Possible Topics:Cambridge InsideOut - Nov 19, 2019
Possible Topics:
1) Going Wild with Ballot Data
2) Final, Official Election Results and Analysis
3) The Election Night Broadcast - Behind the Scenes
4) Lame Duck Walking - November 18, 2019 Cambridge City Council meeting
5) News
7) The Last Thing on their Minds - Nov 4, 2019 Cambridge City Council meeting
8) Voter Success in Cambridge Elections; Previous (2017) Results; The Shifting Demographic
9) Public financing of municipal elections?
10) Will rent control rear its ugly head?
Rent control proposed at State House H.1316 and HD.1100
11) Civic Calendar
Nov 15, 2019 Update: Final Official Election Results are in. The winners are the same as in the Unofficial Results.
Final Official 2019 City Council Election Results (PDF)
Order of Election: Sumbul Siddiqui, Denise Simmons, Patty Nolan, Quinton Zondervan, Marc McGovern, Alanna Mallon, Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, Dennis Carlone, Tim Toomey [incumbent Craig Kelley has been defeated]
Final Official 2019 School Committee Results (PDF)
Order of Election: Mannika Bowman, Emily Dexter, Alfred Fantini, Ayesha Wilson, Rachel Weinstein, Jose Luis Rojas Villarreal
Distribution of #1 Votes by Ward & Precinct - 2019 City Council Election (PDF)
Distribution of #1 Votes by Ward & Precinct - 2019 School Committee Election (PDF)
City Council 2019 - #2 Vote Distributions [Full Distributions]
School Committee 2019 #2 Vote Distributions
Who would replace each of the elected city councillors and School Committee members should a vacancy occur? Replacements are determined from the ballots used to elect each councillor or School Committee member. I ran the tabulation software with the 2019 ballot data and here's what I found:
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Instant Runoff Mayor
As a purely academic exercise I also like to see how things would play out if the actual ballots were used to determine the Mayor via an Instant Runoff election (excluding all other candidates not elected to the City Council). The winner would be Sumbul Siddiqui with Patty Nolan as the runner-up. Here's the transfer report.
Lame Duck Walking - November 18, 2019 Cambridge City Council meeting
Manager's Agenda #5. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a Planning Board recommendation to adopt with comments and suggested improvements, the CambridgeSide Galleria Associates Trust Zoning Petition. Manager's Agenda #6. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $4,475,844.18 from Free Cash to the Mitigation Revenue Stabilization Fund which will be used to fund specific future projects, requiring individual appropriations by the City Council at a later date. Manager's Agenda #10. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a Planning Board recommendation to adopt the Exterior Building Insulation Zoning Petition. Committee Report #3. A report from Councillor Dennis J. Carlone Co-Chair of the Ordinance Committee, for a public hearing held on Nov 12, 2019 to discuss the Insulation Zoning proposal A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a petition to amend provisions in Article 5.000 and Article 22.000 pertaining to setback requirements and exterior building insulation. Manager's Agenda #11. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a Planning Board recommendation to adopt Article 22 Green Building Requirements Zoning Petition. Committee Report #2. A report from Councillor Dennis J. Carlone Chair of the Ordinance Committee, for a public hearing held on Nov 12 at 12pm to discuss Green Building requirements A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a petition to amend provisions in Section 22.20, which governs Green Building Requirements, and also applicable definitions contained in Article 2.000. Order #2. That the City Manager is requested to direct the Traffic, Parking and Transportation Department to fully restore sharrows to Broadway, alongside the new door-zone bike lane, as a reminder to motorists that cyclists are always allowed to take the full lane. Councillor Zondervan I completely agree with this Order (as a person who prefers biking along with other traffic on most roads with ordinary speeds), but I continue to marvel at the trend among city councillors to assume roles which previously were the domain of the professional staff. I can't decide if this is great wisdom or micromanagement or just a vote of "no confidence" of City staff. Committee Report #1. A report from Vice Mayor Jan Devereux, Chair of the Government