HGSU and MIT GSC Cambridge City Council Voter Information Guide

On September 26th, the Harvard Graduate Student Union (HGSU) hosted a forum with candidates running for Cambridge city council, focused on issues that are likely to matter to graduate student voters. This voter information guide, created by HGSU and the MIT Graduate Student Council (GSC), provides some context on the questions we asked and some of the key policy issues and summarizes what we heard from the candidates. You can use the “outline” feature in Google Docs (button in upper left corner) to jump to the header for each section of this document (including each candidate).

Municipal elections for Cambridge (as well as neighboring municipalities like Boston and Somerville) will take place November 7th. If you are a registered Cambridge voter, you can look up your polling location here. Cambridge uses a ranked choice voting system, so you will be asked to rank several candidates in order of preference.

Policies glossary

This glossary describes some of the important policy issues the candidates made reference to during the event.

Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO): BEUDO was originally an ordinance passed in 2017 to required large buildings in Cambridge to document and disclose their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, but when the candidates refer to BEUDO they are almost always talking about the major changes to BEUDO the City Council passed in May 2023, which require commercial buildings over 100,000 square feet to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.

Debates around this policy included whether large residential apartment blocks should be included on a 2050 decarbonization timeline or entirely exempt (they were ultimately exempted) and whether purchasing carbon offsets could count toward building owners’ emissions reductions (use of offsets is heavily restricted in the final policy).

Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO): The Affordable Housing Overlay is an ordinance passed in 2020 that allows residential buildings in which 100% of units meet strict standards for affordability to be built at a higher density than would otherwise be allowed by city zoning. The main requirement is that AHO units must be occupied by households making median income or less and rent and utilities must cost <30% of household income.

A new proposed set of amendments to the AHO (passed shortly after the candidate forum took place) further increased the allowed building height limits for 100% affordable buildings in different categories of zoning, with the tallest allowed buildings reaching 15 stories on major roads near Central, Harvard, Union, and Porter squares, as well as removing some other limits on density.

Holistic Emergency Alternative Response Team (HEART): A public safety program intended as an alternative to policing that trains community members to respond to nonviolent incidents as an alternative to an armed police response. Debates around HEART include the level of city funding support for it and whether to allow HEART to respond to a subset of 911 calls.

MIT GSU support resolution: In July 2023, the City Council passed a non-binding resolution calling on MIT to agree to the MIT Graduate Student Union’s contract demands, including a pay increase commensurate with rising cost of living, reforms to procedures for addressing harassment and discrimination, and universal union membership (“union shop”).

City charter review: Cambridge’s city charter (effectively the city’s constitution) is up for review. Changes that could be made to the charter and have been debated include having a directly elected mayor with a chief administrative officer instead of the city council selecting a city manager and selecting the mayor from among its members. Charter changes recommended by the city council will be put to a vote in a referendum likely to take place in 2025.

Questions for the candidates

This section describes how we framed each of our questions to the candidates at the beginning of the forum. Candidates were given 90 seconds to introduce themselves and 90 seconds to answer each question, as well as one audience question.

Housing: Rents in this city are high and rising. Most Harvard and MIT grad students are classified as rent-burdened, paying more than a third of their income in rent. Some pay more than half. In 2020, the Council adopted the 100% Affordable Housing Overlay to help increase the supply of affordable units in the city. While promising, housing costs remain a major concern. What is your plan to address the cost of housing in our city?

Policing and public safety: Our second topic is about policing and public safety. Earlier this year, Cambridge Police Department officers killed Sayed Faisal, a UMass Boston undergraduate student who was having a mental health crisis and was carrying a knife. Many have viewed the police killing of a young man of color as emblematic of broader racial injustice in our city and its institutions. What would your approach be to preventing a tragedy like this from happening again? Time permitting, we also invite you to share other specific policies you would put forward that address policing, public safety, and/or racial justice in Cambridge.

Bike safety and transit: Candidates have been asked to sign the Cambridge Bike Safety Pledge to show their support for creating a citywide network of protected bike lanes. Why have you chosen to sign, or not to sign, this pledge? More broadly, what will you do to improve the state of cycling and transit in Cambridge?

Climate policy and decarbonization: Our fourth topic is about climate policy. Most students, as young people, are part of a generation that will face the brunt of climate impacts for most of our lives and recognizes the unjust distribution of the impacts of climate change. For many of us, efforts to mitigate climate change are an urgent priority. Cambridge recently amended its Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (or BEUDO) to require commercial buildings over 100,000 square feet to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, one of the most ambitious local ordinances of its kind, and part of a broader set of Green New Deal proposals. As the city council considers how to further reduce carbon emissions, what policies if any would you support to decarbonize and electrify residential buildings and transit, and on what timeline to achieve net zero?

Unions and workers’ rights: Our fifth and final topic is about unions and workers’ rights. Graduate student workers who perform research and teaching work at both Harvard and MIT are now unionized, and undergraduates and other academic workers at Harvard are now seeking to unionize as well. Over the course of forming our respective unions and negotiating for our contracts, the City Council has passed resolutions publicly calling on our employers, MIT and Harvard, to agree to our contract proposals and stop using union-busting tactics. Did you or would you have voted for these resolutions? And in what other concrete ways would you support workers’ rights?

Candidates positions summary

This table briefly summarizes what we know about the candidates’ positions on several specific policy questions. You can read in more detail what the candidates told us about their ideas and views in the next section.

