My Summer Schedule & First 6 Months Recap

The City Council’s legislative schedule slows down in July and August, but there are quite a few ongoing initiatives throughout the summer. There will be one Council Meeting on Monday, August 1^st at 5:30pm, and then we will resume our regular weekly meetings on Monday, September 12^th at 5:30pm.

Ongoing Initiatives

The City Council is conducting a nationwide search to hire the next City Manager following Rich Rossi’s retirement at the end of September. A job description has been posted and candidates may apply through July. Screening and interviews will take place in August and September, with the goal of making the final selection at the end September.

We are considering how to strengthen our Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance, following a study that recommended changes including increasing the required percentage to 20% of new units. The third public hearing of the Housing Committee on this issue will be on Monday, 7/11 at 5:30pm in City Hall.

Envision Cambridge also continues work throughout the summer—check here for opportunities to participate in the citywide planning process. A visioning workshop for Alewife area is scheduled for Thursday, July 21st at 6:30pm at the Tobin School.

Participatory Budgeting is accepting ideas through the end of July for capital projects totaling up to $700K. Submit an idea here. We can all vote on the top ideas in early December.

Mount Auburn/Fresh Pond Parkway Corridor Study: I am serving on the stakeholder advisory group for the State DCR’s $500K traffic study to redesign this notorious bottleneck. The next meeting is July 21st at 6:00pm at the Russell Youth Center.

Gender and Sexual Harassment Committee: I am serving on a multi-disciplinary advisory committee led by Mayor Simmons to review and strengthen policies at both the City and School District level to prevent gender and sexual harassment and bullying. We meet monthly.

Family Policy Council: I am a member of this group, which will continue to meet this summer to discuss how to identify and close opportunity gaps for our youth and to prepare for the launch this fall of Find It Cambridge, an online resource to better connect families to programs and services.

Drop by to Chat

I will be out and about at different cafes and parks throughout the summer. The first two drop-in dates are:

• Thursday, July 14th from 8:30-10:00am at Sarah’s Market (corner of Concord and Huron Ave).
• Wednesday, July 20th from 4:00-5:30pm at Darwin’s (Mt Auburn St in Harvard Square).

While I will not be holding office hours at City Hall this summer, I am still available to meet if you have questions or concerns. Feel free to contact my Legislative Aide Nora Bent to set up an appointment. You can reach Nora at nbent@cambridgema.gov or 617-349-4277.

A Busy Six Months

Below is a recap of what I have been working on since I took office in January. It has been an exciting and productive six months, and I am pleased to share with you highlights of what I’ve accomplished thus far.

• Inman Sq. Bike Safety: On 6/27 I sponsored an order to fast-track the redesign of the Inman Sq. intersection in response to the tragic death of cyclist Amanda Phillips. The order also asks for a public education campaign on the dangers of “dooring,” for the City to require all city contractors to install safety side guards on their trucks, and that a future public plaza in Inman Sq. be dedicated in the memory of Amanda Phillips and all other cyclists who have been killed in Cambridge. The city agreed to implement some shorter-term solutions to make the intersection safer while hastening the redesign. We await a report back on the specifics, and a committee hearing has been scheduled on Tuesday, July 19th at 5:30pm to continue the bike safety discussion.
• Tree Protections: The original order I proposed on 6/20 asked the City to explore options to protect significant and healthy trees on private property, such as requiring a replacement tree or requiring payment into the city’s Tree Replacement Fund if the tree must be removed. The current Tree Protection Ordinance offers no mechanism to value the public benefit of significant trees on private property. This matter was amended to be sent without the suggestions to the Health and Environment, and I will be scheduling a hearing on this important topic in the early fall. I also sponsored an order on 4/4 to ask the City to determine the feasibility of an education campaign distributed to property owners through mechanisms like their tax bill with tips on how to help care for street trees (the City currently encourages property owners to fill Gator Bags on street trees near their property). The order also asks about implementing an “Adopt-a-Tree” program where residents would take ownership over trees near their property. This matter is awaiting a response from the City Manger and staff.
• Leaf Blowers: I held a Health and Environment Committee Hearing on 6/21 to review the City’s Leaf Blower Ordinance, which has been in effect for about 8 years. Aside from the awful noise they make, leaf blowers have significant health and environment consequences. Inhaling particulate matter can be harmful to landscape workers and residents alike, and excessive blowing disturbs insects and pollinators and dries out soil. The city staff agreed that stricter enforcement and more sustainable practices are needed. They will report back and we will hold a follow-up hearing in the early fall.
• Georgetown University Energy Prize: I held a hearing on 6/30 to give the City the opportunity to present their efforts to win $5 million for the City in this national competition to reduce energy consumption the most. Cambridge is currently a semifinalist along with 50 other cities, and we need everyone’s help to put Cambridge over the finish line as the competition wraps up at the end of 2016! Click here to find out what you can do.
• Climate Congress: I chaired an Environmental Committee hearing on 6/15 to learn about the City’s extensive climate change and resiliency planning initiatives and to discuss the idea of holding a second Climate Congress in partnership with Green Cambridge (the first one was held in 2009-10). Dates have not yet been set, but it was agreed that a citywide Congress could be useful in engaging a more diverse group of residents with climate change planning.
• Gas Pump Disclosure Labels: I sponsored an order on 6/13 to request to look into requiring labels with information about the environmental impact of burning fossil fuel on all gas pumps in the City. The Council is awaiting a report back.
• Sandwich Board Signs: I sponsored an initial order on 2/1 asking the City to report back on the current procedures for permitting sandwich board signs, and the Council received this information on 3/21. I then referred this matter to the Health and Environment Committee, which I chair. I will be scheduling a hearing to review our policies in the fall. Sandwich board signs can be helpful for small businesses, but in some locations they can clutter and obstruct sidewalks and can pose dangers to pedestrians, especially those with a disability or visual impairment. Our aim is to strike a balance between promoting commerce and keeping the public way clear for its primary purpose — walking.
• Municipal Lobbying Regulations: I sponsored an order on 3/21 to inquire about adopting regulations that require professional lobbyists pay an annual fee and disclose information to the City about their clients, campaign contributions, and policies that they tried to influence. Boston is considering similar regulations. This matter was referred to the Government Operations, Rules and Claims Committee and is pending a hearing.
• Improving Safety at the Sparks/Mt. Auburn Street Intersection: I sponsored an order on 4/11 in response to resident concerns about this intersection, which many cyclists and pedestrians use as a connection to the River but consider dangerous to navigate. There are bus stops on both sides of Mt Auburn, too. The City is working on a full safety analysis on the intersection and will report back to the Council.
• Additional Prescription Drop-Off Locations: I sponsored an order on 4/11 to identify more places where residents can safely dispose of leftover prescription medicines. Some residents find it difficult to get to the existing drop-off locations. In the face of an opioid crisis and with concerns about medications entering the water supply, we must make it easier to safely dispose of medications. This item is awaiting a response from the City.
• Encouraging Electric Vehicles: During the discussion of an order that I sponsored on 4/25 to waive the excise tax for electric vehicles, several solutions were proposed to encourage the use of electric vehicles. I will be scheduling a Health and Environment Committee Hearing in the fall on how the city can best promote electric vehicle use. The State is far from reaching its 15% target of EV adoption by 2025.
• Rename Cambridge Park Place: I sponsored an order on 5/9 following a community meeting regarding the chronic traffic congestion on Cambridge Park Drive near the Alewife T. Residents and Alewife employees reported that some drivers get confused with the similar-sounding street names, causing them to make illegal U-turns and worsen the back-ups. Cambridge Park Place (a short street that dead-ends in the Summer Shack parking lot) will be renamed Steel Place, honoring the history of the area.
• Citywide Notifications: I cosponsored an order with Vice Mayor McGovern on 2/1 to implement a service notifying residents about events and meetings via an automated call and text program. The City reported that they were upgrading the current reverse-911 system to accommodate this request and would be piloting a notification system.
• Televise all City Manager Search Hearings: I was happy to cosponsor this order, which was proposed by Councillor Carlone on 4/11, to ask that the Government Operations, Rules and Claims Committee televise all hearings related to the City Manager search. This is a critical public process that will determine the City’s future and televising the hearings will help inform and involve the public. All hearings about the search have since been televised. While I am not a voting member of this committee, I have attended all nine committee meetings and I served on the sub-committee that selected the search firm (GovHR).
• Voter Participation: I cosponsored two orders to encourage broader participation in municipal elections, both sponsored by Councillor Mazen. One, introduced on 5/2, asks the City to consider publishing a voter guide for the 2017 municipal election, which would help explain Cambridge’s complex Proportional Representation system. The second, introduced on 6/13, asks the city to expand early voting opportunities. Both are awaiting a response.
• Reducing Speed Limits: I cosponsored this order proposed by Councillor Carlone on 6/27 to ask the City to draft a Home Rule Petition to allow Cambridge to reduce speed limits to 20mph (from the state’s default 30mph limit) in thickly settled residential areas, which has been proven to reduce cyclist and pedestrian fatalities in crashes. This awaits a response from the the city staff.

It has certainly been a busy six months, but I am enjoying this work immensely and am grateful for the opportunity to represent my fellow residents. Thank you for all of the encouragement and support. Feel free to be in touch if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions. I hope to see you out and about in Cambridge during the summer!