A 'Snailpace Slow' Day At City's Polling Places

Expecting a torrent of voters to show up for yesterday's city elections, officials guarding the ballot box in the basement of the Harvard University Police Headquarters on Garden St. got not much more than a trickle.

"This election is deadly slow, snailpace slow," said Bill Willard, the election monitor for ward 8, precinct 1, as he eyed one of the only three dozen voters who turned out during the traditionally busy lunch hour.

It never got much busier than that. By day's end, only 45 percent of the precinct's registered voters came out for the election. The three past elections saw 60 percent turnouts.

Some voters attributed the low turnout to a lack of advertising.

"The candidates need to be more publicized," said retiree Adam R. Paulie. "I read the Globe today, and it was all about the Boston elections...and nothing about Cambridge."

Other citizens who cast their ballots yesterday said the low voter turnout was disappointing but understandable.

"For a lot of people this is a pretty quiet election," said Bemis Professor of International Law Detlev F. Vagts '49, who cast his ballot a few minutes after 1 p.m.

"Last time there was a really big push against rent control," he said, referring to Cambridge's longstanding, hot issue.

At Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, the voting location for ward 4, precinct 1, the story was the same.

Polly B. LaBrie explained the low turnout by saying, "This is the year before presidential elections. People are complacent."

Many voters said that, while rent control is still the most important issue, concerns about the political makeup of the city council influenced their decision.

"I think the issue that was most important was that the [Cambridge Civic Association--a slate of progressive city politicians] has five of the nine seats, so I voted all Independent," said accountant Stephen G. Sennott. The Independents are Cambridge's neighborhood-based, pro-development slate.

Lisbeth A. Applebaum, who came to vote with a friend, had another concern. "I want to know what's going to happen with the surplus money that Cambridge has," said Applebaum. The city has a reserve of free cash that it uses to keep its bond rating high and facilitate its cash flow. Some residents have criticized the city manager for not freeing up that money to offset budget cutbacks.

Although disappointed but not surprised with the low voter turnout, Applebaum stressed the importance of every person's vote. She warned those who never vote, "Don't complain if you don't do your little bit."