Y = yes

N = no

- = position ambiguous or abstained from vote

? = position unknown/not discussed (mainly for candidates not present at forum and who are not incumbents with a voting record)

Candidate responses

These notes summarize the responses the candidates gave to our questions at the candidate forum. Audience questions are paraphrased for brevity and clarity. A recording of the event can be found here, and timestamps next to each candidate’s name indicate the time when their section of the forum begins.

Table of contents:

Candidate responses        6

Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler (00:03:53)        6

Adrienne Klein (00:11:55)        8

Catherine Zusy (00:22:20)        9

Dan Totten (00:33:15)        10

Federico Muchnik (00:43:20)        12

Burhan Azeem (00:54:41)        13

Vernon Walker (01:04:40)        15

Robert Winters (01:13:26)        16

Ayah Al-Zubi (01:22:40)        17

Ayesha Wilson (01:32:37)        19

Paul Toner (01:43:32)        21

Hao Wang (1:53:08)        22

Marc McGovern (2:02:39)        25

Frantz Pierre (02:11:38)        27

Carrie Pasquarello (pre-recorded responses begin 02:18:14)        28

Candidates not in attendance        29

Sumbul Siddiqui – incumbent mayor        29

Patricia Nolan – incumbent city councillor        29

Denise Simmons – incumbent city councillor        29

Doug Brown        29

Joe McGuirk        29

John Hanratty        29

Peter Hsu        29

Joan Pickett        29

Gregg Moree        29

Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler (00:03:53)

Introduction

• Renter and union member.
• Endorsed by UAW and previously joined picket lines with striking workers in Cambridge.
• Attributes many of his perspectives on policy to being raised by a single mom working multiple jobs, dependent on affordable housing and child care.
• Previously worked for the Working Families Party, working on progressive policy on housing, childcare, sustainability.
• Previously served on city council in 2019-2020. Co-sponsored the Affordable Housing Overlay and lead sponsor on bicycle safety ordinance. Introduced ordinances to ban use of tear gas by police in Cambridge and create alternatives to policing.

Housing

• Strong supporter of Affordable Housing Overlay and supports new amendments to
• Notes his current unit would be illegal to build today because of density restrictions and setbacks. This needs to change to create more affordable housing.
• In favor of rent stabilization, tenant opportunities for purchase, use of the Cambridge Community Land trust to create
• Too many people being priced out of the city.
• In day job, worked on mixed income social housing legislation. This is common in other countries but not in the U.S. – Cambridge could be leading on this.

Policing and public safety

• Local government has a lot of control and jurisdiction over policing. Need to think comprehensively about what weapons, surveillance technology, etc. police are allowed to use or not use.
• Led effort to ban tear gas in Cambridge. Chemical weapon banned under international law.
• Don’t need police with guns responding to many things like substance use, mental health, traffic enforcement. Can create systems for trained community members to respond instead.

Bike safety and transit

• Lead sponsor on ordinance to create bike lane network.
• Easy decision to sign Cambridge Bike Safety Pledge.
• Biking in Cambridge is one of the easiest ways and “people shouldn’t have to risk their life to do it.”
• If elected, will be a vote on the council to complete the bike lane network.
• Need local representation on the MBTA board to address issues with green line and red line.

Climate policy and decarbonization

• BEUDO is a step in the right direction. Cambridge should be leading on climate policy.
• The Inflation Reduction Act has funding in it to help cities pay for solar panels, heat pumps, and other aspects of decarbonization. Should be doing this for every public building.

Unions and workers’ rights

• Was on record supporting every union support resolution during time on city council.
• “As a union member myself,” very important. Walked picket lines with Harvard grad workers and Cambridge coffee shop workers.
• Can support workers both formally and informally – being present and showing up. When employers see councillors are on the picket line and passing resolutions, they are less likely to union bust because they know there will be consequences for their relationship with city council.

Audience had no questions

Adrienne Klein (00:11:55)

Introduction:

• First-time candidate.
• North Cambridge mom.
• Cares about housing – lives in an affordable housing unit.
• Cares about access to information. Has been serving in a constituent services role for the city. Constantly hearing about constituents’ needs – good understanding of what residents are looking for and what city council can do to support that.
• Cares about bicycle safety.

Housing

• Affordable housing is number one issue constituents call to ask about.
• Need to work with universities to address graduate student housing.
• Support AHO.
• Support simplifying zoning ordinance to allow multi-unit housing across all
• Revamping inclusionary housing program. Went through the program as a renter. Could do better in interactions with residents served by that program.

Policing and public safety:

• Trained in forensic anthropology.
• Need police-community reconciliation program in Cambridge to address systematic violence police departments have caused. Need to address this history head-on, but it is “not about individual officers” or individual actions.
• Support alternative response mechanism, including HEART.

Bike safety and transit:

• Biked to work during pregnancy, which alarmed colleagues.
• Live on a street that is dangerous for bicyclists – have seen a cyclist clip the mirror of a car.
• Need to protect the bike lanes we have and create a plan for city-wide protected bike lanes.
• Need a study of existing bike lanes to address “challenges with implementation” and do a better job with communication and collaboration moving forward.

Climate policy and decarbonization:

• Of the relevant topics,
• Care about the climate to ensure children will have access to a clean environment, clean water, etc.
• Support BEUDO and Cambridge Green New Deal.
• Need to create and build on programs to support access to green jobs in Cambridge.
• Looking to learn from experts on city staff.

Unions and workers’ rights:

• Was part of a union while working for a hospital in New York.
• Need to settle a fair contract for Cambridge public school teachers.
• Support union jobs and would support resolutions like
• Council can show up with both personal presence and policy orders for workers trying to unionize.

Audience question: What would your proposed police reconciliation program look like? More details of your vision for transforming justice in our city? Are violence interrupters a possible solution?

