Riversing!

What a magnificent way to celebrate the beginning of fall! The Riversing celebration was splendid. My family and I joined in the procession from WInthrop Square to the Weeks Foot Bridge, where thousands enjoyed playful giant puppets dancing to gorgeous voices over an impeccable sound system. The sky was crystal clear and the Charles shimmered in the twilight, reminding one how essential the Charles River is to Cambridge.

Kudos to Renata von Tscharner and the Charles River Conservancy and George Emlen and Revels
for the vision and dedication to make this magical evening.

Dinner Celebrating the Release of Ethiopian Prisoners of Conscience

I was honored to be included in a dinner Saturday night honoring members of Ethiopia's opposition party, considered by Amnesty International to be prisoners of conscience, who were recently released from prison. The dinner was attended by several hundred members of the Cambridge and Greater Boston Ethiopian community. Upon the request of several members of Cambridge's Ethiopian community, I recently passed a council order calling for the release of additional
prisoners of conscience and calling for the passage of HR 2003 to link aid to Ethiopia with human
rights.

I was inspired to hear the stories of these political leaders who were in prison for nearly two years and remained steadfast in their commitment to democracy and the rule of law. I can only imagine what it felt like to be thrown in prison for standing up for your values, to be charged with outrageous crimes, to be worried about the safety and well-being of your family and to have no idea when (or if) you would be released. It's a stark reminder that we in America have the luxury to take rights for granted that others must make extreme sacrifices to pursue.

Kickoffs -- campaign and football

Thursday night I officially kicked off my campaign on the roof deck at Daedalus. It was a gorgeous late summer evening and it was great to see old and new friends. Thanks to Jarrett Barrios for his kind introduction.

It's a little funny to be kicking off the campaign now since I've been running for several months, but it also seems like one must have an "official" beginning. In any case, please let me know if you can take me door knocking in your neighborhood, can host a coffee, can volunteer in the office, or would like a house sign. I need to make sure enough people know me and support me with their number one votes. The only way I'll be re-elected is if I get enough #1 votes -- please help!

I'm off to the second half of the CRLS football game!

Zone Defense

Wednesday evening, I chaired Ordinance Committee hearings on trash regulations, green building requirements and Mid Cambridge downzoning. I felt bad that the hearings ran far behind schedule -- I know how hard it is for people to take the time to testify at city hall.

The public discussion on the trash regulations was helpful in highlighting specific neighborhood issues regarding rodents and trash storage. We need to amend our municipal code as quickly as possible to increase potential fines and to allow the Inspectional Services Department to penalize violations. Being able to fine violators rather than have to go to court should make them change their behavior.

The Planning Board had some questions about implementing LEED standards to require large developments in the city to be green buildings. Although they suggested a task force, I kept the proposal in our committee to try to work through their concerns more quickly. I introduced the order requesting a green building requirement in January, and want to see us implement a green building requirement as soon as possible -- Boston is already ahead of us!

I also kept the Mid Cambridge downzoning proposal in committee, as we are waiting to hear back from the Planning Board regarding an intermediate downzoning. The neighbors are trying to find a zoning district that prevents them from feeling overwhelmed by infill building. It's a challenge many in the city are facing, and it's why I'm looking into expanding side lot setback requirements to give people a little more breathing room.

Zoning can be an esoteric topic, but it is a very important one for shaping our neighborhoods. Zoning regulations set forth guidelines for what can be built in a neighborhood -- it's sometimes very different than what already exists. We need to craft zoning regulations that work with people's reasonable expectations for the future shape of their neighborhoods that also allow a reasonable and appropriate amount of change and development.

Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Happy International Talk Like a Pirate Day!!

Smart on Crime: the need to modernize and reform CORI

I spent the afternoon at the State House at a rally for CORI reform and then testified in support of legislation to reform CORI before the Judiciary Committee.

The Criminal Offender Record Information act was passed in 1972. In the thirty-five years since its origination, CORI has expanded dramatically beyond its original scope.

It is estimated that over two million individuals in Massachusetts have CORI records – CORI includes arraignments, and cases where charges are later dropped. Access to CORI has broadly expanded beyond law enforcement agencies – more than 10,000 organizations have been certified for access to CORI, up from 2,000 in 1993.

At the municipal level, I have been working to ensure that the city and its vendors use CORI appropriately. I have filed four orders in the past few years regarding CORI reform: one in September 2005, October 2005 and June 2007

As a municipality, we need to lead the way in ensuring that our use of CORI is appropriately tailored and does not inappropriately deny individuals access to employment.

Because CORI is so broadly available, many individuals are unfairly penalized in housing and employment. CORI records can be hard to read and understand, and sometimes contain errors. A former attorney testified that there were a few occasions that judges in criminal trials admittedly could not read the CORI. Too often, employers disqualify individuals for simply having a CORI record.

In addition, CORI records are often not predictive of future behavior. Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral discussed at length the likelihood of a former convict committing a crime after seven arrest-free years; it is yet the same as any other member of society - there was testimony about CORIs containing criminal records that were more than 50 years old!

Given that the vast majority of criminals return to the community after serving their time, we need to be realistic about what are appropriate uses of CORI, and what uses have spiraled out of control in the last thirty-five years. Reforming CORI is a case of being smart on crime, and focusing on results of our policies rather than spouting tough crime rhetoric that leads to counterproductive results.

Acting to preserve our community

At tonight’s council meeting, we appropriated community preservation funds raised by the city’s FY 2008 CPA surcharge as well as the FY 2007 state match.

The state’s Community Preservation Act has been a tremendous benefit to our community. By essentially levying some property taxes via a surcharge, and placing them in a separate fund, we have been able to secure tens of millions of dollars in state matching funds. For fiscal year 2008 (the budget year ending June 30, 2008) we estimate that the city’s CPA surcharge of $5.8 million will be matched dollar for dollar by the state. Since its inception, the state match has been over $20 million.

We have to divide the money between affordable housing, open space and historic preservation, with at least 10 percent going to each. I have consistently supported spending the maximum 80 percent for affordable housing. While we spend additional money on all three of these areas, the need for affordable housing in our community is stunning in its scope. According to a recent survey of rental housing in the city showed no studio or one bedroom apartments were affordable to one person households earning below $29,540 (50% of area median income), and no two or three bedroom apartments were affordable to four person households earning below $42,050 (50% of area median income). If we’re serious as a community about our commitment to economic diversity, we need to step up to provide affordable housing options for some of these Cambridge families.

Back to School

I had the chance to attend the forum at CRLS on Closing the Achievement Gap.

Charlie Appelstein had a presentation on key principles and techniques for effective parenting. His presentation, while perhaps a bit cheesy at times, provided some useful information for parents (and teachers) on how to help our children succeed.

My one concern, which I raised at the forum, is how to balance the desire to give our children successes against the curse of low expectations, the concern that sometimes students, particularly students of color and/or lower income students, are treated as if they are not capable of excellence. Appelstein’s belief is that children will savor their initial successes and build upon them. Our challenge is to make sure that they do build upon those initial successes and achieve at the highest levels possible.

Friday Night Lights

Friday night I went to the Police Department’s North Cambridge Community Meeting at the Peabody School. Understandably, a number of residents were concerned about a recent spike in violence in their neighborhood. Even though the data shows our city is safe, any increase in crime in a neighborhood makes people want to know why and want to have it stopped.

The Police Department has agreed to have monthly neighborhood meetings, which should help ensure that the community has a chance for its concerns to be heard. I was also pleased to see Police Commissioner Haas at the meeting. I have been impressed by his openness and his visibility in the community. It also seems like he has a very good rapport with the officers.

I finished the evening at Russell Field to watch the second half of the high school football game. It was a perfect night for football under the lights – slight breeze, beautiful shirtsleeves night, and the Falcons beat Peabody 36-0. It was great to see the defense shut down Peabody and preserve the shutout.

After the game, I hung out with the Police Commissioner and police officers –some of whom had been at the community meeting. As people were leaving, a number of the students and officers said hi to each other by name, and bantered back and forth. It’s encouraging to see such connections – those relationships are essential if community policing is going to work. Only if the police and community get a chance to know and trust each other can we expect to have a safe city.


Friday Night Lights

Lost In the Supermarket

I’m truly excited about the prospect of a supermarket coming to Harvard Square. The former owner of Gourmet Heaven in New Haven will be opening Market in the Square in the old Sage’s location around the first of the year. Since the Sage’s closed, I have been advocating for the return of a full service supermarket to Harvard Square. It was frequently mentioned as a missing piece in improving Harvard Square during the Harvard Square Visioning Meetings I initiated in 2005 and 2006.

A grocery store in Harvard Square is a critical piece to allowing people in the neighborhood to do most of their daily activities on foot.

Kudos go to a number of people who worked diligently to secure a grocery store willing to come to Harvard Square, just a few of whom are Estella Johnson and her team at the Community Development Department, Mary Power at Harvard, and John DiGiovanni, Denise Jillson and the Harvard Square Business Association.

I’m looking forward to the ribbon cutting; in the meantime, here are some pictures of New Haven’s “Gourmet Heaven” to whet your appetite.

Lost in the Supermarket

CAOS

I had the chance to stop by some of the artists open studios this past weekend for Cambridgeport Artists Open Studios. CAOS is one of those events that makes me proud to live in Cambridge. Over fifty artists in Cambridgeport, some professional, some amateur, open their studios to showcase their work. Derrick Jackson’s work always makes me think it’s not fair that such a talented writer should also be a gifted photographer. Paul Gray’s self-described assemblages – visual improvisations using found materials – are inspired and frequently hilarious. I can only imagine how his eye works – he finds inspiration for an entire work from one cast-off item, from a hubcap to a vacuum cleaner.

As is the case every year, I wish I had more time to visit more studios. CAOS reminds us that Cambridge wouldn’t be Cambridge without our artists community, and we need to support the art and artists!