2007 Official Final Election Results - City Council and School Committee (PDF)

Nov 7, 2007 (updated Nov 16,17) - All of the ballots have now been counted. There were no late overseas absentee ballots, so the final official results are identical to the unofficial results announced on Nov 7. Here are the final official results in the order in which the candidates were elected:

Henrietta Davis was the only City Council candidate to reach the election quota (1364) in the 1st Round with 228 surplus ballots to spare. In the decisive round to determine the last seats, Sam Seidel (1348) and Craig Kelley (1342) eclipsed Eddie Sullivan (1038) to round out the nine elected to the Council.

In the School Committee race, Marc McGovern and Fred Fantini both reached quota (1897) in the 1st Round. McGovern had 380 surplus votes and Fantini had 120 surplus votes. The most interesting aspect of the race is that the three slate candidates (Nancy Tauber, Gail Lemily Wiggins, and Stefan Malner) came in behind all other candidates in #1 vote totals, but their votes coalesced to allow Nancy Tauber to pass Richard Harding in the decisive round by 64 votes. Effectively, Nancy Tauber replaces Nancy Walser, and Marc McGovern's strong campaign coupled with Richard Harding's relatively weak campaign resulted in Harding's defeat.

The other significant aspect of this election is the record low turnout - 13,721 people cast City Council ballots, a significant drop from the previous record low of 16,202 in 2005.

City Council #1 Vote Distribution by Ward/Precinct      School Committee #1 Vote Distribution by Ward/Precinct 

Nov 11 addendum: If you scale the #1 votes totals of continuing candidates from 2005 to correct for the lower voter turnout in 2007, and then subtract these scaled numbers from the #1 vote totals for 2007, you can get some idea of who realized the greatest true gains and losses from 2005 to 2007. Here are the results:

Of course, the source of most of the large gains were the many votes that would otherwise have gone to Anthony Galluccio. - RW 

Nov 16, 2007 - The Replacements (2007) - Now that I have the 2007 ballot data, I was able to run the tabulation software to determine which candidates would replace each of the elected candidates in the event of a vacancy:

Nov 17, 2007 - Here's something REALLY amazing - If the 2007 City Council ballots are used to select just one person by continuing the series of runoffs until only one candidate remains (a simulated "Instant Runoff" to select a mayor), Henrietta Davis (5903 votes) would handily defeat Tim Toomey (3939 votes) in the deciding round. Which candidate is the last to be eliminated before the final round? Answer - Sam Seidel!

Here are the runoffs:

Distribution of #2 votes behind each Cambridge City Council candidate - 2007

Distribution of #2 votes behind each Cambridge School Committee candidate - 2007

2007 Cambridge Candidate Pages
[gallery of all candidates in the November 6 Cambridge municipal election with links to individual candidate pages]

Nov 5 - The Harvard Crimson has a Special Election Issue (link expired).

Voter turnout by
ward and precinct

Nov 3, 2007: In which parties are Cambridge voters registered? (October 2007)

Nov 3, 2007: Age Distributions of Cambridge Voters (Nov 3, 2007)

I just did some analysis of the age distribution of current registered voters in Cambridge (except for 2 voters without birthdates). Here are some statistics and graphs:

All Registered Voters (as of Oct 2007) Number of voters: 56337    Median age: 39.33    Mean age: 44.19	Current Voters who voted in Nov 2006 Number of voters: 31212    Median age: 48.68    Mean age: 49.35
Current Voters who voted in Nov 2005 Number of voters: 15059    Median age: 56.33    Mean age: 56.33	Current Voters who voted in last five general elections Number of voters: 9202    Median age: 59.53    Mean age: 60.22
Current Voters who voted in last 13 elections, including primaries (March 2000 through November 2006) Number of voters: 683    Median age: 64.30    Mean age: 64.94

Perhaps the most clear conclusion that you can draw from this analysis is the well-known fact that older voters tend to vote in far greater numbers than younger voters.

Nov 3, 2007 - The "Random Draw of Precincts" took place today at the Cambridge Election Commission on Nov 1. This determines the order in which ballots from precincts throughout the city are counted in the election. Though this has a relatively minor effect on the tabulation of the ballots (because of the "Cincinnati Method" used to transfer surplus ballots), it can potentially make a difference in a very close election. Here's the ordering determined by lottery (read down the columns):

How'd the City Council candidates do in 2005?

The table below shows the number of ranked preferences for each candidate in the 2005 City Council election.

Every candidate knows that the Number 1 votes are primarily what determines the election outcome, but part of the game is to convince voters who ranked a candidate #2 or some other high ranking to change that to a #1 vote. This is especially true in an election like this where two of the candidates who won in 2005 (Anthony Galluccio and Michael Sullivan) are not seeking reelection. Of course, there are a number of challengers who would also like to pick up those #1 votes.

For information on this year's candidates, visit the Cambridge Candidate Pages at vote.rwinters.com. 

Cambridge Candidate Pages

Requests for statements on a range of topics were sent on September 7 to all City Council candidates and on October 7 to all School Committee candidates. Check out the Cambridge Candidate Pages for what they have to say. Responses are posted as soon as they arrive. The names of candidate who have responded will be shown in bold in the photo gallery on the Candidate Pages. Here are the topics sent to candidates:

On a big TV in Harvard Square, group watches Olde Towne Team (Boston Globe, Sept 29, 2007)

Panel from “Boston, November 1980” taken from American Spendor #7 by Harvey Peker.

2007 Municipal Election Calendar (and some advice for candidates)

The deadline for filing nomination papers has passed. Candidates will also want to get a current database of registered voters. This is available from the Election Commission free of charge to any candidate who has pulled nomination papers. Voter history files and the street listing are also available. If you are a legitimate candidate and want a merged file showing all currently registered Cambridge voters with their ten year voting history in Cambridge elections (if they voted - not who they voted for!!), you can request it from me free of charge.

The deadline for municipal candidates to file withdrawal of nomination has also passed.

The deadline for voter registration for the municipal election has passed.

Mon, Oct 29: 5pm deadline for School Committee candidates and Political Committees to file Municipal Campaign & Political Finance Reports. (City Council candidates should consult their OCPF packets regarding depository-filing requirements). City Council candidates are required under state law to set up a depository account at a bank. The bank will report all deposits and expenditures directly to the state's Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF). School Committee candidates are not required to set up a depository account, but they must file a campaign finance report in mid-October and at the end of the year.

Sat, Nov 3: Election Commission office will be open 9am to 5pm for over-the-counter absentee voting.

Mon, Nov 5: Noontime deadline to apply for absentee ballot, either for mail-in or over-the-counter voting.