• Public safety needs to focus on deterrence.
• Need a consistent response every time, but response doesn’t need to be punitive.
• Reconciliation program would involve conversations between community
• Don’t think there’s a need for violence interrupters in Cambridge based on experience working with cities across the world on this issue.

Catherine Zusy (00:22:20)

Introduction:

• Leading effort to revitalize Magazine Beach park. Have been working on this for 12 years as a volunteer.
• Initiated restoration of St. Augustine African Orthodox Church.
• Many other projects over last 25 years. Have lived in Cambridgeport for 28 years.
• Known for slogan “Zusy gets things done.”
• Good at collaborating, persisting, listening. Goal oriented and will bring people together to accomplish things.
• Have been effective in Cambridgeport. Looking forward to addressing larger issues like affordable housing, climate policy, and transit.

Affordable housing:

• Cost of housing is 215% higher than national average in Cambridge.
• Has a son who is 25. The world has changed so he doesn’t have the same opportunities living in the Boston area because rent is so high.
• However, Affordable Housing Overlay is not the answer. It is a “crude tool”. Need to find ways to fund housing out of new taxes, such as windfall taxes on up-zoned properties.
• More auxiliary housing and rezoning.

Policing and public safety:

• Sayed Faisal was shot in my own neighborhood. This was an “unfortunate incident, but if he had stayed in his house, it would have been a private issue. When he jumped out the window and neighbors reported concern about someone with a long knife, that was a community safety issue [...] Something went wrong, and that was unfortunate.”
• Our police do good work and are nationally renowned. We hear about how police are bad, but our police community safety department does good work. There are social workers on police department staff.
• Police commissioner is moving policing in the right direction.
• First got involved with public safety by creating a crime watch group when a serial rapist was reported in neighborhood.
• “We do need police – we need to think about how they work within the community.”

Bike safety and transit:

• Essential that we have safe bike lanes.
• Did not sign Bicycle Safety Pledge on principle. Candidates should not be forced to commit to a position before being on the council and getting more information.
• Thrilled to see bike lane network expanding and commend the bike safety community.
• Need to extend timeline for bike lane roll-out. Need to give the city time to do it well so there isn’t backlash.

Climate policy and decarbonization:

• Proud to live in Cambridge because of early adoption of green policies.
• Excited about community geothermal. Trying to bring pilot project to Cambridge.
• Integrated energy planning approach.
• Hoping to draw on expertise from MIT and Harvard.
• Heading in the right direction, but don’t support BEUDO because timeline is too fast and utilities need more time to provide more electricity.

Unions and workers’ rights:

• Haven’t thought about this issue. Will think about it more if elected.

Audience question: What message are you sending to people with mental health issues by saying Sayed Faisal should have limited his mental health issues to

• Have talked to police commissioner about proactive and preemptive measures.
• Police are working with communities at risk and focused on providing services, which Cambridge excels at. Need to focus on trying to solve problems before they escalate or manifest themselves.  
• Cambridge hospitals and health facilities are extraordinary and need to continue to provide mental health services as broadly as possible.

Dan Totten (00:33:15)

Introduction:

• Queer renter from Central Square.
• Just today, was dealing with a leak in apartment bathroom and worried about rent increase because of costs.
• Running to continue the progress Councillor Zondervan has achieved on City Council. Worked as Cllr. Zondervan’s aide for 6 years.
• Proud of work on affordable housing, climate justice, bike safety.
• Universal afterschool care is essential. City turned away 500 families from afterschool programs, including many low-income. Have been knocking on their doors and hearing their stories directly. How can a wealthy city like Cambridge look them in the eye?
• Passionate about addressing homelessness. Need to create permanent supportive housing that comes with wrap-around support services.

Affordable housing:

• Helped draft Affordable Housing Overlay amendments that the council is currently considering – proud of working with Councillors Azeem and McGovern on this.
• Want to write a student housing overlay to allow denser housing on university campuses for students as long as it is subsidized.
• Denver built permanent supportive housing. 81% of people placed in those units stayed in the unit for three years or more. “If we want people off the street, we need to put our money where our mouth is and get people off the street in Central and Harvard Square supportive housing.”

Policing and Public Safety:

• “I stood with Faisal’s family the night after he was murdered by the police.”
• “The answer is abolition.” Need to move away from racist carceral systems and toward models of true support and care for vulnerable populations.
• Over the summer, was called by an unhoused person who was being confronted by police for taking shelter from the rain under the eaves of the public library to de-escalate situation. Police commissioner apologized for unnecessary escalation.
• Need transformative models like Cambridge HEART. HEART should be given the chance to respond to low-level 911 calls.

Bike safety and transit:

• Strong support for Cambridge bike safety pledge. “I signed the pledge because I don’t want my friends to die or get hurt.”
• Every day, the Cambridge crashes twitter account are crashes in Cambridge between a car and a cyclist in which the car is at fault. Don’t want to wake up one day and find that a friend is hurt or killed.
• Feel safe biking because of Brattle Street bike lane.
• There shouldn’t still be doubt over the need for bike lanes just because some people feel inconvenienced – support candidates who support bike lanes.

Climate policy and decarbonization

• Proud to have worked on BEUDO to make it one of the most ambitious pieces of local climate legislation in the country.
• Net zero for commercial buildings by 2035 is not an extreme position but rather a compromise that everyone came to – students, developers, and most city councilors.
• Eversource never said they couldn’t provide enough electricity and in fact said they could.
• Would like 2035 timeline for residential and transit decarbonization as well.
• If we want to reduce transit emissions, need to reduce number of cars in the city. City council influence over MBTA, but could institute “road diet” ordinances to protect pedestrians and limit congestion.

