affairs. On the other hand, there are some councillors who take in tons of money from those with business before the City, and their votes generally do align with those interests. We all know that correlation does not imply causation, but it certainly does raise an eyebrow or two – and it should. The fact that some councillors wait until just after the election to receive such large donations seems even more problematic – at least to me – because it evades any disclosure that might have influenced voters.

The 2019 election featured a new twist – questioning the propriety of residents who own homes making political donations. The suggestion was that their favored councillors might vote in such a way that might cause their property to rise in value. Earth to Cambridge – those values have been rising primarily due to factors that have little to do with City Council actions. That fact, of course, will never stand in the way of political rhetoric by those who like to point fingers. Let’s also acknowledge that during the rent control era nobody suggested a conflict of interest in councillors receiving financial and political support from those whose primary motivation was keeping their rent controlled. Is there anyone who doesn’t have at least some sort of financial interest in election outcomes and political actions?

Order #5. That the City Manager be and is hereby requested to work with the Solicitor to draft Ordinance language to prohibit the use of tear gas in Cambridge.   Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Nolan, Mayor Siddiqui
Charter Right – Simmons

I believe the Police Department has said they don’t use tear gas, and I can’t imagine that policy changing. So what exactly is the reason for making this an ordinance other than just political showmanship?

Order #6. That the City must work with all major housing providers to eliminate or reduce the filing of evictions during the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis.   Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler
Referred to Housing Committee 9-0

Unlike the alarmist rhetoric coming from my State Misrepresentative (Connolly), this order is all about negotiation and facilitation for better outcomes. Who can argue with that? – Robert Winters

February 9, 2020

Cambridge School Committee 2019 campaign finance reports (and $/vote)

The totals from the 2019 campaign finance reports for Cambridge School Committee candidates are provided in the table below. This table will be updated when the remaining candidates file their year-end reports (which were due Jan 20, 2020).
The table can be sorted by clicking on any field – once for increasing order and again for decreasing order.

CandidateFromToStartReceiptsExpendBalanceLiabilities #1 Votes$/Vote
Allen, Ruth Ryan8/9/1910/18/19$0.00$9,397.00$3,264.85$6,132.15$1,078.92year end report missing892$3.66
Bowman, Mannika1/1/1910/25/19$3,145.07$11,892.00$11,469.80$3,567.27$0.00year end report missing3107$3.69
Dawson, Bernette6/11/1912/31/19$0.00$4,793.00$4,121.82$671.18$0.00complete977$4.22
Dexter, Emily1/1/1912/31/19$0.00$3,710.01$3,710.01$0.00$6,350.54complete3003$1.24
Fantini, Fred1/1/1912/31/19$4,184.01$9,540.00$8,682.78$5,041.23$14,695.99complete2660$3.26
Kadete, Elechi1/1/1910/28/19$51.40$3,038.62$1,547.60$1,542.42$0.00year end report missing815$1.90
Lim, Christopher1/1/1910/18/19$0.00$3,025.00$2,883.57$141.43$0.00year end report missing934$3.09
Rojas Villarreal, Jose Luis1/1/1912/31/19$0.00$1,584.99$1,068.18$516.81$0.00complete1133$0.94
Weinstein, David1/1/1912/31/19$510.77$13,056.18$9,476.18$4,090.77$15,707.99complete974$9.73
Weinstein, Rachel11/8/1712/31/19$0.00$32,438.07$26,646.39$5,791.68$5,232.63complete2178$12.23
Wilson, Ayesha11/8/1712/31/19$0.00$13,135.00$11,045.64$2,089.36$400.00complete2689$4.11

February 7, 2020

2019 Cambridge City Council Campaign Bank Reports (and $/Vote) – FINAL

The following table shows the summary bank reports (Feb 2018 through Jan 2020) for 2019 Cambridge City Council candidates and active local political action committees involved in the 2019 municipal election. These reports were updated at the middle and at the end of every month. You can sort by any of the fields shown by clicking on the field name – one click ascending and second click descending. #1 Votes and $/Vote fields were added after the election and will now be updated only if significant new bills are paid. The table is now closed with all reports through Jan 31, 2020 recorded. There will be no further updates for this campaign cycle other than corrections (which are not likely).