Tues, Nov 6: Municipal Election. Polls are open 7:00am until 8:00pm. All absentee ballots must arrive at the Election Commission office by 8:00pm to be counted. Ballot count begins at the Cambridge Senior Center, 806 Mass. Ave., Central Square after the polls close. It is expected that the Election Commission will report preliminary election results Tuesday evening, but this tally does not include write-in ballots and other ballots not counted for a variety of reasons.

Wed, Nov 7: 9am-5pm. Ballot count resumes at Senior Center, 806 Mass. Ave., Central Square. The entire process is usually complete by early evening and the unofficial election results will be announced upon completion. Federal law requires an additional ten days to allow for any overseas military absentee ballots to arrive, and the final official election results will be announced then. [There were no such ballots in the 2005 election.]

The Election Commission Office is open Mon, 8:30am-8:00pm; Tues-Thurs, 8:30am-5:00pm; and Fri, 8:30am-Noon (except July 4, Sept 3, and Oct 8).

The 2007 Cambridge Candidate Pages are now under construction. Check back as the campaign season progresses.

Sept 14 - Just out of curiosity....

Neil McCabe over at The Alewife stated: "With Maher filling the Sullivan seat, the next in line is Alewife columnist Sam Seidel."

This is not quite true. I just ran the numbers out of curiosity, excluding newly elected Councillor Maher and Robert Hall (who passed away). Here are the current replacements for the 8 councillors (not including the newly elected David Maher):
Davis: Sam Seidel (beats Jesse Gordon and Larry Adkins 437-340-82)
Decker: Sam Seidel (beats Jesse Gordon 358 to 308)
Galluccio: Sam Seidel (beats Jesse Gordon 175 to 154)
Kelley: Sam Seidel (beats Jesse Gordon, Bill Hees, and Larry Adkins 565-297-132-102)
Murphy: Sam Seidel (beats Jesse Gordon 457 to 342)
Reeves: Sam Seidel (beats Larry Adkins 308 to 285)
Simmons: Jesse Gordon (beats Larry Adkins 335 to 271)
Toomey: Andre Green (beats Sam Seidel 127 to 120)

    East Cambridge is a wonderful place..... and a bit quirky. - RW 

The Middlesex, Suffolk, & Essex State Senate Race gets ugly

What started out as a sleepy little filling of a vacancy in the State Senate has, as Primary Election Day (Tues, Sept 11) approaches, begun to show signs of a schoolyard fistfight - a fight primarily waged not only by the candidates but by various surrogates and other interested parties. We've all heard by now about the well-orchestrated campaign to portray Anthony Galluccio in the harshest possible light over his past indiscretions. One need look no further than Blue Mass Group to see how three bloggers will pull out all stops to torpedo a candidate and put all Democratic Party candidates on notice as to whose rings must be kissed. The BMG Three decided to whack Galluccio early, and the only thing left to decide was which candidate to back who could hurt Galluccio the most. They chose Tim Flaherty to be that candidate. Blue Mass Group has often been a good source of current information on political matters, but the BMG environment has grown increasingly hostile of late, and a principal focus has been on explicit and implicit endorsements of candidates by the owners of the weblog.

Not to be outdone by the arbiters of democracy on BMG, one commenter on that blog recently posted comments that attempt to connect Tim Flaherty's candidacy with proponents of casino gambling in Massachusetts. It's true that Flaherty has accepted some large donations from people associated with the gaming industry and his responses to questions on casino gambling have been that it's a done deal and that the only things left to decide are when, where, and how. The fact that Flaherty's father, former House Speaker Charlie Flaherty, is a lobbyist for the gaming industry did not go unnoticed by this blogger. Recent literature from Jeff Ross, by the way, has focused on distinguishing himself from his opponents as being the only one unambiguously opposed to casino gambling.

Perhaps the biggest blockbuster is the posting that appeared on BMG early Sunday morning (Sept 9) that reads like an indictment of Jeff Ross. In this very long post, entitled simply “Questions for Jeff Ross”, writer Larry Lopez laid out a scathing criticism of the financial, professional, and personal life of Ross. I have no idea about the validity of the claims, but it does hang together pretty well and it's hard to ignore. It definitely offers a decidedly different view of "The Progressive Democrat" in this race. [Update: The Larry Lopez posting about Jeff Ross was expunged mid-day Sunday without explanation but has now been restored on Sunday evening. (I had the foresight to save it - just in case). Since all four candidates are lawyers, one could easily see how threats of libel could be a factor in its temporary disappearance. Curiously, any and all allegations about Galluccio remain and have been consistently promoted at BMG.]

My preference would be for candidates to be measured on the merits rather than on any real or alleged personal failings. Wasn't that the original motive of "MoveOn.org" when they got started during the Republican campaign to destroy Bill Clinton? They advocated that we should "Move On" from all the scandalizing tactics. MoveOn now seems to have declared themselves to be the arbiters of all that is right and wrong in America. Under current quasi-journalistic “gotcha” standards, every indiscretion is potentially a political death sentence. Joe McCarthy would be proud.

And then there are the newspapers. Tim Flaherty has invested a good deal of money in surveys and media consultants as part of what I've heard referred to as his “smash and grab” strategy to win this election. He managed to win the Boston Globe endorsement, but there's no knowing who was involved in that process, i.e. who was talking to whom, and many have noted that the endorsement was light on details. The local paper, the Cambridge Chronicle, also gave Flaherty the nod, but the combined institutional memory at that paper is quite short. A well-packaged load of BS can have a lot of impact under those conditions. Sadly, the Chronicle seems to place a lot of weight on Galluccio's storied past and on Flaherty's pretended future. Cambridge's other little North Cambridge paper, The Alewife, gave the nod to Galluccio but strangely used the unrelated (and silly) issue of having a directly elected mayor in their reasoning to move Galluccio out and up the political ladder.

And then there's the Wolf factor. When all four candidates were asked by Scott Harshbarger at a recent forum which of the two previous occupants of the Senate seat, Tom Birmingham or Jarrett Barrios, they might want to emulate, Paul Nowicki stole the show by joking that he was “better-looking than both of them.” Galluccio said something like "I'll be a flaming liberal in Cambridge and Italian as hell in Chelsea" and got some well-deserved laughs for that. However, when it was Flaherty's turn, he said he would want to emulate State Representative Alice Wolf - and bowed to her as he said it. Anyone who's been watching Cambridge politics for a while knows that Galluccio and Wolf were opponents on two occasions for the seat now occupied by Wolf, and that Wolf defeated Galluccio on both occasions. It is also common knowledge that Wolf at least feigned interest in running for this Senate seat not only when Barrios was considering running for District Attorney, but also when Barrios resigned to initiate the current contest. It would seem that Wolf feels compelled to defeat Galluccio even when she's not willing to risk being a candidate. [By the way, a pretty good account (without spin) of the most recent State Senate debate is available here.]

