CITY MANAGER’S AGENDA
1. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appointment of Joe Camillus and Filo Castore as a members of to the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (CRA) Board. (CM24#250)

CM24#250     Nov 25, 2024
I am hereby recommending the appointment of Joe Camillus and Filo Castore to the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (CRA) Board for four- and five-year terms respectively to begin immediately. These appointments fill two vacancies on the CRA Board. One is a vacancy left on the CRA by long-term CRA member and treasurer, Chris Bator, who resigned last spring. More recently a second vacancy was created by the appointment of Lauren Resnick by Governor Healy to serve as an Associate Judge of the Land Court.

Shortly after Mr. Bator’s resignation, the City Manager’s office initially posted a request for applications on the city website from May 7, 2024, through June 10, 2024. When the potential for Ms. Resnick’s required resignation became apparent a second application window was advertised from July 3, 2024, through September 9, 2024. Extensive outreach was done through the City’s traditional outreach channels such as the Daily Update email, the City’s home page, press releases, and emails to community and business associations. More outreach efforts were made by the CRA through their website, listserv and social media channels. A total of 16 applications were received in the first round and 13 new applications were received in the second round, for a total of 29 candidates. All applications were shared with the City’s Director of Equity and Inclusion. Representatives from the CRA reviewed applications to narrow the list down to nine candidates for interviews. Those candidates with interview by the current CRA Chair, Conrad Crawford and myself.

Amongst an applicant pool with many compelling candidates, these two candidates stood out for their experience that can contribute to the CRA as well as their demonstrated interest in serving the City of Cambridge.

Mr. Camillus is a 15-year resident of the Riverside neighborhood. He has a long career of service in health and human services, and is currently the Chief Operating Officer for Boston Medical Center. He is leading this major hospital through numerous strategic initiatives promoting high quality care, capacity growth, and talent recruitment and retention at an institution committed to high quality care to underserved populations of Boston. He has expressed how his commitment to healthy communities can contribute to the CRA’s mission.

Mr. Castore is a relatively new resident of Kendall Square. His career as an architect and construction project manager spans many fields related to real estate development including design, sustainability and stakeholder engagement. He is currently a Managing Principal at Jacobs Solutions with a focused role as the Americas Lead for Net Zero + Nature Positive development.

He emphasized his interest and experience with publicly beneficial real estate projects and bringing both his technical and management expertise to the CRA.

The CRA Board is composed of five members, four of which are appointed by the City Manager and the fifth is appointed by the Governor’s office. I am confident these candidates will both contribute expertise to the important issues before the CRA including the development of affordable housing, stewardship of accessible commercial space, enhancement of public open space, and investments in vital community infrastructure. Given the small size of the Board, there is now some urgency to this decision so that the CRA may maintain a quorum should one of the remaining three members be unavailable for a meeting.

Therefore, in accordance with Chapter 121B of the Massachusetts General Laws, I am submitting both Mr. Camillus and Mr. Castore’s names for City Council confirmation as a member of the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority. I appreciate their willingness to serve and look forward to their contributions to the CRA and the Cambridge community.

2. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the reappointment of Tabithlee Howard and appointing Johanny Maria Castillo, Jasper Adiletta, Shanjnin (Eva) Asraf, Jasper Mallon, and Larisa Mendez-Peñate to the Coordinating Council for Children Youth and Families also known as the Family Policy Council, effective Nov 25, 2024. [CM24#251]

CM24#251     Nov 25, 2024
I am writing to inform you that I am reappointing Tabithlee Howard and appointing the following persons below as members of the Coordinating Council for Children Youth and Families (also known as “Family Policy Council”) effective November 25, 2024

• Johanny Maria Castillo

• Jasper Adiletta

• Shanjnin (Eva) Asraf

• Jasper Mallon

• Larisa Méndez-Peñate

The Family Policy Council was established under Chapter 2.85 of the Cambridge Municipal Code. The Council is dedicated to developing policy and program recommendations to ensure all children, youth, and their families have access to what they need to be successful, engaged residents prepared for life in our community and the world.

The City Manager’s office posted a request for applications for the Family Policy Council on the City website and via a news release on August 21, 2024, with a closing date of September 30, 2024. During that time, the staff and Council conducted outreach through their networks. The call for applicants was also posted in several of the City’s daily email updates and postings on the City’s website. There were nine applicants, four of whom were interviewed. City staff and Council members recommended the appointment of one of those applicants for the Community-at-Large seat on the Family Policy Council. The three Youth Representatives are current members of the Cambridge Youth Council.

The next anticipated vacancy for this council will come in 2025.

I am pleased to recommend the reappointment of Tabithlee Howard for a 3-year term as a Community-at-Large Representative and the appointment of these four new members.

1. Johanny Maria Castillo (3-year term) - Community-at-Large Representative
Johanny is a Mental Health Clinician, a mother of three, and a long-time resident deeply engaged in community work. As a Community Health Worker at Riverside Community Care, she has extensive experience in crisis prevention, family support, clinical consultation, and working closely with local organizations to connect families with critical resources such as housing, food, and mental health services.

2. Jasper Adiletta (2-year term) – Youth Representative
Jasper is a freshman at Cambridge Rindge and Latin, and this is his first year on the Cambridge Youth Council. He is also a member of the CRLS Crew Team and plays basketball and lacrosse. This past summer he was a teaching assistant at the Kennedy Longfellow English Language Learners’ Camp.

3. Shanjnin (Eva) Asraf (2-year term) – Youth Representative
Eva is a junior at Cambridge Rindge and Latin, and this is her second year on the Cambridge Youth Council. She is also a member of the leadership teams for Club 4 and South Asian Club. She plays tennis, works at a boba shop, and coaches at Olympia Fencing Club.

4. Jasper Mallon (2-year term) – Youth Representative
Jasper Mallon is a junior at Cambridge Rindge and Latin, and this is her second year on the Cambridge Youth Council. She is involved in several clubs at CRLS. She also interned at the Harvard Museum last summer and currently works for the East Cambridge Business Association.

5. Larisa Méndez-Peñate
Larisa is the Assistant Director for the Division of Pregnancy, Infancy, and Early Childhood (DPIE) in the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Family Health and Nutrition. Larisa has worked for more than 25 years in education and mental health. She has experience providing direct service, building community partnerships, providing technical assistance, and developing programs and policy – all with a focus on child and family well-being. In her current role she oversees DPIE’s Early Childhood, Family, and Community Systems Unit as well as two DPIE home visiting programs for priority populations: FIRST [Families in Recovery Support] Steps Together, and FOR [Follow up, Outreach, Referral] Families for families receiving emergency assistance shelter. She is Project Investigator for the HRSA-funded Pediatric Mental Health Care Access program and the MA Essentials for Childhood: Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences through Data to Action initiative, funded by the CDC. She immigrated to the US with her Swedish mother and Cuban father as a young child. She has lived in Cambridge for 20 years.

I appreciate the willingness of these community members to serve and look forward to their contributions as members of the Family Policy Council.

5. Transmitting Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $15,000 to the Grant Fund Public Celebrations (Arts Council) Other Ordinary Maintenance account. The MCC Cultural District Grant provides financial support to state-designated Cultural Districts throughout the Commonwealth. This funding will support District-based initiatives that drive economic growth and strengthen the distinctive character of the Central Square Cultural District. (CM24#254)

CM24#254     Nov 25, 2024
To the Honorable, the City Council:

I am hereby requesting the appropriation of the FY25 Massachusetts Cultural District Grant made by the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) in the amount of $15,000 to the Grant Fund Public Celebrations (Arts Council) Other Ordinary Maintenance account.

The MCC Cultural District Grant provides financial support to state-designated Cultural Districts throughout the Commonwealth. This funding will support District-based initiatives that drive economic growth and strengthen the distinctive character of the Central Square Cultural District.

Very truly yours,
Yi-An Huang
City Manager

COMMITTEE REPORTS
1. Finance Committee - Committee Meeting - May 1, 2019, 9:00am. [text of report]
Present: McGovern, Devereux, Simmons, Siddiqui, Carlone, Kelley, Mallon, Zondervan
Absent: Toomey

2. The Transportation & Public Utilities Committee held a public hearing on July 24, 2019 to receive information about the draft Policy and Regulations for Small Cell Wireless Installations on Public Ways under consideration by the Pole & Conduit Commission and the Historical. [text of report]
Present: Devereux, Zondervan, Carlone, Kelley, Mallon (late)

3. The Finance Committee conducted a public hearing on May 26, 2020 to discuss the city and school budgets covering the fiscal period July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. [text of report]
Present: Simmons, Carlone, McGovern, Toomey,
Remote Present: Mallon, Nolan, Sobrinho-Wheeler, Zondervan, Siddiqui

4. The Finance Committee conducted a public hearing on June 2, 2020 to discuss the city and school budgets covering the fiscal period July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. [text of report]
Present: Simmons, Carlone, Toomey (late)
Remote Present: Mallon, Nolan, Sobrinho-Wheeler, Zondervan, Siddiqui, McGovern (late)

5. The Finance Committee conducted a public hearing on June 3, 2020 to discuss the city and school budgets covering the fiscal period July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. [text of report]
Present: Simmons, Carlone, Nolan, Toomey
Remote Present: Mallon, McGovern, Sobrinho-Wheeler, Zondervan, Siddiqui

6. The Finance Committee held a public hearing on May 11, 2021 to discuss the Fiscal Year 2022 budget. [text of report]
Present: Carlone, Simmons, Mallon, McGovern, Nolan, Siddiqui, Sobrinho-Wheeler, Toomey, Zondervan

7. The Finance Committee held a public hearing on May 18, 2021 to discuss the Fiscal Year 2022 budget. [text of report]
Present: Carlone, Simmons, Mallon, Nolan, Siddiqui, Sobrinho-Wheeler, Zondervan, McGovern (late)
Absent: Toomey

8. The Finance Committee held a public hearing on May 19, 2021 to discuss the Fiscal Year 2022 budget. [text of report]
Present: Carlone, Simmons, Mallon, Nolan, Siddiqui, Sobrinho-Wheeler, Zondervan, McGovern
Absent: Toomey

9. The Finance Committee met on July 27, 2021 to discuss the American Rescue Grant. [text of report]
Present: Carlone, McGovern, Nolan, Siddiqui, Sobrinho-Wheeler, Zondervan, Toomey
Remote Present: Simmons
Absent: Mallon

10. The Finance Committee met on December 1, 2021 to receive an overview and update on funds received from the State and Local Fiscal Recovery (American Rescue Plan Act) Grant. [text of report]
Present: Carlone, Siddiqui, Mallon
Remote Present: McGovern, Nolan, Sobrinho-Wheeler, Zondervan, Simmons (late)
Absent: Toomey

11. The Health and Environment Committee met on June 9, 2021 to discuss the city’s progress on our Zero Waste Plan, and relevant items referred to committee, including eliminating single use plastics. [text of report]
Present: Zondervan, Carlone, Nolan, Sobrinho-Wheeler
Absent: McGovern

12. The Health & Environment Committee met on July 14, 2021 to discuss the future of the city’s water supply and strategies for improving water quality while keeping costs down. [text of report]
Remote Present: Zondervan, Carlone, Sobrinho-Wheeler
Absent: McGovern, Nolan

13. The Human Services and Civic Unity Committees held a joint meeting on August 10, 2021 to discuss measures the City should be taking to address the increase in gun violence. [text of report]
Present: Mallon, Nolan, Simmons, Toomey (late)
Remote Present: McGovern, Carlone
Also Present: Siddiqui, Zondervan, Sobrinho-Wheeler

14. The Finance Committee met on March 2, 2022 to discuss ARPA funding. [text of report]
Present: Carlone, Nolan, Mallon, McGovern, Siddiqui, Toner, Zondervan
Absent: Azeem, Simmons

2. A communication from Mayor E. Denise Simmons, transmitting Notice of Special City Council Meeting re Charter Review. (COF24#148)

Nov 25, 2024
Re: Notice of Special City Council Meeting re Charter Review

Dear Madam Clerk:

Please include this correspondence on the agenda as part of Communications and Reports from Other City Officers.

On August 5, 2024, the City Council passed a policy order calling for the formation of “…a Special Committee of the Whole or hold a special City Council meeting to discuss the Charter Review Committee recommendations and plan the process moving forward”.

I am establishing a Special Committee of the Whole that will be co-chaired by Councilor Siddiqui and Councilor Toner. This Special Committee will hold its first meeting on Monday, December 9, 2024, at 1:00pm.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
Mayor E. Denise Simmons

TEXT OF ORDERS
O-1     Nov 25, 2024
COUNCILLOR SOBRINHO-WHEELER
COUNCILLOR SIDDIQUI
COUNCILLOR AZEEM
VICE MAYOR MCGOVERN
WHEREAS: In the most recent citywide resident survey, Cambridge residents noted their concerns about housing affordability, growing 7% over the 2023 survey as the single most important issue to handle over the next two years, with the Census Bureau reporting nearly two-thirds of residents as renters; and
WHEREAS: State law prohibits property owners from requiring any additional funds beyond first month’s rent, last month’s rent, a security deposit equal to one month’s rent, and the purchase of a lock and key, but renters are commonly required to pay real estate broker fees usually equal to a month’s rent paid to the real estate agent hired by property owners to market their units and find suitable renters; and
WHEREAS: This additional fee often drives up the move-in cost by at least one-third, further burdening renters for services rendered by agents hired by property owners, prohibiting lower-income residents from finding suitable housing in the City; and
WHEREAS: The New York City Council recently passed the Fairness in Apartment Rentals Act, setting the stage for Cambridge to become one of the few remaining cities in the United States where brokers fees are expected to be paid by tenants; and
WHEREAS: The Boston City Council recently introduced a hearing order “To prohibit renter-paid broker fees when hired by a landlord” to begin addressing these fees; and
WHEREAS: According to the Census Bureau, the median rent in Cambridge is $2,628, 107% higher than the $1,268 national median rent, and the City Council has stated its commitment to lowering the housing cost burden faced by its residents; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the Neighborhood and Long-Term Planning Committee hold a meeting to explore the ability to prohibit, either through city or state legislation, the common practice of property owners requiring tenants to pay broker fees.

O-2     Nov 25, 2024
COUNCILLOR NOLAN
COUNCILLOR ZUSY
WHEREAS: The Cambridge Asbestos Protection Ordinance, Chapter 8.61, was passed unanimously by the Cambridge City Council in 1999 in order to protect Cambridge residents from the hazards of asbestos, and was designed to fill in the gaps left by state and federal standards involving air pollution; and
WHEREAS: At the time of its passing, the Cambridge Asbestos Protection Ordinance (CAPO) was the first of its kind in the nation and filled an important loophole in state and federal law, which only regulated asbestos in buildings and enclosed areas, rather than in the soil and open areas; and
WHEREAS: Asbestos is a particularly dangerous contaminant because:

• Asbestos does not degrade in the environment; if inadvertently carried offsite, it may remain there as a threat for later exposure;

• Once lodged in the body, asbestos fibers remain as a carcinogenic irritant without being cleared, and adding to the cumulative lifetime exposure; the effects last long after the incident which caused exposure has ended;

• Asbestos has been repeatedly and irrefutably proven to cause a cancer in humans called mesothelioma and is painful and causes death within a few months, with no known cure;

• No level of exposure has been shown to be safe, despite numerous studies;

As such, there are very strict laws concerning the removal and disturbance of asbestos products in buildings, and in general, if asbestos is not in a form that is a current health risk, it is often advised to leave it undisturbed rather than creating a potentially very serious risk; and
WHEREAS: CAPO defines asbestos contaminated soil, and disruptive activities that would be covered by the ordinance; the property owner would be required to either:

• Place a structure (e.g. a tent) over the area where contaminated soil will be disrupted while the activities take place; or

• Cover the area with clean fill so that the contaminated soil will not be disturbed during construction activities;

These provisions match the regulation of asbestos containing materials in buildings; and
WHEREAS: On Monday, September 30, the MBTA held its first public meeting for an improvement to tunnel access for red line maintenance and concerns were raised about the tunnel’s location on a highly contaminated area; and
WHEREAS: To protect the community and future residents from harmful asbestos exposure, it is essential that construction projects on all potentially contaminated sites follow safety rules and regulations promulgated by federal, state, and local authorities; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with relevant City departments and encourage the state Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the MBTA to adhere to our local ordinances, including the Cambridge Asbestos Protection Ordinance, during the project; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council by December 2024; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward a suitably engrossed copy of this policy order to the Cambridge delegation and to the MBTA on behalf of the entire City Council.