CandidateFromToStartReceiptsExpendBalanceAs Of#1 Votes$/VoteNotes
PAC - ABC05/16/1801/31/200.0021436.4119384.532051.8802/03/20--A Better Cambridge
PAC - CCC10/01/1901/31/200.0017891.2312748.415142.8202/05/20--Cambridge Citizens Coalition, $300 refund deducted
PAC - CResA07/15/1901/31/200.003166.772710.61456.1602/03/20--Cambridge Residents Alliance
PAC - Cambr. Bike Safety07/15/1907/15/190.000.000.000.0007/15/19--Cambridge Bike Safety
PAC - Our Revolution Cambridge10/01/1901/31/200.001427.001367.0060.0002/03/20--filed 10/9/19 w/OCPF
Akiba, Sukia07/16/1901/31/200.003000.032370.03630.0002/04/20362 $6.55$450 refund deducted
Azeem, Burhan05/01/1901/31/200.0013914.0513860.3753.6802/04/20961 $14.42$550 candidate loan deducted
Carlone, Dennis02/01/1801/31/2010088.5833141.6335999.177231.0402/03/201479 $24.34
Franklin, Charles03/05/1901/31/200.0033326.6031624.441702.1602/03/20323 $97.91new candidate, Mar 5
Kelley, Craig02/01/1801/31/204951.6539413.2030665.7013699.1502/03/201422 $21.57
Kopon, Derek07/01/1901/31/200.009716.729716.720.0001/11/20493 $19.71no longer raising/spending funds
Levy, Ilan02/01/1801/31/20-44.32650.51551.4154.7802/03/20110 $5.01
Mallon, Alanna02/01/1801/31/205380.4541744.7642180.484944.7302/05/201256 $33.58refund deducted
McGovern, Marc02/01/1801/31/206376.17105310.08103330.238356.0202/05/201621 $63.74$600 refund deducted, $3000 late expend.
McNary, Jeffery08/02/1901/31/200.000.000.000.0002/03/2077 $0.00will not raise/expend funds
Mednick, Risa07/16/1901/31/200.0019618.9916171.283447.7102/03/20244 $66.28new candidate, July 15
Moree, Gregg08/01/1912/31/190.001500.001500.000.0001/03/2047 $31.91ceased reporting
Musgrave, Adriane02/01/1801/31/20474.6741091.1936864.404701.4602/05/20726 $50.78
Nolan, Patty07/01/1901/31/200.0023587.0216731.696855.3302/03/201685 $9.93new candidate, June 11
Pitkin, John06/16/1901/31/200.0014304.6813396.95907.7302/03/20536 $24.99new candidate, July 17
Siddiqui, Sumbul02/01/1801/31/209334.0533624.2827639.3415318.9902/03/202516 $10.99
Simmons, Denise02/01/1801/31/207595.5063834.3362767.508662.3302/03/202007 $31.27
Simon, Ben03/16/1901/31/200.0012456.3711275.411180.9602/03/20294 $38.35new candidate, Apr 2
Sobrinho-Wheeler, Jivan03/11/1901/31/200.0027478.1325660.241817.8902/03/201321 $19.42new candidate, Mar 11
Toomey, Tim02/01/1801/31/205509.5263797.5357780.8611526.1902/03/201729 $33.42$24514.97 loan repayments deducted
Williams, Nicola A.03/12/1901/31/200.0031569.2231307.01262.2102/03/20631 $49.61new candidate, Mar 12
Zondervan, Quinton02/01/1801/31/201279.6647100.1548123.32256.4902/03/201382 $34.82
Summaries of potential 2019 City Council campaign bank reports. Adjustments to the totals have been made to reflect returned donations and other factors. [updated Mar 5, 2020 at 1:35pm]

Campaign Finance Reports – 2019 City Council (updated Feb 7, 9:55pm)

Vote!

February 3, 2020

Follow the Money – Cambridge City Council Campaign Receipts 2019

Why do labor unions pour so much money into City Council campaign coffers?

Money![Originally posted Aug 15, updated periodically] – One thing I have always found puzzling is the amount of money donated to the campaign accounts of incumbent city councillors. I suppose this could be interpreted as financial support for those who have supported unions in their noble quest for better wages, benefits, and working conditions, but the fact is that all incumbents and challengers appear to share this sentiment. So perhaps it’s something different. There is a longstanding pattern of labor representatives being recruited by some of the larger real estate developers to speak in favor of new development – supposedly because of the jobs involved, but that always struck me as too simplistic. Many of the people who control the funds of these political action committees are, to say the least, politically connected.

There’s also the matter of political contributions from people tied to real estate development. This is always difficult to evaluate because of the simple fact that it’s very difficult, if not impossible, to determine motive. There are people who have been generous charitable contributors for ages who also happen to own and/or develop Cambridge real estate. Are their contributions related to their real estate interests or not?

Of course, there’s also the matter of whether or not contributions come from Cambridge residents. It’s not always easy to draw conclusions from this – primarily because some candidates have family and friends scattered across the rest of the state and the country.

