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.

Answer 1: New endorsing entities are popping up and sending long questionnaires to candidates testing them on their adherence to Sanders-oriented themes.

Answer 2: Candidates, especially incumbents, seem almost obliged to issue statements reinforcing their support for a variety of Resistance-theme actions, rallies, etc.

Answer 3: We'll have to wait and see whether candidates emphasize local themes or national themes at the candidate forums and on their campaign websites.

Required Reading for the Revolutionaries: Ten Reasons Why Bernie Sanders Must Be Stopped

Fall Semester at the Sullivan School - Sept 11, 2017 City Council Agenda Highlights. The City Council returns from Summer Vacation this week. In addition to appropriation requests for a wide range of essential programs, here's a look at what seems interesting - at least to me. Manager's Agenda #15. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 17-45, regarding a report on formulating a plan that will provide relief and fair compensation to liquor license holders that have been impacted by dramatic devaluing of their liquor licenses, and Awaiting Report Item Number 17-72, regarding an update on the progress and plan to address the concerns relative to the sale of liquor licenses. [Reports from City Solicitor and License Commission Chair] This City Solicitor's response is pretty much what was logically expected. The final paragraph states: "Therefore, in my opinion, the License Commission has no legal obligation to provide compensation to alcohol license holders who may be experiencing a devaluation of their alcohol license on the private market. There may be ways that the License Commission could mitigate the devaluation of certain alcohol licenses, such as by exercising its discretion not to issue new alcohol licenses, but there is nothing of which we are aware that would require the License Commission to do so." The true value of a liquor license is in the income it can generate in the normal course of business. It was never meant to be a retirement investment. Like taxi medallions and confederate currency, not all things were meant to have lasting value. Manager's Agenda #16. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appointment of the following persons as members of the Harvard Square Conservation District Study Committee, effective Sept 1, 2017: Christopher Mackin, Jerry Murphy, Christopher Angelakis, Jessica Sculley, William Barry, Joseph Ferrara and Kyle Sheffield. Manager's Agenda #18. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appointment of the following person as a member of the Central Square Advisory Committee for a term of three years, effective Sept 11, 2017: Tahir Kapoor Never underestimate the value of our volunteer citizen boards and commissions. Congratulations and thank you to all the appointees. Charter Right #3. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk, transmitting a Non-Binding Public Opinion Advisory Question Petition filed with the Election Commission on July 14, 2017. [Charter Right exercised by Councillor Cheung on Aug 7, 2017] It's likely that we'll have more posturing on this issue at this meeting. It's worth noting, by the way, that the mailing address for the petitioners is the business address for Councillor Mazen. There is a worthwhile conversation to be had regarding various ways to level the playing field for candidates, but this is not the way to do it. For starters, the statement of the petitioners reads more like an accusation than a proposal. More importantly, the proposal asks voters to "buy a pig in a poke". There are no specifics provided - only that public financing of political campaigns is to be supported like motherhood and apple pie. I will simply suggest that if a voter understood this to mean that new candidates would receive a small stipend to get their campaign started there might be a fair amount of support. On the other hand, if the goal is to grant $50,000 to every candidate to waste in any way they see fit, it's almost certain that voters would not support this. The details matter. It also matters that we use PR elections in Cambridge, and slates would certainly be formed just to aggregate money to support the slate candidates. It's worth noting that Communication #12 comes from Adam Strich, the person who delivered the signatures to the Election Commission for this proposed ballot question. His words should make clear where these petitioners are coming from: "It’s hardly a secret that more than a few councillors are in the pocket of special interests, big developer in particular. I would imagine, however, that you didn’t enter into public service aspiring to become corporate stooges and shills. But whatever idealism you may have had was gradually eroded by the realities of local politics – in particular, by the need to maintain a war chest large enough to fund the practically endless campaigning required of you. All of that is completely understandable; I’m not here to judge. I would hope, though, that you retain some sense of unease regarding this state of affairs, and that such feelings would lead you to embrace the opportunity to provide public funding for municipal election campaigns, so that you can finally serve the hardworking residents of this great city, rather than your current robber baron overlords. Thank you." Councillor Toomey has a somewhat different view. See Order #23. Perhaps throwing even more money into the furnace of municipal election campaigns isn't really the answer. Applications & Petitions #1. A zoning petition has been received from Christopher D. Smith, et al., to amend the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance by adding sections and provisions to Article 13.000 regarding Graduate Student Housing Production Requirements. Some candidates and advocates have been referring to this as the MIT graduate student petition. However, it didn't come from the MIT Graduate Student Union and, in fact, 4 of the 16 signers are new City Council candidates hoping to exploit the controversy. Most people will agree that MIT should be providing more housing for graduate students and possibly for post-docs. In fact, MIT agrees. How much graduate housing is appropriate is open to question and should not be prescribed in zoning. Most MIT graduates have preferred to live off-campus and generally choose to do so as long as they can find a place where they can afford the rent. Hopefully MIT can provide greater clarity regarding its plans to build more graduate (and undergraduate) student housing - both how much and where - between now and the vote on the Volpe Petition. Perhaps a Memorandum of Understanding can be signed with some commitments. That would be the better approach. Order #2. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the appropriate City departments to streamline recording and transcription requirements in line with those currently in place for the Planning Board for the Board of Zoning Appeal and the Historical Commission.   Councillor Devereux There does come a point of diminishing returns. Is it really that important to have a play-by-play of every discussion regarding dormers, paint colors, and types of shingles? Order #8. That the City Manager is requested to update the City Council on a Police Substation in Central Square.   Mayor Simmons I'll once again say that a multi-service space for police, MBTA workers, and public information - with a public bathroom - would have been the right approach. Separate little huts for each of these purposes isn't the best plan. We could, however, use a little more police presence in Central Square regardless. Order #10. That the City Manager update the City Council on progress for the goal of 1,000 New Affordable Units by the end of the decade.   Mayor Simmons If you factor in all the Inclusionary units in the pipeline we might actually be doing pretty well. However, the greater problem is not the number of regulated "affordable units" so much as the general loss of affordability in market housing, and that can only be solved regionally. I hate to break it to you Cambridge, but you cannot house the world unilaterally. Order #12. That the City Manager is requested to provide an update on the Eastern Cambridge Kendall Square Open Space Planning Study.   Councillor Toomey This is useful information in the ongoing discussion of the Volpe Petition. What will the Big Picture be for residents and workers navigating their way through the greater Kendall Square area when everything is built out? Order #15. That the City Manager is requested to confer with City staff to identify and share with the City Council possible solutions to regulatory or legislative gaps on the local or state level that would help clarify how emerging types of conveyances can most safely and effectively be incorporated into Cambridge’s Urban Mobility planning and infrastructure investments.   Councillor Kelley, Councillor Devereux, Councillor Cheung Order #17. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Police Commissioner and the Fire Chief with the view in mind of creating and developing city wide alternate routes for fire apparatus and emergency police vehicles in an emergency situation that would avoid travel routes where there is backed up traffic.   Councillor Toomey Order #18. That the City Manager is requested to determine the feasibility of procuring additional fire apparatus, especially rescue vehicles and ambulances, in the East Cambridge and the Port area.   Councillor Toomey Every day I see how some of the City's well-intentioned roadway reallocations effectively choke some roads, make it more difficult for buses and delivery vehicles to navigate, and make it virtually impossible to pause to pick up or drop off people or goods. Curb access is disappearing even as the need for improved curb access is increasing in a world of online shopping, Uber and Lyft vehicles, and a variety of new modes of transportation. The only thing the Traffic Department (a.k.a. the Department of Wishful Thinking) seems to prioritize is novice cyclists. I shudder to think what we'll have to contend with when there's either snow or a motor vehicle breakdown. The City is rapidly removing all flexibility in the roads. Pretty soon the only way a driver will be able to yield to an emergency service vehicle will be by running down some "flexi-posts". Order #21. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the City Solicitor, the City Assessor and the Community Development Department to prepare a Municipal Transfer Fee Ordinance and, if required, an appropriate Home Rule Petition, to implement a municipal transfer fee on sale of all residential, commercial and institutional properties where the buyer pays 1% of purchase price on any amount in excess of $2.5 million and an additional 4% of the purchase price on any amount more than $5 million.   Councillor Toomey Order #22. City Council support of H.3512 in the Massachusetts Legislature, allowing Massachusetts to obtain a fee on large real estate transactions that will be put towards affordable housing endeavors.   Councillor Mazen, Councillor Devereux, Councillor Carlone There may be some merit in these proposals, but as long as the focus remains exclusively on raising more revenue to regulate even more housing while not solving the affordability question more generally, this is all just pissing in the wind. Order #23. Establishment of a "Cambridge Municipal Election People's Pledge" program.   Councillor Toomey This "modest proposal" does manage to make a few interesting points - most significantly regarding the amount of money being spent this year and in recent years on some municipal election campaigns. While some candidates speak ill of money from "developers", some of these same candidates have a political base encompassing the loftier socio-economic classes and are graced with $500 and $1000 checks like the falling of autumn leaves. It's also interesting how many candidates pay big money or campaign managers and even pay people to canvass for them. That's not how things used to be done. Candidates had actual supporters for many of those tasks. Maybe the dirty little secret now is that some campaigns only have as much support as they can purchase. I can't say that I support all of Councillor Toomey's proposals in this "People's Pledge", but some of them do have some merit. In the meantime, we can settle on disclosure - making abundantly clear where campaign funds come from and how efficiently those funds are spent. Let the voters judge. Committee Report #1. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor Dennis J. Carlone and Councillor Leland Cheung, Co-Chairs of the Ordinance Committee, for a public hearing held on Aug 2, 2017 to discuss a zoning petition by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to create a new Planning Unit Development Overlay District (PUD-7) over the area known as the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center site in Kendall Square. I'll simply say that if the current City Council cannot settle this with a good outcome by the Oct 31 expiration date, then perhaps they should be judged accordingly a week later. There are some great opportunities here if these nine councillors can earn their pay and create those good outcomes. - Robert Winters Comments?

Civic Updates:

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Political Updates

Aug 21 - The Election Commission has issued the official candidate list with names as they will appear on the ballot:

City Council Candidates		School Committee Candidates
Ronald Benjamin, 172 Cushing Street, 02138 Josh M. Burgin, 812 Memorial Drive #1411, 02139 Dennis J. Carlone, 9 Washington Avenue #6, 02140 Olivia D'Ambrosio, 270 3rd Street #305, 02142 Jan Devereux, 255 Lakeview Avenue, 02138 Samuel Gebru, 812 Memorial Drive #614A, 02139 Richard Harding, Jr., 189 Windsor Street #1, 02139 Craig A. Kelley, 6 Saint Gerard Terrace #2, 02140 Dan Lenke, 148 Richdale Avenue, 02140 Ilan Levy, 148 Spring Street, 02141 Alanna M. Mallon, 3 Maple Avenue, 02139 Marc C. McGovern, 15 Pleasant Street, 02139 Gregg J. Moree, 25 Fairfield Street #4, 02140	Adriane B. Musgrave, 5 Newport Road #1, 02140 Nadya T. Okamoto, 220 Banks Street #5, 02138 Hari I. Pillai, 165 Cambridgepark Drive #234, 02140 Jeff Santos, 350 3rd Street #809, 02142 Sumbul Siddiqui, 530 Windsor Street, 02141 E. Denise Simmons, 188 Harvard Street #4B, 02139 Vatsady Sivongxay, 59 Kirkland Street #2, 02138 Bryan Sutton, 764 Cambridge Street #6, 02141 Sean Tierney, 12 Prince Street, 02139 Paul F. Toner, 24 Newman Street, 02140 Timothy J. Toomey, Jr., 88 6th Street, 02141 Gwen Thomas Volmar, 13 Ware Street #4, 02138 Quinton Y. Zondervan, 235 Cardinal Medeiros Avenue, 02141	Manikka L. Bowman, 134 Reed Street, 02140 Fran A. Cronin, 1 Kimball Lane, 02140 Jake W. Crutchfield, 281 River Street #1, 01239 Emily R. Dexter, 9 Fenno Street, 02138 Alfred B. Fantini, 4 Canal Park #203, 02141 Elechi M. Kadete, 10 Laurel Street #4, 02139 Kathleen M. Kelly, 17 Marie Avenue #1, 02139 Laurance V. Kimbrough, 24 Aberdeen Avenue, 02138 William MacArthur, 18 Shea Road, 02140 Piotr Flawiusz Mitros, 9 Michael Way, 02141 Patricia M. Nolan, 184 Huron Avenue, 02138 David J. Weinstein, 45 S. Normandy Avenue, 02138

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.]

2017 Cambridge City Council Campaign Bank Reports (with sortable tables)

Campaign Finance Reports - 2017 City Council (PDF with links to detailed reports)

Campaign Contributions (2017) - Total Receipts and Cambridge Receipts

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July 20 - A group of at least 10 registered voters filed a petition to have a non-binding public opinion question placed on this year's municipal ballot asking if voters will approve of public financing for municipal elections. My personal opinion is that this lies somewhere between frivolous and an attempt to influence this year's City Council and School Committee elections. New candidates don't appear to be having any difficulty at all raising sufficient funds to run a credible campaign and they all have unlimited free access to social media. The Election Commission certified that the required minimum of 10 signatures were filed in support of this petition, and it now will be referred to the City Council and will (presumably) appear on the agenda for the August 7 Midsummer City Council meeting. The City Council can approve of it being placed on the November municipal election ballot, but that has to happen a minimum of 90 days prior to the Nov 7 election. The Council could also disapprove (or someone could presumably delay it via the Charter Right) which would then require the petitioners to instead gather the valid signatures of 10% of registered voters (about 6500 signatures) - a substantial task. They would also have to file the necessary paperwork with the state if they intend to raise or spend any money. The number of days between Aug 7 and Nov 7 is 92 days. The lead petitioner appears to be someone named Adam Strich who was photographed recently carrying a sign that says, in Arabic, "The people want to bring down the regime." Well, as long as we're clear about where the petitioners are coming from.

Here's the text of the petition:
We, the undersigned registered voters of Cambridge, Massachusetts, hereby petition the Cambridge City Council to include the following nonbinding public policy advisory question on the November 2017 ballot:

“Many Cantabrigians have expressed concern over what they perceive to be the undue influence of a few wealthy donors and special interest groups on municipal elections. Such concerns have the potential to erode the people's confidence in their elected officials and reduce civic engagement, thereby undermining the objectives of responsible government. In response to similar concerns, cities as diverse as Los Angeles, New York City, Portland (OR), Seattle, and New Haven have provided for the complete or partial funding of electoral campaigns. Although they typically require only a tiny fraction of a city's budget, these public-financing programs have nevertheless been shown to result in a more vibrant and democratic process. Would you be in favor of the City of Cambridge adopting such a program for elections to the City Council?”

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Just in case you're interested in how this rather large number of candidates compares to past Cambridge PR elections, here's the whole history going back to 1941 (CC for number of City Council candidates and SC for number of School Committee candidates). Any significant write-in candidates are included in the totals.

Number of candidates in Cambridge municipal elections: 1941-present
Year	CC	SC		Year	CC	SC		Year	CC	SC		Year	CC	SC
1941	83	28		1961	23	16		1981	25	13		2001	19	10
1943	39	19		1963	22	17		1983	16	16		2003	20	8
1945	37	14		1965	24	13		1985	22	9		2005	18	8
1947	34	18		1967	20	18		1987	19	13		2007	16	9
1949	40	16		1969	26	14		1989	28	8		2009	21	9
1951	27	15		1971	36	22		1991	19	12		2011	18	11
1953	35	18		1973	34	26		1993	29	11		2013	25	9
1955	41	19		1975	25	16		1995	19	11		2015	23	11
1957	35	26		1977	24	10		1997	20	8		2017	26	12
1959	31	21		1979	23	12		1999	24	13

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The following City Council candidates have either had or scheduled a campaign kickoff event, announced their candidacy, or submitted sufficient signatures to qualify for the ballot (26): Ron Benjamin, Josh Burgin, Dennis Carlone, Olivia D'Ambrosio, Jan Devereux, Sam Gebru, Richard Harding, Jr., Craig A. Kelley, Dan Lenke, Ilan Levy, Alanna Mallon, Marc McGovern, Gregg Moree, Adriane Musgrave, Nadya Okamoto, Hari Pillai, Jeff Santos, Sumbul Siddiqui, Denise Simmons, Vatsady Sivongxay, Bryan Sutton, Sean Tierney, Paul Toner, Timothy J. Toomey, Jr., Gwen Volmar, and Quinton Zondervan.

The following School Committee candidates have either had or scheduled a campaign kickoff event, formally announced their candidacy, or submitted sufficient signatures to qualify for the ballot (12): Manikka Bowman, Fran Cronin, Jake Crutchfield, Emily Dexter, Alfred B. Fantini, Elechi Kadete, Kathleen Kelly, Laurance Kimbrough, Will MacArthur, Piotr Mitros, and Patricia M. Nolan, and David J. Weinstein.

Civic Infrastructure (from Dec 1, 2015)

Civic landscape today dominated by single-issue advocacy and neighborhood groups that often do not represent their neighborhoods. Common pattern is that some dominant characters eventually drive out other participants rendering the group a narrow agenda-driven entity. Some groups (PSNA, Agassiz-Baldwin) generally have a better focus such as (a) children (Agassiz), or (b) cooperation with the local business community (PSNA).

