The Cambridge City Council held a special meeting Thursday to finalize city government and term priorities and discuss ways to improve transparency and accountability in the city.
Councilors considered specific language for Cambridge's priorities for the next two years, including housing, economic opportunity, transportation, sustainability and government accountability. These priorities will be approved at the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting.
Priorities include “making it easier to build more housing of all types,” ensuring economic equity, and working to increase transparency and accountability in urban governance.
The City Council will clear a long-standing backlog of council requests, including passing an order implementing a fare-free MBTA Route 1 bus pilot and considering a proposal to eliminate Cambridge's single-family residential zoning. has already taken steps to address many of its priorities. .
Thursday's meeting was the latest in a series of special meetings held since February to set goals for the new board, which was elected in November. The meeting was attended by all nine City Council members and City Manager Ian Huang '05 and moderated by Gabriela D. Salvatore, a consultant with the professional services accounting firm BDO.
The drafted values statement highlights the council's commitment to developing policies that reflect the needs of all residents.
“Cambridge City Council recognizes the city’s diversity, including but not limited to race, sexual orientation, language, national origin, income, age and ability, and is committed to developing policies that reflect the shared values of our community. We are committed to it,” the draft reads. “We will conduct our deliberations with transparency, community engagement, and consideration of the economic and social impact on residents, visitors, nonprofits, and businesses.”
Thursday's discussion focused primarily on formulating the goals in more inclusive terms.
During the discussion, City Councilwoman Ayesha M. Wilson brought up the findings of a report released in December that revealed significant racial disparities in companies receiving city contracts.
“I don't think this statement speaks to the need to center or actually intentionally address Black minority women in particular,” Wilson said during a discussion of an earlier draft. Ta.
The board voted in favor of a series of changes to the original draft, including language calling for greater economic equity for “marginalized communities.”
Similarly, the council changed the wording of the transportation goal from improving transportation for “all residents” to “all residents.”
Deputy Mayor Mark C. McGovern said broadening the language will avoid making his constituents feel left out, especially at a time when proposals to delay construction of bike lanes are reigniting heated debate in the city. He said he could.
“There's a larger conversation happening within the community right now, and we're all on the fence and debating it,” McGovern said.
“So I think something more general that encompasses all these different groups would be better,” he added.
The council also discussed how to work with city staff and Mr. Huang, Cambridge's chief executive who oversees the city's budget, to increase transparency and accountability. The relationship between the City Council and the city manager has historically been strained.
Huang asked the City Council for more support as city staff work to translate the council's policy directives into actual ordinances and city initiatives.
“I think there are certainly challenges in that historically it’s been very difficult for city officials to say no to council, and it’s been very difficult for council to accept that,” Huang said. Told. “You end up with a bunch of things that you don’t actually get done.”
Some council members responded by suggesting creating a priority list to track the various projects the city is working on.
But Huang said it can be difficult to prioritize among the board's various demands.
“If an initiative is important enough to be listed and tracked, where do you draw the line?” Huang said.
City Councilor Patricia M. “Patty” Nolan ’80 said tracking the progress of the city’s various projects can be frustrating.
“We need more accountability and visibility when we're not meeting our goals, but we also need more transparency when we're meeting our goals,” Nolan said.
The council “should be a mirror that says, 'Hey, we need to do something different to get there, or we need to celebrate when we reach a goal,'” she added.
—Staff writer Ayumi Nagatomi can be reached at ayumi.nagatomi@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @ayumi_nagatomi.