Operations, Rules & Claims Committee, for a public meeting held on Nov 14, 2019 to discuss the Solicitor's Response to Policy Order O-9 from the June 10, 2019 City Council Meeting. I used to be somewhat agnostic regarding campaign donations from people with business before the City Council, but the recent municipal election campaign has pushed me into the camp of those who feel that some limitations should be the rule. I'm still not convinced that public financing of municipal election campaigns would be worth it either practically or bureaucratically. I also can't wrap my head around the fact that some of our local elected officials (and their ardent supporters) feel outrage about the Citizens United court decision that opened the floodgates in campaign spending yet have no qualms whatsoever in doing the same thing at the local level. - Robert Winters |
It's worth noting that the Cambridge Candidate Pages get a lot of attention every two years with the municipal election, but it's interesting to note WHEN they get the most attention. Voters do consult them during the weeks and months leading up to Election Day, but the number of visitors always spike dramatically a day or two before Election Day and explode on Election Day. I don't know exactly what this says about voters and how much attention they pay to the candidates and the issues, but for those who do vote it is a valuable resource - and that even includes some voters while they are actually in the polls using their phones. This year the number of unique visitors during this period was approximately 11,000. Here's the day-by-day tally of visits, individual pages viewed, and bandwidth. Note the peak on Election Day (Nov 5). - RW
| Day | Number of visits | Pages | Bandwidth |
| 28-Oct-19 | 387 | 1,817 | 295.19 MB |
| 29-Oct-19 | 456 | 2,284 | 370.00 MB |
| 30-Oct-19 | 462 | 2,490 | 418.33 MB |
| 31-Oct-19 | 504 | 2,456 | 387.04 MB |
| 1-Nov-19 | 529 | 2,350 | 372.24 MB |
| 2-Nov-19 | 723 | 4,688 | 655.38 MB |
| 3-Nov-19 | 1,325 | 9,211 | 1.33 GB |
| 4-Nov-19 | 3,492 | 40,182 | 5.71 GB |
| 5-Nov-19 | 9,247 | 108,806 | 15.81 GB |
| 6-Nov-19 | 1,879 | 4,817 | 807.75 MB |
| 7-Nov-19 | 480 | 1,094 | 176.87 MB |
| 8-Nov-19 | 248 | 568 | 79.81 MB |
Note: The total number of voters was approximately 21,314.
Nov 7, 2019 Update: Unofficial Election Results are in. The winners are the same as in the Preliminary Results.
Unofficial 2019 City Council Election Results (PDF)
Order of Election: Sumbul Siddiqui, Denise Simmons, Patty Nolan, Quinton Zondervan, Marc McGovern, Alanna Mallon, Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, Dennis Carlone, Tim Toomey [incumbent Craig Kelley has been defeated]
Unofficial 2019 School Committee Results (PDF)
Order of Election: Mannika Bowman, Emily Dexter, Alfred Fantini, Ayesha Wilson, Rachel Weinstein, Jose Luis Rojas Villarreal
Watch the CCTV recording of the Election Night broadcast of The Count
Preliminary 2019 City Council Election Results (PDF) Preliminary 2019 City Council Results (HTML)
Order of Election: Sumbul Siddiqui, Denise Simmons, Patty Nolan, Quinton Zondervan, Marc McGovern, Alanna Mallon, Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, Dennis Carlone, Tim Toomey [incumbent Craig Kelley appears to have been defeated]
Distribution of #1 Votes by Ward & Precinct - Preliminary 2019 City Council Election (PDF)
Preliminary 2019 School Committee Results (PDF) Preliminary 2019 School Committee Results (HTML)
Order of Election: Mannika Bowman, Emily Dexter, Alfred Fantini, Ayesha Wilson, Rachel Weinstein, Jose Luis Rojas Villarreal
Distribution of #1 Votes by Ward & Precinct - Preliminary 2019 School Committee Election (PDF)
Note: There are still 888 "auxiliary" City Council ballots and 2,336 auxiliary School Committee ballots to be counted on Wednesday, and most likely a handful of additional overseas absentee and provisional ballots to be counted on Friday, November 15 before the results are final and official. Many of the auxiliary ballots may prove to be blank ballots, especially for School Committee. The margin between Carlone and Kelley after the deciding 14th Count was 39 in the preliminary (Tuesday) results. Though it is unlikely that this will change appreciably due to these additional ballots or due to changes in the surplus ballots drawn from Siddiqui's total, it is not impossible that this deciding round could change.
Voter turnout was approximately 31% of all registered voters (or about 42% of all "active" voters) based on the current estimate of total ballots cast.