From this writer's perspective, the two candidates who have shined brightly through all of this process have been Paul Nowicki and Anthony Galluccio. There's been barely a hint of BS from either of them, they have very comparable experience as city councillors and as Chairs of their respective city councils, and they both exhibit a wealth of detail in the mechanics of what works and doesn't work in their respective parts of the district. Experience matters a lot more than talking points written by media consultants.

-- Robert Winters     Sept 9, 2007

TV Show Plug

A new weekly Cambridge political news show premiered on Tues, Sept 11 at 6pm on CCTV (channel 9). Hosted and produced by Harvard undergrad Ben Eisler, Inside City Hall is currently featuring fifteen minute interviews with each of the sixteen candidates for the City Council. The questions you want asked, the information you want, live and in person. If you have an ItCH to know, you'll want to be there - Inside City Hall. The show will broadcast every Tuesday at 6pm with different guests each week.

Let's hope this is a step up from the usual “Be Live” stuff. The host, Ben Eisler, has been doing his homework in preparation for the show - a very promising sign. [For the record, I have always appreciated Harvard students doing their homework, especially the assignments I give in class!]

Sept 5 - It's Official! David Maher has been elected to replace Michael Sullivan

The official vacancy recount to determine Michael Sullivan's replacement on the Cambridge City Council took place this morning at the offices of the Cambridge Election Commission. The results coincide with those published previously here. Congratulations to David Maher!

Aug 21, 2007- City Councillor Michael Sullivan submitted his resignation from the Cambridge City Council on Friday, August 17 - effective immediately. The vacancy will be filled using the ballots that elected Michael in 2005. It is expected that David Maher will be elected to fill the vacancy. [Aug 27 update - The date for the official count to determine Michael's replacement will be Wed, Dec 5 at 10:00am at the offices of the Election Commission.]

Best of luck, Michael. You've been the best of the bunch - one of the best ever.

Michael Sullivan's resignation letter

Replacements for councillors elected in 2005         More information on the filling of a vacancy

July 31, 6:50pm - It's all settled: 16 candidates for City Council and 9 candidates for School Committee

Those who turned in nomination papers and are on the City Council ballot: Denise Simmons, Jonathan Janik, Brian Murphy, Tim Toomey, Larry Ward, Kevin Moore, Ken Reeves, Sam Seidel, Gregg Moree, Marjorie Decker, Kathy Podgers, Craig Kelley, David Maher, Henrietta Davis, Anthony Galluccio, and Eddie Sullivan - 16 in all.

Those who did not submit nomination papers: Reed Bundy, Michael Sullivan, Wade Smith, and Danny “Buddy” DeGuglielmo - 4 in all.

For School Committee, it's Richard Harding, Joe Grassi, Fred Fantini, Marc McGovern, Patty Nolan, Nancy Tauber, Gail Lemily Wiggins, Luc Schuster, and Stefan Malner - 9 in all. Everyone who pulled papers for School Committee turned in sufficient signatures. Of the incumbents, only Nancy Walser did not seek reelection.

 
Check out this year's Cambridge Candidate Pages.

Here are the candidates who met the deadline and the number of signatures submitted and certified:

July 31 - A little comedy

The Cambridge Chronicle has been providing a “Mayor Ken Reeves blog” for several months now, but even a cursory glance at the items posted makes clear the fact that Reeves doesn't write it and may never even look at it. Here's an example - posted July 31:

An Important Meeting with the President of Harvard July 31st, 2007 by Mayor Kenneth E. Reeves

I hosted a reception yesterday, Monday, July 30, for the new President of Harvard University, President Drew Gilpin Faust, to meet Cambridge City’s officials and elected City Counselors and School Committee members. It was intended to be a small informal gathering, where Cambridge officials and the President of Harvard could introduce each other and get to know each other. She was very gracious and committed to working with Cambridge and the Cambridge school committee. Accompanying President Faust, were Government and Community Relation staff, Mary Powers, Marianne Jarvis, Tom Lucey, and Dean Allen Stone. They mingled with the Counselors and the School Committee and they answered questions. It was an important gathering for all of us, to meet in such an intimate and informal way. I look forward to develop more partnerships with Harvard and for us to work together in the future.

It's generally considered rude to point out spelling errors in web postings. However, if a sitting city councillor doesn't know how to spell the name of his own job, well.... I think it's pretty clear that he's not the one doing the writing. Apparently, it's written by his political campaign Mayor's Office staff.

MICHAEL A. SULLIVAN ANNOUNCEMENT
JULY 30, 2007, SULLIVAN CHAMBER, CAMBRIDGE CITY HALL

First and foremost, on behalf of my family and myself I want to thank everyone for their out pouring of support to my family on the death of my uncle, Edward J. Sullivan. In particular the Mayor, City Manager and their respective staffs, the police, DPW, fire and traffic for their assistance in helping us with the arrangements, your assistance meant a great deal to us as we are experiencing a tremendous loss.

My uncle was very proud of his service to the people of Cambridge, Middlesex County and the Commonwealth. He enjoyed every minute of it and was grateful for the opportunity that the people had given him to serve. Last year as I was campaigning, he joined me on the campaign trail so that he could go around the county and personally express his appreciation for this opportunity.

He was proud of his family's tradition of public service beginning with my grandfather, Michael A. Sullivan in this great chamber in 1936. I have been very fortunate for the foundation that my grandfather, uncle and father had laid for me and am very proud of their service, a service that has been coined as "Sullivan Service." I am proud to have followed in this tradition.

Recently there has been some attention given to my holding two elected positions. As a result, I had retained the services of a former Superior Court Judge, who had served as a member of the State Ethics Commission, who has advised me that as a matter of law, I could serve in both positions.

No matter what office or position I have ever held, I have always put a 110% into it, always with the understanding that I would put in the time it takes to get the job done. Particularly over the past six years between having the great pleasure to serve as Mayor for 4 years, my campaign for Clerk and serving in the dual positions, it has meant some extremely long hours away from home.

A few years ago I was speaking at an occasion in the Ackerman room and I told people at the gathering that over the course of my life I have had many titles, but the one that has meant the most to me is "Daddy." This past month, for the first time in a long time I had the opportunity to spend some family time and it was important to both my wife and myself and our sons. When I was first elected Mayor, Michael was three and Paul was two, although I never missed any of their special occasions, doctors appointments or milestones, there was always a lot of time away from home.

The most important job that I have is that of husband and father. This is a crucial and important time in our young family's life. And it is not something I am willing to sacrifice.

