Cambridge Remains Without Mayor

The City of Cambridge will be without a mayor for at least two more weeks, as the new City Council members, despite narrowing down the number of candidates, have yet to elect a leader for the 2010-2012 term.

The mayor—who also serves on the Cambridge School Committee—is chosen from within by the Council. A councillor must receive five or more votes in order to be elected mayor. At last week's meeting, five candidates received at least one vote.

“It’s a cumbersome process,” said Councillor Henrietta Davis, who placed third in today's vote. “We’re working at it even though it’s a potentially contentious issue.”

Councillor David P. Maher had the highest number of votes for the second consecutive week, with four votes from Leland Cheung, Sam Seidel, Timothy J. Toomey and himself. Cheung switched his vote from Marjorie C. Decker—who withdrew from the race—to Maher this week.

“I have been a steady leader,” Maher said in an interview. He added that he believes the mayor is responsible for leading the Council to agreement, and that he has “a reputation as a consensus builder.”

Meanwhile, Councillor Kenneth E. Reeves '72, who served as mayor from 2005-2007 and 1992-1995, got the additional support of Decker, who had previously voted for herself.

Current frontrunner Maher said that he hopes the Council elects a mayor soon, since committees cannot be formed until a mayor is selected.

Robert Winters, who teaches at the Harvard Extension School and writes a blog about Cambridge politics, disagreed with Maher’s reasoning.

“The only important committees are the ordinance and the finance committees, both of which are committees of the whole,” he said, meaning all councillors serve on these committees. In Winters’s opinion, “the people make a little too much out of the election.”

With the new mayor still undecided, some Cambridge residents and Cambridge School Committee members have expressed concerns about the election process.

“I wish all six of us school committee members could vote because it affects us,” said Patricia M. Nolan ’80.

“There should be a way to get the citizens involved,” said former Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons, adding that one way to do so would be changing the City's charter, which determines the distribution of governing power among the Council and the City Manager.

Cambridge resident Red T. Mitchel recommended that citizens select four mayoral nominees from the nine City Council members then have the Council choose the mayor from amongst the nominees.

“The councillors should still get a chance to vote for their chair, because the mayor is essentially the chair of the city council,” Mitchel said.

—Staff writer Rediet T. Abebe can be reached at rtesfaye@college.harvard.edu.