Cambridge Residents Go to Polls Today To Cast Votes on New City Council, PR

Today the voters of Cambridge will cast their ballots to elect a new City Council and School Committee and to decide the fate of Proportional Representation (PR). Polls open at 8 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

Last night the City Council ended quietly its last meeting in what has been a rather quiet campaign. Several of the councilors shook hands in the lobby and wished each other good luck.

Sound trucks heralding the merits of individual candidates and attacking or defending PR continued to roam the streets. For the third or fourth consecutive day, drivers in the Vellucci motorcade leaned on their horns. Neon lights in the rear windows of several cars kept on blinking for Councilor Walter J. Sullivan.

Although this campaigning will continue until the polls close, the campaign itself is effectively over. The best man, of course, will win.

Since the electorate is almost by definition an illogical animal, most theories as to who that best man will be are somewhat chimerical. But some predications are less illogical than others.

On the basis of past electoral performance, for example, both Mayor Edward A. Crane '35 and Joseph A. DeGuglielmo '29 seem likely to receive strong endorsement again. Councilor Andrew T. Trodden, who had a large plurality in his first election two years ago, also seems a strong favorite.

Thomas Coates, although a resident of Concord Ave., should draw heavily on the vote of the Negro population in East Cambridge. Also, Coates will probably show strength in the CCA constituency of the western part of the city.

From here on, the predictions become more and more of the armchair variety. Several area duels have been rumored.

G. d'Andelot Belin, a former president of the CCA, is strongly endorsed in the Harvard Square area. While some theorists feel that he will depose incumbent Councilor Cornelia B. Wheeler, another CCA endorsee from the Brattle area, ohers predict that both will have enough strength to be elected.

Another conflict may or may not occur between Councilor Pearl K. Wise, a CCA incumbent, and Bernard Goldberg, now an independent, who ran under the CCA aegis two years ago.

Still another duel, this one quite tangible, has shaped up between incumbent Councilor John D. Lynch and Daniel J. Hayes, a member of the School Committee with more political aspirations. Although Hayes has campaigned vigorously and vociferously, he will not have an easy time against the many years of Lynch tradition in north Cambridge.

Councilor Walter J. Sullivan and Alfred E. Vellucci both have small but strong islands of support in the city. Both have also campaigned intensively and have very strong chances for reelection.

Councilor Thomas M. McNamara may have the worst time at the polls of any incumbent, since he barely squeaked by in the last election.

The result of the conflict over PR is even harder to judge. Although the city has endorsed the electoral system by increasing majorities several times in the past 20 years, the very strong anti-PR campaign of the last few months may have been enough to turn back the clock.

One last thought on the election--all the bars in Cambridge will be closed until 8 p.m.