Groups like the Cambridge Residents Alliance are dominated by zoning and, arguably, efforts to slow or stop new development - residential or commercial/office/lab. The Fresh Pond Residents Alliance is of this type (in addition to serving as a launching point for a City Council candidacy).

For the Cambridge Schools there are also advocacy groups (Special Ed and others), but not necessarily a general forum for broader discussion.

June 7, 2009 - Once upon a time there was a civic organization in Cambridge known as the Cambridge Civic Association (CCA). It was formed in 1945 out of several organizations that had been existed through the 1930s and that had lobbied the state legislature to create the Plan E Charter option (1938) which featured a city manager form of government and proportional representation elections for city council and school committee. These reforms were central to model charter reform movements active in the United States from the early 1900s. The central theme of the CCA in its early days was "good government" in the sense of being anti-patronage and for professionally managed local government. This changed with the introduction of rent control at the end of the 1960s after which the CCA shifted leftward and became permanently lashed to the mast of the rent control vessel. Though the CCA still exists on paper (I believe), it rapidly declined after the statewide abolition of rent control (late 1994) and essentially disappeared a decade later (early 2005).

I bring up the ghost of the CCA today only to point out that when it was created it had some very admirable goals. Here's the original Mission Statement of the CCA:

Purposes: This association is formed for the following purposes:

• 1. To promote businesslike, honest, and efficient conduct of local government, open to public scrutiny.
• 2. To induce residents to take an active interest in the affairs of the City of Cambridge.
• 3. To encourage and support the candidacy of men and women seeking election to public office and to support intelligent, wholesome leadership in public affairs.
• 4. To assure that the best qualified persons are appointed to positions in the City government after consideration of all qualified candidates.
• 5. To promote among the citizens of Cambridge equitable distribution and benefit of public services and equal opportunity for economic security, education, and social advancement.
• Possible additions:
  6. To foster an environment of mutual cooperation between local business districts and the neighborhoods they serve.

These are pretty good founding principles for a civic organization.

One founding principle of the CCA that fell into disuse over the years is listed above as #3: To encourage and support the candidacy of men and women seeking election to public office and to support intelligent, wholesome leadership in public affairs. Indeed, I can personally testify to the fact that in its dying years the only reason the CCA made endorsements at all was because the CCA-endorsed incumbents wanted the benefit of having an advertised CCA slate of candidates that would help secure their reelection. There was precious little effort to recruit new candidates or to support them. Today, the benefits of incumbency are greater than ever. The cost of political campaigns have become absurdly high and most of the incumbents now have (City paid) staff who are inevitably political appointees who directly or indirectly assist in the reelection efforts of their bosses. The deck is increasingly stacked against challengers. Furthermore, the salary and benefits for elected councillors are now so sweet that it is unlikely that any of them would ever want to move on to another job.

CCA Origin

The Advent of PR in Cambridge - by David Goode

   

CIVIC CALENDAR

Mon, Sept 11

5:30pm   City Council meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Tues, Sept 12

6:00pm   Community Preservation Act Committee meeting  (Ackermann Room, City Hall)

The purpose of the meeting will be for the CPAC to vote on the percentage allocation to CPA expenditure categories and on projects to be funded with Community Preservation Act Funds for FY18. These funds may be allocated to affordable housing, open space and historic preservation. For more information, contact Karen Preval at 617-349-4221 or kpreval@cambridgema.gov.

6:30pm   Planning Board meeting  (2nd Floor Meeting Room, City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway)

General Business

1. Update from the Community Development Department

2. Adoption of Planning Board meeting transcripts

Public Hearing

Volpe Rezoning Petition (continued from 7/25/2017) - Zoning Petition by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to create a new Planned Unit Development Overlay District (PUD-7) over the area known as the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center site in Kendall Square. The area to be rezoned to the new district PUD-7 is bounded by the Pedestrian Way (connecting the southerly end of Sixth Street to the northerly end of Ames Street), Binney, Third, Monroe, Fifth and Potter Streets, and Broadway. (Notice)

Wed, Sept 13

8:00am-9:30am   Recycling Advisory Committee  (Sullivan Chamber, City Hall)

2:30pm   The City Council's Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing to continue discussion on a zoning petition by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to create a new Planned Unit Development Overlay District (PUD-7) over the area known as the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center site in Kendall Square. This hearing to be televised. (Sullivan Chamber)

5:30pm   Cambridge Election Commission meeting  (1st Floor Meeting Room, 51 Inman St.)

