Cambridge Civic Journal Forum

December 18, 2017

That’s All Folks! – Featured Items on the Dec 18, 2017 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Filed under: Cambridge,City Council — Tags: , , , — Robert Winters @ 12:40 am

That’s All Folks! – Featured Items on the Dec 18, 2017 Cambridge City Council Agenda

That's All Folks!This will be the last meeting of the 2016-2017 Cambridge City Council and the final meeting for Councillors Cheung, Maher, and Mazen who will soon pass their seats along to Councillors-Elect Mallon, Siddiqui and Zondervan for the 2018-2019 City Council term. It’s been great having Leland Cheung (first elected in 2009) and David Maher (first elected to the Council in 1999) for all the years they served and the wisdom they shared.

Here are some agenda items that seem to rise above the others:

Manager’s Agenda #11. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the Regulation for Keeping of Honey Bees. [DPH Bees Memo] [DPH Bees Regs]

Unfinished Business #8. An amendment to the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Cambridge on Beekeeping. The question comes on passing to be ordained on or after Nov 6, 2017. Planning Board hearing held on Oct 3, 2017. Petition expires Jan 3, 2018.

This is expected to be ordained at this meeting (or it will expire).
Update: It was Ordained 9-0 as Amended.

Manager’s Agenda #12. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to letter from Leggat McCall Properties regarding the proposed disposition of a leasehold interest in the First Street Garage for parking spaces and the development of first floor retail space in connection with Leggat McCall’s redevelopment of the former Edward J. Sullivan Courthouse building at 40 Thorndike Street in East Cambridge.

Now that the series of lawsuits (that never had a chance) have expired, the redevelopment of the courthouse building is expected to proceed.

Unfinished Business #9. An amendment to the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Cambridge on Innovation Office Space in PUD-3A and PUD-4C Zoning Districts. The question comes on passing to be ordained on or after Dec 18, 2017. Planning Board hearing held on Oct 17, 2017. Petition expires Feb 13, 2018.

This may also be ordained on Monday. The expiration isn’t for some time but there’s really no reason to kick this can down the road.
Update: It was Ordained 8-0-1.

Resolution #6. Retirement of Alessandra "Sandra" Albano from the City Council Office.   Councillor Cheung

Sandy’s tenure dates to the days of Mayor Al Vellucci. It’s hard to imagine City Hall without her. Happy Trails, Sandy.

Update: Here’s the list of city councillors Sandra will have worked with by the time she leaves after the Inaugural meeting.

Alanna Mallon
Alfred LaRosa
Alfred Vellucci
Alice Wolf
Anthony Galluccio
Brian Murphy
Craig Kelley
Daniel Clinton
David Maher
David Sullivan
David Wylie
Denise Simmons
Dennis Benzan
Dennis Carlone
Edward Cyr
Francis Duehay
Henrietta Davis
James Braude
Jan Devereux
Jonathan Myers
Katherine Triantafillou
Kathleen Born
Kenneth Reeves
Larry Ward
Leland Cheung
Leonard Russell
Marc McGovern
Marjorie Decker
Michael Sullivan
Minka vonBeuzekom
Nadeem Mazen
Quinton Zondervan
Sam Seidel
Saundra Graham
Sheila Russell
Sumbul Siddiqui
Thomas Danehy
Timothy Toomey
Walter Sullivan
William Walsh

Order #1. That all items pending before the City Council and not acted upon by the end of the 2016-2017 Legislative Session be placed in the files of the City Clerk, without prejudice provided that those proposed ordinances which have been passed to a second reading, advertised and listed on the Calendar under "Unfinished Business" during the 2016-2017 City Council term, along with any other pending matters on the Calendar listed as "Unfinished Business," shall be forwarded to the next City Council and further provided that any items pending in committee may, at the discretion of the committee, be forwarded to the next City Council.   Mayor Simmons

There’s nothing nicer than a clean slate, and that goes especially for virtually all of the items on "Awaiting Report" – many of which have already been addressed and some of which should have been brushed off long ago. I hope the next City Council exercises more discretion in the demands made of City staff and the wild geese it chooses to chase. – Robert Winters

August 1, 2017

Statement from Councillor Cheung on his decision to not seek reelection

Filed under: Cambridge,elections — Tags: , , — Robert Winters @ 9:05 am

Friends,

When I first ran for City Council 8 years ago, I did not think that I would actually win. I felt compelled by a faith in community service that my parents instilled in me; a love for the city my father first called home when he immigrated to America; and a vague notion that somehow my unique ideas and perspective would, when added to those already there, make the Council even better. Winning was a surprise, but I was humbled by the opportunity, and honored by the trust voters had placed in me.Leland Cheung

I came to office determined to make the most of that opportunity; to affect as much good as I possibly could in the time I was given. Determined to earn the trust given to me by making things better tomorrow than I’d found them yesterday, I tried to make the most of every day because I never thought it would last forever.