Secondly, as I stated earlier I am very proud of the service that my family has provided to the people of Cambridge, now for 72 consecutive years. My father, uncle, grandfather and I believe myself have served here with distinction and honor and I would never want to do anything that would detract from that, it is something that I hold very dearly.

I am for ever reminded of a poem my father had given my brother and I upon our graduation from college entitled, "Your Name." The ending of the poem goes something like this, Your name it came from your father, its all he had to give, so make sure you guard it wisely because after all is said and done, you'll be glad the name is spotless when you give it to your son.

The most difficult part of my decision is that I truly have enjoyed ever minute of my service on this City Council. When I was in high school I wrote a paper about my family and my hope one day to serve here and preside at the rostrum, not many people get to live one of their dreams and I was fortunate to be able to do that.

Last fall I said I would decide at a latter date as to whether I would seek re-election or not. For the proceeding reasons I have decided not to seek re-election. The Sullivan tradition will not be lost, my cousin Eddie Sullivan, former County Commissioner is a candidate for City Council.

Tonight I foremost want to thank the people of Cambridge for the opportunity they have given me. I hope that I lived up to the trust and expectations they have placed in me. And I will continue to do the same in the future.

I have had some of the best campaign volunteers and I want to thank each of them, you know who you are, I was successful in my elections because of you.

I want to thank each of my colleagues over these past 14 years for what they do on behalf of the people of Cambridge, much of which is unseen and at times seems under appreciated. I want to thank them for the times we agreed and for the times we didn't because in the end I believe together we have accomplished a lot. I most particularly want to thank you for having given me the opportunity to serve as Mayor for four years. Like my father and uncle I enjoyed the challenge tremendously.

I like wise want to thank the people that I had the great fortune to serve with in the Mayor's, City Council and City Clerk's offices, you are true professional and my friends and I greatly appreciate your assistance over these 14 years. Many things would not have been possible without you.

To the City Manager, his staff and city employees at every level, I have enjoyed working with all of you and thank you for what you do on a daily basis to help make this a tremendous city. In many regards we are the envy of many other communities in this commonwealth and country. It would not have been possible without your true care and concern for this city.

I want to thank my parents for always being there for me and each of my siblings and for laying the ground work for the people we are today. Through their love and sacrifice we have each succeeded. They taught us how to be caring and compassionate people, this they practiced not just in word but in everyday life. These same principals they are likewise passing on to their grandchildren.

The most important people I have to thank tonight are my wife Denise and my sons Michael and Paul. This December, Denise and I will celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary and I truly have been fortunate each and every day for the past ten years. She never envisioned herself marrying a politician. I thank her for her support and encouragement. No one could ask for two better kids, I am truly blest. As we were discussing our decision, they were talking about who would be Mayor amongst them and in the art of true compromise they decided they would be co-Mayors and they then began to select their staff. We may need a rules change for them to accomplish this.

In closing, one of my favorite movies is a "Wonderful Life," with Jimmy Stewart. Although, I have much left to accomplish, I believe that when I look back over these 14 years, that I have made a difference in our community and more importantly in some individual lives that I have touched.

I again from the bottom of a grateful heart I want to thank all of you for having given me the opportunity to serve.

Michael A. Sullivan

Cambridge Discovery Days [www.cambridgehistory.org]

SATURDAY, AUGUST 18, 2007
9:00am to 10:00am   Longfellow’s Poems for the Voiceless. Paul Blandford, Longfellow Nat’l Historic Site Tour begins at the front gate of Longfellow National Historic Site, 105 Brattle Street. 617- 876-4491

10:00am to 11:00am   Cambridge Literati: Writers in Residence. Lewis Bushnell, Cambridge Historical Society At the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House, 159 Brattle Street. 617-547-4252 or <lbushnell at cambridgehistory dot org>

10:00am to 4:00pm   Hunt for History: A Tory Row Quest -- for Families. Begin at Longfellow Nat’l Historic Site, 105 Brattle Street; follow Quest Map to treasure box at Hooper-Lee-Nichols House, 159 Brattle Street. info@cambridgehistory.org 

10:00am to 11:30am   The Cambridge of James Russell Lowell. Aurore Eaton, Manchester Historic Association Tour begins at the front gate of Longfellow National Historic Site, 105 Brattle Street. <aeaton at manchesterhistoric dot org>

10:30am to Noon   A Walk down Tory Row. Chris Basler, Cambridge enthusiast. Tour begins at the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House, 159 Brattle Street 617-755-6790 or <cmbasler at yahoo dot com>

10:30am, 11:30am, 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm, 4:00pm   Tours of the Longfellow National Historic Site. Led by National Park Service Rangers At Longfellow Nat’l Historic Site, 105 Brattle Street. 617-876-4491. Admission charge.

11:00am to Noon   It’s a Classic: American Architecture & Famous Phrases. Karen Davis, Executive Director, Cambridge Historical Society. Tour begins at the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House, 159 Brattle Street. 617-547-4252 or <kdavis at cambridgehistory dot org> 

11:30am to 12:30pm   “Have you milked the cow today?” -- for children 4-12. Mistress Elizabeth (aka Donna La Rue). Activities take place on the brick area beside First Parish Church, Unitarian, corner of Mass. Ave. and Church Street. 781-646-3013 or <ihsdlrue at bu dot edu>. Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

3:00pm to 4:00pm   Literary Cambridge: Anne Bradstreet to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Susan Wilson, author and local historian. Tour begins in front of Out of Town News, Harvard Square. 617-876-4491

3:00pm to 4:15pm   The Old Cambridge Burying Ground: Epitaphs, Elegies & Encomiums. Tour begins at the Old Burying Ground gate next to Christ Church, Zero Garden Street. 781-646-3013 or <ihsdlrue at bu dot edu>

4:00pm to 5:30pm   Mount Auburn: A Muse to our Nation’s Writers. Staff, Mount Auburn Cemetery. Tour begins at entrance gates, 580 Mt. Auburn St. 617-547-7105 or www.mountauburn.org

4:00pm to 6:00pm   Poetry Reading at Schoenhof’s Foreign Books: Contemporary Poets. Read from their Latest Works, in English and other Languages. Program at 76A Mount Auburn Street. Rupert Davis, <rdavis at mep-inc dot net>

June 18 - Anything interesting on tonight's City Council agenda?

Here a few items that caught my attention:

City Mgr's Agenda #5. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 06-195, regarding a report on urban design process and advertising with restrictions related to the placement of public toilets in Central Square.

The communication quotes a response from MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas agreeing to begin a pilot program to expand public use of restrooms in the Central Square, Harvard Square, Porter Square, and Alewife T stations. In addition, the City is in final negotiations with the Salvation Army located at 328 Mass. Ave. to have their toilet facilities expanded for public use. Once the final agreements have been reached, signs will be posted indicating public restroom facilities at each location. This is a marvelous example of one public agency (the MBTA) stepping up to the plate in the public interest, and Mr. Grabauskas and his administration deserve credit and thanks for doing this.