I. MINUTES II. REPORTS 1. Executive Director’s Report 2. Assistant Director's Report 3. Commissioners' Reports III. PUBLIC COMMENT

IV. ACTION AGENDA Old Business 1. Municipal Election, November 7th • Designated Health Care Facilities • Voter Registration Outreach • Voter Registration Deadline – October 18, 2017 at 8pm New Business

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

Discussion topic: present focus area working group recommendations, review and comment

6:30-8:45pm   Ward 6 Democrats School Committee Candidates Forum  (Cambridge Main Library, Lower Level Lecture Hall)

Thurs, Sept 14

5:30-7:30pm   Envision Cambridge Walking Tour: Central Square along Mass. Ave. toward Harvard Square  (meet at Carl Barron Plaza) - [rescheduled from Sept 6]

6:00pm-8:00pm   Ward 11 Municipal Candidates Meet & Greet  (Joe Sent Me, 2388 Mass Ave.)

Mon, Sept 18

5:30pm   City Council meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Tues, Sept 19

6:30pm-9:00pm   A Better Cambridge (ABC) City Council Candidate Forum  (Broad Institute auditorium)

Mon, Sept 25

5:30pm   City Council meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

6:30pm   The City Council will conduct a public hearing to discuss the property tax rate classification. (Sullivan Chamber)

Tues, Sept 26

3:00pm   The City Council's Health and Environment Committee will conduct a public hearing as a follow up to Policy Order #2 of June 20, 2016 to discuss the City’s Tree Ordinance and possible ways to improve this ordinance to protect the tree canopy while protecting individual property rights.  (Sullivan Chamber)

7:00-9:00pm   Green Cambridge's Environmental Resiliency Candidates Forum  (location TBD)

Wed, Sept 27

5:30pm   Cambridge Election Commission meeting  (1st Floor Meeting Room, 51 Inman St.)

5:30pm   SFI hearing [Statement of Financial Interest]

Mon, Oct 2

5:30pm   City Council meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Sat, Oct 7

10:00am-1:30pm   NAACP Candidate Forum  (Christian Life Center, 85 Bishop Richard Allen Drive)

School Committee forum: 10:00am-11:30am

City Council forum: noon-1:30pm

Wed, Oct 11

8:00am-9:30am   Recycling Advisory Committee  (Sullivan Chamber, City Hall)

6:00pm   MCNA Candidates Night - City Council Candidates  (location and duration TBD)

Mon, Oct 16

5:30pm   City Council meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Wed, Oct 18

6:30pm-9:00pm   PSNA City Council Candidate Forum (Lesley University)

6:30pm-8:30pm   School Committee Candidates Forum with a focus on the High School (Lecture Hall of the Cambridge Public Library)

Mon, Oct 23

5:30pm   City Council meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Tues, Oct 24

6:00pm-8:00pm  CEOCs City Council Candidates' Forum  (Central Square Senior Center)

Wed, Oct 25

6:00-8:00pm   Envision Cambridge Advisory Committee meeting  (Location TBD)

Mon, Oct 30

5:30pm   City Council meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, Nov 6

5:30pm   City Council meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Tues, Nov 7

Municipal Election. Polls are open 7:00am until 8:00pm. The Preliminary Election Count will follow at the Cambridge Senior Center in Central Square.

The Preliminary PR Count will take place at the Senior Center after the polls close.

9:00pm   Cambridge Election Commission meeting.  (Senior Center, 806 Mass. Ave.)

Wed, Nov 8

The PR Election Count continues at the Cambridge Senior Center as auxiliary ballots are tabulated and Unofficial Results are determined.

9:00am   Cambridge Election Commission meeting.  (Senior Center, 806 Mass. Ave.)

Wed, Nov 8

8:00am-9:30am   Recycling Advisory Committee  (Sullivan Chamber, City Hall)

Mon, Nov 13

5:30pm   City Council meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Fri, Nov 17

4:30pm   The Cambridge Election Commission will meet to finalize the 2017 Cambridge Municipal Election results, including any provisional ballots and overseas absentee ballots (if any).  (1st Floor Meeting Room, 51 Inman St.)

4:30pm   COUNTING OF PROVISIONAL BALLOTS

5:00pm   COUNTING OF OVERSEAS BALLOTS

The Official 2017 Election Results will be tabulated, certified, and announced after these ballots are included.