Unions and workers’ rights

• Was involved every step of the way in grad worker union organizing campaigns, from before campaigns went public to union election votes. Helped draft and put forward resolutions in support.
• Have been on the picket lines, made sure grad student voices were heard at public comment, and will continue to be there to support.
• Was surprised that resolution supporting MIT GSU contract proposals was not unanimous.
• Frustrating that the city council and school committee have not been supportive of the teachers union. Strongly support teachers union and think the city should settle a fair contract.
• Will stand with any union that is fighting for a fair contract. Will always stand with workers over management.
• “I will always choose a side, and it will always be the union members.”

Audience question: Can you elaborate on efforts to reduce car traffic?

• New York has implemented traffic calming measures that could be replicated in Cambridge. It doesn’t take a major street redesign.
• Raising parking permit fees. Has been proposed multiple times but council has voted it down.

Federico Muchnik (00:43:20)

Introduction

• Teacher and film-maker. Have spent most of life in Cambridge.
• Became interested in becoming a city councillor as a result of making a film about a local story.
• Got involved in organization trying to preserve character of the city.

Affordable housing

• In principle in favor of quality affordable housing, but opposed to having 12-15 story buildings in Cambridge (as proposed under new AHO amendments).
• Advocates for mid-rise “gentle density.” Putting public before developers.
• Staggered density so that as you move further from major streets, building size decreases to be “in line with the neighborhood.”
• Will fight to stop high-density building.
• Argues proponents of AHO amendments are unqualified, unlike other city councillors with more urban planning expertise.

Policing and public safety

• Was glad to see that after the murder of George Floyd, the Cambridge Police Department had to document all of the heavy weapons it has.
• Supports HEART.
• Police officers should be accompanied by social workers.

Bike safety and transit

• Did not sign Bike Safety Pledge. Loyalty should be to the city, not to a pledge.
• Believes bike lanes are “here to stay,” and in general should be expanded but does not approve of specific bike lanes that have been created on certain streets.
• Cambridge should not have bus lanes.
• Difficult to do anything through MBTA, but should do a pilot program for larger number of half-size electric buses to increase flexibility.

Climate policy and decarbonization

• Would “leave the timeline to the experts” and wait to assess feasibility.
• 21 of 25 of the most polluting buildings in Cambridge belong to MIT. Need to sit down with researchers and facilities managers at MIT to problem solve.
• Individual actions – shorter commutes, eat less meat, localized building heating.

Unions and workers rights

• Would join a union, but never had the opportunity as a freelancer.
• Supportive of daughter helping to unionize her workplace.
• Unions can help create new leadership in an organization.

Audience question: Is being young on city council an advantage or disadvantage?

• It’s not about age, it’s about knowledge.
• Young people bring in a lot of new ideas.

Burhan Azeem (00:54:41)

Introduction

• Current city councillor – youngest to ever serve in the city.
• Born in Pakistan and immigrated to U.S. Lucky to get scholarship to MIT. Was involved in student voter registration efforts, including MIT Vote.
• Worked as an EMT and at a healthcare software company.
• Passion is housing policy. Founded organization to advocate for housing policy at the state level.
• Lead sponsor of the affordable housing overlay amendments.

Housing policy

• Housing situation is challenging, especially for young people.
• Vacancy rate is extremely low, and many apartments had issues like infestations or leaky roofs that should not be legal.
• PhD students are giving up a higher income to pursue an academic passion

Policing and public safety

• Moved to the U.S. soon after 9/11.
• Was excited to learn to drive but kept getting pulled over repeatedly. Lived not far from where Eric Garner was killed.
• Number one focus is reducing interactions with the police. Should have more automated traffic enforcement and allow community safety department and HEART to respond to appropriate 911 calls.

Bike safety and transit

• Signed the bike safety pledge.
• Red line has been running unacceptably slowly. MBTA belonging to the state is a real obstacle, but Boston got a seat on the MBTA board, so other municipalities could do this too.
• Bike and bus lanes are essential. Have been involved in improving bus service.

Climate policy and decarbonization

• Supported 2035 timeline for BEUDO.
• Supported exempting residential buildings from BEUDO.
• Need to get all housing to net zero as quickly as possible, but not fair to treat large apartment buildings differently from individual homeowners.
• Improving mass transit is also key to reducing emissions.

Unions and workers rights

• Lead sponsor on resolutions supporting unions.
• Was at MIT when grad student unionization effort started – excited to see contract wins from Harvard and MIT.
• Family and partner involved in unions.

Audience question: Can you elaborate more on housing policy you’ve worked on?

• Wrote the amendments currently being considered to strengthen the Affordable Housing Overlay.
• End exclusionary zoning, create social housing, and rezone university campuses to build more student housing.
• Youth voter turnout is extremely important. Need youth turnout to spike to win meaningful change.

Vernon Walker (01:04:40)

Introduction

• Climate advocate, minister, and social justice advocate.
• Grew up in west Philadelphia. Grew up in public housing, in difficult neighborhood with incidents of violence.
• Education was a pathway out – going to Boston University for first masters, and second masters in public policy at Tufts University.

Housing

• Cambridge is in a housing crisis.
• Black and brown people are disproportionately harmed by housing injustice.
• Support Affordable Housing Overlay.
• Would also support municipal housing voucher to subsidize market-rate units.
• Need universities to provide affordable housing for grad students.
• End exclusionary zoning.

Policing and public safety

• Had personal experience growing up seeing police mistreat and illegally stop and search Black people.
• Communities of color justifiably lack trust in police.  
• To create safety, need more conversations between underserved communities
• Member of board of Mass Peace Action – opposing militarization of police.
• Support HEART because of its community buy-in and trust and relationships with marginalized communities.
• Cambridge police should have body cameras – could reveal the truth about incidents like the police killing of Sayed Faisal.

Bike safety pledge

• Signed bike safety pledge.
• Cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists all need safe streets. Recently witnessed an accident in which a pregnant woman on a bike was hit by a car.
• Advocating for on-demand transit run by the city that operates like Lyft or Uber.

Climate policy and decarbonization

• Currently climate justice director at Clean Water Action. Working on state policy on air quality monitoring and siting reform.
• Previously ran Communities Responding to Extreme Weather – organization at the Democracy Center to help prepare for flooding, heat, etc., which Cambridge
• Need to provide education for those in urban heat islands like in North Cambridge and Cambridge Port.
• Support BEUDO. Also need resilience efforts, like distributing cooling kits.
• Need to continue building on the Green Jobs Ordinance and focus on enabling Black and brown residents to access good jobs in clean energy, electrification, and related sectors.
• Should bolster programs focused on planting and watering trees.

Unions and Workers’ Rights:

• Stand in solidarity with unions. Recently endorsed by UAW, MNA, and SEIU local 509.
• Was previously a member of AFSCME 1199C as a home care worker in Philadelphia – personally understands the importance of unions for economic justice.
• Walked picket lines with Stop and Shop workers and St. Vincent’s nurses in 2021.
• Committed to standing with UAW.
• Supported Fight for 15.

Audience had no questions

Robert Winters (01:13:26)

Introduction:

• When first came to Cambridge 45 years ago, rent was $70/month. Was eventually able to buy building.
• Owns a building with three units – lives in one and rents out the other two. Have never charged as much for rent as numbers some others have cited. People need to understand that some landlords charge reasonable rents because they value having good tenants.
• Served on the Central Square advisory committee. Advocated for composting system for about a decade.
• Has been writing Cambridge City Journal for 20 years.
• City charter review is #1 issue. Want to be on city council to make sure any changes to city charter are well-considered.

Housing

• Previously served as part of housing working group.
• Opposed to both the original affordable housing overlay, and also to the new amendments proposed to strengthen it.
• Should not have high-density affordable housing and lower density market rate housing in proximity. Should instead have a special permit process so the planning board can review higher density projects on a case by case basis.
• Cambridge can’t fix rent problems unilaterally – rent is high in surrounding municipalities too.
• Improving transportation infrastructure is the best way to access affordable options.

Policing and public safety:

• Personally know many people in Cambridge Police Department. Strongly support CPD and believe we are moving in the right direction.
• Reserving judgment about the shooting of Sayed Faisal until investigation is conducted.
• Community safety department – police officers appreciate being augmented by other professionals, but are concerned about whether that actually translates into safety when responding to 911 calls.

Bike safety and transit:

• Bicycle is primary method of transportation. Believes bikes and mass transit are best transit options.
• Will not sign bike safety pledge. Believe some outcomes of bike safety ordinance are good on high-traffic streets, but ruined small side streets unnecessarily by adding bike lanes.

Climate policy and decarbonization:

• Prefer incentives and education rather than firm mandates.
• Restaurants should be allowed to cook with natural gas – it’s not the place of city council to tell people how to do things.
• Go after big sources of emissions first and “don’t sweat the small stuff.”
• Leave people flexibility and choice.

Unions and Workers’ Rights:

• Understand some of the issues that lead grad students to unionize.
• As a mathematics grad student, was given extra duties beyond the scope of thesis project that derailed research progress.
• Was given a teaching prize but resented it because it felt like an empty gesture to try to compensate for having been exploited to do a large amount of extra work others didn’t have to.
• Important that grad students be treated fairly, but not important whether it’s through a union or “some other means.”

Audience question: You have liked and shared posts on Twitter and other social media that attack trans people. How can voters trust you to stand for the rights of all people in Cambridge?

• Don’t remember that. May have liked something that seemed funny. Don’t recall liking anything particularly controversial.

Ayah Al-Zubi (01:22:40)

Introduction:

• Immigrated to the U.S. as a child and moved around a lot – never got to be in a stable place.
• After moving to Cambridge, came to understand the power of building community.
• Firmly believe in investing in people, especially youth, to build better communities.
• Consider the motivation of candidates – why is everyone running?
• Running to uplift the voices of those most often marginalized in political spaces and with least access to political engagement. Young people, workers, people of color, and tenants, for example.

Housing:

• Two thirds of Cambridge residents are renters
• Harvard graduate students having to fight for higher wages to keep up with cost of living shows that more support from the city is needed.
• Emergency rental assistance program. If landlords raising rent forces tenants out, the landlord should be responsible for paying cost to transition to new home.
• Transitional homelessness is most common form of homelessness.
• Chronic homelessness – not a guilty population, a vulnerable one. Need to invest more in creating opportunities and resources.

Policing and public safety:

• As a muslim, this issue is personal. After 9/11, the PATRIOT Act, Dept. of Homeland Security, and extensive surveillance state were created. These systems are not failing – they are repressive by design.
• Policing emerged from institutions created in the 18th century to repress and recapture enslaved people. If a system is broken fundamentally, we cannot rely on it and need to invest in communities in different ways.
• Need to release names of police officers who killed Sayed Faisal.
• Mental health crisis is considered cause for leniency for white people but not people of color.
• Need to reallocate funding away from policing toward community organizations like HEART. Police reform and systems like the Community Safety Department will not fix a fundamentally broken system.

Bike safety and transit:

• Signed bike safety pledge. Bike infrastructure saves lives.
• Recently had bike and campaign materials stolen and defaced.
• Need to consider road safety from the perspective of bikes and pedestrians. Bike lane network should be completed and expanded.
• City should put pressure on board chair of MBTA. T service in Cambridge unacceptably slow.

Climate and decarbonization:

• BEUDO and other Cambridge Green New Deal proposals are incredible progress.
• Still need to talk about what decarbonization/electrification looks like for residential buildings and commercial buildings <100k square feet.
• Need to invest in clean energy sources and create ways for renters as well as homeowners/landlords to engage in electrification/decarbonization process.

Unions and workers’ rights:

• Endorsed by UAW. Proud union supporter.
• Recently graduated from Harvard in sociology – helped student organizers on campus think about forming coalitions with other movements to hold university accountable for putting people over profit.
• Institutions like Harvard can afford to do more for the city and for those they have historically exploited, like BIPOC communities.

Audience question: At a time when there is talk of raising the voting age at the national level, what advice do you have for young people based on your experience as a young candidate running for office?

• Many people want to silence the political voices of young people because they know we have the energy to create change.
• Important for young people to keep showing up, including students. Important to engage on the local and state level – a lot of progress can be made. Presidential politics tends to dominate awareness, but sometimes presidents have limited agency.

Ayesha Wilson (01:32:37)

Introduction:

• Raised in Cambridge (including full K-12 education).
• Currently a Cambridge School Committee member serving second term.
• Social worker by training.
• Single mother to 15-month-old. Want to thoughtfully approach what it means to raise a child in Cambridge.
• Work for Cambridge Housing Authority as a councilor supporting young people grades 8-12 with life skills and supporting their family in meeting their needs.
• Union employee with Teamsters Local 122.
• Want to make Cambridge a safe and comfortable city for working people and their families for generations to come.

Housing:

• Grew up in Cambridge public housing and held section 8 voucher. Used voucher from CHA to live in Boston for about 10 years before moving back to Cambridge.
• Now live and work at specialized housing site, supporting residents with intellectual disabilities.
• Want to not only promote affordable housing in general but specifically think about creating pathways to homeownership. Don’t currently see an affordable pathway.
• Sad to not have the opportunity as someone who has dedicated her life to serving the community, especially thinking about raising a son.

Policing and public safety:

• Have seen too many friends, neighbors, and young people traumatized and victimized by police.
• Have seen at the national level the pain caused by policing, and those issues arise in Cambridge too.
• However, there is always a need for police, and programs like Youth Resource Officers are doing great work.
• Need to think holistically about safety, including programs like HEART. The city is complex and there are a lot of different needs for public safety.

Bike safety and transit:

• Lost a friend in 1997 – hit by a car while riding a bike. Have never ridden a bike since.
• Bike lanes are important, but communication and process around how they are implemented are also important.
• Have not signed bike pledge and do not intend to.
• Work with many young people who bike to school, but also with residents who felt they were impacted by bike lane implementation without being consulted or included in the conversation.
• The city needs to do a better job of communication and process. Can bring communication and collaboration skills to help make sure marginalized voices are heard in these conversations.

Climate policy and decarbonization:

• Thank you to councillors doing amazing work on climate.
• BEUDO sets timelines that are appropriately aggressive and intentional and holds corporations and institutions that have the resources accountable for decarbonizing.
• Residential and religious buildings should also eventually be included in climate policies, though a 2035 timeline would not be realistic.

 Unions and workers’ rights:

• Support unions and stand in solidarity with workers.
• Understand the importance of support a union can provide as a second-generation union employee.
• Solidarity is essential for workplace safety and for wages so workers can actually live in Cambridge.
• Endorsements from Greater Boston Labor Council, Teamsters local 122 and 151.

Audience question: Cambridge teachers’ union still doesn’t have a contract that meets their needs, causing instability for educators and students. As a member of the school committee, how have you worked toward a fair contract?

• Active negotiations are ongoing, so can’t reveal too much.
• Working toward a fair contract and have already come to a tentative agreement on many good things. A few more things to close out.
• Those representing the School Committee at the bargaining table are doing so in good faith, and will have a tentative agreement fairly soon.
• Work at the high school, so can appreciate the impact on students and educators firsthand.

Paul Toner (01:43:32)

Introduction:

• Incumbent city councillor running for re-election.
• Lifelong Cambridge resident – lives in same house as great grandfather.
• Feel lucky to have been able to keep home that was in the family since home prices have now gotten so out of hand.
• Teacher in Cambridge public schools. Also attended Suffolk Law School while teaching.
• Served as president of Cambridge Teachers Association, then of Massachusetts Teachers Association, the largest union in New England.
• Known for collaboration and problem-solving.

Housing:

• Need affordable housing for low-income residents, but even middle- and upper-middle income people have a hard time finding housing. Need to increase housing stock at all price levels.
• Wasn’t on the council yet when original AHO was voted on, but support it.
• Supportive of some of the new amendments to AHO, but not building height limit increases. Need for nuance and better solutions.
• Recommendations of mayor’s task force on improving tenants’ rights and other ways to support access to affordable housing.
• Oppose putting more city funds into city housing trust. Better to keep it in city coffers to be used flexibly.

Policing and public safety:

• Come from a family of police officers – have cousins on Boston, Cambridge, and Holyoke police forces.
• Cambridge police do an excellent job and have a better track record than nearly all police nationally. Most issues with policing are happening elsewhere.
• Our police force is not militarized. Equipment and training are appropriate because it’s better if CPD is able to respond to all situations with Cambridge residents’ best interests in mind rather than have to call state police.

Bike safety and transit:

• Didn’t sign bike safety pledge.
• In 2017, didn’t sign because advocates hadn’t talked to businesses and residents about impact of bike lanes.
• In 2021, pledge was improved, but still too inflexible on timelines.
• Want to be able to be an independent thinker and respond to feedback and suggestions from community.

Climate policy and decarbonization:

• Supported first version of BEUDO that set decarbonization deadline at 2050. Didn’t support amended version that moved deadline to 2035 for all large buildings.
• Worked with others on the council to introduce carveouts and exemptions and remove penalties to reach a compromise where largest companies and institutions that have the most resources and capacity to decarbonize will still be under the 2035 deadline, but others won’t have to.
• Residential buildings still need to be addressed, but this should be done with incentives, not punishments.

Unions and workers rights:

• Voted “present” on the resolution in support of MIT GSU because supported the order itself but was uncomfortable with the “whereas” clauses. The criticisms of MIT were too difficult to verify.
• Have been a long-time union member and not only stand with unions but have lead unions alongside other labor leaders.
• 15 union endorsements. Endorsed by Greater Boston Labor Council, Massachusetts Retirees Association, and more endorsements expected soon.
• Currently a member of SEIU 32BJ as adjunct faculty member at BU.

Audience question: Whereas clauses in the MIT GSU support resolution were based on statistics MIT itself had released. How can graduate student workers and workers more generally in cambridge trust you to take our side over employers if you wouldn’t trust the union and stand up to MIT?

• Fully supported the request for the city council to back MIT GSU’s contract proposals – the whereas clauses were the only concern.
• Tried to work with fellow councillors to make changes to address uncertainty about the whereas clauses, but couldn’t vote for the resolution without those changes.

Hao Wang (1:53:08)

Introduction:

• Came to Cambridge from China as a graduate student.
• Along with fellow candidate Peter Hsu, running to represent Cambridge’s East Asian community to provide more of a voice in Cambridge’s affairs.
• Encourage more students to participate in civic engagement. We have the best universities and world-leading industry and should aspire to have the best community as well.

Housing:

• Not about either/or – candidacy is about doing both.
• Have seen how population growth is affecting cities not just here but around the world – there’s a clear need to build at higher density. But this should be done in a way that doesn’t destroy the character or heritage of the city.
• Wrote op-ed in Cambridge Day proposing that Cambridge can build on the scale of the Prudential Center or John Hancock Tower. We can do this and still preserve areas like Harvard Square, Porter Square.
• Also need bold solutions to support workers, including teachers, who earn enough to not be qualified for low-income housing but are still struggling.

Policing and public safety:

• Have spent several years in Manhattan directly dealing with homelessness and drug abuse problems, working for public agency providing housing and services for thousands of people.
• Support HEART and other efforts to provide alternative responses to non-violent incidents.
• Also support the police. Can’t defund the police – need them to keep city safe and manage problems like rising crime and migrant crisis.

Bike safety and transit:

• Grew up biking for transit. Support reducing deaths and injuries of bikers.
• Also support taking care of elders and businesses who need parking spaces that might be taken away by bike lanes.
• Should bring together experts to devise solutions that support both of these needs.

Climate policy and decarbonization:

• Support BEUDO emissions disclosure requirements, but don’t support 2035 decarbonization requirement.
• Personally reduced energy consumption at home by 60% over past several months without stopping usage of gas.
• Institutions like MIT need high-powered equipment – during graduate studies, used magnets that required a large proportion of the whole city’s energy. You are here to do research and change the world, not to save energy.
• There are practical ways to promote green behavior through nonprofits. Cannot force energy transition on rigid timeline.

Unions and workers’ rights:

• Contract negotiations with teachers are currently underway – they should be getting more than a 2.5% raise every year. We are losing our best teachers to other school districts because we aren’t supporting them and don’t have affordable housing for them.
• Should support teachers union and our local government workers who cannot afford many things they need but don’t qualify for low-income housing.

Audience question: How would building at higher density while protecting neighborhood character work? Would you oppose building at higher density in Harvard Square or Union Square?

• We don’t want to build taller buildings in areas like Harvard Square that should be preserved.
• In Cambridge there are places that are easier to build than Harvard Square or Central Square. Where exactly would be a matter of public deliberation and consensus.

Marc McGovern (2:02:39)

Introduction:

• Long-time Cambridge resident. Live in house grandfather was able to afford in 1918 because he was a union ironworker.
• Social worker – have worked with children in vulnerable populations in Cambridge and across the state for 19 years.
• Currently serving 5th term on the council, including one past term as mayor.
• Running because despite chaos at the national level, still believe government can do good and uplift people.
• Cambridge has a higher poverty rate than the state average, especially after adjusting for cost of living.
• Need “bold, compassionate leadership” – can’t just tinker around the edges but rather should put forward bold policies on behalf of the people the council serves.

Housing:

• 6000 people on Cambridge Housing Authority waiting list – who live and work in the city – is a crisis.
• Co-sponsor of Affordable Housing Overlay and amendments to strengthen it. AHO created 660 affordable units so far – this is changing people’s lives.
• This is a moral issue – can’t get hung up on 12 stories vs 10 stories. People talk about preserving the character of the city, but its character visually has already changed over time. Triple-deckers used to not be allowed, but now they’re what everyone wants to preserve. Character is not about buildings but about people who live here.
• Work with people every day who are in desperate need of affordable housing and deserve it.

Policing and public safety:

• After murder of George Floyd, co-chaired task force to create an alternative system for emergency response.
• Community safety department will have social workers respond to non-violent 911 calls.
• Unhoused people who can’t get into a shelter have no support system except to call 911, and often don’t want to do so currently because interacting with police puts them at risk. Now we’ll have a different system – will be a game-changer.
• Cambridge police in general are better than most police departments, but that’s no consolation in tragic cases like that of Sayed Faisal. Need to do better.

Bike safety and transit:

• Signed the bike safety pledge. Agree with the pledge’s ask to complete the bike lane network and not weaken the bike safety ordinance.
• Sponsored the first version of the bike safety ordinance – stand by that position.
• Sat with parents of Cambridge resident who was killed after being hit on her bike by car door. A few weeks later, son was also hit by car door near the same place and thankfully survived.
• Space is always limited on narrow streets, so it’s true there are tradeoffs between bike lanes and parking. Have to reimagine how we use our streets.

Climate policy and decarbonization:

• Voted for BEUDO, green roofs, and stretch energy code.
• “Humans didn’t evolve from the stone age because we ran out of rocks. We moved on because technology got better.”
• Need to invest in clean energy and electrification technology like what is being developed at The Engine/MIT so that requirements we are putting in place can be met.

Unions and workers’ rights:

• Have stood with grad worker unions from the start – have met with leadership and spoken at rallies.
• Thankful to be descended from a union ironworker. Couldn’t have afforded a house in Cambridge without the economic foundation that provided.
• Double Tree hotel staff were trying to unionize with UNITE HERE and Harvard wouldn’t take responsibility for management union busting even though they owned the building and hired the company. Fought Harvard on it and the staff are now unionized.
• Not just about passing resolutions but actually engaging in the fight. It’s important not just what councillors say but how they actually vote.

Audience question: Do you accept money from developers?

• Some, but not all. People have to build stuff – not all developers are evil.
• Some, like BioMed, have been productive partners in the community. Don’t mind being supported by them.
• Others, like Boston Properties, have not been good community partners. Won’t accept money from them.  
• Track record of holding developers accountable. When a company wanted to build in Central Square, they wanted 12% affordable housing. Fought to get 20%, which cost the company millions of dollars.

Frantz Pierre (02:11:38)

Introduction:

• Would be first Haitian city councillor – would be making history.
• First candidate running for both city council and school committee.
• Social worker. Have held many roles, including residential worker, mental health specialist, Department of Youth Services worker.
• Youngest of 12 siblings.
• Campaign slogan is “the people’s candidate.”

Housing:

• If not for affordable housing, wouldn’t be in Cambridge.
• Can add programs to help housing insecure people get unstuck.
• Taxes are too high.
• Not enough multi-bedroom units for families.
• Need to build state of the art facilities for housing the elderly and youth housing – both groups not well served currently. More intergenerational connection.

Policing and public safety:

• Support police. Not in favor of defunding police. From a place where, without police, the situation would be very bad.
• Need to provide support to get people out of survival mode. When people are thinking only about survival, it’s hard to think clearly and make good decisions.

Bike safety and public transit:

• People are not receiving enough information in a timely manner about bike lane policies.
• People are left out of the conversation around bike lanes until it’s too late to do anything about it. If elected, could help engage more people.

Climate policy and decarbonization:

• Shouldn’t wait until climate change is on our doorstep to build what we need to build.
• Not running to play the game of politics or replace anyone in particular on the council – running to represent what residents actually want.

Unions and workers’ rights:

• A union provides the kind of support system that everyone needs.
• Prevents abuse and mistreatment of workers and helps support workers’ families.

Audience had no questions

Carrie Pasquarello (pre-recorded responses begin 02:18:14)

Introduction:

• Platform emphasizes transparency, accountability, and public safety.
• Experience working for U.S. state department shaped view on safety – being prepared, proactive, and protected was key to staying safe anywhere in the world.
• After 12 years working in Europe and Asia, founded a safety and security business that does risk and threat assessment.
• Have been working on state legislation to address public safety issues.
• Rise in violent crime, homelessness, mental health issues, and drug overdoses in Cambridge is unacceptable.
• Too many business owners and community members are angry about lack of community engagement and that their voices are not heard. Will stop the city council from moving forward with new policy orders until every question is answered.

Housing:

• Having lived and worked in cities all over the world that are densely populated and/or expensive, have a unique perspective on housing.
• Important to preserve Cambridge’s history and unique characteristics against overdevelopment.

Policing and public safety:

• Fully support first responders.
• Police should have best training, resources, and strategic planning.

Biking and public safety:

• Need to do a better job of rolling out bike lanes in a way that doesn’t hurt businesses.
• Public transit commute times have increased, leading commuters to consider driving instead. We need to make transit faster, more reliable, and safer.

Climate and decarbonization:

• City should pursue climate resilience programs.
• Climate policy should be carried out with incentives, not enforceable mandates.

Unions and workers’ rights:

• Unions advocate for workplace safety. In favor of safety.
• Looking forward to meeting with union groups in coming weeks.

Candidates not in attendance

Some candidates were not able to attend the candidate forum. You can find more information about their campaigns at the links below, which are drawn from the city council candidate webpages.

Sumbul Siddiqui – incumbent mayor

Patricia Nolan – incumbent city councillor

Denise Simmons – incumbent city councillor

Doug Brown

Joe McGuirk

John Hanratty

Peter Hsu

Joan Pickett

Gregg Moree