Note: Any information or images provided on this website may be used by anyone providing public information - and that goes especially for information about candidates in the municipal election. Attribution is appreciated, but not required.
The Cambridge Civic Journal has never and will never accept money from any political candidate or political organization. We don't accept money at all.
Quote of the month (Feb 2011):
"Much of the language in the contract is obscure, its costs are not included and the contract has not been published on the city's website. The contract is posted, lost among hundreds of other documents, on a Cambridge blogger's website."
- Summary of the research of a Northeastern Univ. journalism class project targeting Cambridge City Manager Robert Healy published Feb 8 in the Boston Globe and another blogger's website.
It's so nice to be dissed by the children. - RW
A liberal friend, conventionally "green," once asked me how a scientific issue like global warming had become a battleground in the culture war. I replied that the left had made it one by treating climate change as an imperative for sweeping ideological change. Climate alarmists insist that the earth is doomed unless we radically change the way we live by reducing freedom, limiting choices, and aggrandizing government. The struggle is not about the science of global warming, in short; it's about the theology of global warming - a theology that commands us, in Al Gore's formulation, to "make the rescue of the environment the central organizing principle for civilization."
This religious aspect of climate alarmism, which many conservatives and libertarians grasp intuitively, is not often acknowledged openly by its adherents. But now and then it is stated with unabashed directness, as with this headline in the Guardian, an influential London daily, during the Copenhagen conference: "This is bigger than climate change. It is a battle to redefine humanity." Precisely. Jeff Jacoby, Dec 27, 2009, Boston Globe
2nd Quote for June 2009:
"Too bad if a governor had to go missing it couldn't have been the governor of Alaska. You know, Sarah Palin." Senator John F. Kerry
[Political opinions aside, what kind of man makes such a statement?]
1st Quote for June 2009:
"Them Jews aren't going to let him talk to me. I told my baby daughter that he'll talk to me in five years when he's a lame duck, or in eight years when he's out of office. ...They will not let him talk to somebody who calls a spade what it is." -- Rev. Jeremiah Wright, asked if he's talked to Obama since he became president.
Quote for March 2009:
"In Washington it's a little bit like American Idol, except everybody is Simon Cowell." -- Barack Obama
[yes, and Mr. Obama is Sanjaya.]
Quote for Feb 2009 - "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before." - White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Nov 2008.
Nov 2008 - Change even I can believe in: "Brothers should pull up their pants. You are walking by your mother, your grandmother, your underwear is showing. What's wrong with that? Come on. Some people might not want to see your underwear. I'm one of them." -- President-elect Barack Obama
Quote for March 2008 (on a recent study on casinos): While opponents of gambling in Massachusetts have disputed his methods, Clyde W. Barrow, the center's director and an authority on the economic impact of gambling, said the figures show that “gambling revenue is resilient, even in the face of an economic downturn.” (Boston Globe article)
We're waiting for the next study on alcoholism and narcotics addiction in which these may also be called “resilient in the face of an economic downturn.”
Quote for February:
“For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country, and not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change.” -- Michelle Obama (Barack's wife) at a Milwaukee, WI campaign event.
Is this really the first time? Surely there must have been something about the USA that gave her positive feelings before her husband Barack Obama wanted the top job? Does hubby Barack share her negative impressions about the United States? Perhaps these are “just words.”
Good quote for December:
"I mean, talk about a direct IV into the vein of your support. It's a very efficient way to communicate. They regurgitate exactly and put up on their blogs what you said to them. It is something that we've cultivated and have really tried to put quite a bit of focus on."
-- former White House communications director Dan Bartlett, on conservative blogs
Good quote for August: “By now, the political blogosphere is to the left what talk radio is to the right. It is a forceful, sometimes demagogic, message-monger organizing tool for the progressive end of the Democratic Party.”
- Ellen Goodman, Boston Globe, Aug 10, 2007 column "E-male"
Interesting Fact: Did you know that the color on the top of a fire hydrant indicates the flow rate of water from that hydrant? Blue: 1500+ gal/minute Green: 1000-1499 gal/min Orange: 500-999 gal/min Red: <500 gal/min
Favorite Quote for June: “He told me...that, as a martyr, he would have been granted 72 virgins. This didn't seem quite the moment to point out that there is a lively, ongoing debate among scholars of Islam as to whether the 72 promised virgins might, in fact, only be 72 raisins.”
-- The New Republic's Peter Bergen, on an interview with a would-be suicide bomber
Yet Another Favorite Quote for May: “If they f*** with me or Shaha, I have enough on them to f*** them too.”
-- Paul Wolfowitz, referring to several senior staff members at the World Bank
Favorite Quote for May: “And as for the one Mormon running for office, those that really believe in God will defeat him anyway, so don't worry about that.”
-- Nationally renowned bigot and opportunist Al Sharpton comment on Mitt Romney
April's favorite quote: “Quoting Robert Winters, a math instructor at Harvard, who is alleged to be an FBI informant, is like asking the Pope about religion.”
-- By R.B., April 18, 2007
“Every municipality has its quirks. In Newton, the unofficial anthem is ‘Kumbaya.’ The Cambridge City Council will undoubtedly pass a resolution demanding that yoga be an Olympic sport. Supposedly urbane Boston has an otherwise good mayor that no one can understand.”
- Brian McGrory,
Boston Globe, Nov 19, 2004
Will the real traitor please stand up?
“For the majority leader of the United States Senate, in the time of war, with soldiers dying on the ground, announcing that we have lost the war, is very close to treasonous. I looked it up while we were driving over here, what the definition of 'treason' is. It's the betrayal of trust.”
-- Tom DeLay, 2007
“I cannot support a failed foreign policy....President Clinton has never explained to the American people why he was involving the US military in a civil war in a sovereign nation, other than to say it is for humanitarian reasons, a new military-foreign policy precedent. Was it worth it to stay in Vietnam to save face? What good has been accomplished so far? Absolutely nothing.”
-- then-House Majority Whip Tom Delay, 1999, a month into the US mission in Kosovo
“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
July 26, 1920, H.L. Mencken
Ron Suskind's essay: Without a Doubt
NY Times Magazine,
Oct 17, 2004
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
-- Theodore Roosevelt (1918)
Bush Advisor Karl Rove, p. 78 of the February 19 & 26, 2001 issue of the New Yorker:
[ on education plan in general ] ... “The tax cuts will make the economy grow. As people do better, they start voting like Republicans -- unless they have too much education and vote Democratic, which proves there can be too much of a good thing.”
Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. – Blaise Pascal
History Repeats
“Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger.”
-- Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials
“I just don’t think we should go hellfire damnation around the globe freeing people, unless it is directly related to our own national security.”
-- Gerald R. Ford
ENTER THE FIRST ANNUAL CAMBRIDGE RINDGE AND LATIN COMMUNITY
ACADEMIC COMPETITION. TEST YOUR SMARTS AGAINST CRLS STUDENTS
TAKE A TOUR OF THE NEWLY RENOVATED HIGH SCHOOL
Do you remember all the elements on the periodic table? How about the formula for determining the length of an arc on a circle? Who was that president who served after Grover Cleveland? Questions similar to these will be asked at the first annual Cambridge Rindge and Latin Community Academic Challenge entitled "Are You As Smart As A CRLS Student?".
This test of knowledge is scheduled for Thursday, March 29 from 7 to 9pm in the school's main cafeteria. Members of community organizations, schools, businesses and neighborhood groups are invited to enter teams of four colleagues to challenge teams of CRLS students in this exceptional battle of the brains. Individuals are also welcome to register by themselves and will join others that night in creating a team. Trophies and prizes will be awarded. Please note; no life-lines, phone a friend or smart phones are allowed. Please note; no life-lines, phone a friend or smart phones are allowed.
The evening is part of Celebrate CRLS, a year long program designed to better inform everyone in the city about the newly renovated high school and all its fantastic offerings and accomplishments. Music will be provided by the CRLS Jazz Ensemble and refreshments will be served.
From 6:00 to 7:00 that night tours of the building will be given to show people the many changes to the school since the completion of the renovation this past September.