City Mgr's Agenda #20. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 07-64, regarding a report on the ongoing lawsuit between the parties to the joint venture for the development at North Point.

According to this communication, the partners in the North Point development (near Lechmere) are "hopelessly deadlocked with respect to continued development of the project." The matter is to be adjudicated in a Delaware court later this summer. Especially relevant to Cambridge is the issue of whether any agreements made with the City of Cambridge will be binding on the party or parties who buy out the others after the court's decision. The relocation of the Lechmere station may also hinge on the outcome. The City of Cambridge is not a party in this lawsuit, but the City's Law Department is continuing to monitor the proceedings.

Communication #6. A communication was received from Roseann T. Bongiovanni, President of the Chelsea City Council, transmitting a resolution adopted by the Chelsea City Council naming Chelsea a "Sanctuary City".

This communication is noteworthy primarily because Rosie Bongiovanni is planning to run for the State Senate seat being vacated by Jarrett Barrios, and what better way to appeal to the voters in the 11 wards of Cambridge in that Senate district than to advertise Chelsea's solidarity with Cambridge as a "sanctuary city."

Resolution #24. Resolution on the death of Will Stackman.   Councillor Sullivan

Order #1. That the City Council go on record dedicating a suitable location to Will Stackman.   Councillor Sullivan

Much appreciation to Michael Sullivan for the resolution and the order. My suggestion is to name the corner of Dewolfe St. and Cowperthwaite St. at Memorial Drive in honor of Will. This was the operations center of the Cambridge River Festival which Will staged for many years.

Order #4. That the City Manager confer with the head of the recycling division of the Public Works Department on the future plans to increase paper recycling and to the feasibility of providing an additional recycling bin, to compliment the current bin, specifically designed for the recycling of paper products.   Vice Mayor Toomey

The Cambridge Recycling Advisory Committee (of which I am a member) met last week to talk about the possibility of "single-stream" recycling in the future. This is where paper and comingled containers are intermixed in a single, larger recycling container. This discussion is in the context of plans for the processing facility (FCR in Charlestown) to re-engineer its facility for single-stream recycling in the near future - as it has already done at its Auburn facility. This change will likely have the greatest impact on places like Boston where recycling rates (less that 14%) are well below where they ought to be. Market prices for recycled material are very high now and FCR wants to capture much more material than is now the case. Cambridge's recycling rate (near 30%) is already pretty good, so single-stream collection  would likely have less of a positive impact than would be the case in Boston. Another long-term possibility for Cambridge made possible by single-stream collection would be the ability to collect rubbish and recyclables in separate sections of a single vehicle (and most likely done in-house by City workers). The economic cost or benefit of such a change is still very unclear, but the discussion is now possible. In any case, there are still 3 years on our current recycling contract.

Order #8. That the City Council go on record dedicating a suitable location in the vicinity of Brattle and Church Streets in honor of Wayne "Rusty" Drugan.   Councillor Sullivan

Again, a good order from Michael Sullivan for a very good man, former Election Commissioner Rusty Drugan.

Order #13. That the City Manager confer with the appropriate departments to see what building permits have been pulled for 44 Brattle Street and that these permits be pulled immediately until the matter of terminating employees during renovation is resolved.   Councillor Decker

Even if the Ann Taylor Corporation consisted of money-grubbing scoundrels, how the hell would the City of Cambridge justify withholding building permits or occupancy permits just because some elected officials don't agree with the personnel decisions of the company? There's no way that the City can withhold or rescind permits for something like this without opening itself wide for litigation. This lunatic order should be filed alongside the order from late last year to rezone the site of the former Radisson Hotel to Open Space because some councillors disagreed with the personnel decisions of the new owner. That order was appropriately rescinded at the following meeting. - Robert Winters

June 12 - Galluccio's Running.... Wolf is Not

The Cambridge Chronicle today reported that State Representative Alice Wolf sent a fax [Link expired] saying, “After much thought, I have decided not to run for the senate seat being vacated by Senator Barrios. There are many factors that played a part in my decision, and the strongest factor is that I love my job serving in the House of Representatives and representing the people of Cambridge and the 25th Middlesex district. I appreciate all the support and encouragement I have received from my constituents and from people across the senate district. I look forward to continuing to work with them on common goals.”

Later in the day, Anthony Galluccio told the Chronicle that he would be seeking the seat.

Here's the Chronicle story on Galluccio's entry into the race for the seat being vacated by Jarrett Barrios.

It is my understanding that Chelsea City Council President Roseann “Rosie” Bongiovanni will also be a candidate for the seat.

Special Election Calendar

2007 Municipal Election Calendar (and Advice for Candidates)

Mon, July 2: Municipal Election Nomination Papers available at Election Commission office, 8:30am-8:00pm. Nomination papers will be available through the July 31 submission deadline, but it is advisable that a candidate pick up papers early and get started collecting signatures. The process is an excellent way for a new candidates to “get their feet wet” and acclimate to the process of asking for support. The first page of your nomination papers must be notarized, by the way, and there are a total of three sheets. [Kinko's will notarize documents, by the way.]
You will also want to get a current database of registered voters. This is available from the Election Commission free of charge to any candidate who has pulled nomination papers. Voter history files and the street listing are also available. If you are a legitimate candidate and want a merged file showing all currently registered Cambridge voters with their ten year voting history in Cambridge elections (if they voted - not who they voted for!!), you can request it from me free of charge.

Tues, July 31: 5pm deadline to submit nomination papers & statements of financial interest for candidates. A minimum of 50 valid signatures must be filed and a candidate may submit up to 100 signatures. Once a voter's signature has been recorded for a particular candidate, it cannot be used for another candidate in the same race. That is, a voter should sign for exactly one candidate for City Council and one candidate for School Committee. Candidates should submit as many signatures as possible over the minimum of 50 because it is very likely that some signatures will not be certified. It is advisable that all signatures be checked against the voter registration list before submitting them. Candidates do not have to submit all their signatures at one time, and it is advisable that signatures be submitted as each sheet becomes full. The Election Commission staff traditionally checks signatures soon after they are submitted, so it is possible to know how many signatures have been tentatively certified in case it is necessary to obtain more signatures to reach the minimum of 50 certified signatures. Actual certification is only official when the Election Commission votes to approve them.

Tues, Aug 14: 5pm deadline for Election Commission to certify signatures on nomination papers.

Thurs, Aug 16: 5pm deadline for municipal candidates to file withdrawal of nomination.