PS - The people of New York City yesterday passed ranked choice voting by a margin of 73.1% to 26.9%. This IS a big deal!
| Cambridge Residents Alliance (CResA) Dennis Carlone Charles Franklin Risa Mednick Patricia Nolan Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler Nicola Williams Quinton Zondervan |
Our Revolution Cambridge (ORC) Dennis Carlone Charles Franklin Patricia Nolan Ben Simon Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler Nicola Williams Quinton Zondervan |
A Better Cambridge (ABC) Burhan Azeem Alanna Mallon Marc McGovern Risa Mednick Adriane Musgrave Sumbul Siddiqui Denise Simmons Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler Tim Toomey |
Cambridge Citizens Coalition (CCC) Dennis Carlone Craig Kelley Derek Kopon Patty Nolan John Pitkin Ben Simon Nicola Williams Quinton Zondervan |
| What best defines them: limited development |
What best defines them: worship Bernie Sanders |
What best defines them: advocacy for public housing gung-ho for the Overlay height, density, more development |
What best defines them: not keen on the Overlay |
22 City Council candidates and 11 School Committee candidates.
Cambridge City Council and School Committee candidates: 1941 to 2019 (plain text) (PDF) - updated Aug 3, 2019
Follow the Money – Cambridge City Council Campaign Receipts 2019 2019 Cambridge City Council Campaign Bank Reports
Leonard Goldstein, Former Owner of Keezer’s Classic Clothing, Dies at 67 (Nov 11, 2019 - Harvard Crimson)
“Len has always had the gift of gab and would very often talk to people for long periods of time,” Soodak said. “Len was a really smart guy, and knew a lot about a lot of things, so people would come in and he would strike up a conversation, and they could go for quite a while. So he had a good relationship with all the customers.”
Nov 4, 2019 – The City of Cambridge will kick off its third annual Veterans’ Appreciation Week Nov 11-15, 2019 with the annual Veterans' Day Observance event. The Cambridge Department of Veterans' Services and Cambridge Veterans' Organization (CVO) will hold their annual Veterans’ Day Observance on Monday, Nov 11, at 11:00am, at the Veterans’ World War I Monument, next to the main gate of Cambridge Cemetery, 76 Coolidge Avenue.
Veterans, Police and Fire Department Color Guards will muster at the World War I monument. For the observance, CVO President, Phillip Anderson, will serve as Master of Ceremonies. A CRLS drama student will read the Governor’s Proclamation and a music student will sing the National Anthem and lead the audience in singing God Bless America. In honor of all Cambridge veterans who have served our nation, a memorial wreath will be placed at the Veterans’ WWI monument. The ceremony will include a bagpipe rendition of Amazing Grace, followed by a “Rifle Salute” from the CVO’s Firing Detail, and the playing of Taps. Afterward, a luncheon will be held from 12-1pm at American Legion Marsh Post #442, 5 Greenough Blvd., Cambridge. This event is open to the public.
Activities on select days of Veterans' Appreciation Week will include acupuncture, guided meditation, fitness and nutrition tips, restorative therapy, art workshops, social gatherings, food and refreshments.
Veterans Appreciation Week Nov 12-15, 2019
Tuesday, Nov 12 (1-5pm)
Acupuncture, Guided Meditation, and Pop-up Painting Veterans Life & Recreation Center (VLRC), 51 Inman St., 2nd Floor
Members from Community Acupuncture will be on-hand to apply acupuncture. Meditation guides from Meditation as Medicine will join us again this year to provide guided meditation sessions for veterans. This group has veterans on staff who are qualified to assist individuals with PTS challenges through the meditation process. Have fun making your own painting with guest instructor, Kristopher Cere, from Pop Up Paint Studios.
Wednesday, Nov 13 (1-5pm)
Women’s Veteran Appreciation Day and Art Demonstration Veterans Life & Recreation Center (VLRC), 51 Inman St., 2nd Floor
Please join us in celebrating all Women Veterans. We will have a social gathering with refreshments. All are welcome! Kenneth Headley, Cambridge Veteran and local artist, will offer a demonstration of his wood burning and painting technique.
Thursday Nov 14 (1-4pm)
Art Demonstration Veterans Life & Recreation Center (VLRC), 51 Inman St., 2nd Floor
Kenneth Headley, Cambridge Veteran and local artist, will be back for another day to demonstrate his wood burning and painting technique.
Friday Nov 15 (9:30am-12pm)
Buffet, Nutrition, Fitness, and Acupuncture Veterans Life & Recreation Center (VLRC), 51 Inman St., 2nd Floor
Enjoy a buffet of locally supplied food as we close out the week’s events. Fitness and nutrition specialists from Always Strong Fitness will be available for a free consultation. Acupuncturist will be back for another day of treatments. For more information, contact the City’s Department of Veterans’ Services at 617-349-4760 or veterans@cambridgema.gov.
Oct 28, 2019 – The City of Cambridge will reduce the speed limit on most city-owned streets to 20 mph, starting in mid-November. The new speed limits will apply on smaller, primarily local-access streets. Larger, arterial roads will still have a speed limit of 25 mph, unless otherwise posted. By driving at or below 20 mph, people can help reduce the likelihood of a crash. Lowering speed limits is a key part of the city's Vision Zero strategy to eliminate all crashes that result in serious or fatal injuries. If a crash does happen, it is much less likely to cause serious injury or fatality. When in doubt, go 20 mph.
Data show that reducing speeds has a big impact on the outcome of crashes. A study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety showed that people walking are almost half as likely to be killed or seriously injured if struck by a car traveling 25 mph as compared to a car traveling 30 mph.
“We’ve heard concerns about speeding from people throughout the Cambridge community,” said Joseph Barr, Director of the Traffic, Parking, and Transportation Department. “Reducing the speed limit is an important step towards addressing those concerns. This change will also inform the way that we design our streets and help support our ongoing traffic calming efforts.”
During implementation, approximately 660 “Safety Zone” signs will be installed. A contractor, managed by city staff, will complete the majority of the work. Installations will begin in mid-November and proceed for approximately three months. Work will start in East Cambridge and proceed across the city to the west. A map of streets with 20 mph speed limits and approximate sign locations is available at cambridgema.gov/20mph. The map will be updated on an ongoing basis as new signs are installed.
Reducing the speed limit on most city-owned streets to 20 mph follows the reduction of the default speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph in December of 2016. It also builds off work done in early 2018 to decrease speed limits to 20 mph in the city’s five squares. Both this and the previous speed limit changes were made possible by the State's 2016 Municipal Modernization Act. Chapter 90, Section 18B of the Massachusetts General Laws allows the Traffic, Parking, and Transportation Department Director to establish 20 mph safety zones in the interest of public safety.
City Manager Louis A. DePasquale is seeking Cambridge residents, business owners, and local professionals interested in serving on the Recycling Advisory Committee (RAC) beginning in January 2020.
The RAC is a volunteer committee which provides advice, recommendations, and assistance to the Department of Public Works (DPW) regarding recycling, composting, reuse, and waste reduction. The RAC does this through research, feedback, public outreach, and event planning. The RAC has been instrumental in the city’s new Zero Waste Master Plan, Fix-It Clinics, marketing and education, and other important initiatives that have made Cambridge a national leader in waste reduction.
Cambridge Recycling began in 1989 with a few volunteers dedicated to beginning a recycling drop-off program. Today, the city recovers more than 11,000 tons per year of recyclables from more than 44,000 households. Approximately 32,000 households have access to curbside composting, reducing the city’s trash by more than 7% in the first year of citywide composting. More households will be added to the program over time. The City now serves 123 businesses in the Small Business Recycling Pilot. Lastly, the RAC is working on a Single-Use Plastics regulation in conjunction with the Cambridge City Council and the Department of Public Works.
Currently, the city’s goals to reduce waste match those in the MA Solid Waste Master Plan. Using 2008 as a baseline year, the city aims to reduce trash 30% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. As of 2018, the city has reduced trash by 28%.
The Committee has been active for over 20 years and consists of at least nine members with a demonstrated interest in the topics listed above. Members serve a three-year term and are expected to attend monthly meetings (Sept-June). The city seeks members that represent local businesses and property managers, Cambridge residents, and users of the Recycling Center, universities, non-profit organizations and social service agencies whose goals overlap with waste reduction.
Duties, Responsibilities and Minimum Requirements include:
Helpful Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
To learn more about the committee’s work, please consider attending an upcoming meeting, on Oct 16 or Nov 13. For more information, contact Michael Orr, Recycling Director, at 617-349-4815 or morr@cambridgema.gov. The deadline for submitting applications is November 15, 2019. Applications can be submitted to City Manager Louis A. DePasquale using the City’s online application system at cambridgema.gov/apply. A cover letter and resume or applicable experience can be submitted during the online application process. Paper applications are available in the City Manager’s Office at Cambridge City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Avenue.
Cambridge City Manager Louis A. DePasquale is seeking residents who are interested in serving on the Cambridge Affordable Housing Trust.
The Affordable Housing Trust administers and oversees city funds allocated to create and preserve affordable rental and homeownership housing, and to support housing programs that address the city’s affordable housing needs. The Trust members review proposals for new housing preservation, development efforts, and other housing programs, and provide housing policy and program advice to the City Manager, city staff, other city boards and commissions, and the Cambridge City Council.
The Trust is comprised of members with experience in affordable housing, housing policy, finance, development, planning, and design. The Trust is chaired by the City Manager and generally meets on the fourth Thursday of every month, from 4-5:30pm, at Cambridge City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Avenue.
