Marc McGovern for City Council, 2013
Marc McGovern, a fourth-generation Cantabrigian, graduated from Cambridge Rindge & Latin School in 1987 and went on to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. After a few years off, he returned to school at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and graduated with a degree in sociology, going on to work as a social worker with special-needs children in foster care before returning to school and earning his master’s degree in social work from Simmons College in 2001. He has worked with at-risk children and families for two decades, as well as serving on the School Committee for four terms.
He also serves on the Cambridge Kids’ Council, is the president of Central Division Little Baseball League and is an active member of his Democratic Ward Committee and the Cambridge Democratic City Committee. He and his wife, Mary Anne, have four kids.
Compiled from the candidate’s words in publicly available sources
McGovern’s top three priorities:
From the Cambridge Residents Alliance
Expansion of affordable early childhood education, because it is the key to helping children succeed in school.
Family-friendly low- and moderate-income housing, because I have seen too many families forced to leave Cambridge due to high rents and housing costs.
Creating welcoming, safe, clean neighborhoods for all residents.
On local business:
Condensed and edited from responses given to Cambridge Local First
I would like to see the council be more supportive of local business through increased marketing, assistance with financing if needed and making sure business owners are part of any planning and/or conversation regarding our city’s ongoing development. The council can also work with developers to ensure the creation of more ground-level retail and make efforts to create space that is affordable.
I would look to the business community to help me better understand what it needs. I am not an expert in this area, but I am skilled in being able to bring people together to work for positive outcomes.
McGovern on the issues
From Cambridge Community Television
Middle-income housing:
City Council dysfunction: