First Pass at the Feb 10, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Manager's Agenda #4. Transmitting communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $1,200,000 from Free Cash, to the Public Investment Fund Public Works Extraordinary Expenditures Account for expanded tree planting and continued implementation of the Urban Forestry Master Plan recommendations.

Unfinished Business #3. TPO (Tree Protection Ordinance) Extension PO [Passed to a Second Reading on Jan 27, 2020. To Be Ordained on or after Feb 10, 2020]

It seems likely that the Tree Removal Moratorium extension will breeze through. Ideally, the Council would at least amend it to allow for some additional flexibility, especially for long-term residents who are simply maintaining their property rather than redeveloping it. Hope springs eternal, but I don't have much faith that reason will prevail here or when they finally get around to implementing any master plan recommendations.

Manager's Agenda #8. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to amending the Cambridge Municipal Code to insure a Welcoming Community Ordinance. [Red-Lined version][Clean version]

Unfinished Business #4. That the Cambridge City Council amend the Municipal Ordinances of the City of Cambridge to insert a new Chapter 2.129, entitled “WELCOMING COMMUNITY ORDINANCE” [Passed to a Second Reading on Jan 27, 2020. To Be Ordained on or after Feb 10, 2020.]

I expect this too will breeze through ordination either this week or very soon, but the rhetoric over restrictions on police activities should prove interesting, especially the clarifications from the City Solicitor in the section on the "Role of Police Department in immigration enforcement" to make it consistent with federal statutes.

Order #1. That the City Manager is requested to direct the appropriate City staff to work with the residents of the Agassiz neighborhood in furthering this important neighborhood conversation and in helping make a determination as to how to arrive at an appropriate, official name change for this neighborhood.   Councillor Simmons, Mayor Siddiqui

Cambridge neighborhood names have no real legal standing. Some of them, like Mid-Cambridge, were invented by what was once called the Planning Department back when they were making maps for federal grant programs. So in some sense this is just feel-good stuff. Maybe we should just use Zip Codes to avoid any future historical crisis.

Order #2. That the City Manager is requested to rename the maintenance area within the Ryan Garage at 147 Hampshire Street in honor of Sydney Cox, with this becoming known as the “Sydney James Cox Maintenance Facility”.   Councillor Simmons, Councillor Toomey

This continues what has become a DPW tradition of naming its buildings and facilities for some of our great long-time dedicated DPW employees.

Order #4. That the City Manager is requested to confer with relevant City departments on the feasibility of instituting a program to install rings on parking meters to expand bicycle parking options.   Councillor Nolan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Mayor Siddiqui

This has been suggested in the past by me and by others, and the stock answer at the time was that locking bikes to parking meters somehow obstructed access to motor vehicles. Geometry and reality contradict this. The only exception would be bikes with trailers. Maybe we'll get a different answer this time around.

Order #6. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Department of Human Services and other relevant departments to determine the feasibility of both expanding the Head Start program hours and adding additional scholarships to improve access to high-quality, early childhood educational resources.   Mayor Siddiqui, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Carlone, Councillor McGovern

The single most important thing we can do to lessen inequality is to support programs like Head Start that help to level the playing field so that residents can one day succeed on their own terms. If somebody wants education we should provide it one way or another.

Order #7. That the City Council go on record calling for the Parliament of India to uphold the Indian constitution by repealing the Citizenship Amendment Act, stopping the National Register of Citizens, and taking steps towards helping refugees by ratifying various UN treaties on refugees.   Councillor Zondervan, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Nolan

We're barely one month into this Council term and it's already looking like we need a change in the City Council Rules to establish a standing Foreign Policy Committee.

Committee Report #2. Report of the Ordinance Committee - Committee Meeting - Feb 5, 2020 5:30 PM [PDF][HTML]

This concerns the Alexandria zoning petition to establish a Grand Junction Pathway Overlay District. It is noteworthy in that the petition was likely to die a lonely death unless an alternative site for the proposed Eversource electrical substation on Fulkerson Street could be found. Thanks to the intervention of City Manager Louis DePasquale and others, an alternate site seems to have been identified but not yet revealed. - Robert Winters

Comments?

Post-Candlemas: Little Nuggets from the Feb 3, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Here are the little nuggets that I found comment-worthy this week:

Manager's Agenda #6. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a home rule petition to the state legislature that would lower the voting age to sixteen (16) in municipal elections.

As I said last April when this idea had its day in committee: "As for lowering the voting age for municipal elections to 16 years old, my belief is that the minimum voting age should be the same across the entire Commonwealth and not vary from town to town. If you want to make the case for this, try to convince the state legislature to do it statewide or pursue other matters." As the City Solicitor notes in her message, the City Council submitted home rule petitions in 2002 and 2006 to be permitted to lower the municipal voting age to 17, and neither of those petitions was approved. The current petition asks to drop the voting age even lower.

Manager's Agenda #7. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, recommending the appointment of the following person as a member of the Cambridge Housing Authority Board of Commissioners for a term of 5-years, as recommended by the Greater Boston Labor Council: Louis Bacci, III.

That makes two appointments to the Cambridge Housing Authority Board in as many weeks. As noted last week, the CHA Board is one of only two City boards where appointees require City Council confirmation, so the appointment of Louis Bacci (who presumably will succeed Anthony Pini) will likely be referred to the Housing Committee for a formal hearing - maybe even a two-for-one deal along with appointee Gerald Clark. [Members of Cambridge Boards & Commissions (updated Jan 24, 2020)]

Manager's Agenda #8. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the Mayor's recommended appointments of the following member of the Family Policy Council, effective Feb 3, 2020 for the 2020-2021 Council term: Vice Mayor Alanna Mallon and School Committee Member Ayesha Wilson.

Resolution #4. Retirement of Mary Hart from her role as Chief Information Officer for the Information Technology Department.   Mayor Siddiqui, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Carlone, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Toomey, Councillor Zondervan

Though it's been corrected in the revised agenda, this resolution initially went in with 9 co-sponsors. Heaven forbid that there would have been a conspiracy among a majority of councillors in defiance of the Open Meeting Law on this purely congratulatory resolution. [Some rules are just plain silly.] I'm a bit curious if retiring "from her role as Chief Information Officer" for IT is the same as retirement from working for the City. In any case, look for the City Council to step up in their call for Municipal Broadband - especially in light of Communications & Reports #2 (below).

Order #1. That the City Manager is requested to review the roles, responsibilities, and compensation of City Council Aides with an eye toward designating this as a full-time position.   Councillor Simmons, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Carlone

I dispute the foundation of this Order, specifically the assertion that "This role has, in the ensuing years, greatly expanded and evolved, with Council Aides managing the schedules of their Council members, conducting constituent intakes and triage, planning and participating in Committee hearings, representing their Council member in public and private meetings, serving as liaisons between their Council members and other elected officials, and serving as an additional conduit between the municipal elected officials and their constituents, in addition to their originally outlined duties." Is the new practice of having stand-ins for city councillors something that should be celebrated and rewarded? City Council committees may need additional support to function optimally, but not individual councillors. Let's also not forget that the primary route to a job as a City Council aide is to work in the election campaign of the councillor. Finally, I will note that efforts to grow this particular form of political patronage have often coincided with mayoral elections and proposed extensions of a city manager's contract. Again, see Communications & Reports #2 (below).

I will also note City Hall parking that was once open to anyone working in City Hall (except for Monday evenings) is now exclusively for city councillors on all days and all hours regardless when any councillors are in the building.

Order #3. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Department of Public Works and any other relevant City departments to update the Council on the plans for the Cambridge Recycling Center.   Councillor Toomey, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Zondervan

As one of the people who argued for the continuation of the Recycling Center after the City began curbside recycling (July 1991) and who recommended some of the features of the current setup, I'm quite interested in how this resource may evolve. Whether the City moves toward having a mobile Recycling Center or a better layout for the DPW Yard, this question is fundamentally linked to the long-term plans for the DPW Yard and whether it will remain at 147 Hampshire Street or be relocated. I sure appreciated being able to bring some heavy scrap metal there this weekend.

Order #5. Improvements to STR Ordinance to Enhance Compliance.   Councillor McGovern, Councillor Carlone

Perhaps this is what you get when you choose to have an ordinance go into effect on April Fools Day.

Communications & Reports #2. A communication was received from Councillor Simmons, transmitting a letter from City Manager Louis A. DePasquale, who is serving formal notice of his desire to enter into formal negotiations with the City Council to extend his contract with the City beyond January 2021.

I'm glad to see that Louis DePasquale wants to continue as City Manager. He deserves an extension simply on the merits of his job performance. That said, I can well imagine more than a few pet projects of individual councillors getting funded in this budget cycle. Just sayin'. - Robert Winters

Comments?

Notable Items on the Jan 27, 2020 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Here's my first pass at the interesting stuff ("interesting", of course, being a relative term):

Manager's Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the recommendation to reappointment of Gerard Clark as a member of the Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA) Board of Commissioners for a term of 5-years.

Manager's Agenda #2. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appointment of the following person as a new member of the Affordable Housing Trust Board for a term of three years, effective Jan 22, 2020: Elaine DeRosa

Manager's Agenda #3. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the reappointment of the following members of the LGBTQ+ Commissioner for a term of three years, effective Feb 6, 2020: Mal Malme, Robert Parlin, Aren Stone, Catherine Grams, Noelani Kamelamela, Gregory MacDonough and Britt Huhmann

Many board appointments this week. The City Manager is "the appointing authority" under the City Charter, but there are two boards for which City appointments require City Council confirmation - the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority and the Cambridge Housing Authority - so the CHA appointment will likely be referred to the Housing Committee for a formal hearing. [Members of Cambridge Boards & Commissions (updated Jan 24, 2020)]

Manager's Agenda #4. Transmitting communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $46,000 from Free Cash to the General Fund Elections Department Salary and Wages account ($6,145) and to the General Fund Elections Department Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($39,855) which will be used to cover the additional costs associated with recently approved early voting for the Presidential Primary, Mar 3rd, 2020.

Early Voting for the Presidential Primary will be available Feb 24 through Feb 28 at 6 locations [www.CambridgeMA.gov/EarlyVoting]. Election Day is Mar 3, 2020.

Unfinished Business #3. Fuel pump warning labels [Passed to Second Reading on Jan 13, 2020 to be ordained on or after Jan 23, 2020.]

I expect this perfectly meaningless gesture will be ordained unanimously.

Resolution #2. Congratulations to Sydney Cox for 45 Years at DPW.   Councillor Simmons

One of the best things about being involved in recycling and composting promotion in Cambridge was the opportunity it afforded me to meet so many of the really great people at the Department of Public Works - many of whom, including Sydney Cox, have careers with the City spanning many decades. The annual DPW Commissioners Awards Ceremony in the spring has always been one of my favorite City events (and not just for the cookout!).

Resolution #11. Resolution on the death of Richard B. Griffin.   Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Simmons

Richard was one of the most decent people I ever met in Cambridge civic life. Perhaps the most moving tribute I have seen is this editorial by Cambridge Chronicle editor Amy Saltzman: Richard Griffin, longtime Chronicle columnist, dies at 91

Order #5. That the City Manager is requested to confer with relevant City Departments, and, where relevant, the MBTA and counterparts in other municipalities for routes not wholly in Cambridge, on the feasibility of instituting and funding a fare-free pilot bus program.   Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Mayor Siddiqui

The chance of doing this just within the boundaries of Cambridge is very low. The idea, however, is not crazy. If done more broadly it could be transformative, but the cost would not only be in lost fare revenue. Ridership would likely jump, and more buses (and drivers) would have to be added with greater frequency of buses (shorter headways). This would also likely lead to demands for more routes as well.

Order #9. That the Cambridge City Council amend the Municipal Ordinances of the City of Cambridge to insert a new Chapter 2.129, entitled WELCOMING COMMUNITY ORDINANCE.   Councillor Carlone, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Zondervan, Mayor Siddiqui

Sanctuary City Rebranded

Committee Report #1. Report of the Ordinance Committee - Dec 11, 2019, 2:00pm (Natural Gas Ban)

Committee Report #2. Report of the NLTP Committee - Dec 19, 2019, 5:30pm (Cambridge Carnival)

Committee Report #3. Report of the Health & Environment Committee - Jan 22, 2020, 2:30pm (Tree Protection Ordinance)

There are more effective strategies than an outright ban on new gas hookups. Hopefully the various "stakeholders" can make their case, but it's likely that this will be just one more step down the Road To Ban Everything. As for where the "Tree Protection Ordinance" is headed, I'm sure those trees will be lining The Road To Ban Everything. Any notion that the eventual permanent version of the Tree Protection Ordinance will allow reasonable people to do reasonable things is likely pure fantasy. - Robert Winters

Comments?