Wed, Oct 17: 8pm deadline to register to vote in municipal election. In person registration hours are 8:30am to 8:00pm at the Election Commission office only. (Mail in registration must be postmarked by October 17).

Mon, Oct 29: 5pm deadline for School Committee candidates and Political Committees to file Municipal Campaign & Political Finance Reports. (City Council candidates should consult their OCPF packets regarding depository-filing requirements). City Council candidates are required under state law to set up a depository account at a bank. The bank will report all deposits and expenditures directly to the state's Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF). School Committee candidates are not required to set up a depository account, but they must file a campaign finance report in mid-October and at the end of the year.

Sat, Nov 3: Election Commission office will be open 9am to 5pm for over-the-counter absentee voting.

Mon, Nov 5: Noontime deadline to apply for absentee ballot, either for mail-in or over-the-counter voting.

Tues, Nov 6: Municipal Election. Polls are open 7:00am until 8:00pm. All absentee ballots must arrive at the Election Commission office by 8:00pm to be counted. Ballot count begins at the Cambridge Senior Center, 806 Mass. Ave., Central Square after the polls close. It is expected that the Election Commission will report preliminary election results Tuesday evening, but this tally does not include write-in ballots and other ballots not counted for a variety of reasons.

Wed, Nov 7: 9am-5pm. Ballot count resumes at Senior Center, 806 Mass. Ave., Central Square. The entire process is usually complete by early evening and the unofficial election results will be announced upon completion. Federal law requires an additional ten days to allow for any overseas military absentee ballots to arrive, and the final official election results will be announced then. [There were no such ballots in the 2005 election.]

The Election Commission Office is open Mon, 8:30am-8:00pm; Tues-Thurs, 8:30am-5:00pm; and Fri, 8:30am-Noon (except July 4, Sept 3, and Oct 8).

The 2007 Cambridge Candidate Pages are now under construction. Check back as the campaign season progresses.

June 6 - Political correctness is one thing, but this is ridiculous

Pending before the Mass. State Legislature is Mass. House Bill 3239, “An Act Relative to the History of Slavery in the Commonwealth.” The chief sponsor is Rep. Byron Rushing (whose district includes part of Cambridge) and two of the 10 co-sponsors are our own Reps. Alice Wolf and rookie Will Brownsberger. It's always interesting to learn about history, and the central purpose of this bill is to generate more research into the history of slavery in Massachusetts, but this bill has the provision:

Section 1. The Secretary, state agency or state authority shall require that any company that enters into a contract with the Commonwealth, whether the contract is subject to competitive bidding or not, shall complete an affidavit, prior to or contemporaneous with entering into the contract, certifying that: A.) The company has searched any and all records of the company or majority-owned subsidiary and any predecessor company or its majority-owned subsidiary regarding records of participation or investments in, or profits derived, from slavery, including slaveholder insurance policies issued during the slavery era; and B.) The company has disclosed any and all records of participation in or profits derived by the company or majority-owned subsidiary and any predecessor company or its majority-owned subsidiary from slavery, including issuance of slaveholder insurance policies, during the slavery era, and identified names of any enslaved persons or slaveholders described in the records. The Secretary, state agency, or state authority may terminate the contract if a company fails to fully and accurately complete the affidavit.

Why stop there? Let's require all individuals and companies to research and reveal all disagreeable actions taken over the last two centuries and review all contracts for political correctness. The fact that 3 of the 10 sponsors of this bill are Cambridge representatives only serves to reinforce the perception that Cambridge is the capital of the loony left. What was it that Gov. Patrick said about making it simpler to do business in Massachusetts? Does this bill further that goal?

June 5 - The Cambridge Chronicle is reporting [Link expired] that School Committee member Nancy Walser will announce tonight that she will not seek reelection this year. According to the Chronicle report: “She will, however, be lending her support to the new ‘progress for Cambridge’ slate, which includes candidates such as: Stefan Malner, a West Cambridge resident who works as an analyst for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection; Nancy Tauber, a Graham & Parks parent and experienced public school teacher who lives in Cambridgeport; and Gail Lemily Wiggins, a North Cambridge parent who works as a counselor for The Educational Resource Institute (TERI) in Boston.”

Now this is interesting! Let's hope that one or more City Council seats open up as well or that the emergence of new candidates for School Committee leads to a movement for some new blood in both elected bodies. As a “long time civic observer,” I can say that we desperately need a whole new vocabulary in City Council and School Committee affairs. That change starts with residents stepping forward and making themselves available as candidates and giving voters good, credible alternatives.

May 23 - Seidel To Seek Council Seat (Harvard Crimson, by Paras Bhayani and Nicholas Tabor)

Other candidates for City Council are Larry Ward and Greg Moree. In addition, Kevin Moore and David Maher may enter the race. All incumbents are (so far) planning to seek reelection, though this could change.

On the School Committee side, Mark McGovern is a declared candidate. So far, all incumbents will be seeking reelection.

If you've ever considered candidacy for City Council or School Committee, now's the time to step forward. 

City of Cambridge Polling Locations 

June 1 - Former City Council candidate Helder "Sonny" Peixoto dead in apparent murder-suicide (Palm Beach Post - link expired)

Cambridge Chronicle story on Sonny Peixoto's demise 

  Globe story (June 2)    Herald story (June 2)

Herald story (June 3 - link expired)       Globe story (June 3)       Palm Beach Post follow-up story (June 3, Link expired)

Herald follow-up (June 4 - link expired)

Election Commissioner candidates forum – May 31

There will be a public hearing on May 31 at 6:30pm at the Cambridge Senior Center at which the four candidates wanting to fill an upcoming vacancy of one of the Democratic Party seats on the Cambridge Election Commission will take questions from the public. All candidates were asked to respond to a questionnaire on the candidacy. Their responses are here:

2007 Democratic Party Election Commissioner candidate responses 

The selection of an ordered list of three candidates will be made by the Cambridge Democratic City Committee at their June 14 meeting. Though both of these meetings are open to the public, only members of the CDCC may vote.

Cambridge's 2007 GoGreen Awards

While many people are talking about the problem of climate change, some Cambridge businesses are doing something about it. The City recognized these efforts with its annual GoGreen Business Awards, which were presented at a public reception at the City Hall Annex on Thursday, May 17.

This year’s energy winners are Harvard and Novartis. Harvard was honored for its facility renovation at 46 Blackstone St., which has received the highest possible rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. The building has many state-of-the-art energy savings features, uses renewable materials, and has landscaping designed to capture stormwater.

Novartis has initiated 13 energy efficiency projects, involving reducing temperatures, closing chemical exhaust hoods, and installing systems to shut off lights. Novartis was also a winner in the transportation category, for its successful efforts to encourage employees to take public transit, ride share, bike, or walk to work. A remarkable 67% of Novartis employees choose not to drive alone.

The other transportation winner was the Green Streets Initiative, a grassroots effort to get people to leave their cars behind and walk, bike, or take transit on the last Friday of each month. Green Streets, which began in March 2006 at a handful of Cambridge schools, now has 60 volunteer coordinators and the participation of over 30 Cambridge businesses.

The recycling and waste reduction award winners were Genzyme and two restaurants – Oleana and Charlie’s Kitchen. Genzyme was recognized for its aggressive efforts to save paper and for recycling its food waste. The company recycles 32% of all of its waste.

Both Oleana and Charlie’s Kitchen send their food scraps to the City’s new food composting program for commercial-scale food establishments. Oleana has reached out to other restaurants to encourage them to participate and buys local produce, thus supporting Massachusetts agriculture. Charlie’s Kitchen reuses fryolator oil to fuel two vehicles and hopes to heat the restaurant with used oil.

City employees John Bolduc and Rosalie Anders were also recognized for their efforts.

The featured speaker was Robin Chase, founder of GoLoco which is the new Web-based ride-sharing and social networking service and co-founder of Zipcar.

In Search of a Progressive Definition
(appeared in the April 2007 edition of The Alewife)

It's a municipal election year and already the grapevine is ripe with rumors about who's running, who's not running, and whether any “slates” of candidates will emerge in time for the November election. With Senator Travaglini's recent exit from the State Senate and the possibility that Tim Toomey may seek the seat [update], it makes the game of musical chairs so much more interesting. At last count, there were already 6 challengers ready to gather signatures to get on the City Council ballot and at least one challenger (so far) for School Committee. If a vacancy should arise, the numbers will grow.

Things used to be much simpler in the days when the Cambridge Civic Association (CCA) was in the business of building and supporting slates of candidates for the City Council and School Committee. Though imperfect (to say the least), it was possible for a Cambridge voter who wanted to vote “progressive” to know who to vote for without actually having to pay attention - a real convenience for Cambridge's sociopolitical upper crust. It also served to let many Independent voters know who NOT to list on their ballots. The choice of Us versus Them couldn't have been simpler.

But wait! You say it wasn't so simple to tell the good guys from the bad guys? Surely, the CCA was the very essence of “progressive” and, by exclusion, everyone else was “regressive”. Having walked both sides of the line, I've long been fascinated by the slipperiness of the Cambridge definition of “progressive”. If this was a battle for a seat at the state house, you might look to issues like abortion, marriage rights, and universal health care to craft a progressive definition. At the federal level, you might look at the Iraq war or campaign finance reform to draw the lines. But in Cambridge sans rent control, and with no major issues to distinguish the candidates, the progressive slope couldn't be more slippery.

There are plans underway again to assemble a “Progressive Democrats of Cambridge” slate (PDC), and the sponsors are searching for a progressive definition to determine who will be on and who will be off the slate. Their first stab at a definition was that a candidate had to endorse the firing of the city manager in order to gain endorsement, but that proved to be a bit restrictive. The latest word is that being a non-incumbent (or nearly so) will send you to the head of the class - as good a definition as any from where I stand.

Many of us know that until 1994, being a “progressive” in Cambridge meant, with few exceptions, that you were in favor of rent control. You might have advocated the annihilation of polar bears, but as long as you vowed to keep the rent cheap for potential voters, you were a bona fide progressive. During the late 1980's, I used to laugh when I'd see the banner in the window of the Cambridge Civic Association office that read “Progressive Government - That Works!”. Never mind the fact that most of the working class residents of Cambridge were voting for the other guys.

My theory is that the definition of “progressive” in Cambridge is most closely tied to socioeconomic status. If you have an advanced degree or if you went to prep school or a major university, or if you just believe you're smarter than all those Joe Six-Packs out there, then you have a leg up with the progressive crowd. If you're a cop, a firefighter, or work at Public Works, or if you even know anyone who works “on the City,” chances are that you aren't hanging with the progressives.

Many decades ago, being progressive meant you were one of the “goo-goos”, i.e. the “good government” crowd. That included many of the old guard Republicans who brought managed government and the Plan E Charter to Cambridge and who founded the CCA back during the FDR administration. Progressive Republicans you say? Well, that's the way it was back then. The Democrats saw government as a jobs program for the politically connected, and the Republicans lobbied for better managed government and restraint in municipal budgets. Political party designations don't exist in our municipal elections today, but it's pretty safe to say that every elected official in Cambridge today is a social and economic liberal eager to support and fund a broad range of programs. Are they all progressives? It all depends on your lack of a definition.

Cambridge's municipal election system tries to represent its residents in proportion to their fraction of the electorate. It works well when there are clear definitions of the electorate - neighborhood, race, ethnicity, gender, position on some pivotal issue (like rent control), or whether you support some well-publicized candidate slate. During the rent control days, you might have 7 of 9 councillors living west of Harvard Square because rent control trumped geography on the list of definitions.

In the absence of significant issues, geography and personal identity now define the electorate and the candidates more than any issue. But why let these factors decide the election? Why not be more creative with candidate slates? Here are some suggestions for candidate slates for 2007:

DZ Slate: Candidates who would downzone Cambridge to farmland if they could.

TB Slate: Candidates who will support anything that grows the tax base.

CRED Slate: Candidates with credibility. Now there's a concept.

NEW Slate: Anyone but incumbents, preferably with credibility.

JOB Slate: Candidates who actually work for a living.

DD Slate: Candidates who hold (or want to hold) two elected offices (double-dippers).

SLACKER Slate: Candidates who can't do their job without a personal assistant.

BIKE Slate: Candidates who get around by bicycle.

KIDS Slate: Candidates who have children.

SSS Slate: Candidates who say the same stuff over and over again.

FOR Slate: Candidates who believe the City Council should be a foreign affairs forum.

TIN Slate: Candidates from the fringe who wear tin foil hats and receive alien messages. We always get one or two in every election.

- Robert Winters - posted April 3, 2007

Here's an IDEA (originally posted July 15, 2006 and re-posted Sept 23, 2006 for additional “nominations”)

Have you ever felt that the people we elect (and reelect) to the Cambridge City Council and Cambridge School Committee are, to say the least, not the best that Cambridge has to offer? There are so many disincentives to running for public office that it's a wonder any reasonable person would ever do it.

I got to thinking about who I would nominate as candidates, regardless of their willingness to ever do such a thing. My list would include professors, professionals, artists, laborers, and just plain human beings who I've met over the years. I can think of many incredible people who would be an inspiration to the residents of Cambridge -- not career politicians, but people we would all respect and admire.