Here’s a revised account of the (a) Cambridge contributions, (b) union contributions, (c) real estate contributions (as best as I could discern), and (d) total of union and real estate money contributed over this election cycle starting from Feb 1, 2018 through Jan 31, 2020 (a full two-year election cycle) for all City Council candidates (notes: – receipts include loans from candidates to their campaigns; refunds deducted if clearly a refund):

Table of reported City Council campaign receipts (Feb 1, 2018 - Jan 31, 2020 - a full two-year election cycle) - Total, Cambridge, Unions, Real Estate - updated Oct 24, 2:16pm to include extremely late-reported receipts to ABC and Zondervan
Candidate (and PACs)ReceiptsCambridgePctunionsPctReal EstatePctunions+REPct
McGovern, Marc C.$107,006.21$46,638.0043.6%$12,550.0011.7%$30,200.0028.2%$42,750.0040.0%
Simmons, E. Denise$64,111.19$31,466.1949.1%$6,250.009.7%$20,600.0032.1%$26,850.0041.9%
Toomey, Timothy J., Jr.$63,112.80$33,325.1452.8%$5,100.008.1%$13,350.0021.2%$18,450.0029.2%
Mallon, Alanna$42,475.25$28,537.2567.2%$6,450.0015.2%$1,900.004.5%$8,350.0019.7%
Siddiqui, Sumbul$33,654.68$19,871.6859.0%$5,250.0015.6%$350.001.0%$5,600.0016.6%
Musgrave, Adriane$42,278.35$20,919.3549.5%$4,200.009.9%$600.001.4%$4,800.0011.4%
Kelley, Craig A.$40,385.00$32,378.0080.2%$2,500.006.2%$1,650.004.1%$4,150.0010.3%
ABC - PAC$25,850.26$21,593.2383.5%$0.000.0%$2,907.0011.2%$2,907.0011.2%
Sobrinho-Wheeler, Jivan$28,430.00$18,710.4265.8%$1,500.005.3%$0.000.0%$1,500.005.3%
Carlone, Dennis$33,648.00$27,098.0080.5%$500.001.5%$250.000.7%$750.002.2%
Mednick, Risa$19,541.00$13,908.0071.2%$500.002.6%$0.000.0%$500.002.6%
Azeem, Burhan$14,724.35$11,969.3581.3%$450.003.1%$35.000.2%$485.003.3%
Williams, Nicola A.$31,662.28$24,412.0277.1%$0.000.0%$50.000.2%$50.000.2%
Akiba, Sukia$3,000.00$980.0032.7%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
BikeSafety-PAC$3,480.00$2,155.0061.9%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
CCC - PAC$19,155.00$18,275.0095.4%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
CResA - PAC$3,173.08$3,005.0094.7%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
Franklin, Charles$34,392.78$22,639.7865.8%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
Kopon, Derek Andrew$8,873.16$7,295.0182.2%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
Levy, Ilan S.$650.00$550.0084.6%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
McNary, Jeffery$0.00$0.00-$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
Moree, Gregg J.$1,500.00$1,500.00100.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
Nolan, Patricia M.$23,236.23$13,630.0058.7%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
ORC - PAC$1,992.00$1,892.0095.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
Pitkin, John$14,335.00$12,172.0084.9%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
Simon, Ben$12,863.56$7,118.2355.3%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
Zondervan, Quinton$47,226.23$34,317.2372.7%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%$0.000.0%
Total$720,756.97$456,356.4463.3%$45,250.006.3%$71,892.0010.0%$117,142.0016.3%

Source: Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF)

ABC-PAC: “A Better Cambridge Political Action Committee”
BikeSafety-PAC: “Cambridge Bicycle Safety Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee”
CCC-PAC: “Cambridge Citizens Coalition Political Action Committee”
CResA-PAC: “Democracy for Cambridge Political Action Committee” – Cambridge Residents Alliance
ORC-PAC: “Our Revolution Cambridge Political Action Committee”

January 21, 2020

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 447-448: January 21, 2020

Episode 447 – Cambridge InsideOut: Jan 21, 2020 (Part 1)

This episode was broadcast on Jan 21, 2020 at 5:30pm. Topics: Red Sox; campaign finance, money talks; Vacancy Recount – David Weinstein elected; Patty Nolan joins the 20,000 Club. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]


Episode 448 – Cambridge InsideOut: Jan 21, 2020 (Part 2)

This episode was broadcast on Jan 21, 2020 at 6:00pm. Topics: Impeachment, judicial appointments; seeking a culture of compromise; Board vacancies, regulatory vs. advisory boards, Plan E limitations; proportional representation – proportional to what? Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

December 4, 2019

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 437-438: December 3, 2019

Episode 437 – Cambridge InsideOut: Dec 3, 2019 (Part 1)

This episode was broadcast on Dec 3, 2019 at 5:30pm. Topics: Analysis of voters by age, turnout, possible causes; cost of a campaign, effectiveness. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]


Episode 438 – Cambridge InsideOut: Dec 3, 2019 (Part 2)

This episode was broadcast on Dec 3, 2019 at 6:00pm. Topics: Karp Petition ordination pending; Universal Pre-K, Tobin School renovation/relocation; participatory budgeting. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

November 20, 2019

Cambridge InsideOut Episodes 433-434: November 19, 2019

Episode 433 – Cambridge InsideOut: Nov 19, 2019 (Part 1)

This episode was broadcast on Nov 19, 2019 at 5:30pm. Topics: Final Official Municipal election results; ballot data; ward/precinct distribution; #2 Vote Distribution; Instant Runoff mayor. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]


Episode 434 – Cambridge InsideOut: Nov 19, 2019 (Part 2)

This episode was broadcast on Nov 19, 2019 at 6:00pm. Topics: Election last details; Replacements in the event of a vacancy; campaign finance reform. Hosts: Judy Nathans, Robert Winters [On YouTube] [audio]

[Materials used in these episodes]

November 18, 2019

Lame Duck Walking – November 18, 2019 Cambridge City Council meeting

Lame Duck Walking – November 18, 2019 Cambridge City Council meeting

Lame DuckIn between the inevitable hushed meetings to secure the necessary five votes to become mayor for the 2020-21 term, the lame duck session continues quacking. The agenda is quite short, but a few items worth noting are listed below. Honestly, I’ve been having more fun studying the 2019 ballot data now that the election results were finalized Friday evening [Council][School]. This includes things like the ward/precinct distribution of #1 votes [Council][School], the #2 vote distribution behind each candidate’s #1 votes [Council][School], who would replace each of the newly elected members in the event of a future vacancy, and an Instant Runoff simulation to see how the ballots would choose a mayor (which, of course, is not how it’s done!). Anyway, back to the Council agenda (with minimal comment)…..

Manager’s Agenda #5. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a Planning Board recommendation to adopt with comments and suggested improvements, the CambridgeSide Galleria Associates Trust Zoning Petition.

Manager’s Agenda #6. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $4,475,844.18 from Free Cash to the Mitigation Revenue Stabilization Fund which will be used to fund specific future projects, requiring individual appropriations by the City Council at a later date.


Manager’s Agenda #10. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a Planning Board recommendation to adopt the Exterior Building Insulation Zoning Petition.

Committee Report #3. A report from Councillor Dennis J. Carlone Co-Chair of the Ordinance Committee, for a public hearing held on Nov 12, 2019 to discuss the Insulation Zoning proposal A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a petition to amend provisions in Article 5.000 and Article 22.000 pertaining to setback requirements and exterior building insulation.


Manager’s Agenda #11. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a Planning Board recommendation to adopt Article 22 Green Building Requirements Zoning Petition.

Committee Report #2. A report from Councillor Dennis J. Carlone Chair of the Ordinance Committee, for a public hearing held on Nov 12 at 12pm to discuss Green Building requirements A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a petition to amend provisions in Section 22.20, which governs Green Building Requirements, and also applicable definitions contained in Article 2.000.


Order #2. That the City Manager is requested to direct the Traffic, Parking and Transportation Department to fully restore sharrows to Broadway, alongside the new door-zone bike lane, as a reminder to motorists that cyclists are always allowed to take the full lane.   Councillor Zondervan

I completely agree with this Order (as a person who prefers biking along with other traffic on most roads with ordinary speeds), but I continue to marvel at the trend among city councillors to assume roles which previously were the domain of the professional staff. I can’t decide if this is great wisdom or micromanagement or just a vote of "no confidence" of City staff.

Committee Report #1. A report from Vice Mayor Jan Devereux, Chair of the Government Operations, Rules & Claims Committee, for a public meeting held on Nov 14, 2019 to discuss the Solicitor’s Response to Policy Order O-9 from the June 10, 2019 City Council Meeting.

I used to be somewhat agnostic regarding campaign donations from people with business before the City Council, but the recent municipal election campaign has pushed me into the camp of those who feel that some limitations should be the rule. I’m still not convinced that public financing of municipal election campaigns would be worth it either practically or bureaucratically. I also can’t wrap my head around the fact that some of our local elected officials (and their ardent supporters) feel outrage about the Citizens United court decision that opened the floodgates in campaign spending yet have no qualms whatsoever in doing the same thing at the local level. – Robert Winters

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