First Look at the April 5, 2021 Cambridge City Council meeting

Here you go - picks of the letter:

Manager's Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an update on COVID-19 vaccination rollout.
Placed on File 8-0-1 (DS - ABSENT)

Communications & Reports #2. A communication was received from Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, transmitting questions for the COVID-19 Update.
Placed on File 8-0-1 (DS - ABSENT)

Manager's Agenda #2. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the reappointment of Charles J. Marquardt as an Election Commissioner for a four-year term, effective Apr 1, 2021.
Placed on File 9-0

Manager's Agenda #3. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appointment of the following person as a member of the Community Preservation Act Committee for a term of five years, effective Apr 5, 2021: Owen O'Riordan and Mary Flynn.
Placed on File 9-0

Manager's Agenda #7. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a Planning Board recommendation to adopt with comments for further consideration, Article 8.000 Nonconformity Zoning Petition.
Refer to Petition 9-0

Unfinished Business #3. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a Zoning Petition which amends Article 8.000 of the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance. [PASSED TO A SECOND READING IN COUNCIL MAR 22, 2021; TO BE ADOPTED ON OR AFTER APR 5, 2021]
Ordained 9-0

Manager's Agenda #8. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a Planning Board recommendation to adopt both the Retail Uses Zoning Petition and the Home Occupations Zoning Petition, with comments for further consideration.
Refer to Petition 9-0

Order #1. That the Housing Committee be and hereby is requested to schedule a hearing to discuss the Housing Choice Law and its potential implications for housing projects in Cambridge with representatives from the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, and community housing organizations.   Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Mayor Siddiqui
Order Adopted as Amended 9-0

Order #2. That the City Council amend the Article 22 of the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Cambridge entitled “SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT” to insert a new section 22.24.4.   Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Carlone, Councillor Nolan
Amended and Referred to Ordinance Committee & Planning Board 9-0

Committee Report #1. The Neighborhood & Long-Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts and Celebrations Committee met on Nov 24, 2020 to discuss Awaiting Report response on Harvard Square street closures.
Report Accepted, Placed on File 9-0

Communications & Reports #1. A communication was received from Mayor Siddiqui, communicating information from the School Committee.
Placed on File 9-0

Late Order #5. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the appropriate City staff to ensure that all the information on the City's list of neighborhood organizations be updated, that a specific staffer be tasked with ensuring that the information is updated on an annual basis, and that the City Manager be and is requested to report back to the City Council on this matter in a timely manner.   Councillor Simmons
Order Adopted 9-0

And don't forget about these:

Wed, Apr 7

2:00pm   The City Council's Government Operations, Rules & Claims Committee will meet to discuss the policy order seeking to make remote participation in City Council meetings permanent.  (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)

5:30pm   The City Council's Human Services and Veterans Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss plans for reopening of after school programs and summer camp opportunities through the City of Cambridge.  (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)

Thurs, Apr 8

5:30pm   The City Council's Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing on the Cambridge Missing Middle Housing Zoning Petition (Ordinance #2021-2).  (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)

Wed, Apr 14

10:00am   The City Council's Health and Environment Committee will meet to conduct a public hearing regarding the City’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)

5:30pm   The City Council's Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing on the Retail Uses Zoning Recommendations - Refiled (Ordinance #2021-3) and the Home Occupations Zoning Recommendations - Refiled (Ordinance #2021-4).  (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)

Thurs, Apr 29

5:30pm   The City Council's Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing on the Broad Canal Zoning Petition.  (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)

Trash Talking - March 29, 2021 Cambridge City Council meeting

Here's my take on the interesting stuff:

Manager's Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an update on COVID-19 vaccination rollout.
Placed on File 9-0

Communications & Reports #2. A communication was received from Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, transmitting questions for the City Manager's COVID-19 update.
Placed on File 9-0

My first vaccination appointment is this week (thanks, Jason and Patrick!) and I remain hopeful that the light at the end of the tunnel is shining more brightly. I am, however, getting anxious about the current rise in the 7-day average for the number for residents testing positive. Everyone I know is taking all the right precautions, but I'm worried that some people, particularly younger people, are getting careless.

Manager's Agenda #4. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $1,500,000, from Free Cash, to the Public Investment Fund Public Works Extraordinary Expenditures account, to purchase and distribute standardized trash barrels to all residential buildings in the City’s trash program.
Order Adopted 9-0

Though I hope I'm not reading too much in-between the lines, there seems to be just a hint here that standardization and City-issuance of containers may at some point translate into greater regulation of how much solid waste will be permitted per building. That's perfectly OK by me since my building produces remarkably little trash (well, maybe some trash-talking!). If the City does move forward with this, I hope they can couple the program with requirements for better trash management for multi-family and mixed-use buildings, e.g. managing waste for the building as a whole rather than every unit individually. Some buildings simply have far more containers than they actually need.

When the recycling toters were first introduced I asked if it would be OK to keep a a single modest-sized toter for my triple-decker and use the old blue bins for any overflow, and I was told that would be OK. I hope the same will be the case for the rubbish containers. Many of us have limited space for bulky containers.

Manager's Agenda #5. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $335,000 from Free Cash to the Public Investment Fund Public Works Extraordinary Expenditures account, to purchase and install Big Belly solar compactors on Cambridge Street between Inman Square and Lechmere Station.
Order Adopted 9-0

This seems like a nice addition, but I hope it doesn't become an expensive maintenance nightmare. The Big Bellies in Central Square are often broken, though our valiant Central Square BID ambassadors do a great job of keeping things clean and reporting any problems.

Manager's Agenda #6. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 19-58, regarding a report on drafting an ordinance banning single use plastic items.
Referred to Health & Environment Committee 9-0

Here's what I wrote nearly two years ago when this proposal was first introduced at the May 13, 2019 meeting: “One bit of advice — this time consider heeding the advice of the Advisory Committee and don't make changes on the fly at a committee hearing. Even better, spend some time learning about the recycling industry - from recovery of materials through the end markets. Recycling is as much about practicality as it is about idealism, and getting out too far ahead of the curve can often be counterproductive.”

I handled the Cambridge Recycling Hotline for at least 5 years and I can't tell you how many times a "wishcycler" would say something like "well it ought to be recyclable" when they were putting items in the blue bins which had no available market. In the case of plastic utensils there's the added difficulty that there's no practical way to distinguish the compostable from the noncompostable utensils, and even the compostable ones can only biodegrade under conditions not available under most composting systems.

I am in full agreement with the recommendations in the report. By the way, I served on the Recycling Advisory Committee for 22 years.

Manager's Agenda #7. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 20-23, regarding a report on implementing a curbside textile recycling program.
Referred to Health & Environment Committee 9-0

One of the inevitable outcomes of the pandemic and the increased amount of time most people spent at home was the desire to clear out years of accumulated materials - including textiles. This translated into lots of overflowing clothing donation bins as well as donations to various organizations that accept such donations.Once upon a time I set up an arrangement at the Cambridge Recycling Center for donations that would be collected by The Garment District (where the previous owners had family roots as the "rag men" going back many decades earlier). There is absolutely a demand for this service (but don't discount the value of Freecycle and "Buy Nothing Cambridge" and other online mechanisms for directly sharing things). The DPW report says that there are corrently no donation bins on City property, but I think there may still be one on Fulkerson Street at the Kennedy-Longfellow building.

Manager's Agenda #8. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to request for approval to submit a Home Rule Petition that (1) would authorize the City of Cambridge (“City”) to relocate land protected by Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution (“Article 97”) at the Father Callanan Playground and Fields in Cambridge (“Callanan Field”) that are adjacent to the Tobin Montessori and Vassal Lane Upper Schools (the “Site”), and (2) would authorize the City to construct subsurface geothermal wells under a portion of the Callanan Field.
Order Adopted 9-0

Order #3. That the Mayor is requested to work with the Finance Committee chairs to schedule a roundtable meeting of the Council as soon as possible to discuss budget priorities for Fiscal Year 22.   Councillor Nolan
Order Adopted 9-0

It's almost April. The FY22 Budget Book is probably almost ready to go to print. It seems a bit late in the game to ask for a Roundtable meeting to go over budget priorities for FY22. Those discussions should have happened before January. All that's left is the tweaks - unless the idea is to just crack open the piggy back and spread it around. I know that there are some councillors who openly talk about dramatically increasing property taxes "because we're a wealthy city". It's at times like these that I feel thankful for Bob Healy and Rich Rossi and Louis DePasquale and David Kale and many others who have done their best to moderate tax increases and prevent sticker shock over the years. It's one of the best aspects of our Plan E Charter.

Late Order #4. That the Chair of the Civic Unity Committee be and hereby is requested to schedule a virtual meeting of the Safe Streets, Safe City initiative as soon as possible to provide a forum for the Cambridge Police to report back on any information about the murder of Mr. Louis-Jacques and other recent episiodes of gunshots that can be shared with the community, and for area stakeholders to begin sharing information and planning on how we can all work collaboratively to keep this community safe as we enter the summer months.   Councillor Simmons, Councillor Carlone, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Toomey, Councillor Zondervan, Mayor Siddiqui
Order Adopted 9-0

Communications & Reports #1. A communication was received from Mayor, Sumbul Siddiqui, communicating information from the School Committee.
Placed on File 9-0

Teachers and staff are gettin' jabbed and soon enough the students will join in the jabbing. I never thought I would look forward to the gradual return to normalcy as so unbelievably extraordinary. - Robert Winters

And don't forget about these:

Tues, Mar 30

6:30pm   Planning Board meeting  (Remote Meeting - web and Zoom only)

Public Hearings

6:30pm   Missing Middle Housing Zoning Petition
Zoning petition by Carolyn Fuller, et. al. to amend the Zoning Map of the City of Cambridge to reclassify all land currently in Residence A-1, Residence A-2, Residence B, Residence C, or Residence C-1 Districts as being in a newly created Residence N District, and to amend Articles 3.000, 4.000, 5.000, 6.000, and 11.000 of the Zoning Ordinance by deleting provisions effective in the Residence A-1, Residence A-2, Residence B, Residence C, and Residence C-1 Districts and creating use and dimensional requirements applicable in the new Residence N District, and by deleting minimum off-street parking requirements for nontransient residential uses, among other amendments. (Materials)

Wed, Mar 31

5:30pm   The City Council's Ordinance Committee will meet to continue a public hearing on the Green Roofs zoning petition.  (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)

Thurs, Apr 8

5:30pm   The City Council's Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing on the Cambridge Missing Middle Housing Zoning Petition (Ordinance #2021-2).  (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)

Wed, Apr 14

5:30pm   The City Council's Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing on the Retail Uses Zoning Recommendations - Refiled (Ordinance #2021-3) and the Home Occupations Zoning Recommendations - Refiled (Ordinance #2021-4).  (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)

Rites and Rongs of Spring - March 22, 2021 Cambridge City Council meeting

Here's my vernal-eyed view of this week's proceedings:

Manager's Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a COVID-19 update on vaccination rollout.
Placed on File 9-0

Communications & Reports #4. A communication was received from Mayor Siddiqui, transmitting questions for the City Manager's COVID-19 update.
Placed on File 9-0

Still searching for that vaccination. Preregistered for Covid vaccine. Got a call telling me to call 211 to book an appointment. Called 211 and was told there are no appointments available. So what was the call about? This is typical Massachusetts. Who can I bribe to get a vaccination appointment? (I'm age-eligible.)

Manager's Agenda #2. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of a grant received from MAPC in the amount of $52,250 which will be used for technical assistance for 1) planning and permitting the expansion of the floating wetland pilot in the Charles; 2) outlining and disseminating a permitting road map and lessons learned that can enable similar capital, resiliency projects; and 3) engagement with the wider community to support understanding of water quality and to inform the expansion process.
Order Adopted 9-0

I really do like projects like this, but as long as it's now OK to put things in the river, how about a floating boardwalk on the back side of the Museum of Science garage to create a quiet pedestrian connection on the river away from the traffic on the Craigie Bridge? Decades have now passed since this idea was “floated.”

Manager's Agenda #3. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to proposed amendments to the Tree Protection Ordinance. [DPR letter] [proposed ordinance changes]
Referred to Ordinance Committee 8-1 (Toomey - NO)

On the Table #5. The Health & Environment Committee met on Oct 13, 2020 to discuss amending the Tree Protection Ordinance based on the findings of the Urban Forest Master Plan Task Force.
Referred to Ordinance Committee 8-1 (Toomey - NO)

On the Table #6. The Health & Environment Committee met on Nov 10, 2020 to continue discussing amending the Tree Protection Ordinance based on the findings of the Urban Forest Master Plan Task Force.
Referred to Ordinance Committee 8-1 (Toomey - NO)

Among the shortcomings in the proposed revised Tree Protection Ordinance is that it only considers single lots in isolation. The removal of a "significant tree" on one lot would trigger significant cost or tree replacements on that lot even if the removal might be greatly beneficial to trees on an adjacent lot. There are also no guidelines regarding what might be considered dangerous, e.g. very close proximity to a building. Prior to ordination there should also be provided a list of some examples with actual costs so that people can get a sense of the potential burdens that may be imposed on homeowners.

Manager's Agenda #4. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to recommendations for the block rates for water consumption and sewer use for the period beginning Apr 1, 2021 and ending Mar 31, 2022. [City Manager letter]
Order Adopted 9-0

Water rates are proposed to go up 1% and sewer rates are proposed to go up 8% for a combined increase of 6.5%. For the lowest block, it'll cost you $3.05 to buy 750 gallons of water and $13.51 to get rid of it.

Manager's Agenda #5. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to suggested zoning text amendments as well as amendments to Chapter 5.50 of the Municipal Code regarding cannabis delivery businesses. [Law Department memo] [Zoning text] [Municipal Code]
Referred to Ordinance Committee & Planning Board 9-0

The proposed zoning and ordinance changes replace the recently expired zoning proposal. Though I don't oppose any of the individual proposed cannabis business locations I often think about what the cumulative effect of all of this might be. Cambridge doesn't generally do a very good job of considering The Big Picture when pushing their favored few things, and cannabis has definitely been a favored thing over the last few years among councillors.

Resolution #6. Standing in Solidarity with Asian Community and Condemning White Supremacy.   Mayor Siddiqui, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Carlone, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Toomey
Adopted as Amended 9-0

I don't suppose you'll find anyone around here who supports any of the things that this Order condemns, but both "Resolved" statements in the resolution draw conclusions that may not necessarily be true.

Order #1. Opposing wood-burning biomass plants.   Councillor Nolan, Councillor Zondervan, Mayor Siddiqui
Adopted as Amended 9-0

Order #2. In Support of the FARE Act.   Vice Mayor Mallon, Mayor Siddiqui
Adopted 9-0

This proposal would make public transit free on the days of all statewide primary and general elections. The idea of making it free every day is not actually insane.

Order #3. Making Remote Participation in City Council Meetings Permanent.   Mayor Siddiqui, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Carlone, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Toomey, Councillor Zondervan
Adopted as Amended 9-0

I'm pretty sure that remote participation is here to stay in some form or another regardless of this City Council order. There are a few observations I might make about the whole experience. First, it does provide more equitable access to public meetings, so I guess that's a positive from a democracy point of view. On the other hand, it has facilitated what I sometimes call “democracy by the pound” where tech-savvy organizers can marshal their troops to read scripted comments from the comfort of home. Like the much-maligned-of-late and far-to-easy-to-invoke filibuster rule, I generally leans toward having at least minor hurdles to increase the fraction of serious democratic participants and ideas. Perhaps showing up in person to a meeting isn't the only way to do this and we have seen ill-informed parades of actual people at public meetings in recent years carrying the flag of their various noble causes. The depth of the pond just seems more shallow of late. On balance, I'd say that ensuring some remote participation is still a good thing - especially for those who may be physically less able to make their way to the Sullivan Chamber or other civic venue. I still prefer to do things in person.

There's another aspect of this virtual zoom-government that I consider to be a Big Problem. Citizens may get to tune in to watch the political equivalent of Hollywood Squares and maybe even give their 120 seconds of public comment before being muted with no opportunity for rebuttal (which you could always do in person outside the Sullivan Chamber). They may even be able to watch the recorded meetings in their leisure time. However, Open Meeting Law or not, there's a lot of deliberation and decision-making that now takes place out of public view. Significant proposals often simply rise out of the virtual firmament and the public gets to react far more than it gets a chance to act and often too late to make any real difference. Neighborhood listservs have become the dreadful forum of action and reaction in which the loudest voices take up a lot more space than rational discussion. Social media campaigns have become the norm, and much of it is indistinguishable from propaganda.

Order #5. Opposing The MBTA Service Cuts.   Councillor Nolan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor McGovern
Adopted as Amended 9-0

This is one of those cases where both sides are right. It sucks to cut back on public transportation while there's still a pandemic, but because of the pandemic the ridership is a fraction of what it used to be and it's crazy to be operating empty and near-empty trains and buses. Perhaps a Reality Compromise can be found. It's not all about “winning.”

Committee Report #1. The Public Safety Committee met on Oct 14, 2020 to discuss traffic enforcement and Order #14 of July 27, 2020.
Accept Report, Placed on File 9-0

Committee Report #2. The Ordinance Committee met on Oct 28, 2020 to discuss the Real Estate Transfer Home Rule Petition.
Accept Report, Placed on File 9-0

The more I think about this the less I like it - even though it would likely not affect me personally (unless the redistributionists really go wild). In truth, I don't like any revenue proposal that dedicates all the revenue to a single purpose, e.g. subsidized housing. It takes decisions about financial priorities out of the hands of the local legislature. I'm even having second thoughts about the Community Preservation Act for similar reasons. The rumor is that this Home Rule Petition doesn't stand a chance in the State Legislature, though some believe that it could lead to enabling legislation that might allow any city or town to sock it to the seller. I hope not. Local control does not necessarily translate into fairness.

Committee Report #3. The Ordinance Committee met on Feb 11. 2021 to conduct a public hearing a petition to amend Article 8.000 of the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance.
Accept Report, Placed on File 9-0; Passed to 2nd Reading

This is more of a technical correction based on recent court opinions and will like be passed to a 2nd Reading and ordained in a few weeks.

Communications & Reports #1. A communication was received from Mayor Siddiqui and Vice Mayor Mallon transmitting information about a Commercial Composting Pilot Program in Cambridge. [Cambridge Table to Farm Commercial Composting Report] [Cambridge Table to Farm Composting Fact Sheet]
Placed on File 9-0

I generally find this to be a good proposal, but there is a part of me who wonders whether this is more about cost avoidance for small businesses than it is about environmental salvation.

Communications & Reports #2. A communication was received from Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, transmitting an update on the Charter Assessment Review. [Siddiqui memo] [Collins Center memo] [Appendices]
Placed on File 9-0

I piped up about this at last week's Government Operations Committee meeting about the initial steps of the city manager search process. It seems a bit awkward to be talking about hiring the next city manager at the same time that some councillors are privately (and publicly) talking about shifting more power to themselves by possibly moving away from a city manager form of government. That would be a dreadful outcome, but once again that problem of invisibility behind the Zoom screen rears its ugly head. Overturning a system that has worked well for 80 years is not something that should be considered lightly.

HOW TO BREAK A POLITICAL MACHINE
pictures added Mar 27, 2021 scanned from original magazine
[Collier’s Magazine, January 31, 1948]
Comments?

Communications & Reports #3. A communication was received from Mayor Siddiqui, transmitting communicating information from the School Committee.
Placed on File 9-0

With all this talk about searching for an interim school superintendent and then a "permanent" school superintendent in addition to the initial steps to search for the next city manager, all I can think of is John Wayne, Natalie Wood, and Jeffrey Hunter. - Robert Winters

Et tu, Brute? Beware The Ides of March – March 15, 2021 Cambridge City Council meeting

Here are a few items of interest:

Reconsideration #1. Task Force Transparency.
RECONSIDERATION FILED BY COUNCILLOR ZONDERVAN ON MAR 9, 2021
Reconsideration Fails 4-5 (DC,PN,JSW,QZ - YES; AM,MM,DS,TT,SS - NO)

Last week's amended resolution seemed like a proper response to the original policy order, so my impression of this call for reconsideration is that either (a) Councillor Zondervan wants to continue milking this issue for all it's worth, or (b) he's sulking because six of his colleagues shot down his proposal to have his committee co-host any future public meetings of the Task Force. I expect this move for reconsideration will fail by the same 3-6 vote.

Manager's Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an update on the COVID-19 vaccination rollout.
Placed on File 9-0

Communications & Reports #2. A communication was received from Mayor Siddiqui, transmitting questions for the City Manager's COVID-19 update.
Placed on File 9-0

Order #3. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the Purchasing Department to provide a report detailing the City’s annual stationary expenditures, what percentage of that budget is spent at local retailers, and whether this percentage can be increased during the Covid-19 crisis.   Councillor Simmons
Adopted as Amended 9-0

The City's creativity in partnering with local restaurants to support Covid-related emergency food programs was fabulous, but there comes a point where this crosses the line into well-intentioned political patronage. There's also the matter of M.G.L. Chapter 30B which governs municipal procurement. [Chapter 30B Remains in Effect During COVID-19 Public Health Emergency] In the meantime, if you need any stationery supplies, consider buying them at a place like University Stationery or Bob Slate. Chapter 30B doesn't apply to you!

Resolution #6 (was Order #7). Thank You to My Brother's Keeper Cambridge.   Mayor Siddiqui
Adopted 9-0

Order #9. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to re-implement capacity restrictions on indoor dining to ensure the safety of restaurant workers, diners, and Cambridge residents until widespread vaccination of the general public is achieved in the coming weeks.   Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Carlone, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler
Failed 2-6-0-1 (JSW,QZ - YES; AM,MM,PN,DS,SS,TT - NO; DC - PRESENT)

I seriously hope this City Council Order goes nowhere fast. The distancing requirements are still in effect and that's really the limiting factor on capacity in places like restaurants and other indoor spaces. The sponsors of this Order don't seem to understand the concepts of managing risk and navigating your way safely from bad to better. The fact that they continue to cite Somerville as the wellspring of greater wisdom only makes me question more the role of city council aides, including the current Somerville City Council president. In the meantime, City Manager Louis DePasquale has repeatedly stated that Cambridge restrictions are subject to change as the need arises.

Unfinished Business #8. A Zoning Petition has been received from Arvind Srinivasan regarding zoning language relative to the Alewife Quadrangle Northwest overlay. [Passed to a 2nd Reading Mar 1, 2021; to be ordained on or after Mar 15, 2021. The deadline for ordination is Mar 16, 2021.]
Ordination Fails 1-7-0-1 (DS - YES; AM,MM,PN,JSW,TT,QZ,SS - NO; DC - PRESENT)
City Solicitor Glowa noted that because the Planning Board gave a positive recommendation this petition (or a similar one) may be re-filed at any time. (Otherwise there would have been a 2-year period during which re-filing would be prohibited.) The petitioner has so far indicated no intention to re-file and could develop their properties as-of-right under existing zoning. It was also revealed by the Solicitor that under the recent "Housing Choice" legislation this petition would have required only a simple majority (5 votes) for ordination due to the housing component that was part of the petition.

The odds seem to favor this petition expiring even if this means the owner/developer going forward with plans as-of right that provide little or no additional benefits (such as a bridge over the RR tracks). Then again, perhaps a rabbit will be pulled out of a hat Monday night that results in the necessary six votes for ordination. I'll say flat out that I hate the very idea of "contract zoning", i.e. Let's Make A Deal, but I would really like to see something better made of this corner of Cambridge with connections between the Quadrangle and the Triangle and also across the Little River (thought that's more of a DCR matter).

Order #1. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Department of Public Works, the Economic Development Division of the Community Development Department, the Budget Department, Cambridge Table to Farm, the local Business Associations, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, and other relevant groups to explore the feasibility of creating a Commercial Composting Pilot Program to serve at least 100 small businesses with fewer than fifty employees.   Vice Mayor Mallon, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Toomey, Councillor Nolan
Adopted 9-0

As a long-time promoter of composting I was glad to see this Order. However, as the Order states: "As this program will likely have budget implications similar to the 2018 Small Business Recycling Pilot, this possibility should be examined before the next fiscal year begins." Ideally, recycling and composting should yield financial benefits in addition to environmental benefits, but this is not always the case and any potential costs have to be taken into account.

Order #2. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the Historical Commission to initiate a process to begin chronicling the rich and vibrant history of people of color in Cambridge, similar to other City-commissioned books such as “We Are the Port: Stories of Place, Perseverance, and Pride in the Port/Area 4 Cambridge, Massachusetts 1845-2005” and “All in the Same Boat” and “Crossroads: Stories of Central Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts 1912-2000”.   Councillor Simmons
Adopted 9-0

This would be a good project - hopefully as part of a continuing series of less-recorded histories of the people and families who have lived in Cambridge over its nearly 300 years from village to town to city.

Order #4. Student Loan Crisis.   Councillor Nolan, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Zondervan
Adopted 9-0

I have long viewed cancellation of student debt as just a form of political patronage. There may be some room for forgiveness of some of this debt, but restructuring the debt at low interest rates has always seemed like the most fair way to address this. By the way, I do believe there should always be free or low-cost university options - just like I had when I went to college.

Order #5. That the City Manager be and is hereby requested to work with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to open Riverbend Park before the end of March and on other days in addition to Sundays, and explore the feasibility of extending Riverbend Park to the BU Bridge and beyond.   Councillor Nolan, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Zondervan
Adopted 9-0

Here we go again. I expect we'll again see Saturday and Sunday closures from April through November from Western Avenue to the Eliot Bridge, but any extension is unlikely for the same reasons DCR has provided in the past. Meanwhile, there are long-term plans to redesign of the Memorial Drive Greenway between the BU Bridge and the Eliot Bridge that hopefully will get back on track as the public health emergency wanes.

Resolution #5 (was Order #6). Ending the U.S. embargo on Cuba.   Councillor Nolan, Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Carlone, Councillor Zondervan
Adopted 9-0

File this under "Qaddafi and other foreign relations initiatives".

Order #8. Order to amend the Municipal Code of the City of Cambridge to insert new section Restricting the Use of Chemical Crowd Control Agents and Kinetic Impact Projectiles.   Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler, Councillor Carlone, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Zondervan
Referred to Ordinance Committee 9-0

Apparently much of last week's related discussion went in one ear and out the other. Maybe even in five ears and out the other five.

And let's not forget this:
Tues, Mar 16
3:00pm   The Government Operations, Rules and Claims Committee will meet to discuss the initial steps that must be undertaken to establish the search process for the next City Manager.   (Sullivan Chamber)

And so it begins. Pardon my cynicism but I would rather put my faith in random selection of a city manager than entrust the task to the current crop of city councillors. Unfortunately, it's their call under the Charter. Come to think of it, perhaps we should advocate for a Charter change to have the Cambridge City Council chosen by lottery from the registered voter list. - Robert Winters