Cambridge InsideOut - June 20, 2017

Robert and Judy

Guest (5:30pm): Sean Tierney, City Council candidate

Guest (6:00pm): Adriane Musgrave, City Council candidate

We have no set agenda for candidate guests and we prefer to give candidates as much latitude as possible.

A sampler of some things people may want to hear about might include:

a) Background - personal and professional

b) Why on Earth are you running for City Council?

c) What distinguishes you from other candidates?

d) Besides everybody, are there any particular constituencies that you feel should consider voting for you? [issues, neighborhoods, age, etc.]

e) Your pitch - basically a sample of what you might say at your kickoff event

f) Who is supporting you? Event announcements? Anything else?

g) Any comments on current issues before the City Council or issues that may be anticipated.


Usual Topics:

1) Civic Updates and Opportunities

2) CRLS again using Ranked Choice Voting for Student Government Elections

3) June 19 City Council meeting

4) 2017 Candidates     Cambridge Candidate Pages

Shapes of the campaign season to come

5) Civic Calendar


Continuing Question: How will the turmoil in national politics trickle down to the local level and, in particular, how might it influence the Cambridge municipal election?

Speculation: After over a century of non-partisan Cambridge elections (a major tenet of "The Cambridge Idea" dating back to the late 1800s), there are indications that "Our Revolution", the Bernie Sanders-driven national entity and effectively an emergent political party separate from the Democratic Party, may back candidates in the 2017 Cambridge municipal election.


City Dance Party Friday, June 30, 7-11pm
Mass Ave. will be Closed to Traffic but Open for Dancing!

Join thousands of Cambridge residents and visitors who will gather on Massachusetts Avenue in front of Cambridge City Hall (795 Massachusetts Ave.) for the City’s 20th Annual Dance Party. The portion of Mass. Ave., between Prospect and Bigelow streets, will be closed to traffic from 7pm – Midnight but open for dancing. This event is free and open to the public. MBTA: Red Line to Central Square.

The annual dance extravaganza with DJ spun music is a special opportunity for the entire Cambridge community to celebrate summer. After dark, colorful lights will be launched, adding to the magic of the evening.

PLEASE NOTE: MBTA #1 Bus Line will terminate in Central Square at 6pm and is expected to resume full service by Midnight. (Take the Red Line subway to travel between Central & Harvard Squares). The closest subway stop to the Dance Party is Central Square, then two blocks to City Hall.

For more information, contact Maryellen Carvello at 617-349-4301 or mcarvello@cambridgema.gov.

Dance Party 2017


Almost Summer - June 19, 2017 Cambridge City Council Agenda Highlights

On the HorizonAs is often the case, a packed agenda is followed by a light agenda. Here are a few items of possible interest on this relatively lean menu:

Order #2. That the City Manager is requested to work with the Traffic, Parking and Transportation Department and any other appropriate City departments on the feasibility and cost of installing computerized traffic signals along the City’s main corridors.   Councillor Devereux, Councillor Mazen

This Order could easily have been written 40 years ago when the issue wasn't climate change so much as air quality. Back then a number of two-way streets were made one-way in order to move traffic through more quickly. I might argue that some of those one-way streets should be restored to two-way so that desirable routes can be made less circuitous. [Word has it that the Prospect Street bridge to Union Square, Somerville may be restored to two-way traffic - a good idea, in my opinion.] Of course all the best technology will still not resolve the problem of intersections with heavy traffic on both streets. Shorter or longer signal cycles won't change the average throughput for an F-rated intersection when traffic is queued up in both directions.

Order #3. That the matter of reviewing the placement of the Committee Reports section within the City Council agenda be referred to the Rules Committee for consideration.   Councillor Cheung, Councillor Kelley

There is a certain logic in doing this consistent with Robert's Rules of Order. One could argue that Committee Reports are more in line with "Old Business" and City Council Orders are really "New Business", and Old Business is generally taken up before New Business.

Order #5. City Council opposition to dismantling of the Dodd-Frank reforms that were put into place following the 2007-2010 Great Recession.   Councillor Carlone

The race is on to see which City Council candidates will most effectively associate themselves with national politics in this election year. There's plenty of red meat to work with - even though the City Council has close to zero influence in national and international affairs.