The deadline for submitting applications is Friday, Nov 1, 2019. Applications can be submitted to City Manager Louis A. DePasquale using the city’s online application system at cambridgema.gov/apply. A cover letter and resume or applicable experience can be submitted during the online application process. Paper applications are available in the City Manager’s Office at Cambridge City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Avenue.
City Manager Louis A. DePasquale is seeking to fill a vacancy on the Board of Trustees for the Cambridge Public Library.
Library trustees are volunteer community representatives, library advocates, and leaders in the establishment of goals and policies for the Cambridge Public Library system. Trustees are a vital link between the library staff and the community and work to ensure the quality of library services, collections, and programs, and to make certain that the library reflects and is relevant to the community.
Trustees serve a 3 year term and are expected to attend monthly board meetings, committee and community meetings, appropriate continuing education workshops or conferences, and library programs as their schedules allow.
Ideal candidates will have an interest in and passion for public libraries and an understanding of the importance of the public library as a center of information, culture, recreation, and life-long learning in the community. Candidates should also have knowledge of the community, including an awareness of diverse social and economic conditions, needs and interests of all groups. Strong verbal and written communication skills, including public speaking skills are required. Trustees work productively as a team. It is also important for candidates to understand how the role of the public library is evolving and how information technology and societal changes inform the library’s future.
The deadline for submitting applications is October 22, 2019. Applications can be submitted to City Manager Louis A. DePasquale using the City’s online application system at cambridgema.gov/apply. A cover letter and resume or applicable experience can be submitted during the online application process. Paper applications are available in the City Manager’s Office at Cambridge City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Avenue. For more information about the role of Library trustees, contact Maria McCauley, Director of Libraries at 617-349-4032.
Cambridge City Manager Louis A. DePasquale is seeking members of the community who live and/or work in Cambridge (including private sector and municipal employees, business owners, students, and others) to become a part of the Citizens’ Committee on Civic Unity. Applications from interested community members are welcome through October 18, 2019.
The mission of the City of Cambridge Citizens’ Committee on Civic Unity is to foster fairness, equity, unity, appreciation, and mutual understanding across all people and entities in Cambridge. The Citizens’ Committee on Civic Unity works to provide opportunities for constructive discussions and community events regarding race, class, religion, gender, disability, and sexual orientation, through recognizing and raising awareness of historic, existing and potential civic issues; providing opportunities for honest dialogue and engagement; and by building bridges across communities to better understand and connect with one another.
The Committee generally meets monthly. Committee meetings are open to the public and may include presentations by guest speakers, city staff, and various experts. For information on the committee’s work, current goals, meeting schedule, and events, please visit: www.cambridgema.gov/civicunity
Applications can be submitted to City Manager Louis A. DePasquale using the City’s online application system at cambridgema.gov/apply. A cover letter and resume or applicable experience can be submitted during the online application process. Paper applications are available in the City Manager’s Office at Cambridge City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Avenue. Once your application is submitted, you will receive a confirmation email. Applications are due by Friday, Oct 18, 2019.
If you have question about the application process, please contact the City Manager's Office at 617-349-4300 or fgaines@Cambridgema.gov.
City Manager Louis A. DePasquale is seeking residents to fill two positions on the City Manager’s Digital Equity Working Group. This administrative working group will provide input and guidance to the City Manager and staff at key milestones during the City’s yearlong study of digital equity in the Cambridge. The working group will assist in creating a draft vision and set of goals to inform the City’s digital equity strategy. Additionally, the working group, based on the findings of the study and research of best practices and regional efforts, will help develop targeted strategies the City could take to address digital equity in Cambridge.
The working group will meet quarterly with the possibility of 3-4 additional meetings. The term of this working group is one year.
Applications to serve on the City Manager’s Digital Divide Working Group can be submitted to City Manager Louis A. DePasquale using the City’s online application system at cambridgema.gov/apply. A cover letter and resume or relevant experience or interest may be submitted during the online application process. Paper applications are available in the City Manager’s Office at Cambridge City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Avenue. The deadline to submit an application is Friday, October 11, 2019.
The Last Thing on their Minds - Nov 4, 2019 Cambridge City Council meeting
Manager's Agenda #3. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the creation of a new municipal Renewable Energy and Greenhouse Gas (“GHG”) Reduction Revolving Fund (“Revolving Fund”) to serve the City of Cambridge’s (“City”) municipal energy aggregation, and adoption of the proposed new ordinance, Chapter 3.24, entitled “Departmental Revolving Funds.” From the Manager's letter: "The Aggregation adder is expected to raise approximately $650,000 annually, or a total of $1.3 million during the current supplier contract period (January 2019 - December 2020)." Proposed uses are: (a) Invest $1.3 million in a solar energy project located on a municipal building; and (b) Deposit income earned from the sale of generated Net Metering Credits annually into the Revolving Fund. Those funds would subsequently be used to finance other solar energy/renewable energy projects and all resulting GHG reductions would be attributed to the Aggregation’s participants. Seems like a reasonable plan of action. Charter Right #1. That the City Manager is requested to confer with relevant City staff on determining the most appropriate signage and messaging that would best educate cyclists on the importance of following traffic laws, particularly stopping at red lights, for their own safety and the safety of other cyclists and pedestrians. 30 out of 31 Communications in which cyclists recoil in horror because a City Council Order from last week suggested "signage and messaging that would best educate cyclists on the importance of following traffic laws, particularly stopping at red lights, for their own safety and the safety of other cyclists and pedestrians." Only in Cambridge would a resolution calling for enhanced safety yield an avalanche of protest. The turf wars continue. Resolution #5. Congratulations to Sekazi K. Mtingwa. Councillor Simmons Sekazi and I worked together at MIT. I did the math and he did the physics in the MIT Concourse program. I'm glad to see him getting the recognition.
I don't know whether or not this is the best alternative for this intersection but it is an interesting proposal. I don't like the way it "pedestrianizes" cyclists and I would likely just ride through the roundabout with the rest of the traffic. It's a bit strange that the Council Order calls for a source of funding and a timetable for the design and construction prior to there being any decision on even doing such a redesign, but it's fair to say that this isn't the first instance of engineering via politics by this Council. Order #5. Resolution in support of the Harvard Graduate Students Union-UAW’S demands for a fair contract now. Councillor Siddiqui, Mayor McGovern, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Mallon Finish your thesis, kids. There are better opportunities than being an ABD (All But Dissertation) graduate student. I'll add that it still seems funny that the United Auto Workers are representing Harvard Graduate students. 99 Items Awaiting Report (sung to the tune of "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall") Wouldn't it be just marvelous if one of these weeks one of the councillors simply asked the manager to run through the list and say (a) which items he has no intention of reporting (possibly because it's either moot or ridiculous); (b) which items somebody somewhere is actually working on; and (c) which items he considers to be timely and important. For example, should we all be waiting with bated breath on the future of wood-fired ovens or electronic device usage by City-elected officials? I thought that the request for "a comprehensive, independent planning, and parking study of the neighborhood and use of the First Street Garage" had already been completed. Would it be so difficult to report on the "feasibility of allowing small businesses to host live acoustic music performances without a license?" Can anyone shed any light on the proposed Outdoor Lighting Ordinance that has apparently gone missing? - Robert Winters |
The table below indicates the percentage of ballots for which the #1 ranked candidate was elected; the percentage of ballots for which the #1 or #2 ranked candidate was elected; and the percentage of ballots for which the #1, #2, or #3 ranked candidate was elected.
| Voter Success in Cambridge Elections | ||||||||||