For more information about the evening and to register your team, contact Henry Lukas, retired CRLS Assistant Principal at henryjlukas@hotmail.com or check www.celebratecrls.org.
Voter Registration and Absentee Ballots for Presidential Primary
The Presidential Primary will be held on Tuesday, March 6, 2012. For Cambridge residents not already registered, the last day to register to vote is Wednesday, February 15, 2012 until 8:00pm. The polls will be open on Election Day from 7:00am until 8:00pm.
Absentee Ballots are now available at the Cambridge Election Commission office. Any voter who is unable to go to the polls on Election Day due to physical disability, religious belief, or absence from the city may request an Absentee Ballot from the Commission. The deadline to apply for an Absentee Ballot is Monday, March 5, 2012 at Noon. Absentee Ballots may be mailed to voters, or such voters may choose to vote at the Commission office during regular city office hours: Monday, 8:30am-8:00pm; Tuesday-Thursday, 8:30am-5:00pm; Friday, 8:30am-Noon. The office will also be open for Absentee Voting on Friday, March 2nd from 8:30am until 5:00pm and on Saturday, March 3rd from 9:00am until 5:00pm.
For any additional information, please visit the Cambridge Election Commission office at 51 Inman Street, call 617-349-4361 or visit our website at www.cambridgema.gov/election.
In addition to the regular items on the meeting agenda, there's still the lingering question of whether this City Council plans to elect a mayor this term. The results of the first two ballots may or may not be meaningful - it all depends upon whether the two who amassed 3 votes each last time (Cheung, Decker) can ever make it to 5 votes. If not, eventually the votes will find their way to a candidate who has majority acceptability, and that may not be either of the two current frontrunners. The relevant agenda item is Unfinished Business #3. The votes taken will continue to be recorded here: http://cambridgecivic.com/?p=1750. Feel free to comment.
Fundamentally, this matters more to the councillors than it does to the residents of the city. It really only determines who gets to appoint the committees, chair the meetings, get a paycheck bonus, and have the privilege of planning a few senior picnics. The one exception is that the mayor becomes the 7th voting member and Chair of the School Committee, and this is potentially consequential in that they are right now making decisions about the new upper school structure (Innovation Agenda). It would be nice if the person elected as Mayor actually believes in and is willing to act in support of academic excellence. [Ref.: Cambridge Public Schools Academic Challenge Plan]
There's one other potential consequence of this mayoral election. If the choice of mayor causes many Cambridge residents to shake their heads in disbelief, this could lead some to seek a change in the Charter to have a popularly elected mayor (which would continue to be more ceremonial than substantial) or perhaps even more fundamental Charter change (along with the inevitable unintended consequences). On the other hand, civic interest is currently so dreadfully low that it's hard to imagine any person or group having enough interest to carry out such a campaign. In any case, it would be a mistake to blame the system for the failings of the people we elect.
It's interesting that Resolution #22 (sponsored by 8 councillors) offers congratulations to Councillor Henrietta Davis on being named Chair of the National League of Cities International Council. Meanwhile, back in Cambridge, none of these 8 councillors seem willing to vote for Davis as mayor.
There are several energy/environment Orders on this agenda:
Order #3. That the City Manager is requested to devise and implement a system for annually reporting the energy use of each municipal building, including schools and buildings leased by the city, and to communicate this information to the public by making it available on the city website and through other means such as displays in building lobbies and city publications. Councillor Davis and Councillor vanBeuzekom
Order #9. That the City Manager is requested to designate a committee to include the City's Assistant City Manager for Fiscal Affairs, to analyze various scenarios for installation of renewable energy facilities for city buildings. Councillor Davis
Order #10. That the City Manager is requested to revisit instituting a ban on plastic bags from retail institutions. Councillor Decker and Councillor vanBeuzekom
Order #11. That this City Council go on record requesting that Cambridge go "coal-free" in an effort to combat the negative effects such energy has on health, economics and social justice. Councillor Decker and Councillor vanBeuzekom
Councillor vanBeuzekom is wasting no time promoting some of the things that really matter to her, and the combination of her and Councillor Davis should keep these issues in the forefront for the next two years. In Order #10, most of the emphasis is on pollution, but there is an even more basic reason for dissuading people from using plastic bags. They inevitably make their way into the single-stream recycling containers (even though it's against the rules) and they foul up the machinery at the Charlestown processing plant. However, banning Cambridge retailers from using plastic bags is not a particularly great strategy when so many of us do our shopping in Somerville and elsewhere. Rules governing product packaging and recycling have to be regional or statewide to be effective.
Order #7. That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council on how the City of Cambridge promotes and enforces the Cambridge Employment Plan. Councillor Toomey
It's worth reading this plan that dates primarily to 1984 and 1990. Councillor Toomey's focus seems to be on hiring Cambridge residents for construction projects. It's interesting that a proposed ordinance change in 2008 in response to threatened litigation would have relaxed portions of the Ordinance relating to the hiring of Cambridge residents, but the matter was placed on file without action.
Order #12. That this City Council go on record strongly suggesting that Equity World only work with companies that do meet community standards and to provide further information regarding why they chose to work with a company that does not. Councillor Decker
Yet another Order filed on behalf of the labor unions. The Order states that a certain contractor has been "accused of fraud, asbestos violations, debarments, apprenticeship issues and DOL issues." It's interesting that a Council Order should be based on accusations without any reference to whether this contractor has ever been found guilty of any of these accusations.
Order #13. That the City Manager is requested to report back to the Council on how appropriate information pertaining to parking sticker location (how many parking stickers are issued to a street or address) may be made readily available, free of charge and on the City's website, to the general public or, if that is not possible, what information may be made available and why any limitations on dissemination of such information exists. Councillor Kelley
Nobody likes competing for on-street parking spaces, but do we really want to categorize buildings and the neighbors who live in them by how many resident stickers are issued for each building?
Order #14. That the City Manager is requested to develop a complete list of all agreements which give continuing benefit to the residents of Cambridge and the mechanism for keeping track of expiration, enforcement or change of ownership. Councillor vanBeuzekom
This is the kind of thing you might think is already routinely done, but it's doubtful that it is. It might be a good idea to merge this information with the identification scheme proposed in Order #15 of Aug 1, 2011 (comments here).
Will they elect a Mayor at this meeting? Will it be someone acceptable to the public? [Mayoral Vote - 2012]
Tues, Jan 24
6:00-8:00pmPublic Comment at 6:00pm on the Academic Challenge Policy for the Innovation Agenda (School Committee Meeting Room, CRLS) followed by a Budget Retreat with a focus on the Innovation Agenda (Pearl K. Wise Library, CRLS)
Wed, Jan 25
6:00-8:30pm Meeting of the Central Square Advisory Committee 2011 (Sullivan Chamber, Cambridge City Hall, 795 Mass. Ave.)
Topics: Introduction to Goody-Clancy; what we've heard; and preliminary thoughts on issues and opportunities.
All committee meetings are open to the public. In addition to regular committee meetings, we will be planning public meetings/study area walking tours to solicit broader participation. Information on the Kendall Square-Central Square Planning Study (K2C2) is available at http://www2.cambridgema.gov/cdd/cp/zng/k2c2/index.html. If you have any questions, please contact Iram Farooq at ifarooq@cambridgema.gov or 617-349-4606.
Thurs, Jan 26
8:00-10:00amKendall Square Advisory Committee meeting (Cambridge Innovation Center, Havana Conference Room, One Broadway, Kendall Square - bring ID and allot time for security)
January and February Programs at Fresh Pond Reservation
These events are FREE and open to the public. Children are welcome in the company of an adult.
ANNUAL MEMBERS' MEETING AND POTLUCK SUPPER Date: Sunday, January 22 Time: 5:30 to 8pm Place: Maynard Ecology Center, bsmt. of Neville Place, 650 Concord Ave.
Members are invited to join in the festivities as Friends of Fresh Pond Reservation celebrates its tenth anniversary! Come enjoy good food, visit with other folks who love Fresh Pond, and make a toast to the future. After the potluck supper, we will briefly review what we have accomplished this past decade, and then we will have a party. New members are welcome (see below for membership information). Please RSVP!
WINTER TREE IDENTIFICATION Date: Saturday, January 28 Time: 1 to 3pm Place: Neville Place front door, 650 Concord Ave. Let us introduce you to some extraordinary trees that have shapes, bark, and branching patterns you will easily remember. We will walk on the golf course to look at a number of specimen trees* that are inaccessible to the public during other seasons. We will start outside and finish inside with refreshments. Wear footwear for walking off-path, possibly in snow. All levels of experience welcome!
*Trees that illustrate the outstanding characteristics of their species.
ANIMAL TRACKS AND SIGNS Date: Saturday, February 4 Time: 1 to 3pm Place: Maynard Ecology Center, basement of Neville Place 650 Concord Ave.
Many wild animals that we think of as living only in remote wilderness have, in recent years, filtered into urban settings and are using parks like Fresh Pond as hunting grounds and refuges. Although these animals, hiding in the night or in foliage, are seldom seen directly, their presence can be detected by the tracks and signs they leave behind. Tracker David Brown leads a program using slides and plaster casts to familiarize you with some of this evidence so that you can go out and look for yourself. If the conditions are good, we will also go outside to look for prints, so please dress accordingly. You must register for this program.
A VIRTUAL FRESH POND WALKABOUT Date: Monday, February 6 Time: 6 to 7:30pm Place: Water Purification Facility 250 Fresh Pond Pkwy
Watershed Manager Chip Norton will lead us on a virtual tour of the Reservation's new and future restoration projects. In the comfort of the Water Department conference room, he will use photos, maps, and illustrations to describe the challenges and goals of these efforts to keep our drinking water pure and to create healthy natural habitats for plants and the animals that live among them. Bring your questions! You must register for this program. Snow date is Monday, February 13.
LICHENS ARE EVERYWHERE! Date: Saturday, February 11 Time: 1 to 3pm Place: Maynard Ecology Center, basement of Neville Place, 650 Concord Ave.
Elizabeth Kneiper, a naturalist with a special interest in lichens, will introduce us to the characteristics and biology of the plant worlds' most interesting composite organisms lichens. Most people hhardly notice these plants that grow on most moist surfaces and give character to rocks and old trees. Using photos and specimens, we will study a variety of common local species. This program will be held indoors.
BATS: NOT RATS, NOT BLIND, NOT RABID Date: Sunday, February 26 Time: 2 to 4pm Place: Maynard Ecology Center, bsmt. of Neville Place 650 Concord Ave.
Some people are afraid of them, but bats provide us with a huge benefit, each one eating thousands of insects every night. Nathan Fuller, an expert on bats, will help us get better acquainted with these small flying mammals: their diversity, their lifestyles, and the 21st century dangers they face from disease and climate change.
Please register for each event that you plan to attend. You will receive information on parking after you register. E-mail Elizabeth Wylde at friendsoffreshpond@yahoo.com or call (617) 349-6489 and leave your name and phone number.
Offered by Friends of Fresh Pond Reservation
Membership in Friends of Fresh Pond Reservation costs only $10 per year ($5 for seniors and students, $15 for families). To join, fill out a membership form available in the Ranger Station information racks, e-mail friendsoffreshpond@yahoo.com, call 617-349-6489, or visit our website at www.friendsoffreshpond.org to download a form.
Keep up to date on events at the Pond. Visit the Friends group website at http://friendsoffreshpond.org to learn more about Friends group activities and the reservation and its inhabitants.
*** This winter and spring Grow Native Massachusetts is offering a series of free nature-related lectures at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway. The details are at www.grownativemass.org.
Sign up for the City of Cambridge's informative "Recycling and Composting Newsletter" by e-mailing recycle@cambridgema.gov.
Jan 20 (NY Times) - Etta James, whose powerful, versatile and emotionally direct voice could enliven the raunchiest blues as well as the subtlest love songs, most indelibly in her signature hit, "At Last," died Friday morning in Riverside, Calif. She was 73. Her manager, Lupe De Leon, told The Associated Press that the cause was complications of leukemia. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/21/arts/music/etta-james-singer-dies-at-73.html
Jan 18, 2012 - Unlike Wikipedia and others, there will be no blackout on the Cambridge Civic Journal today - mainly because it's a pain in the butt to do it and it'll be over before you know it. The proposed SOPA legislation (Stop Online Piracy Act) is offensive and unnecessary, and anyone who votes for it is a nitwit who understands neither the First Amendment nor the underlying philosophy that spawned the Internet Age. - Robert Winters
Personally, I'm primarily interested in the plans for mathematics in the upper schools and the high school, and it's hard to discern from this plan what exactly will happen. There appears to be a rigidity of thought regarding sticking with "differentiated instruction" without any mention of what might happen if the difference in skills within a classroom turns out to be too great. There can be a breaking point where all the "professional development" in the world cannot yield appropriate instruction for all students. This report indicates only that "the Math Academic Honors option will offer students the choice of selecting honors on a unit-by-unit basis rather than enrolling students in a separate honors course." A quick read seems to suggest that the plan is to merely direct advanced mathematics learners to supplement their education with online options - something that advanced mathematics learners may well be doing regardless of the plans of the Cambridge Public Schools.
The plan will be presented at the January 17 School Committee meeting (starting at 6:00pm) and voted on in early February.
I am very interested to hear what others may have to say about this plan. - Robert Winters
My Follow Up Comments & Questions (based on the Jan 17 presentation):
1) I would like to hear more details about the "Subject Acceleration Protocol". It sounds almost like an IEP (individualized education program) for advanced learners. What are the possible choices that could be proposed for such students who are several years above grade level?
2) What will happen if the plans for systemwide "differentiated instruction in heterogeneous classrooms" fails to deliver on its promises and the result is primarily chaos and mediocrity? The plan leans heavily on teachers to carry out this plan - and the teachers were barely consulted in the development of the plan. It's easy to claim that "professional development" can prepare all teachers to carry this out, but the reality may prove otherwise. Is there a backup plan?
3) The Scholars Challenge outlined in the proposal is terribly vague. Much of it sounds like things I thought any school system would already be doing routinely.
4) The Math Honors Option seems somewhat contrived - an acknowledgement that the Cambridge Public Schools must do something with accelerated students while remaining strapped to the mast of its ideology. One School Committee member noted that it's a very real possibility that there will be two kinds of students - one group who chooses the honors option for every unit where this is permitted and another group who never choose the honors option. The system abhors sorting students by ability, but the students will likely do it on their own (and have no problem doing so).
5) Might there be a conflict between the Math Honors Option and the Subject Acceleration Protocol? I can easily imagine students first choosing the (embedded) honors option and then deciding to seek a more appropriate solution via the Subject Acceleration Protocol. Will acceleration be denied by school staff in order to make the embedded honors option work?
6) How exactly will the Math Honors Option be engineered? Will the Honors students gather in a separate room for these selected units? One School Committee member seemed horrified at the thought - even though this may be the only practical and sensible way to engineer this option. What will happen if there's a great disparity in the number of students choosing the Honors option? Is there sufficient flexibility in the design to manage this?
7) What will be the protocol for dealing with noncooperative/disruptive students in heterogeneous classrooms? You can talk about beliefs and "habits of scholarship" and "creative environments conducive to learning", but you cannot wish away problematic behavior.
8) What exactly is meant by culturally competent teaching? How does this differ from what teachers do now?
9) Is there a transition plan for students who will be in the 7th or 8th Grade this coming fall? [The new upper schools will consist of Grades 6, 7, and 8.]
10) How does the new plan mesh with the high school curriculum and protocols?
11) Most people will agree that choice of electives and "leveling" of classes becomes appropriate at some point. What is this point? The underlying belief in this Academic Challenge Plan is that such choices are not appropriate at Grades 6, 7, and 8 (and earlier). Is Grade 9 and the beginning of high school the point where student choice becomes permissible?
Several people asked for the language in the latest contract between the Cambridge School Committee and the School Superintendent, so here are the new contract and the previous contract:
Curbside Collection Schedule Recycle Xmas Trees Jan 3-13 String Lights & Small Electronics Tell 5 People About This eNewsletter! Reminders: Foil, Boxes, Clamshell Packaging
Curbside Collection Schedule
Regular trash and recycling collection schedule this week. Next week, collection will be delayed one day, no collection on Mon, Jan 2 for the New Year’s Day holiday. Also, no collection on Mon, Jan 16 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, collection will be delayed by one day that week.
Recycle Xmas Trees Jan 3-13
Curbside collection of bare trees will begin Tues. Jan 3 through Fri. Jan 13, weather permitting. Or, bring to the Recycling Center Tu/Th 4-7:30pm, Sat 9am-4pm through Sat. Jan 21. Remove ALL decorations and stands. Do not put tree in a plastic bag. Every year, residents recycle thousands of trees, which the City chips and uses for mulch.
String Lights & Small Electronics
Did you know that string lights and small appliances & electronics (no TVs/computer monitors) are accepted at the Recycling Center? Open hours are Tu/Th 4-7:30pm and Sat 9am-4pm, 147 Hampshire St, in the back right corner of the DPW yard. Also, check out Best Buy’s e-cycle program, some items accepted for free, some cost $10 in exchange for a gift card.
Tell 5 People About This eNewsletter!
We hope to get at least 500 more Cambridge residents to sign up for our eNewsletter by June 1st, and we need your help. Please tell friends, neighbors, and family in Cambridge to stay in the loop and be the first to know about program updates, special collections, and volunteer opportunities. To subscribe, just email recycle@cambridgema.gov. Thanks for your support and participation!
Foil
Recycle (or reuse) clean aluminum trays, pie plates, and foil. Just take a minute to rinse off food residue.
Packaging Material
Bring clean packing peanuts to a UPS Store or the Recycling Center. Make sure cardboard boxes don’t have peanuts, plastic packaging or other trash inside. Place Styrofoam block packaging with trash or mail back to the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers. Styrofoam is not accepted for curbside or drop-off recycling because it will get shredded by the sorting equipment at Casella and end up littering the facility. Try to avoid Styrofoam – use these letters to give feedback to manufacturers and restaurants.
Clear Plastic Clamshell Containers
E.g. clear salad bar containers can be recycled after a quick rinse. Also, recycle blister packs, this is the clear pre-formed plastic used to contain items snugly, such as toys, hardware, electronics or other (see picture).
Plastic Utensils
Trash, not recycling. Plastic knives, forks and spoons are too small and will fall off the conveyor belt at the recycling facility. This generally holds true for any plastic smaller than a yogurt cup. BUT caps and lids on bottles and jars are OK, just make sure the container is empty and leave the cap on so it will stay on during sorting.
• Missed recycling? Please call DPW at 617-349-4800 no later than 12 noon the day after collection, or use iReport, the City's new online and mobile app to request missed recycling/trash and more!
• Need recycling toters, posters or stickers? Use our online form.
This is the first regular meeting of the 2012-13 City Council term and, except for a few matters of Unfinished Business, it's a clean slate. Because the new City Council was unable to elect a mayor at its Inaugural Meeting last week, it is expected that one or more mayoral ballots may occur at this meeting. It's anyone's guess whether they will succeed in electing a mayor this time, but there will be no City Council committees appointed until there is a mayor. The relevant agenda item is Unfinished Business #1. In the event that this is decided later in the meeting, I invite my diligent civic friends to report the play-by-play as a comment at http://cambridgecivic.com/?p=1750 at the earliest opportunity.
Resolution #21. Retirement of Robert M. Stevens as Director of Veterans Services for the City of Cambridge. Councillor Kelley
Bob Stevens is a good man whose company has been enjoyed by all who have worked with him and by many others (including me). Enjoy your retirement!
Order #2. That the City Manager is requested to present a plan to offer recycling receptacles in the public realm such as in parks and city squares. Councillor Davis and Councillor vanBeuzekom
There are now many solar-powered "Big Belly" trash containers in Central Square and elsewhere. Ideally, some of these might be repurposed for single-stream recycling, but the signage would have to be unmistakably clear indicating that only recyclable materials are to be deposited in the containers. This Order references dual purpose solar-powered containers in use in Somerville, but such an additional purchase would likely be a nontrivial additional cost.
Order #5. That the City Manager is requested to work with the appropriate departments and report back to the City Council with an opinion on whether the widespread use of rodent resistant trash bags would improve the City's pest management efforts. Councillor Cheung
The theory is that some scent or chemical is added to the plastic to deter the rodents. Cambridge rodents are, of course, more intelligent than ordinary rodents and will surely research the matter and gnaw their way toward a solution.
Order #6. That the City Clerk, who is the Parliamentarian of the City Council, is requested to organize a review of Robert Rules of Order beginning with the current Council and every new Council hereafter, with a view towards ensuring transparent, orderly and productive deliberations of the City Council. Councillor Simmons, Councillor Cheung and Councillor vanBeuzekom
This has been a sore spot for several city councillors - most notably Councillor Simmons and Councillor Kelley. Proper procedure during the regular meetings would be welcome, but it would be even more helpful if the City Council committees could be restored to productive use. With a few exceptions, Council committees have largely become places where the Chair of the committee carries out a pet project or two - hardly a collaborative process. Committee attendance has declined accordingly, and the last City Council had a number of significant resignations from committees. Some committees met rarely, and one committee did not meet at all during the entire Council term. There has also been a proliferation of single-councillor ad-hoc committees (Red, Blue, and Silver Ribbon Committees) that are not subject to any of the rules applicable to regular City Council committees.
Order #7. That the City Manager is requested to prepare a home rule petition to delegate the approval of curb cuts and report back to the Council with the necessary legislative language. Councillor Cheung
This was an early issue from Councillor Decker a decade ago. Delegating the approval of curb cuts seems like a good idea in most instances, but there have been a few significant cases in which the City Council's authority in this matter has played a role in negotiating a better outcome for neighbors.
Communications & Reports from City Officers #1. A communication was received from D. Margaret Drury, City Clerk, transmitting a letter from former Mayor and City Councillor David P. Maher, regarding executive session minutes of City Council discussions of the Monteiro case.
Former Mayor Maher has determined that there is no longer a need for these minutes to remain confidential. They go now to the Law Department for review and possible exemptions before public disclosure. Perhaps there will be an interesting twist revealed with this disclosure, but this dead horse has now been beaten beyond recognition. - Robert Winters
A group of Cambridge Public School parents has started to come together recently around the issue of serving the needs of students who are advanced in their learning of some subjects. They have founded an organization called CALA - Cambridge Advanced Learning Association, which they hope to grow into a diverse parent advisory council over time. Their mission and goals are listed below, and their website is: http://cambridgeadvanced.org/
They invite others to be on their mailing list - all are welcome. They welcome feedback, thoughts, corrections, and additions to the website. According to Freedom Baird, a CPS parent and CALA co-founder, "Our parent community wants the formation of CALA to be a collaborative, constructive process, and to do no harm, so your input is welcome."
Mission: Cambridge Advanced Learning Association is a newly forming parent group in Cambridge, MA working to support students of every race, ethnicity and socio-economic background who are in need of advanced learning, at the same time as we support the needs of all students. We do this by by offering resources, advocacy, and community to parents of students in need of advanced learning, and by working with and supporting our teachers, specialists, and administrators.
We define students in need of advanced learning as students who are learning beyond grade level in one or more subjects at any given time, and whose academic needs in those subjects fall outside the needs of most of the students in their classroom. Shorthand for this is "advanced learner", but this is not to suggest that a student is advanced in all of their learning all the time, indefinitely. We acknowledge and respect the flexible nature of learning, and understand that students may shift in and out of being advanced in their learning of one or more subjects over time.
Goals:
To support advanced learners in every Cambridge Public School in grades K-12
To help advanced learners from disadvantaged families keep pace with their advantaged peers
To provide support and resources for students who are twice-exceptional
To support students advanced in non-academic subjects like music or art
To provide resources, advocacy, and community to parents of advanced learners
To provide support and resources to teachers and specialists
To contribute to a district-wide culture of academic achievement
To combat stigma, harmful speech, and bullying against advanced learners in the Cambridge community
To work with the school administration to create effective policies and programming for advanced learners
To grow our parent group into an official Parent Advisory Council
The following Cambridge Boards and Commissions have vacancies:
Human Services Commission (Application Deadline Feb 3, 2012)
The Commission advises the City Manager and the Assistant City Manager for Human Services on human services policy issues and funding allocations. With the Department of Human Service Programs, the Commission also promotes activities that enhance the quality of life for Cambridge residents. One important way the Commission has gathered information on local human services trends in the past is by receiving testimony at periodic needs assessment public hearings. Over the years, the Commission has responded to local needs by recommending Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for a wide, but diminishing range of programs offered by the city and by community agencies. [information]
The state's plan for the Tim Murray Express (to use the Grand Junction railroad right-of-way through Cambridge for a Worcester to North Station commuter rail option) may have canceled or indefinitely delayed, but I guess you just can't completely stop the Tim Murray Express, can you?
Jan 2, 2012 - Today is Inauguration Day for the Cambridge City Council (10:00am at City Hall) and the Cambridge School Committee (6:00pm in the School Committee Meeting Room, Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, 459 Broadway). After the city councillors are sworn in at the 10:00am City Council Inaugural, the 1st Ballot for Cambridge Mayor will take place. If a Mayor is elected at this meeting, the City Council will then proceed to the vote for Vice-Chair of the City Council (commonly referred to as Vice Mayor). You may wish to check for updates on the vote at http://cambridgecivic.com/?p=1750.
[The City Council failed to elect a Mayor at the Inaugural Meeting. The tally was Cheung 2, Decker 2, Maher 2, Davis 1, Kelley 1, Simmons 1. Many believe this was more of a placeholder vote in the absence of any real consensus. The next vote will take place on January 9. Unfortunately, in the absense of an actual mayor the most senior member of the City Council will serve as acting mayor.]
Prior to the 6:00pm School Committee Inaugural, there will be a 5:00pm tour of the high school. There will be a collation (with food, I presume) immediately following the Inaugural in the main cafeteria. Many have noted the relatively small size of the new School Committee Meeting Room, so the Inaugural will likely be uncomfortably cozy (or moved to a larger venue).
[The School Committee was, in fact, moved to the Fitzgerald Auditorium at CRLS. The master of ceremonies was Jimmy Tingle. During the business meeting of the School Committee, Fred Fantini was unanimously elected Vice-Chair of the School Committee for the 2012-13 term.]
Dec 25 - How would you elect a mayor?
In Cambridge, the Mayor is the Chair of the City Council and of the School Committee. This is not a popularly elected mayor, but over the years some have suggested that it should be. Often missing from the conversation is the question of how such a popular election would take place in the context of a Plan E Charter, proportional representation elections for City Council and School Committee, and a city manager form of government.
One suggestion that has been made is that without changing the Charter, the City Council could factor into their decision what the actual City Council ballots might have to say regarding the "popular choice" for who should be chosen as mayor. This is only a simulation and must be understood with the caveat that voters might vote differently if they knew that their City Council vote might also be used to elect the mayor. That said, here's what the ballots have to say for the 1997 through 2011 City Council elections and what actually happened in the City Council vote for mayor for each of these mayoral elections: Instant Runoff simulations for choosing a Mayor: 1997 to 2011
This is the last meeting of the 2010-11 City Council term. Several active matters will carry over to the new City Council, but everything else goes away to allow for a fresh start. This will also be the last meeting for Councillor Seidel who will, presumably, receive the usual parting gifts (monogrammed gavel? rocking chair with a City of Cambridge official seal?). The agenda is short, but there are a few significant items. Note also that the regular 5:30pm meeting will be preceded by a special 4:00pm Roundtable meeting with the School Committee "to discuss various aspects of the Innovation Agenda, including capital needs."
Reconsideration #1. Councillor Kelley notified the City Clerk of his intention to move reconsideration on the vote taken on Dec 12, 2011 to ordain as amended the re-filed petition to amend the zoning ordinance filed by Chestnut Hill Realty. The petition would allow creation by special permit of rental apartment units in basement units of existing multifamily residential buildings in Residence C Districts which meet the special permit criteria. The question comes on passing to be ordained on or after Nov 28, 2011. Planning Board hearing held 9/6/11. Petition expires Dec 13, 2011.
This will be just a formality after which ordination will be finalized. The most problematic aspect of this zoning petition is not whether it's OK to create a few basement apartments. As the substitute language passed last week indicates, it's probably OK as long as certain conditions are met, though it does put the City Engineer in the unusual position of determining when a development project may go forward. The real issue is the way campaign contributions grease the wheels of legislation. It is absurd to characterize this zoning amendment as some sort of act of charity, and it's even more absurd to characterize the campaign contributions as "supporting local government".
This is all about money - how to make more of it and how to use it to buy legislation - and it's not just about Chestnut Hill Realty. Increasing profit is neither illegal nor immoral, and we do live in a capitalist economy, but when the money channeled from a single developer into the campaign accounts of some elected officials is of the same order of magnitude as the entire campaign budget of other elected officials, it is only natural that questions will be raised - even moreso when those who vote in favor of the zoning change exactly match those who received money from the petitioner.
City Manager's Agenda #2. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 11-156, regarding outside legal expenses incurred by the City for the Monteiro case and related cases.
The costs are laid out in the following communication from City Solicitor Don Drisdell. It is expected that the City Council will discuss the other settlement amounts in Executive Session.
December 19, 2011
Robert W. Healy,
City Manager
City Hall,
Cambridge, MA 02139
Re: Awaiting Report No. 11-156 re: Report Back on Council Order No. 6, dated 10/24/2011
Dear Mr. Healy:
In response to the above referenced Council Order, please be advised of our responses as follows to the Council's specific requests:
1. The outside legal expenses incurred by the City for the Monteiro case and related cases and issues.
Total: $2,633,194.67 to date. This total includes:
(a) $611,563.63 - for discovery and other pre-trial matters from 1999 to 2003 for all five of the original cases (Hampton, LaChance, Stamper, Wong and Monteiro), including summary judgment motions, fairly split among the five cases. The summary judgment motion resulted in judgment for the City in two of the five cases, and judgment for the City on the most substantive allegations of a third case.
(b) $674,446.30 - Monteiro pre-trial and trial expenses related to the first jury trial (2005) and post-trial matters. The jury found in favor of the City by determining that there had been no discrimination against Ms. Monteiro prior to her filing of a complaint with the MCAD. The jury was hung on the allegations of retaliation after the filing of the MCAD complaint, which necessitated a second trial.
(c) $858,776.21 - expenses related to the second Monteiro jury trial (2008) and post-trial matters. Following the conclusion of the second trial through the date of entry of the final judgment, which spanned almost two years, much of the time expended was overwhelmingly related to post-trial motions and other matters pertaining to the trial court action.
(d) $488,409.53-expenses for the appeal.
2. The cost of the appeal of the Monteiro case over the original judgment, to include interest and legal fees for both the defendant and the plaintiff.
(a) $913,673.90 - interest on damages awards after the entry of final judgment.
(b) $298,349.33 - plaintiff's attorneys fees and costs award for the appeal.
3. The amount of money related cases were settled for.
This will be discussed with the City Council in Executive Session.
4. The overall amount of money paid to Ms. Monteiro.
The City has paid Ms. Monteiro and her law firm a total of $8,067,461.78, which includes all damage awards, interest, costs and legal fees. The amount that Ms. Monteiro received and the amount that her law firm received from that total is not known to the City.
Very truly yours, Donald A. Drisdell
That's it for this Council term. We'll be welcoming City Councillor Minka vanBeuzekom with the new year. Hopefully the new Council will see fit to elect a mayor on the first ballot on January 2 and that they will make a good choice. - Robert Winters
The agenda is short but potentially interesting. Here are a few items worthy of a comment or two:
Manager's Agenda #8. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $100,000 to the Community Development Public Investment Fund Extraordinary Expenditures account which will be used to pay for design consultant services for a proposed bicycle & pedestrian path along the former NECCO railroad spur in Cambridgeport.
This is personal highlight in that I recall making the initial suggestion for this at a meeting of the Central Square Advisory Committee when Novartis first presented its plans to occupy the old NECCO candy factory. The old RR line once brought in trainloads of sugar to the NECCO plant.
Manager's Agenda #9. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to four appropriations totaling $1,204,701 to the Community Development Public Investment Fund Extraordinary Expenditures account. These appropriations will be used to pay for the purchase of and a three year maintenance contract for Hubway bike share stations, holding 220 bikes at 22 stations located in the densest areas of the City. [The total of this appropriation is derived from the following sources: Metropolitan Area Planning Council through funds received by a Federal Transit Administration Grant ($630,640); Massachusetts Department of Transportation through funds received by a Federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Grant ($274,061); Harvard University ($200,000) and; Massachusetts Institute of Technology ($100,000). The Hubway Bike Share system is expected to be launched in the spring of 2012 and will operate approximately nine months per year and be removed during winter months.]
On balance, the availability of the Hubway bikes in Cambridge is a nice added convenience for those who choose not to use their own bicycles for short-trip transportation. One potential advantage I see is less worry about bicycle theft (presumably most of that liability will fall to Hubway). There are still some awkward details to be worked out about the location of the Hubway stations. For example, there have been some concerns expressed by people who work at the City Hall Annex (344 Broadway) that some of the landscaping would be removed to accommodate the bikes. Alternately, on-street parking spaces could be removed. In any case, convenience does have its costs.
Unfinished Business #10. 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 held on Sept 14, 2011 and a follow-up public meeting on Oct 25, 2011 to consider a re-filed petition to amend the zoning ordinance filed by Chestnut Hill Realty. The petition would allow creation by special permit of rental apartment units in basement units of existing multifamily residential buildings in Residence C Districts which meet the special permit criteria. The question comes on passing to be ordained on or after Nov 28, 2011. Planning Board hearing held Sept 6, 2011. Petition expires Dec 13, 2011.
Communications #3. A communication was received from Heather Maguire Hoffman, Co-President, Association of Cambridge Neighborhoods, regarding the Chestnut Hill Realty petition.
As has been stated repeatedly here, this is The Petition That Will Not Die - twice disapproved by the Planning Board with numerous questions raised by the City Engineer, and accompanied by gobs of cash directed to the campaign accounts of several city councillors. It's actually quite telling that there is such activity to approve some variant of this petition before its Dec 13 expiration. Squeezing in basement apartments (legal or otherwise) to make some extra cash has been going on for a long time, and stories of mold and flooding problems have often accompanied these units. This is not to say that they are always a bad idea - as long as the hydrology works. Basement apartments on hilltops should be fine. In low-lying areas like Area 4, the Agassiz neighborhood, or much of Cambridgeport or Riverside, or on streets that become watercourses during heavy rains, it seems like a dreadful idea. Whether or not the properties that are the subject of this petition are appropriate for packing in more cash-producing units is a question best left to the engineers. The bigger issue here is the role of mammoth campaign contributions in the approval of this or any other zoning petition.
The letter from Heather Hoffman on this is interesting. The Chestnut Hill Realty petition has been accompanied by mendacity from its inception. It was first billed as "workforce housing" as if to suggest that kitchen workers and housekeepers might be the principal residents of the new units. The re-filed petition asserts that "reasonably priced, affordable studio and one bedroom units" is the basis for their wish for permitting greater density. Ms. Hoffman's letter calls their bluff by proposing an amendment:
20.650 Affordability. The addition of dwelling units under Section 20.600 shall not result in an increase in the number of market-rate units in the building. A number of units equal to the number of new dwelling units shall become affordable units and comply with all of the affordability, distribution and unit type requirements of Section 11.200. However, only the unit types of the new dwelling units need be considered for this purpose.
Considering past public statements (on the record) by some councillors regarding locating "affordable units" in some of the more high-rent areas of the city, coupled with the fact that said councillors have received significant funds from the petitioners, it should be interesting to hear the ensuing discussion should Ms. Hoffman's suggested amendment be introduced. Ahh... the sweet smell of mendacity!
Order #2. That all items pending before the City Council and not acted upon by the end of the 2010-2011 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 2010-2011 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 Maher
This is standard procedure at the end of every Council term. Individual councillors can forward items to the new term only in their roles as committee Chairs and members, though the truth is that most Council committees have become primarily one-person affairs where the Chair determines virtually every action undertaken by the committee.
7:00pmSpecial Presentation - Mayor's Red Ribbon Commission on Central Square. (Sullivan Chamber)
It is perhaps true that every initiative like this one will produce some good results. However, the proliferation of studies and committees on Central Square has been so common that one might suggest that there be created an "Office of Central Square Studies" to house all the reports. The process leading up to this report has not exactly been an open public process, though no one who showed up was ever turned away. From the beginning there were presentations of very specific proposals for the Naggar property at Norfolk St. and Mass. Ave. that seem very much to be the fulfillment of something listed on the Mayor's Office website during the 2006-2007 term and in the "Office of the Mayor" section of both the FY2007 ("An initiative envisioning a new square in Central Square") and FY2008 ("Envision a new square in Central Square") Budget Books. Will this be the centerpiece of this latest report? - Robert Winters
This is the home stretch of the 2010-2011 City Council term - a time to finish up tasks and jockey for position in the never-pleasant business of choosing the next mayor. Here are a few notable items on the agenda:
5:30pmSpecial Presentation by the Oral History Project of the Longfellow Neighborhood Council to receive their new publication "From the Heart of Cambridge".
The idea for this book was conceived in 2004 by Penelope Kleespies and the Longfellow Neighborhood Council and Community School. The book was edited by Paula Lovejoy with the assistance of a constellation of others including Sarah Boyer of the Cambridge Historical Commission who has edited numerous other Cambridge oral history projects. The book tells the stories of 90 Mid-Cambridge people and their families and friends. It is available for sale at Porter Square Books, the Harvard Book Store, The Coop, Rodney's Bookstore, and directly from the Longfellow Neighborhood Council. All profits go to support the Longfellow Neighborhood Council and Community School.
City Manager's Agenda #1. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to a Home Rule Petition providing the City of Cambridge with the authority to impose and increase certain motor vehicle fines in the City of Cambridge in order to improve driving.
Time will tell whether the increased fines actually improve driving in a world where texting and other distractions routinely focus the brains of drivers on everything other than their surroundings. This is just the text for a Home Rule Petition to the state legislature to allow the increased penalties. It does not yet raise any of these fines.
City Manager's Agenda #5. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to language prepared by staff in anticipation of the process of reconstruction or renovation of K-8 school buildings in City.
As near as I can tell, this proposed zoning change is primarily intended to ensure that once an existing school building or part of a school building is demolished, any new building may be built to the same height and density. The proposed regulation would, however, allow the Planning Board, by Special Permit, to waive any dimensional or other zoning requirements as long as the Floor/Area Ratio (FAR) does not exceed 1.25 and the height does not exceed 55 feet, plus several other restrictions. It is expected that a number of school buildings will be reconstructed over the next decade most likely starting with the King School on Putnam Ave. The plan is to use the old Longfellow School as "swing space" for each school during reconstruction.
City Manager's Agenda #6. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 11-170, regarding a report on an opinion on the issue of spot zoning on the Runkel petition.
Unfinished Business #10. 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 Oct 13, 2011 to consider a petition filed by Laura Runkel et al. to rezone 41 Bellis Circle, an area abutting the northern block of Bellis Circle, bordered on the north by the commuter rail tracks, on the south by Bellis Circle and on the east side by Sherman Street, from Residence C-1A to Residence C. The question comes on passing to be ordained on or after Nov 14, 2011. Planning Board hearing held Sept 13, 2011. Petition expires Dec 13, 2011.