After much reflection, I’ve decided that I will not seek re-election to the City Council. These past 8 years of public service have been exciting, productive, and professionally rewarding but also demanding. Doing the job, the way I aspire to do it, is an all-consuming affair. Elected office demands more than just 40 hours a week. More than 80. It keeps you constantly on call. It demands your nights and weekends. Nowadays however, my nights and weekends belong to my wife, my 3 year old daughter Lela Marie, and my 3 month old son Alexander Alpha. Quite frankly, I cannot be wholly present at a community meeting if all I’m thinking about is going home to play on the rug. Life is short and I want to spend these next few years devoting my free time to my kids.

While reflecting on this decision I took some time to look back over all the flyers and mailings I’d sent out ever since my first campaign. I’m proud that almost all those promises have been fulfilled. We have innovation legislation that formalizes open data, sets aside affordable office space for entrepreneurs, and a city bureaucracy that’s embracing technology. Cambridge is the most climate-conscious city in the world, with building regulations headed towards net-zero, power aggregation that’s shifting the entire city towards renewables, and investments in transportation infrastructure. We’ve emerged from the national housing crisis with a focus on affordability, and a blueprint for incentivizing developers to focus on residents, not profits. We introduced participatory budgeting, mini-bonds, and curbside composting. We have a great new City Manager, focused on customer service, who was selected through a transparent and inclusive process. We’re investing in education, family housing, and helping residents build a better future for themselves and their families.

I’m known for promoting a forward-looking vision for the city, from innovation to entrepreneurship, but my most impactful moments were when I broke from peoples’ expectations of me as the kid from MIT. Bringing millennials to understand the perspectives of life-long residents on everything from taxes to bicycles; championing home grown candidates – Rich Rossi and Louie Depasquale – for City Manager; focusing on the basics like fire and police. The underlying theme is that every move I’ve made has been towards a singular goal – making tomorrow better than yesterday; aan everything I’ve done has been in collaboration with others – residents, activists, colleagues, and city employees – and with an understanding that any policy is only as strong as the front-line employees delivering the service.

The temptation to remain in public office is that there is always more work to be done. I won’t stop moving issues forwards until my term is over. However, I rest assured that the future of Cambridge is bright. We have the policies, practices, and personnel to tackle whatever is next. We have the best employees of any city in the country. Between the incumbents running for re-election and the new candidates, we’ll have the institutional memory to safeguard what’s great about Cambridge and the new ideas necessary to challenge assumptions and make things even better.

So I humbly return to you the trust that you held in me. It’s time for me to focus on my growing family and opportunities in the private sector. I’m forever thankful that despite the national drama, I’ll leave the City Council with a deepened faith in American Democracy and as living proof that the dream is alive and well. And for that I am grateful.

Thank you,
Leland

July 28, 2016

Democratic Debate for 2nd Middlesex Senate [Patricia Jehlen vs. Leland Cheung]

Filed under: 2016 election,Cambridge,elections — Tags: , , , , , , — Robert Winters @ 12:17 pm

On July 21, 2016, Cambridge Community Television (CCTV) and Somerville Community Access Television (SCATV) hosted a debate between the 2 candidates for the 2nd Middlesex Senate District, incumbent Patricia Jehlen and challenger Leland Cheung. The debate was produced and hosted by Joe Lynch, producer of Greater Somerville. Panelists included Donald Norton, publisher and editor in chief of the Somerville Times, Alex Ruppenthal from the Medford Transcript and wickedlocal.com, and Robert Winters, founder of the Cambridge Civic Journal.



Democratic Debate for 2nd Middlesex Senate from Cambridge Community Television on Vimeo.

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