This Year's Picks

Tomorrow, Cambridge voters will have a chance to help define the city's future. In some ways, the issues at hand are old ones--what to do about the current policy of rent control and how best to balance the development of businesses against the needs of residential neighborhoods. But the city, approaching the limit of the property taxes it can collect under state law, is also about to face new economic challenges. The city council will have to consider carefully its spending priorities, and must seek to maximize the efficiency of existing programs.

Under Cambridge's proportional representation system, voters can chose as many candidates they like, and order their votes as they wish. Seven of the nine incumbents are running for reelection, and there are 22 challengers. Among the incumbents, we endorse three. And of the challengers, we have chosen six. Recently, candidates endorsed by the Cambridge Civic Association--a progressive citizens' group that has long been influential in the city's officially "nonpartisan" elections--have had a five to four majority over independents on the council.

The candidates we endorse are dedicated, intelligent citizens who we think can work together to meet the challenges we've outlined. We don't agree with the stands of these candidates on every issue, nor do they always agree with each other. But we do think these people are serious, experienced and knowledgeable about the issues facing the city, and that they recognize the important role that Harvard and its students play in Cambridge.

Among the incumbents, we endorse Edward N. Cyr, Francis H. Duehay '55 and Kenneth E. Reeves '72. Cyr has professional experience with city budgets; he was brought in as finance manager of Chelsea, Mass. after the city went bankrupt. He has been a leading advocate of fiscal restraint and is a level-headed, tough voice at council meetings. With another term as councillor, Cyr will continue to fight for a more efficient and less bureaucratic city government.

Duehay is an intelligent advocate for environmental issues at the council level. A defender of neighborhood interests, he was instrumental in banning smoking in public places and is currently spearheading a campaign to prevent the sale of cigarettes to minors.

Reeves has served well as mayor, particularly in his role as a spokesperson for the city. His idea of promoting Cambridge as a tourist destination makes good sense, and he has been an effective advocate for the city's growing minority communities. As ex officio chair of the school committee, Reeves has shown a true dedication to the city's educational system, and has proposed major reforms to bring its benefits to less wealthy schoolchildren. While Reeves has his drawbacks (he lives in a rent-controlled housing unit, despite his salaries as a lawyer and mayor; he fails to foster consensus among the councillors) we think that overall he is a valuable influence on the council.

Among the challengers, we endorse Kathy Born, Anthony Galluccio, John R. Pitkin, James McSweeney, Michael A. Sullivan and Katherine Triantafillou. Kathy Born, an architect and a neighborhood activist, has the experience and intelligence to be a positive force on a council that often must deal with questions about development and public space. She has shown a willingness to speak candidly about the failings of certain city departments such as the election commission and the law department.

Katherine Triantafillou, a lawyer and lesbian activist, will be a voice for equality in a city with a vocal, well-established minority of gays and lesbians. She has already been an effective advocate on domestic partnership benefits and domestic violence issues. She also has fought the MBTA on the high number of fatalities on North Cambridge train tracks.

Members of the Harvard community have long been familiar with Patkin, who, as head of the Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Association, has tirelessly and responsibly worked to improve relations between the University and its neighbors. Pitkin knows how the city works and is not afraid to expose incompetence within the bureaucracy. He would be an excellent addition to the council.

Among the candidates endorsed by the newly formed Alliance for Change, Galluccio, McSweeney and Sullivan have all gone beyond partisan bashing of the progressive Cambridge Civic Association (which currently holds a five to four majority on the council) to offer thoughtful, serious plans for leadership.

Galluccio's youthful energy and working class perspective make him an Independent we're happy to endorse. He's pro-business and pro-development because he cares about the job creation they bring. McSweeney is another candidate supported by the Alliance for Change. He is also supported by the Harvard-Radcliffe Republican Club. We appreciate his plans to extend MBTA hours and improve bicycle paths in the city, and we respect his attempt to reach out to the Harvard community beyond the partisan sampling of politically active students that has helped with his campaign.

Michael a. Sullivan, son of former councillor Walter J. Sullivan, is also seeking a spot on the council. We support his candidacy--and not just because we appreciate his father's record of integrity and his ability to work with the council's progressive majority of candidates endorsed by the Cambridge Civic Association. Sullivan's experience in law enforcement, as an assistant district attorney and attorney general dealing domestic violence, make him a valuable addition to a council that should make public safety and police oversight a top priority.

There are four incumbents we are not endorsing for reelection. Above all, we urge you not to vote for William H. Walsh, who will soon stand trail on 57 counts of bank fraud. His political maneuverings have repeatedly stalled the council, and his questionable ethics--pending charges aside--detract from the legitimacy of city governance.

Under Cambridge's system of proportional representation, voters can order their votes however they wish. If they choose candidates from the list of Born, Cyr, Duehay, Galluccio, McSweeney, Pitkin, Reeves, Sullivan and Triantafillou, Harvard and the city will be well represented as the city meets the challenges of the next two years.