So the idea is this:  What if a group of fresh faces could be assembled and organized into a slate of candidates that ran as a team? The cost to each candidate would be greatly reduced, and people from all over Cambridge could contribute some money, time, and effort to promote the team. Individual candidates could do their own promotion as well - nothing wrong with that.

All election systems heavily favor incumbents. It's a fact of life. Wouldn't it be great if we could create a mechanism for recruiting great new candidates and giving them a hand? The alternative is just more of the same. Any ideas for candidates? Who would you love to see represent you? Be creative! The 2007 municipal election is not as far off as you may think.

Who would you nominate? I'll make a list. - RW

July 20, 2006 update - The list is growing, slowly but surely. Send in your nominees!! The list will be posted when we get a few more.

Jan 27, 2007 - A few words on the whole “Reeves thing”:

It's interesting to see how a small question about an appropriation request has grown into a dominant political story in Cambridge over the last month or so. Allow me to offer my own chronology of this little tempest:

1. Several days before the Dec 18 City Council meeting, I read (and posted) the meeting agenda and discovered an appropriation request for an additional $19,750 for the Mayor's Office “to cover additional travel expenses related to the Congressional Black Caucus Conference, National Association of Black School Educators, U.S. Conference of Black Mayors, Gay and Lesbian Elected Officials Conference and visits to School Districts to observe closing the achievement gap initiatives.” Since there was already $20,500 in the Mayor's Office annual budget for travel, this caused me to question why there was a need for $40,250 per year for travel expenses (about $110 per day). I pondered on this page whether any of the nine councillors would ask for a discussion of this expenditure before approving it. In fact, it passed without discussion. This is the core issue in the whole “Reeves thing” - the fact that many of the elected councillors resist disclosure, especially the mayor. In fact, City Council Rule #38 requires that travel expenses be fully accounted and that all receipts be available to the public in the Mayor's Office. The mayor is also a city councillor and, as such, is subject to the rules of the City Council.

What everyone needs to know is that there are good reasons to question the expenditures of this mayor. For starters, while every other City department held the line on their FY07 budgets, the Mayor's Office increased its budget by 54.3%, primarily due to the addition of so-called “research assistants” for councillors at a cost of $35,000 per part-time assistant. All indications are that this new expenditure ($245,000 total) was part of the deal to make Reeves mayor. The mayor's annual salary, by the way, is $95,377 plus benefits, and each councillor is paid $64,033 plus benefits. These salaries, together with automatic cost-of-living adjustments, were established in response to a previous effort in 2000 by some councillors to get personal aides. That is, councillors were given a 23% pay raise in lieu of getting personal assistants.

It must also be understood that, denials to the contrary, this mayor did get into financial hot water during his previous stint as mayor when he “gamed the system” and collected duplicate paychecks, i.e. a bonus as mayor for serving on the school committee plus a separate school committee paycheck. A settlement was reached wherein Reeves agreed to pay back the money by foregoing future salary increases, an odd settlement to say the least since it presumed his reelection. There were also Cambridge Chronicle accounts during that time of Reeves abusing a City-issued credit card. Regardless whether there was actual abuse, there are precedents for a newspaper reporter to choose to question Reeves' financial decisions.

2. Shortly before that Dec 18 Council meeting, I received a phone call from a Chronicle reporter about an unrelated matter. During the conversation, I noted the agenda item and the reporter said that she had also wondered about that as well. Based on what the reporter told me, I wrote, “Reeves has apparently blown through $40,000 in travel expenses.” As it turns out, according to the Mayor's Office, most of the money has not yet been spent. Whether or not the money has already been spent is, of course, not the issue. The issue is why this mayor needs $40,000 for travel and whether his explanations can withstand scrutiny.

The Chronicle subsequently published a headline story in its Dec 21 issue (with some factual errors which they have acknowledged) on Reeves' travel expenses. The paper also filed a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request of the Mayor's Office for details on the expenditures. The City responded by saying that $167.58 would be required for the information. The Chronicle chose to pay $67.58 after deducting $100 (based on Reeves' $50/hr rate for redacting “information not subject to public disclosure”). The Mayor's Office responded by releasing a spreadsheet summary of expenses and then refused to provide additional details. This is why this otherwise small story grew into a larger one. Whether or not elected officials or other City officials like it, it is the job of newspaper reporters to ask these kinds of questions, especially when the elected councillors fail to do so themselves. While Reeves has tried to characterize this as some kind of personal attack, this is, in fact, all about public accountability - clear and simple.

3. Subsequently, the Mayor's Office settled into a bunker mentality. The mayor refused to answer any further questions and even went so far as to accuse the Chronicle of racism. Reeves assigned one of his staff, John Clifford, to be his spokesman. The paper continued to demand accounts from the Mayor's Office while the Mayor's Office produced (and continues to produce) ponderous accounts (or perhaps rationalizations) of the mayor's good intentions with most of the spin being on Reeves' supposed quest for information on “closing the achievement gap.” While this is an admirable goal, I question why Reeves needs to travel extensively to procure information already extensively researched, e.g. by MassInc and by Cambridge's own School Department, and why Reeves should be the one empowered to gather this information at considerable expense. Are there not people in the School Department and on the School Committee who would be better suited to do this research? Why should the mayor of Cambridge, whose position is primarily ceremonial and procedural, be the point person on this issue?

4. There is now what appears to be an orchestrated campaign by Reeves' supporters to spin the Chronicle's request for accountability as a personal attack on their man. Reeves took out a full-page ad in the Chronicle attacking the paper and extolling his own virtues. (It's still not clear who paid for the ad, though I presume it was paid from the Reeves political campaign account.) There's now a rambling note on the Mayor's Office webpage lashing out at those who have questioned Reeves on this matter.

At this point, the only reasonable conclusions I can draw from the whole “Reeves thing” are these:

a) Reeves is angry that he may now have to justify future expenses.

b) Public accountability might actually become an election issue this year - a good thing.

c) There needs to be greater clarity in the City budget on whether the (very questionable) councillor aide positions should be paid out of the Mayor's Office budget (if at all), whether fees for national conferences attended by councillors are or should be paid out of the Mayor's Office travel budget, and exactly what kinds of expenses should be permissible under the Mayor's Office travel budget.

d) The City Council should abide by its own rules regarding travel expenses or change those rules if there is consensus to do so.

e) There needs to be some clarity about who is best suited under our City charter to obtain information on alternate approaches to education, and specifically whether the mayor should be that person. [I believe this is a matter best pursued by actual educators.]

f) When elected officials refuse to answer reasonable questions from the press, the responsibility for any repercussions falls squarely on those elected officials for turning molehills into mountains.

-- Robert Winters