Three Students Enter Fight For Cambridge City Council

Undismayed by the defeat of Paul Kerins '41 in his race for Brookline School Committee last year, three Harvard students and a member of the coaching staff will toss their hats into the local political ring, when their names appear on the Cambridge City primary ballots on Tuesday, October 17.

Kerins blazed the path for Harvard men entering local politics last spring, when he waged a heated but unsuccessful campaign for Brookline school reform.

The three undergraduates are fighting for nominations to the Cambridge City Council, while Soccer Coach John F. Carr has entered the lists for the Cambridge School Committee. Those who survive the non-partisan primaries will come up for election in November.

All three of the would-be City Councilors named as their slogan "A New Deal for the Citizens of Cambridge." Names of the candidates are: Edward J. Gordon, ocC, councilor at large; Albert L. Maguire '40, councilor from Ward 7; and Nicholas De Palma '40, from Ward 6.

Optimistic about his chances for nomination, Maguire said, in an interview, "The time has come when the citizens of Cambridge realize that a new type of man must represent them."

A strong exponent of the ill-fated Plan E, Maguire has pledged himself to do all be can to have the plan put before the voters at the next state election. In a heated referendum in which Dean Landis and other Harvard professors fought Cambridge politicians, the Plan for a city manager was rejected by a slim margin last year.

Wants Harvard Represented

"I think we need representation for Harvard in the Council," Maguire remarked. "Harvard does this community a lot of good and deserves more say in the local government. If Cambridge were run from Littauer Center, it couldn't be in worse condition than it is now."

A concentrator in government, Maguire gave up a fairly good chance of playing end on the football team in order to devote all his time to canvassing his constituents.

A candidate for nomination in Michael Sullivan's ward, De Palma will plead for a more tolerant and enlightened City Council, when he appears before his voters in public rallies.

"I think that before any political problems can be solved, we'll have to have a more tolerant point of view towards social problems," De Palma said.

De Palma's platform includes civil service reform and a closer relationship between the various health and welfare boards in the city.

Budget Reform Urged

Hoping to be one of the eight candidates to be nominated for councilor at large, Gordon said that he would work for budget reform. "I feel that the budget should be more explicit and should be written in detailed terms, so that everyone can understand it."

He also is in favor of slum clearance and better housing. Refusing to comment about the personnel of the present Council he remarked "I don't wan't to start a mud slinging campaign."

As his platform for election to the Cambridge School Committee, Carr has pledged himself to do everything possible for school reform.