These two related items concern the Runkel et al. Zoning Petition that would affect a single large parcel at Sherman St. and the RR tracks. The Planning Board report did not recommend approval of the petition arguing that it "does not find it appropriate to consider only this single site for potential rezoning when there are adjacent sites that remain zoned Residence C-1A". The possibility that this might be "spot zoning" or "reverse spot zoning" was discussed at the Nov 21 City Council meeting and an Order was passed asking for a legal opinion on the matter. City Solicitor Don Drisdell's report indicates that it is unlikely that a court would rule against this proposed zoning change.
Unfinished Business #11. 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 held on Sept 14, 2011 and a follow-up public meeting on Oct 25, 2011 to consider a re-filed petition to amend the zoning ordinance filed by Chestnut Hill Realty. The petition would allow creation by special permit of rental apartment units in basement units of existing multifamily residential buildings in Residence C Districts which meet the special permit criteria. The question comes on passing to be ordained on or after Nov 28, 2011. Planning Board hearing held Sept 6, 2011. Petition expires Dec 13, 2011.
As has been stated here before, this is The Petition That Will Not Die - twice disapproved by the Planning Board with numerous questions raised by the City Engineer. The fact that the petitioners, Chestnut Hill Realty, have contributed mightily to the campaign accounts of several city councillors raises questions of conflict of interest and whether zoning relief can be purchased via campaign contributions. This perception, of course, is not limited to this petition. In fact, the scale of political contributions by parties with business before the City Council has skyrocketed in recent years.
It may be time for the Cambridge City Council to consider an Ordinance prohibiting campaign contributions by any party with business before the City Council (or the representatives of any such party) for a period of one or two years before and after the matter is voted by the City Council. In these days of Citizens United, it is unclear what such limits may legally be imposed, but it would be a welcome initiative by any city councillor willing to propose such an ordinance.
Unfinished Business #12. 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 held on Sept 14, 2011 to consider a petition by Matthew Bagedonow et al. to amend Section 5.24.4 Paragraph(4) of the Zoning Ordinance as follows: "For Residence Zoning District C-1, in no case shall side yards be less than 7'-6". This shall apply to any plane or projection from the plane of the building." The question comes on passing to be ordained on or after Nov 28, 2011. Planning Board hearing held Sept 13, 2011. Petition expires Dec 13, 2011.
The Bagedonow et al. petition received a positive report from the Planning Board with a minor revision. This will likely be ordained as amended.
Resolution #10. Resolution on the death of Paul Kurt Ackermann. Vice Mayor Davis, Mayor Maher
Paul Ackermann was the husband of former City Councillor and former Mayor Barbara Ackermann. Paul was 92 years old.
Order #4. That the City Manager is requested to provide monetary information regarding the Monteiro and related cases. Councillor Reeves, Councillor Cheung, Councillor Seidel and Councillor Simmons
Though I agree in principle that a general idea of the scale of these settlements should be made public, the politicizing of this matter remains disturbing. Having witnessed the same people celebrating the financial hit taken by the City and then bemoaning its effect of taxpayers makes one wonder about the motivations of these citizen activists.
Order #5. That the City Clerk is requested to list mayoral commission meetings on the City Council Hearing Schedule in addition to the City Calendar in order to reach as many interested members of the public as possible. Vice Mayor Davis
It seems odd that there should even have to be a City Council Order asking that these public meetings be included in the City Calendar. Unfortunately, the truth is that none of the "Red Ribbon" meetings on Central Square over the last year or so were ever advertised. Though no one who showed up was ever turned away, the meetings were by invitation only and this calls into question whether the whole enterprise may be properly characterized as a public process. The same criticism applies to the "Silver Ribbon" commission on housing options for older people, and the "Blue Ribbon" commission on early childhood education.
Order #6. That the City Manager is requested to work with the Community Development Department to ascertain data previously requested regarding the Andrews Petition. Councillor Cheung
The Andrews et al. Petition received a negative report from the Planning Board. The proposal would have amended the City's Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance to eliminate the density bonus that forms the economic basis of the ordinance.
Order #9. That the City Manager is requested to work with the Personnel Department to look into the disability makeup of the City's workforce by level and department and report back to the City Council on this matter. Councillor Cheung
This Order comes in the wake of a previous Order and report on the racial/ethnic composition of City employees. While almost everyone agrees that nondiscrimination should be the general rule for City employment, these Orders do suggest that employment quotas for various racial/ethnic/gender/disability criteria may still be the mindset of some elected officials.
Order #11. That this City Council urge the United States Government to sign and ratify the 1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families and to similarly recognize Dec 18, 2011, and annually thereafter, as International Migrants Day. Councillor Decker
The following Wikipedia excerpts may be relevant: "So far, countries that have ratified the Convention are primarily countries of origin of migrants (such as Mexico, Morocco and the Philippines). For these countries, the Convention is an important vehicle to protect their citizens living abroad."... "No migrant-receiving State in Western Europe or North America has ratified the Convention. Other important receiving countries, such as Australia, Arab states of the Persian Gulf, India and South Africa have not ratified the Convention either." [Full text of the convention]
Cambridge just wouldn't be Cambridge without the occasional excursion into foreign affairs.
Order #12. That the City Manager report back to the City Council with the required changes to city council rules, city zoning code and/or municipal ordinance to achieve the Community Benefits Mitigation Fee. Councillor Seidel
This Order is the culmination of a process that has been going on for the past year having to do with extracting "community benefits" in exchange for granting significant upzoning to developers. While it would be hard to find anyone opposed to financial benefits (in addition to new real estate taxes) growing out of new development, there remains a significant question regarding whether this may amount to a de facto "upzoning for sale" situation. Would a City Council ever vote against a major development if it meant turning down millions of dollars for nonprofit agencies, affordable housing ,etc.?
Messages circulated over the weekend by members of the East Cambridge Planning Team point out another problematic aspect of the proposed "Community Benefits Mitigation Fee" structure. Specifically: "The successful negotiation with Alexandria whereby the City and East Cambridge will receive: a 2.5 acre park; a triangle park; $9.5 million to design and build the parks; an approximately 30,000 square foot building, and up to $6,000,000 for the East Cambridge Open Space Fund, would not be possible under the approach contained in this Order as the 1.7 million square foot project would have been limited to a total of $17 million in community benefits. So we have an Order covering mitigation potentially implementing a process whereby a very successful mitigation effort, Alexandria, could not be achieved under the Order's proposed methodology."
Charles Marquardt's estimates are that the total mitigation value received from the Alexandria zoning relief was $43 million; and that under the proposal the value would have been only $17.5 million. That's a difference of $25.5 million. Of course, there's nothing in the proposal that says that Alexandria could not have voluntarily contributed the difference, but this seems an unlikely outcome if the financial arrangements were so explicitly codified in advance of granting the zoning relief. - Robert Winters
Dec 2, 2011- For the election nerds out there, here's a histogram of the age distribution of people who voted in the recent Cambridge municipal election:
Here's the same histogram for the 2009 municipal election:
And then there are these glorious charts from Tom Stohlman:
Feb 22, 2010 (revised) - How has voter turnout changed in the Cambridge municipal elections over the last 58 years? Here are the numbers:
YEAR
VOTERS
TURNOUT
% TURNOUT
1951
55294
37252
67%
1953
57181
39000
68%
1955
53638
36232
68%
1957
52244
34391
66%
1959
48630
34287
71%
1961
49545
33239
67%
1963
47054
32936
70%
1965
46306
31819
69%
1967
44805
31386
70%
1969
42570
25613
60%
1971
44623
30401
68%
1973
47516
26248
55%
1975
45292
27969
62%
1977
48796
23593
48%
1979
44952
26908
60%
YEAR
VOTERS
TURNOUT
% TURNOUT
1981
47973
25569
53%
1983
45616
30053
66%
1985
48134
24393
51%
1987
44941
23860
53%
1989
47461
27593
58%
1991
44730
23335
52%
1993
46235
22142
48%
1995
41708
19183
46%
1997
43002
17229
40%
1999
58666
19161
33% (45% of "active" voters)
2001
56973
17688
31% (40% of "active" voters)
2003
55831
20958
38% (51% of "active" voters)
2005
56641
16202
29% (39% of "active" voters)
2007
56339
13721
24% (35% of "active voters")
2009
59866
16073
27% (35% of "active voters")
Notes:
Of the 58666 registered voters in 1999, 42500 were listed as "active", so if you were to use that as a better measure of actual potential voters, you'd have a percentage of 45% rather than the 33% caused by the provisions of the Motor-Voter Law.
Of the 56973 registered voters in 2001, 43911 were listed as "active" giving turnout of 40% of active voters and 31% of all registered voters.
Of the 55831 registered voters in 2003, 41069 were listed as "active" giving turnout of 51% of active voters and 38% of all registered voters.
Of the 58666 registered voters in 2005, 41271 were listed as "active", giving turnout of 39% of active voters and 29% of all registered voters.
Of the 56339 registered voters in 2007, 39462 were listed as "active", giving turnout of 35% of active voters and 24% of all registered voters.
Of the 59866 registered voters in 2009, 45799 were listed as "active" giving turnout of 35% of active voters and 27% of all registered voters.
June 7, 2009 - Once upon a time there was a civic organization in Cambridge known as the Cambridge Civic Association (CCA). It was formed in 1945 out of several organizations that had been existed through the 1930s and that had lobbied the state legislature to create the Plan E Charter option (1938) which featured a city manager form of government and proportional representation elections for city council and school committee. These reforms were central to model charter reform movements active in the United States from the early 1900s. The central theme of the CCA in its early days was "good government" in the sense of being anti-patronage and for professionally managed local government. This changed with the introduction of rent control at the end of the 1960s after which the CCA shifted leftward and became permanently lashed to the mast of the rent control vessel. Though the CCA still exists on paper (I believe), it rapidly declined after the statewide abolition of rent control (late 1994) and essentially disappeared a decade later (early 2005).
I bring up the ghost of the CCA today only to point out that when it was created it had some very admirable goals. Here's the original Mission Statement of the CCA:
Purposes: This association is formed for the following purposes:
1. To promote businesslike, honest, and efficient conduct of local government, open to public scrutiny.
2. To induce residents to take an active interest in the affairs of the City of Cambridge.
3. To encourage and support the candidacy of men and women seeking election to public office and to support intelligent, wholesome leadership in public affairs.
4. To assure that the best qualified persons are appointed to positions in the City government after consideration of all qualified candidates.
5. To promote among the citizens of Cambridge equitable distribution and benefit of public services and equal opportunity for economic security, education, and social advancement.
These are pretty good founding principles for a civic organization and I'm tempted to say that some should be incorporated into the recently adopted City Council's Goals for FY2010 (adopted Feb 2, 2009). In fact, of the 22 current goals, the only one that comes close is: "An increased level of recruitment and opportunities for membership on boards and commissions." The current Council goals emphasize things like "fostering community" via block parties and such, though one has to wonder if the City should be promoting these activities or just getting out of the way so that people can foster community on their own. The goals also seem to put some emphasis on developing "successful nightlife campaigns" while mentioning nothing about promoting ordinary "daytime" economic activity that supports the everyday needs of residents.
One founding principle of the CCA that fell into disuse over the years is listed above as #3: To encourage and support the candidacy of men and women seeking election to public office and to support intelligent, wholesome leadership in public affairs. Indeed, I can personally testify to the fact that in its dying years the only reason the CCA made endorsements at all was because the CCA-endorsed incumbents wanted the benefit of having an advertised CCA slate of candidates that would help secure their reelection. There was precious little effort to recruit new candidates or to support them. Today, the benefits of incumbency are greater than ever. The cost of political campaigns have become absurdly high and most of the incumbents now have (City paid) staff who are inevitably political appointees who directly or indirectly assist in the reelection efforts of their bosses. The deck is increasingly stacked against challengers. Furthermore, the salary and benefits for elected councillors are now so sweet that it is unlikely that any of them would ever want to move on to another job.
With this background in mind, I would like to encourage all Cambridge residents to help level the playing field by finding out about this year's challengers for seats on the Cambridge City Council and the Cambridge School Committee. This is not meant as a dig against any particular incumbent as much as an appeal to support the challengers in what is a difficult and laudable effort. Please see the Cambridge Candidate Pages for the current list of expected candidates. Then use your own judgment - don't expect me or anyone else to do it for you.
Speaking of this year's municipal election, there are some activists who are now expending great effort to attack the City Manager and most of the current City Council. That is not nor has it ever been the intention of the Cambridge Civic Journal or its editor. Candidates are now being seduced by financial promises from one angry fellow with a Brattle Street address and a basketful of grudges. Former CCA Executive Board members from its darkest and most manipulative days are oozing up from the civic swamp trying to at last make good on their failed campaigns of the early 1990s to oust city manager Bob Healy.
It's entertaining to watch people who have primarily earned disrespect in their civic efforts try to capitalize on the recent Monteiro jury decision as a means of realizing their decades-old vendettas. Conveniently forgotten in their recent letters to Cambridge's "oldest weekly newspaper" are the many achievements of City Manager Bob Healy, the strong financial position of the City, and the recent 8-1 vote of confidence bestowed upon Mr. Healy in granting him a three year contract extension. Also missing in this testimony is the fact that virtually all affirmative action in the hiring of employees and department heads has taken place on Mr. Healy's watch. These letters also fail to divulge how long these writers have been carrying their jealousy and anger toward Mr. Healy for actually orchestrating progress in Cambridge while the best they could ever do is snipe from the sidelines. - Robert Winters
This book was published c. 1923 and features very witty one-page “pen portraits” (with photo) of prominent Cantabrigians of the day. I'll be adding names alphabetically as time permits. There are 182 portraits in the book.
It comes to mind that there may be some value in expanding these profiles to other prominent Cantabrigians who arrived on the scene after 1923, including prominent Cantabrigians of today. With this in mind, I extend the invitation to any and all who may wish to contribute their own “pen portraits” of Cambridge people. Contributions do not necessarily have to be in the style of Mr. Mahoney. Inclusion is, as always, subject to the erratic discretion of the editor.
Special thanks to Karen Welch for sending me the book. - RW
Political History of Cambridge in the 20th Century
written by Glenn Koocher, November 2004 -- edited by Robert Winters, July 2006 [An alternate edit of this essay will appear, along with many other valuable essays, in a
centennial volume to be published by the Cambridge Historical Society in 2007.]
Cambridge School Volunteers is looking for people who can give one to two hours per week to help students in the Cambridge Public Schools, grades K through 12. No experience necessary. Call 617-349-6794 or e-mail csv@cpsd.us for more details.
Robert Winters, Editor
Cambridge Civic Journal
(about me)
The Cambridge Civic Journal is an independent newsletter of civic affairs in the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is published as a public service by Central Square Publications. All items are written by Robert Winters unless otherwise noted. [Of course, I do sometimes forget.]
Thought for these times: Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. -- Blaise Pascal
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“The Number One thing I would emphasize is that journalists and bloggers would do well to see themselves as partners in the provision of information and that each can benefit greatly from the other. I’ve never seen this as a competition. It is especially true these days that local papers and young journalists are not very well-versed in the communities they serve. Much of the institutional memory has either died out or been bought out.” -- Robert Winters, mathematician and creator of the Cambridge Civic Journal, an online publication about Cambridge, MA (rwinters.com)
Jorkin: “Come, come, Mr. Fezziwig, we’re good friends besides good men of business. We’re men of vision and progress. Why don’t you sell out while the going’s good? You’ll never get a better offer. It’s the age of the machine, and the factory, and the vested interests. We small traders are ancient history, Mr. Fezziwig.”
Fezziwig: “It’s not just for money alone that one spends a lifetime building up a business, Mr. Jorkin…. It’s to preserve a way of life that one knew and loved. No, I can’t see my way to selling out to the new vested interests, Mr. Jorkin. I’ll have to be loyal to the old ways and die out with them if needs must.”
Scrooge: “I think I know what Mr. Fezziwig means, sir.”
Jorkin: “Oh, you hate progress and money, too, do you?”
Scrooge: “I don't hate them, sir, but perhaps the machines aren’t such a good thing for mankind, after all.”