| Election | elect | candidates | valid | invalid | total ballots | Pct #1 elected | Pct #1 or #2 elected | Pct #1, #2, or #3 elected | Pct none elected | Pct blank |
| 1997 Council | 9 | 19 | 16879 | 350 | 17229 | 88.7 | 96.2 | 97.6 | 1.6 | 0.3 |
| 1999 Council | 9 | 24 | 18777 | 384 | 19161 | 76.5 | 92.5 | 95.5 | 3.0 | 0.5 |
| 2001 Council | 9 | 19 | 17126 | 562 | 17688 | 83.8 | 94.0 | 96.2 | 2.8 | 1.1 |
| 2003 Council | 9 | 20 | 20080 | 878 | 20958 | 72.7 | 87.0 | 91.0 | 6.7 | 2.0 |
| 2005 Council | 9 | 18 | 16070 | 132 | 16202 | 78.7 | 93.4 | 96.1 | 2.6 | 0.5 |
| 2007 Council | 9 | 16 | 13633 | 88 | 13721 | 79.3 | 93.2 | 96.0 | 2.9 | 0.4 |
| 2009 Council | 9 | 21 | 15995 | 118 | 16073 | 75.1 | 90.9 | 94.1 | 4.3 | 0.6 |
| 2011 Council | 9 | 18 | 15845 | 126 | 15971 | 77.8 | 92.6 | 95.5 | 3.3 | 0.5 |
| 2013 Council | 9 | 25 | 17743 | 103 | 17846 | 68.6 | 87.8 | 93.0 | 4.9 | 0.4 |
| 2015 Council | 9 | 23 | 17854 | 105 | 17959 | 71.7 | 90.4 | 94.8 | 3.3 | 0.3 |
| 2017 Council | 9 | 26 | 22524 | 72 | 22596 | 68.7 | 87.0 | 92.8 | 4.7 | 0.2 |
| 1997 School | 6 | 8 | 16386 | 285 | 16671 | 83.3 | 96.4 | 97.6 | 2.4 | 0.1 |
| 1999 School | 6 | 13 | 17961 | 307 | 18268 | 76.0 | 91.1 | 94.4 | 4.7 | 0.1 |
| 2001 School | 6 | 10 | 16489 | 1160 | 17649 | 76.2 | 90.5 | 92.6 | 7.1 | 4.8 |
| 2003 School | 6 | 8 | 18698 | 2210 | 20908 | 81.9 | 89.7 | 90.0 | 10.0 | 8.8 |
| 2005 School | 6 | 8 | 15470 | 719 | 16189 | 77.4 | 90.6 | 93.1 | 6.9 | 4.2 |
| 2007 School | 6 | 9 | 13276 | 433 | 13709 | 77.0 | 91.2 | 92.7 | 7.1 | 3.0 |
| 2009 School | 6 | 9 | 15423 | 549 | 15972 | 72.6 | 90.1 | 91.6 | 8.4 | 3.3 |
| 2011 School | 6 | 11 | 15290 | 614 | 15904 | 77.6 | 90.3 | 92.2 | 6.9 | 3.6 |
| 2013 School | 6 | 9 | 16592 | 1128 | 17720 | 80.9 | 90.0 | 91.2 | 8.5 | 6.2 |
| 2015 School | 6 | 11 | 16797 | 1062 | 17859 | 69.2 | 84.7 | 88.0 | 11.1 | 5.7 |
| 2017 School | 6 | 12 | 20708 | 1744 | 22452 | 67.2 | 81.5 | 85.2 | 13.3 | 7.7 |
Note: Almost all of the invalid ballots were blank ballots. It's common that some voters will vote only the City Council ballot and cast a blank School Committee ballot.
Final Official 2017 Election Results (Fri, Nov 17, 2017)
City Council Elected (in order of election): Simmons, Siddiqui, McGovern, Devereux, Zondervan, Mallon, Toomey, Carlone, Kelley
City Council Official Election Results (Fri, Nov 17, PDF, 2 pgs.)
School Committee Elected (in order of election): Nolan, Bowman, Dexter, Fantini, Kelley, Kimbrough
School Committee Official Election Results (Fri, Nov 17, PDF, 1 pg.)
Round-by-Round City Council Official Results (Fri, Nov 17, HTML)
Round-by-Round School Committee Official Results (Fri, Nov 17, HTML)
City Council Distribution of #1 Votes by ward/precinct (PDF) - corrected (Pcts. 3-2A and 3-3 were mislabeled in original)
School Committee Distribution of #1 Votes by ward/precinct (PDF)
Voter Turnout by Precinct: 2013-2017 Municipal Elections (PDF)
#2 Vote Distribution - 2017 City Council (PDF) #2 Vote Distribution - 2017 School Committee (PDF)
Popularity - Total Rankings (#1, Top 2, Top 3, etc.)
I'll be posting more information as the spirit moves me. - RW
The voter history file for the 2017 municipal election was made available yesterday, and it provides evidence of a dramatic shift toward younger voters in the recent election. This provides at least some partial explanation for the election results. Here are some histograms for the municipal election years (2013, 2015, 2017) followed by the federal/state election years (2012, 2014, 2016).
Municipal Elections: 2013 - 2017
(note the dramatic peak in the 27-29 age range)
Federal/State Elections: 2012 - 2016
The total voter turnout has dropped over the years but has remained relatively stable for the last several municipal elections. It jumped in 2017.
CIVIC CALENDAR (abridged)
6:00pm School Committee Meeting (Attles Meeting Room, CRLS)
The School Committee will entertain a motion to convene in Executive Session immediately following the Regular Meeting in the School Committee Conference Room, 459 Broadway for the purpose of hearing a Level III grievance (CEA Unit C) as part of collective bargaining and an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining positions of the School Committee and for the purpose of discussing strategy for collective bargaining and litigation as an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining and litigation positions of the School Committee.
