Cambridge InsideOut - October 11, 2016

Potential Topics:

1) Notable Notes - Weddings, Births, and other announcements

Seeking Recycling Advisory Committee Applicants

Learn about joining the Recycling Advisory Committee. Deadline November 10.

2) Lexington cyclist killed after crash with 18-wheeler in Cambridge's Porter Square (Cambridge Chronicle, by Amy Saltzman)

Oct 5, 2016 - A 60-year-old Lexington man was killed after his bike crashed with an 18-wheeler truck in Porter Square during rush hour Wednesday morning, Oct. 5, according to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office. Bernard "Joe" Lavins was pronounced dead at the scene.

3) Councilor calls Foundry process egregious; city manager says project not finalized (Cambridge Chronicle, by Adam Sennott)

Councilor Nadeem Mazen and dozens of residents expressed their disappointment Thursday night with the most recent proposal for the Foundry building.

Mazen said the proposal to redevelop the building at 101 Rogers St. lacked adequate funding during a Neighborhood and Long Term Planning Committee meeting last Thursday at City Hall. While the council previously approved spending $6 million in free cash to redevelop the building, Mazen said the council originally wanted to appropriate $20 million, but was told by the CRA that the project could be done for less.

“The council was definitely saying ‘Appropriate more money. This is not going to work the way you think this is going to work,’” Mazen said. “And then it didn’t work the way you thought it was going to work.”

Not everyone agreed with Mazen about restarting the project from scratch.

Councilor Jan Devereux said she wanted to keep working with CIC/Graffito SP and not “throw the baby out with the bath water,” after so much time and effort has already been invested into the project.

Councilor Craig Kelley said he trusted the professionals the city hired to decide how the space would work best.

Acting City Manager Lisa Peterson stressed that it is still early in the process, and that there will be plenty of opportunity for further dialogue.

4) Cambridge Community Television to host election conference

Cambridge Community Television will host a conference about the media and elections from 10am to 2:30pm on October 22 at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway.

The conference will include three panels that cover political reporting from the 2016 presidential election cycle. Local media professionals including Jim Braude, host of Greater Boston on WGBH; Chris Faraone, editor at Dig Boston and founder of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism; Rachel Gans-Boriskin, founder and blogger of Politics in Pink; Renee Graham, columnist for the Boston Globe; Donna Halper, media critic and Lesley University professor; Dan Kennedy, media commentator for WGBH and Nieman Journalism Lab; Sarah Moawad, coeditor of Muftah’s Egypt & North Africa pages; and Dante Ramos, columnist for the Boston Globe.

5) Divide widens on Question 2 in Cambridge (Cambridge Chronicle, by Natalie Handy)

Oct 7, 2016 - Question 2, which looks to almost triple the number of charter schools in the next 10 years, has been opposed by both the Cambridge School Committee and City Council.

In a recent column submitted to the Cambridge Chronicle from Mayor Denise Simmons, Vice Mayor Marc McGovern, councilors Craig Kelley and Tim Toomey, and School Committee members Kathleen Kelly, Richard Harding and Fred Fantini, the city officials urged residents to vote “no” on Question 2, stating charter schools cost Cambridge taxpayers $11 million per year. —“Charter school advocates will tell you that their students are chosen by lottery, therefore they don’t ‘choose’ their students. What they don’t tell you is that charters have far higher expulsion rates than public schools. Those students who win the lottery, if their behaviors or needs turn out to be too great, are forced out of their charter and return back to the public school system,” the letter said.

Two members of the City Council and School Committee, Patricia Nolan and Jan Devereux, separated themselves from the pack, writing a column this week in the Chronicle, supporting Question 2. Their support is based largely on the need for more educational attention among "high-need" students. — “In our city many - far more than in most districts – opt out of public schools and go to private schools. We cannot in good conscience vote to limit the choices for those families who cannot afford that option. In Cambridge and Massachusetts those choosing charter schools are overwhelmingly low-income families of color who believe their children will be better served.”

6) Harvard dining hall workers strike over wages, benefits (Cambridge Chronicle, by Amy Saltzman)

Oct 5, 2016 - Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) workers are on strike today, saying the university failed to meet their demands for fair wages and affordable health care.

The workers are demanding at least $35,000 a year in income and affordable health care.

In an attempt to negotiate, the university made the following offers, which the union rejected:

Health Care - “A health insurance option with minor modifications to the insurance currently held by dining hall workers. … This plan would create a new tier for employees who make less that $55,000/year in which the university would pay 87 percent of premium costs.” - OR The university has offered to contribute $25 million over four years for dining services workers to join Unite Here Health, the health insurance plan offered by Local 26.

Wages - Increase average wage from $21.89 an hour to $24.08 over the life of the contract.

Summer Stipend - Would be paid over summer break to employees, even if there are no shifts available to work: $250 per week for employees with more than 20 years of service. $150 per week for employees with 5 to 20 years of service.

7) Changes come to the Cambridge Chronicle, reporter moves on (Cambridge Chronicle Editorial)

Almost a year ago exactly, Natalie Handy joined the staff of the Cambridge Chronicle as the new reporter in the midst of a heated Cambridge election season involving 34 candidates in the School Committee and City Council races. She was to replace Sara Feijo who had moved on from the journalism world but had developed quite a bit of experience while working for the Chronicle and, before that, for its sister papers.

For the most part, Natalie was a young woman fresh out of college, with just two years of experience working at a daily newspaper in Vermont. Covering one of the largest municipalities in the state and the innovation hub of the country could have been potentially too overwhelming and frustrating for a relatively green reporter. However, Natalie was ready to take on the challenging position, and even during tough times, she did not give up. She took in stride the stress of covering a large community with little staff and became a true partner in the news production process. And as the months passed, her editors began receiving clearer and more insightful copy, showing her ease with complicated municipal issues.

We grew to rely on her judgment and instinct for a story, and knew at the end of the day, we would receive quality work that was thoughtful and thorough. Cambridge took notice, too. We frequently received feedback complimenting her writing and her manner, and how good the newspaper was with her on board.

We have been very pleased with her development as a reporter and writer and with a heavy heart we wish her well as she leaves the Cambridge Chronicle to become the multimedia journalist for the Burlington Union. We know she is committed to producing quality journalism and we are equally confident she will be successful in her journalistic career, wherever it may take her.

Best of luck Natalie, and thank you.

8) Volpe Working Group Formed

Oct 3, 2016 - As part of the City's continuing effort to plan for the future redevelopment of the Volpe National Transportation Research Center site in Kendall Square, the City Manager has appointed a "Volpe Working Group" consisting of residents of the surrounding neighborhoods - East Cambridge, the Port, and Wellington-Harrington - along with representatives of the Kendall Square business community and other community stakeholders.

The purpose of this working group is to develop an urban design framework and planning principles to provide guidance to potential developers about the City's priorities and expectations for the site. This work will build on the Kendall Square ("K2") Planning Study, conducted in 2012-2013, and the zoning discussions that occurred at the Cambridge Planning Board and City Council over the past two years.

The initial issues and recommendations raised by the Volpe Working Group will inform the City Council's Ordinance Committee, and will precede a more detailed and focused planning and zoning process involving the Working Group, Ordinance Committee and Planning Board that would occur after the GSA has announced its selected development partner for the site.

The Volpe Working Group's first meeting will be held Thursday, October 20, 2016, 5:30-8:00pm, at the Cambridge Innovation Center, One Broadway. Meetings will be open to the public. Attendees are asked to bring identification for entry into the building.

More information about the Volpe Working Group, including a list of members and background materials from past work related to the Volpe site, is available at www.cambridgema.gov/volpe.

All Cambridge Boards & Commissions

9) Inclusionary Housing - Proposed Amendments to Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance Coming Soon

10) Outdoor Lighting Ordinance

Manager's Agenda #5 (June 20). A communication transmitted from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to recommendations from the Outdoor Lighting Task Force that address the potential detrimental impact of outdoor lighting and propose solutions that diminish existing problems and address problems that may be created by new development. [Report][Proposed Ordinance (HTML)]

The Task Force was appointed Dec 2, 2013 and was originally expected to complete its report and draft Ordinance by Spring 2014. It clearly took a lot longer than that with many different iterations of the proposed Ordinance. It's worth noting that the Ordinance will apply not only to new construction but to all properties in Cambridge with several years to bring all properties into compliance with the Ordinance.

There is currently a campaign by some activists to oppose this proposed ordinance in its current form. The core of their argument seems to be that it would permit the king of lighting that was installed on the new Zinc apartment buildings in North Point (and which has been turned off for now by decision of the Board of Zoning Appeals).

Message being circulated regarding "Limit Light Pollution"

Ordinance Committee hearings on tis matter will take place on October 27.

11) Commission On Presidential Debates - sites and dates for 2016 general election debates

First presidential debate:
Monday, September 26, 2016
Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY

The debate will be divided into six time segments of approximately 15 minutes each on major topics to be selected by the moderator and announced at least one week before the debate. The moderator will open each segment with a question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. Candidates will then have an opportunity to respond to each other. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a deeper discussion of the topic.

Vice presidential debate:
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Longwood University, Farmville, VA

The debate will be divided into nine time segments of approximately 10 minutes each. The moderator will ask an opening question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a deeper discussion of the topic.

Second presidential debate:
Sunday, October 9, 2016
Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO

The second presidential debate will take the form of a town meeting, in which half of the questions will be posed directly by citizen participants and the other half will be posed by the moderator based on topics of broad public interest as reflected in social media and other sources. The candidates will have two minutes to respond and there will be an additional minute for the moderator to facilitate further discussion. The town meeting participants will be uncommitted voters selected by the Gallup Organization.

Third presidential debate:
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV

The format for the debate will be identical to the first presidential debate.

All debates will be moderated by a single individual and will run from 9:00-10:30pm Eastern Time without commercial breaks. As always, the moderators alone will select the questions to be asked, which are not known to the CPD or to the candidates. The moderators will have the ability both to extend the segments and to ensure that the candidates have equal speaking time. While the focus will properly be on the candidates, the moderator will regulate the conversation so that thoughtful and substantive exchanges occur. The CPD is in discussion with technology and civic groups that will provide data to the moderators to assist them in identifying the subjects that are most important to the public.

This year’s debates will build on the successful 2012 debate formats which introduced longer segments, allowing the candidates to focus on critical issues. “The CPD has a simple mission, to ensure that presidential debates help the public learn about the positions of the leading candidates for president and vice president,” CPD Co-Chairs Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr. and Michael D. McCurry said. “These formats will allow an in-depth exploration of the major topics in this year’s election.”

In the fall of 2015, the CPD announced the dates and venues and its 2016 Nonpartisan Candidate Selection Criteria. Under the criteria, in addition to being constitutionally eligible, candidates must:

• Appear on a sufficient number of state ballots to have a mathematical chance of winning a majority vote in the Electoral College.
• Have a level of support of at least 15 percent of the national electorate as determined by five selected national public opinion polling organizations, using the average of those organizations' most recently publicly-reported results at the time of the determination.

12) City of Cambridge Designated Early Voting Sites Locations, Dates and Hours for the State/Presidential Election, November 8, 2016

We are excited to announce that all registered voters will be able vote before Election Day for the first time ever in Massachusetts. Early voting will begin on October 24th and continue through November 4th, 2016. Prior to the enactment of this new law, the only way a registered voter was allowed to vote prior to Election Day was through absentee voting. Although absentee voting will still be available for registered voters who qualify, only those who will be absent from their city or town on Election Day, or have a disability that prevents them from going to the polls, or have a religious belief preventing the same, are legally allowed to vote by absentee ballot.

Unlike absentee voting, early voting is for every registered voter. Registered voters do not need an excuse or reason to vote early. Regardless of whether a voter wants to take advantage of early voting, vote absentee or vote on Election Day, the first step is making sure you are registered. To check to see if you are registered to vote, and to find information on how to register to vote, you may visit the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website: www.sec.state.ma.us/ele. If you need to register to vote, you may do it online by visiting: www.RegisterToVoteMA.com. All you need is a license or an I.D. issued by the Registry of Motor Vehicles to apply online. To be eligible to vote in the November 8th State Election, you must register to vote or make any necessary changes to your voter registration by October 19th, 2016.

Early voting can be done in person or by mail. In the City of Cambridge, early voting can be done in person at any of the five (5) designated early voting sites during the scheduled dates and times. To request a ballot by mail, simply fill out an application and mail it to the Election Commission, 51 Inman Street, Cambridge, MA 02139. You can find the application on the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele

Please note, however, once a voter has cast an early voting ballot, the voter may no longer vote at the polls on Election Day.

For the first time in Massachusetts, the first choice all voters will make is which day to vote. Early voting will make the most fundamental right of our citizens more convenient than ever to exercise. We encourage all of our citizens to exercise that right and take advantage of the opportunity to vote on the sites during the scheduled dates and times. For public convenience, the City of Cambridge will also offer weekday evening hours and weekend hours on Saturday, October 29, 2016 from 9:00am to 5:00pm.

CITY OF CAMBRIDGE EARLY VOTING SCHEDULE

Voter Registration and Absentee Ballots for the State/Presidential Election, November 8th

The State/Presidential Election will be held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. For Cambridge residents not already registered, the last day to register to vote is Wednesday, October 19, 2016 until 8:00pm. The Office of the Secretary of State has developed an Online Voter Registration System at www.registertovotema.com. Individuals may use the online system to submit an online application, update their address, or change their party affiliation. You must have a valid driver's license, learner's permit, or non-driver ID issued by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV). You must also have a signature on file with the RMV. If you do not have an RMV ID you can use the system to create an application. Print and sign the completed form and mail or bring it to the office of the City Cambridge Election Commission.

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, November 7, 2016 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 extended hours on the following dates:

Tuesday, October 25th & November 1st, 8:30am-6:00pm
Wednesday, October 26th & November 2nd, 8:30am-8:00pm
Thursday, October 27th & November 3rd, 8:30am-6:00pm
Friday, October 28th & November 4th, 8:30am-6:00pm
Saturday, October 29th, 9:00am-5:00pm

The polls will be open on Election Day, November 8th from 7:00am until 8:00pm. 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.

CIVIC CALENDAR

Thurs, Oct 13

1:30pm   Special City Council Meeting to meet in Executive Session with Attorneys Elizabeth Valerio and James Foskett of the law firm Deutsch Williams to discuss contract negotiations and/or negotiation strategy with regard to the contract the City will enter into with the prospective City Manager.   (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, Oct 17

5:30pm   City Council meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Tues, Oct 18

6:00pm   The City Council's Neighborhood and Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts and Celebrations Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss the work of the first phase of the Broadband Taskforce.  (Sullivan Chamber)

6:00pm   School Committee meeting  (Attles Meeting Room, CRLS, 459 Broadway)

Wed, Oct 19

8:00am   Recycling Advisory Committee  (Sullivan Chamber, City Hall)

5:00pm   The City Council's Housing Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss the Cambridge Housing Authority’s recent re-opening of the Section 8 waiting list.  (Sullivan Chamber)

5:30pm   Cambridge Redevelopment Authority Board Meeting  (Police Station, 125 Sixth St., First Floor Community Room)

[Meeting Agenda and supporting materials]

Thurs, Oct 20

5:30-8:30pm   First meeting of the Volpe Working Group.  (Cambridge Innovation Center, One Broadway)

Meetings are open to the public. You are asked to reply (via the website) if you expect to attend the meeting, and to bring identification for entry into the building.

Mon, Oct 24

5:30pm   City Council Roundtable/Working Meeting to discuss issues relating to charter schools (per Order of Sept 19). No public comment. No votes will be taken. Meeting will not be televised.  (Sullivan Chamber)

Tues, Oct 25

6:00pm   The City Council's Neighborhood and Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts and Celebrations Committee will meet for an undisclosed purpose.  (Sullivan Chamber)

Wed, Oct 26

5:30pm   The City Council's Public Safety Committee and Housing Committee will conduct a joint public hearing to discuss legislative approaches to regulating short-term rentals in the City, including provisions submitted as a draft proposal on Sept 26, 2016 attached to Policy Order #5.  (Sullivan Chamber)

Thurs, Oct 27

3:00pm   The City Council's Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss the Zoning Lighting Ordinance.  (Sullivan Chamber)

5:00pm   The City Council's Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss the Municipal Lighting Ordinance.  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, Oct 31

5:30pm   City Council meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Tues, Nov 1

6:00pm   School Committee meeting  (Attles Meeting Room, CRLS, 459 Broadway)

Mon, Nov 7

5:30pm   City Council meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Wed, Nov 9

8:00am   Recycling Advisory Committee  (Sullivan Chamber, City Hall)

5:00pm   The City Council's Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss a zoning petition by the City Council to delete the existing Section 20.700 – Medical Marijuana Overlay Districts; create a new Section 11.800 – Medical Marijuana; and list Registered Marijuana Dispensary within Section 4.35 of the Table of Use Regulations, allowed only by Planning Board Special Permit within Business A, Business B, Business B-1, Business B-2, Business C, Industry A-1, Industry B-1 and Industry B-2 districts. This hearing to be televised.  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, Nov 14

5:30pm   City Council Roundtable meeting to discuss Envision Cambridge. No public comment. No votes will be taken. Meeting will not be televised.  (Sullivan Chamber)