Order #6. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Affordable Housing Trust with the view in mind of immediately contacting the Episcopal Divinity School to begin negotiations for the purchase of 8-acre Episcopal Divinity School site for construction of critically needed affordable housing units including single occupancy spaces and middle income housing, particularly housing for eligible Cambridge residents, families, starter apartments for young adults, veterans, homeless and seniors who have been displaced.   Councillor Toomey

A few years ago it was Shady Hill Square and a call to pack subsidized housing into the middle of that Square just to stick it to the residents who wanted to preserve the open space that was part of the original design of this group of buildings when built. Now the call is to insert subsidized housing into a parcel facing Brattle Street with land values somewhere in the stratosphere. It's hard to interpret this as anything other than a statement sticking it to Brattle Street just because it's Brattle Street.

Order #7. That the City Council go on record opposing H.R.38 and S.446, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017, and calls on its representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate to vote against these bills, and to work with their colleagues to oppose these bills.   Councillor Devereux, Vice Mayor McGovern

See Order #5 above. That said, the lunatics are clearly running the Congressional asylum if they really believe that gun-toting dudes from the deepest red states should have license to pack heat in Massachusetts just because they come from or simply visited a wacky state in order to get a gun and a license. Even some bars in the Wild West required patrons to check their weapons at the door.

Committee Report #2. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor Craig Kelley, Chair of the Public Safety Committee, for a public hearing held on May 30, 2017 to discuss the role of police officers in the community, the installation of a police substation in Central Square and the stationing of a uniformed police officer in City Hall.

Though I like the idea of having a police officer in the vicinity of City Hall, I really don't think the best use of highly-trained police is to serve as professional greeters. Regarding the installation of a police substation in Central Square, this would only make sense if done as a multi-purpose storefront location for police, MBTA workers, public information, and a public bathroom. That, of course, would require coordination among different agencies, so it will never happen. - Robert Winters

Comments?


Political Updates

June 18 - No new candidates to report, but at what point does calling oneself a "progressive" in an election where all candidates are "progressive" render the term completely meaningless?

June 10 - We have a new City Council candidate: Gwen Volmar

June 9 - We have a new School Committee candidate: Laurance Kimbrough

June 7 - We have a new City Council candidate: Jeffrey Santos

The following City Council candidates have either had or scheduled a campaign kickoff event or fomally announced their candidacy (16):
Ron Benjamin, Dennis Carlone, Olivia D'Ambrosio, Jan Devereux, Sam Gebru, Craig A. Kelley, Alanna Mallon, Marc McGovern, Nadya Okamoto, Jeffrey Santos, Sumbul Siddiqui, E. Denise Simmons, Vatsady Sivongxay, Sean Tierney, Paul Toner, and Quinton Zondervan.

The following individuals have not yet formally announced their candidacy but are expected to be City Council candidates (2):
Adriane B. Musgrave, Gwen Volmar

The following individuals have not yet announced their City Council candidacy and it's not yet clear if they will (3):
Dennis Benzan, Leland Cheung, Timothy J. Toomey, Jr.

The following School Committee candidates have either had or scheduled a campaign kickoff event or fomally announced their candidacy (6):
Manikka Bowman, Fran Cronin, Emily Dexter, Kathleen Kelly, Laurance Kimbrough, Will MacArthur

The following individuals have not yet formally announced their candidacy but are expected to be School Committee candidates (3):
Alfred B. Fantini, Richard Harding, Jr., Patricia M. Nolan

2017 Cambridge Candidate Pages

2017 Campaign Event Listings and Candidate Forums
[Note: Only events open to the general public (with or without RSVP) will be listed.]

Campaign Finance Reports - 2017 City Council


Looking Ahead (revised June 19)

Probable City Council and School Committee candidates for 2017 (with age at time of election)

City Council Candidate Birthdate Age address Notes
Timothy J. Toomey 6/7/1953 64 88 6th St., 02141 incumbent, first elected in 1989, unclear if seeking reelection
E. Denise Simmons 10/2/1951 66 188 Harvard St. #4B, 02139 incumbent, first elected in 2001
Craig Kelley 9/18/1962 55 6 Saint Gerard Terr. #2, 02140 incumbent, first elected in 2005
Leland Cheung 2/11/1978 39 157 Garden St., 02138 incumbent, first elected in 2009
Dennis Carlone 5/7/1947 70 9 Washington St. #6, 02140 incumbent, first elected in 2013
Marc McGovern 12/21/1968 48 15 Pleasant St., 02139 incumbent, first elected in 2013
Jan Devereux 5/13/1959 58 255 Lakeview Ave., 02138 incumbent, first elected in 2015
Jeffrey Santos (new) 5/28/1963 54 350 3rd St. #809, 02142 announced, registered with OCPF
Paul Toner 4/28/1966 51 24 Newman St., 02140 announced, registered with OCPF, actively fundraising
Quinton Zondervan 9/15/1970 47 235 Cardinal Madeiros Ave., 02141 announced, registered with OCPF, actively fundraising
Alanna Marie Mallon 12/6/1970 46 3 Maple Ave., 02139 announced, registered with OCPF, actively fundraising
Ronald Benjamin 1/5/1971 46 172 Cushing St., 02138 announced, registered with OCPF
Vatsady Sivongxay 2/20/1982 35 59 Kirkland St. #2, 02138 announced, registered with OCPF, actively fundraising
Olivia D'Ambrosio 9/13/1983 34 270 3rd Street #305, 02142 announced, registered with OCPF
Sean Tierney 3/10/1985 32 12 Prince St. #6, 02139 announced, registered with OCPF, actively fundraising
Adriane Musgrave 10/14/1985 32 5 Newport Rd. #1, 02140 definitely running, registered with OCPF
Sumbul Siddiqui 2/10/1988 29 530 Windsor Street, 02141 announced, registered with OCPF, actively fundraising
Sam Gebru 11/20/1991 25 812 Memorial Dr., 02139 announced, registered with OCPF, actively fundraising
Nadya Teresa Okamoto 2/11/1998 19 Canaday Hall B44, 22 Harvard Yard, 02138 announced, registered with OCPF, actively fundraising
Gwendolyn Volmar (new) 9/25/1985 32 13 Ware St. #4, 02138 not yet announced, but registered with OCPF
Dennis Benzan 1/25/1972 45 1 Pine St., 02139 served 2014-15, may seek reelection
Nadeem Mazen 9/20/1983 34 720 Mass. Ave. #4, 02139 has informed colleagues that he will not seek reelection
James Williamson 1/13/1951 66 1000 Jackson Pl., 02140 perennial candidate
Gary Mello 5/24/1953 64 324 Franklin St. #2, 02139 ran several times
Ilan Levy 11/1/1967 50 148 Spring St. 02141 ran in 2015, seems to be planning to do it again
Nathan Taylor Thompson 10/12/1985 32 31 Tremont Street $#3, 02139 probably not running, registered with OCPF
Andrew King 4/17/1986 31 40 Essex St., 02139 conflicting reports on whether or not a candidate
Romaine Waite 6/7/1991 26 60 Lawn St. #5, 02138 not announced, but may try again
School Committee Candidate Birthdate Age address Notes
Fred Fantini 6/8/1949 68 4 Canal Park #203, 02141 incumbent, first elected in 1981
Richard Harding 10/16/1972 45 189 Windsor St. #1, 02139 incumbent, first elected in 2001
Patty Nolan 8/28/1957 60 184 Huron Ave., 02138 incumbent, first elected in 2005
Kathleen Kelly 3/8/1960 57 17 Marie Ave. #1, 02139 incumbent, first elected in 2013
Emily Dexter 3/16/1957 60 9 Fenno St., 02138 incumbent, first elected in 2015
Mannika Bowman 11/27/1979 37 134 Reed St., 02140 incumbent, first elected in 2015
Laurance Kimbrough (new) 7/3/1979 38 24 Aberdeen Ave., 02138 definitely running for School Committee
Will MacArthur 5/24/1998 19 18 Shea Rd., 02140 definitely running for School Committee
Fran Albin Cronin 2/14/1952 65 1 Kimball Ln., 02140 planning to seek reelection
Jake Crutchfield 3/31/1987 30 281 River St. #1, 01239 speculation that he may run again
Elechi Kadete 9/30/1989 28 10 Laurel St., 02139 will likely not run again this year
David J. Weinstein 12/10/1972 44 45 S. Normandy Ave., 02138 ran in 2015, possibility for 2017

2017 Cambridge Candidate Pages

There are others who are likely to be candidates but who have not yet chosen to be identified as such. Please let me know of other candidates. Not all of the individuals listed above may wish to be identified as candidates, and I will be more than happy to remove those names (unless I am absolutely certain they will be running!). Anyone who has filed papers with OCPF (Office of Campaign & Political Finance) is assumed to be running for City Council. - RW

Campaign Finance Summaries - City Council 2017 (updated June 19)
Candidate From To Start Receipts Expend Balance As Of
Benjamin, Ronald 1-Jan-17 15-Jun-17 9.00 541.12 532.39 17.73 16-Jun-17
Carlone, Dennis 1-Jan-17 15-Jun-17 17827.87 2572.34 737.56 19662.65 19-Jun-17
Cheung, Leland 1-Jan-17 31-May-17 90880.32 0.00 8380.50 82499.82 5-Jun-17
D'Ambrosio, Olivia 1-Jan-17 15-Jun-17 122.75 5250.31 3193.80 2179.26 16-Jun-17
Devereux, Jan 1-Jan-17 15-Jun-17 8715.10 15313.05 5808.60 18219.55 16-Jun-17
Gebru, Sam 1-Jan-17 15-Jun-17 0.00 26223.50 24027.40 2196.10 16-Jun-17
Kelley, Craig 1-Jan-17 15-Jun-17 2231.84 230.52 534.00 1928.36 19-Jun-17
Mallon, Alanna 1-Jan-17 15-Jun-17 100.00 27960.00 9687.61 18372.39 16-Jun-17
McGovern, Marc 1-Jan-17 15-Jun-17 14966.66 19919.62 11711.51 23174.77 19-Jun-17
Musgrave, Adriane 16-May-17 15-Jun-17 0.00 5000.00 1867.55 3132.45 16-Jun-17
Okamoto, Nadya 16-Mar-17 15-Jun-17 0.00 3018.66 581.91 2436.75 16-Jun-17
Santos, Jeffrey 7-Jun-17 15-Jun-17 0.00 35.00 19.72 15.28 16-Jun-17
Siddiqui, Sumbul 16-Feb-17 15-Jun-17 0.00 22154.60 5662.06 16492.54 16-Jun-17
Simmons, Denise 1-Jan-17 15-Jun-17 10179.79 7398.35 5118.26 12459.88 19-Jun-17
Sivongxay, Vatsady 1-Jan-17 15-Jun-17 0.00 21011.31 9860.72 11150.59 16-Jun-17
Tierney, Sean 1-Feb-17 15-Jun-17 0.00 8384.35 5282.73 3101.62 16-Jun-17
Toner, Paul 16-Feb-17 15-Jun-17 0.00 30464.25 7447.31 23016.94 19-Jun-17
Toomey, Tim 1-Jan-17 15-Jun-17 4069.67 26679.94 8054.26 22695.35 16-Jun-17
Volmar, Gwen 9-Jun-17 15-Jun-17 0.00 20.00 0.00 20.00 16-Jun-17
Zondervan, Quinton 1-Jan-17 15-Jun-17 3510.00 14747.51 15460.89 2796.62 16-Jun-17

Campaign Finance Reports - 2017 City Council (updated June 19)


