Cambridge InsideOut - June 20, 2017
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
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.
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.
Almost Summer - June 19, 2017 Cambridge City Council Agenda Highlights
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 |
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
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
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)
Thurs, June 226:00pm 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.
5:30pm Dance Complex's "25 and Dancing On" Festival - Day 1 (Dance Complex, 536 Mass. Ave.)
All Day Dance Complex's "25 and Dancing On" Festival - Day 2 (Dance Complex, 536 Mass. Ave.)
All Day Dance Complex's "25 and Dancing On" Festival - Day 3 (Dance Complex, 536 Mass. Ave.)
5:30pm City Council meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
7:00pm-11:00pm City Dance Party (Mass. Ave. in front of City Hall)
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)
6:00-8:00pm Envision Cambridge Advisory Committee meeting (Citywide Senior Center, 806 Mass. Ave.)
Discussion topic: community interaction
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)
5:30pm Special (Midsummer) City Council meeting (Dr. Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, CRLS, 459 Broadway)
6:00-8:00pm Envision Cambridge Advisory Committee meeting (4th Floor Meeting Room, City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway)
Discussion topic: corridor visioning and analysis
As 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: