Tuesday, November 6, 2007
WE WON!!!
Thank you so much to all who helped with the campaign and all who voted for me. Unofficially, I am in 6th place and re-elected to the council. Congratulations to Sam Seidel who will replace Anthony Galluccio on the council. I look forward to working with Sam in the term ahead. More to come later, but I'm thrilled I will have the honor to represent Cambridge on the city council for another term.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Less than 48 Hours until the polls open!
Sorry I haven't blogged much lately; it's been hard to take the time as we enter these last days of the campaign. It's been a hectic and challenging week -- we've had problems with some of our mail getting from the mail house to voters' houses. The last two days, our server has been down -- no website and no email! Now the website is up, but email still not working. Until it's fixed, please use votebrianmurphy@gmail.com. If you've tried to contact me and have not been able to get through or have not heard back, that's why. Not the best timing!
On a more positive note, I was pleased to receive the endorsements of the Cambridge Chronicle and the Alewife. I am grateful to the supporters who have listened to my frantic pleas for help and who have assisted me on the campaign.
This is an unusual election -- it's harder than usual to get people to pay attention to this election, and many voters are focused more on the challengers because of the open seats. I worry that an incumbent may be upset, and I don't want it to be me.
I'm trying to make sure I talk to as many voters as possible in these final hours before the polls open. Please call (617) 492-7426 if you have any questions or need more information -- I hope I can earn your #1 vote! I'm off to the farmers market in Harvard Square this morning -- maybe I'll see you there.
On a more positive note, I was pleased to receive the endorsements of the Cambridge Chronicle and the Alewife. I am grateful to the supporters who have listened to my frantic pleas for help and who have assisted me on the campaign.
This is an unusual election -- it's harder than usual to get people to pay attention to this election, and many voters are focused more on the challengers because of the open seats. I worry that an incumbent may be upset, and I don't want it to be me.
I'm trying to make sure I talk to as many voters as possible in these final hours before the polls open. Please call (617) 492-7426 if you have any questions or need more information -- I hope I can earn your #1 vote! I'm off to the farmers market in Harvard Square this morning -- maybe I'll see you there.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Neighborhood Update
Wednesday night I stopped by the Agassiz Baldwin Neighborhood Council Meeting. There’s a lot happening in the neighborhood – here’s a few highlights:
Shady Hill Square -- Neighbors are very concerned that development may take place on the Shady Hill green. It’s a remarkable community – it’s one of the few intact examples of the Garden city movement, reflecting utopian ideals in architectural design and landscape architecture. I’m trying to get the Cambridge Historic Commission to re-instate the landmark designation process they started eight years ago, before I was on the city council. I’ve also been working with neighbors to help them understand and navigate the city bureaucracy as they try to stop building from taking place. So far, we’ve been successful as the Inspectional Services Department has issued a stop work order while they review the circumstances surrounding the issuance of a building permit. If you’re interested in some of the background and history of the site, check out the Historical Commission’s 2000 report – as usual, the Historic Commission has produced a terrific summary of a piece of Cambridge’s history.
Aging in Place – Brief discussion of the aging in place project that the Agassiz Neighborhood Council has been promoting. (Also a good story in Saturday’s Boston Globe ) Cambridge at Home is having a launch party Sunday 10/21 – their website is www.cambridgeathome.org. Aging in place is an issue Cambridge and all communities will struggle with more and more each year – how do we enable people to stay and grow older in their community? Associated questions, such as how to provide needed services efficiently and equitably, inevitably arise and will be part of the discussion.
Maud Morgan Visual Art Center/Agassiz Preschool
Interesting discussion, very much at the early stages, about a possible collaboration between the Agassiz Baldwin Community, Lesley University and the Agassiz Preschool. The idea is that the Agassiz Baldwin Community would trade the space they had been planning for the Maud Morgan to the Agassiz Preschool and Lesley would house the Maud Morgan Art Center in conjunction with the Art Institute of Boston. While there are many complicated issues that need to be addressed by each organization, it’s good to see people brainstorming and taking the risk to discuss such a collaboration.
Off to doorknock – more blogging later.
Shady Hill Square -- Neighbors are very concerned that development may take place on the Shady Hill green. It’s a remarkable community – it’s one of the few intact examples of the Garden city movement, reflecting utopian ideals in architectural design and landscape architecture. I’m trying to get the Cambridge Historic Commission to re-instate the landmark designation process they started eight years ago, before I was on the city council. I’ve also been working with neighbors to help them understand and navigate the city bureaucracy as they try to stop building from taking place. So far, we’ve been successful as the Inspectional Services Department has issued a stop work order while they review the circumstances surrounding the issuance of a building permit. If you’re interested in some of the background and history of the site, check out the Historical Commission’s 2000 report – as usual, the Historic Commission has produced a terrific summary of a piece of Cambridge’s history.
Aging in Place – Brief discussion of the aging in place project that the Agassiz Neighborhood Council has been promoting. (Also a good story in Saturday’s Boston Globe ) Cambridge at Home is having a launch party Sunday 10/21 – their website is www.cambridgeathome.org. Aging in place is an issue Cambridge and all communities will struggle with more and more each year – how do we enable people to stay and grow older in their community? Associated questions, such as how to provide needed services efficiently and equitably, inevitably arise and will be part of the discussion.
Maud Morgan Visual Art Center/Agassiz Preschool
Interesting discussion, very much at the early stages, about a possible collaboration between the Agassiz Baldwin Community, Lesley University and the Agassiz Preschool. The idea is that the Agassiz Baldwin Community would trade the space they had been planning for the Maud Morgan to the Agassiz Preschool and Lesley would house the Maud Morgan Art Center in conjunction with the Art Institute of Boston. While there are many complicated issues that need to be addressed by each organization, it’s good to see people brainstorming and taking the risk to discuss such a collaboration.
Off to doorknock – more blogging later.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Green Meeting
We held a joint meeting of the Planning Board and the Ordinance Committee Tuesday night. While holding a joint meeting was unusual, I thought it made a lot of sense in this instance.
I’ve been a leading advocate for green building in Cambridge -- in January I filed an order requesting that the city require large developments to be built green, to meet LEED building standards. The Planning Board raised a series of questions about the proposal, from whether the city had the legal authority to impose these requirements to how the requirements would be enforced. As chair of the Ordinance Committee, I thought it would more productive for us to have a joint meeting rather than simply reacting to the Planning Board’s brief report. My hope was that the city council could better understand the Planning Board’s concerns and determine how best to address them.
I thought the meeting was helpful and productive. (I’m often impressed by the thoughtfulness that so many Cambridge residents bring to their volunteer work on Cambridge boards and commissions.) The Planning Board seemed to welcome the opportunity to amplify their concerns. Having their input will be helpful to me as I guide the Ordinance Committee to our final green building policy. We want to make sure the policy is effective, and having more in-depth discussions with the policy implementers helps advance that goal.
In addition, we discussed additional ways to ensure our city’s zoning code lines up with our overall policy goals. For example, we want to encourage green roofs, but in many instances green roofs count against a project’s FAR (floor area ratio). In the year ahead, I will work with the Community Development Department and the Planning Board to make our zoning code more efficient and more green.
I thought the meeting was a successful experiment I’d be willing to do again.
I’ve been a leading advocate for green building in Cambridge -- in January I filed an order requesting that the city require large developments to be built green, to meet LEED building standards. The Planning Board raised a series of questions about the proposal, from whether the city had the legal authority to impose these requirements to how the requirements would be enforced. As chair of the Ordinance Committee, I thought it would more productive for us to have a joint meeting rather than simply reacting to the Planning Board’s brief report. My hope was that the city council could better understand the Planning Board’s concerns and determine how best to address them.
I thought the meeting was helpful and productive. (I’m often impressed by the thoughtfulness that so many Cambridge residents bring to their volunteer work on Cambridge boards and commissions.) The Planning Board seemed to welcome the opportunity to amplify their concerns. Having their input will be helpful to me as I guide the Ordinance Committee to our final green building policy. We want to make sure the policy is effective, and having more in-depth discussions with the policy implementers helps advance that goal.
In addition, we discussed additional ways to ensure our city’s zoning code lines up with our overall policy goals. For example, we want to encourage green roofs, but in many instances green roofs count against a project’s FAR (floor area ratio). In the year ahead, I will work with the Community Development Department and the Planning Board to make our zoning code more efficient and more green.
I thought the meeting was a successful experiment I’d be willing to do again.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Arts in the city
Cambridge arts and artists were in full force over the weekend. Friday night after campaigning, I took my daughter to see the Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre's production of Covens. Beautiful, powerful and provocative, it runs through October 28 and is definitely worth seeing. The setting of the Sanctuary Theatre at the Old Cambridge Baptist Church added to the experience. It's a wonderful space -- I'm glad the city has helped in its restoration with community preservation grants.
Arts Central, was held this weekend -- a great effort by the Central Square Business Association to promote arts, businesses and Central Square. (I missed the fashion show this year -- I was a model a few years ago but it's probably better for all involved if I don't quit the day job...)
I also had the chance to stop by Joan Brigham's garden for her Duchamp Readymade Installation and talk. The exhibit's great -- Joan's replicas and updates of Duchamp's Readymades are fabulous, and I want her to include it on a future Friends of the Cambridge Library Secret Gardens Tour. Her talk was enlightening, presenting a modern day twist on Duchamp's views on utility, art and context.
For me, the weekend was yet another reminder of the importance of our arts community in what makes Cambridge Cambridge.
Arts Central, was held this weekend -- a great effort by the Central Square Business Association to promote arts, businesses and Central Square. (I missed the fashion show this year -- I was a model a few years ago but it's probably better for all involved if I don't quit the day job...)
I also had the chance to stop by Joan Brigham's garden for her Duchamp Readymade Installation and talk. The exhibit's great -- Joan's replicas and updates of Duchamp's Readymades are fabulous, and I want her to include it on a future Friends of the Cambridge Library Secret Gardens Tour. Her talk was enlightening, presenting a modern day twist on Duchamp's views on utility, art and context.
For me, the weekend was yet another reminder of the importance of our arts community in what makes Cambridge Cambridge.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Candidate; Verses Candidate
While most of my focus has been on my own election campaign, we have another election coming up: the election for Cambridge's first Poet Populist. I'm pleased to announce we will have
a public reading by the poet populist finalists on November 1st, from 6-8 pm, at the Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre, 400 Harvard Street in Harvard Square. This is a great chance to hear some of Cambridge's finest poets, and to become more informed as you cast your poet vote!
I inititiated the Cambridge Poet Populist program to heighten awareness and appreciation of poets and poetry in our community. After all, Cambridge represents the long and short of poetry, from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to e.e. cummings! More importantly, there are some wonderful poets writing and performing in our community, and we need to celebrate and spread their accomplishments.
Cambridge residents will be able to vote for our poet populist -- a poet of the people, for the people, selected by the people. Voting will take place in the first part of November, and we will announce our poet populist later that month. I'll post more details on the election as we get closer. Thanks for Nick Licata of the Seattle city council, who started the Seattle Poet Populist program and encouraged me to do the same for Cambridge.
See you on the poetry campaign trail!
a public reading by the poet populist finalists on November 1st, from 6-8 pm, at the Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre, 400 Harvard Street in Harvard Square. This is a great chance to hear some of Cambridge's finest poets, and to become more informed as you cast your poet vote!
I inititiated the Cambridge Poet Populist program to heighten awareness and appreciation of poets and poetry in our community. After all, Cambridge represents the long and short of poetry, from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to e.e. cummings! More importantly, there are some wonderful poets writing and performing in our community, and we need to celebrate and spread their accomplishments.
Cambridge residents will be able to vote for our poet populist -- a poet of the people, for the people, selected by the people. Voting will take place in the first part of November, and we will announce our poet populist later that month. I'll post more details on the election as we get closer. Thanks for Nick Licata of the Seattle city council, who started the Seattle Poet Populist program and encouraged me to do the same for Cambridge.
See you on the poetry campaign trail!
Walking the (Public Safety) Walk
Wednesday afternoon I went on the North Cambridge Community Safety Walk. Not a huge turnout of residents, but I think it was helpful for those able to attend. It was definitely useful for the city officials who were there -- we were able to identify some potential troublespots or areas needing attention. I'm putting in council orders for this week requesting some additional police emergency call boxes, a stop sign, better enforcement of parking regulations to keep open fire lanes and repair of an unsafe utility pole.
Walking through parts of the neighborhood with community members is a vital part of community policing. Thanks to Commissioner Haas and the many members of the Cambridge Police Department and Cambridge Housing Authority for taking the time to hear and respond to residents' concerns.
Walking through parts of the neighborhood with community members is a vital part of community policing. Thanks to Commissioner Haas and the many members of the Cambridge Police Department and Cambridge Housing Authority for taking the time to hear and respond to residents' concerns.
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