Campaign Contributions (2017) - Total Receipts and Cambridge Receipts
(updated June 19)
Candidate ID Total Receipts Cambridge Receipts Percent Cambridge
Kelley, Craig 14104 $480.00 $480.00 100%
D'Ambrosio, Olivia 16520 $5,250.00 $5,000.00 95%
Devereux, Jan 16062 $14,188.50 $13,268.50 94%
Carlone, Dennis 15680 $2,572.34 $2,350.00 91%
Musgrave, Adriane 16657 $5,000.00 $4,000.00 80%
McGovern, Marc 15589 $21,174.98 $16,215.21 77%
Mallon, Alanna 16530 $28,060.00 $15,810.00 56%
Zondervan, Quinton 16516 $14,157.53 $7,769.65 55%
Toner, Paul 16576 $31,564.86 $16,750.00 53%
Toomey, Tim 12222 $26,679.94 $13,304.69 50%
Siddiqui, Sumbul 16556 $22,159.60 $10,270.00 46%
Tierney, Sean 16559 $11,684.35 $5,075.00 43%
Simmons, Denise 13783 $7,398.35 $3,100.00 42%
Sivongxay, Vatsady 16528 $21,011.31 $4,965.00 24%
Gebru, Sam 16531 $25,251.00 $4,588.00 18%
Benjamin, Ronald 16493 $141.15 $20.00 14%
Okamoto, Nadya 16596 $3,018.66 $250.00 8%
Santos, Jeffrey 16686 $0.00 $0.00 -
Volmar, Gwen 16691 $0.00 $0.00 -
Cheung, Leland 14923 $0.00 $0.00 -

CIVIC CALENDAR

Wed, June 21

3:30pm   The City Council's Ordinance Committee will conduct an additional public hearing to continue discussion on the zoning petition filed by Mark Lechmere, LLC, Owner and Amadan Management, LLC, Manager of the property at 207 and 227 Cambridge Street to amend the existing zoning at said location to authorize the construction of a 45 unit residential building with small scale retail pm the ground floor and parking below grade. (Sullivan Chamber)

6:00-8:30pm   Envision Cambridge Mobility Working Group meeting  (Central Square Senior Center)

Central Flea - June 25, 2017Thurs, June 22

6:00pm   Community Preservation Act (CPA) Committee Public Meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

The Community Preservation Act (CPA) Committee will hold a public meeting Thursday, June 22, at 6:00pm, in the Sullivan Chamber of Cambridge City Hall, 795 Mass. Ave. The meeting agenda will include providing the public an opportunity to suggest and recommend projects for CPA funding for Housing, Open Space and Historic Preservation for FY18. For more information, contact Karen Preval at (617) 349-4221 or kpreval@cambridgema.gov.

Fri, June 23

5:30pm   Dance Complex's "25 and Dancing On" Festival - Day 1  (Dance Complex, 536 Mass. Ave.)

Sat, June 24

All Day   Dance Complex's "25 and Dancing On" Festival - Day 2  (Dance Complex, 536 Mass. Ave.)

Sun, June 25

All Day   Dance Complex's "25 and Dancing On" Festival - Day 3  (Dance Complex, 536 Mass. Ave.)

Mon, June 26

5:30pm   City Council meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Fri, June 30

7:00pm-11:00pm   City Dance Party  (Mass. Ave. in front of City Hall)


Wed, July 5

4:00pm   The City Council's Ordinance Committee will conduct an additional hearing to continue the discussion on the City Council petition on short-term rentals and will potentially discuss the feasibility of grandfathering non-conforming uses related to STR, breakdown of owner adjacent full unit STR statistics, clarification of whether a small two family can be treated as an operator occupied single STR unit and implementation by Inspectional Services Department.  (Ackermann Room)

Wed, July 12

6:00-8:00pm   Envision Cambridge Advisory Committee meeting  (Citywide Senior Center, 806 Mass. Ave.)

Discussion topic: community interaction

Wed, July 26

5:30pm   The City Council's Neighborhood and Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts and Celebrations Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss the next steps for the Foundry Building including: financing, community benefit, non-profit ecosystem, and community engagement.  (Dr. Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, CRLS)

Mon, Aug 7

5:30pm   Special (Midsummer) City Council meeting  (Dr. Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, CRLS, 459 Broadway)

Wed, Aug 23

6:00-8:00pm   Envision Cambridge Advisory Committee meeting  (4th Floor Meeting Room, City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway)

Discussion topic: corridor visioning and analysis