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 Hearings
6:30pm Shared Mobility Zoning Petition (continued from 10/15/2019)
Zoning petition by the City Council to amend the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Cambridge by creating a new line in Article 4.32 Tables of Use Regulations; Transportation, Communications & Utility Uses for Shared Mobility Platform and associated definitions for Shared Mobility Device and Shared Mobility Platform in Article 2.000. (Materials)
7:30pm Harvard Square Overlay Zoning Petition
Zoning petition by Suzanne P. Blier, et al., to amend Section 20.50 Harvard Square Overlay District and Harvard Square Historical Overlay District with changes to revise the composition of the Harvard Square Advisory Committee and the conduct of its meetings; allow retail uses as of right in certain areas, subject to restrictions; delete the payment requirement for the reduction of parking when the Gross Floor Area is the maximum allowed; increase the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for residential uses in the Business B district; allow increased FAR by Planning Board special permit; allow ground floor retail exemptions for 1,500 SF or less; limit the street frontage allowed for some uses; and allow Fast Order Food Establishments as of right, provided that they are not formula businesses. (Notice) (Materials)
8:00pm Alexandria Grand Junction Overlay Zoning Petition
Zoning petition by Joseph T. Maguire on behalf of the Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., to amend the Zoning Map of the City of Cambridge by creating a new overlay zoning district entitled Grand Junction Pathway Overlay District in the area of the existing Grand Junction Railroad Right of Way between Cambridge Street and Binney Street, and to amend Article 20.000 of the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Cambridge by creating a Section 20.1000 Grand Junction Pathway Overlay District. (Notice) (Materials)
General Business
3. PB# 352
31 Church Street – Extension (Letter)
3. PB# 353
45-51 New Street – Extension (Letter)
Mon, Nov 25
5:30pm City Council meeting (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
5:00pm Special City Council meeting to take up the petition by Stephen R. Karp, Trustee of Cambridgeside Galleria Associates Trust, to amend the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Cambridge by adding a Section 13.100 that creates a new PUD-8 District. (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
All Cambridge residents 12* and older, including non-U.S. citizens and university students, will be able to vote to decide how to spend $1,000,000 on projects to improve the City. Residents will be able to vote online starting on December 1 at pb.cambridgema.gov or in person at voting events throughout the City. PB ballots will be available in multiple languages. The online ballot will be available in English, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole & Spanish and paper ballots at voting events will be available in English, Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese & Spanish. To learn more about the PB process please check out the PB FAQs here.
*All Cambridge 6th graders are eligible to vote.
Mon, Dec 2
5:30pm City Council Roundtable/Working Meeting for members of the City Council and School Committee to discuss the Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program Study. (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
12:00pm The City Council's Public Safety Committee will meet to discuss the following policy order: An amendment to Chapter 2.128 Surveillance Ordinance. (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
3:00pm The City Council's Transportation and Public Utilities Committee will meet to discuss the City Manager's report on the Parking and Transportation Demand Management (PTDM) Ordinance. (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
2:00pm The City Council's Government Operations, Rules and Claims Committee will meet to discuss Policy Order #7, regarding Open meeting law review and Policy Order #11, regarding Council Budget-Private Attorney. (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
Mon, Dec 9
5:30pm City Council meeting (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
3:00pm The City Council's Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing on a petition to amend Articles 2.00 and 4.32 of the zoning Ordinance regarding Mobile Fueling. (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
5:00pm The City Council's Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing on a refiled petition to the amend the Zoning Ordinance to add a Grand Junction Pathway Overlay. (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
Wed, Dec 11
8:00-9:30am Recycling Advisory Committee (RAC) Meeting (Sullivan Chamber, City Hall)
5:30pm The City Council's Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing on the Harvard Square Zoning Petition. (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
Mon, Dec 16
5:30pm City Council meeting (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
3:00pm The City Council's Public Safety Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss restrictions and opportunities the City has when working with bargaining units to implement new policies. (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
Mon, Dec 23
5:30pm City Council meeting (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
Mon, Dec 30
5:30pm City Council meeting (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
In between the inevitable hushed meetings to secure the necessary five votes to become mayor for the 2020-21 term, the lame duck session continues quacking. The agenda is quite short, but a few items worth noting are listed below. Honestly, I've been having more fun studying the 2019 ballot data now that the election results were finalized Friday evening [
This is your classic night-before-Election-Day City Council meeting where Council business places a distant second behind concerns about having all their incumbency protection ducks in a row. If this meeting goes beyond 6:15pm it will likely be because they were forced to listen to the repetitive whining of Public Comment. Anyway, here is my very short list of interesting items on this very short agenda: