McGovern picks up the phone to constituents, and this one will rank him No. 1 on the ballot
I am voting No. 1 for Marc McGovern on Nov. 2, and here’s why.
This year, my child was faced with a series of traumatic, violent events within our community that required immediate support and action. I was suddenly a mother fighting to save her 15-year-old son from gun violence and gangs. Without hesitation, Marc McGovern was by our side, helping us by making phone calls, providing us with resources and being a voice of reason in the midst of chaos. It is very important for the families in Cambridge to understand the urgency of reelecting McGovern – we need him. He cares about us and our children and our futures.
McGovern doesn’t just file policy orders and hope things get better. He does the groundwork, the constituent work. You won’t find another councillor who will pick up the phone every time you call, who will be by your side through thick and thin.
I ask each of you to think about this on Election Day: In a city so rich, we will always have trees, bike lanes and a robust progressive culture. We can have it all. But we are losing our families, we are losing our neighborhoods and we have so much more to lose if we don’t make the best decision for our city – and that is to reelect Marc McGovern. Our families need him.
Jennifer James, Garden Street
I’m glad you found support through your life-changing event. No mother should have to experience such a thing, I don’t care who you are. Gun violence and gangs need to be tackled. McGovern is a social worker and knows how the city works. The problem is too bad he doesn’t really do that for everyone, “the groundwork, the constituent work” with an even hand. Many are afraid of losing their neighborhoods on many levels. But this councillor has been totally uneven in in this particular arena as well, even challenging the rights of neighborhood residents. In pursuing his agenda he has a tendency to emphasize issues that eventually turn into rather divisive situations. In his previous letter of support on this site, all comments expressed the same observations and uneven treatment. He will be helpful to those who are allies, but dismiss those who are “against him” (as opposed to just being opponents of an issue). That may make him a good politician but not a great councillor for ALL. I don’t doubt he has helped you and others with immediate concern. He would be excellent at working with police on house-calls and mitigating situations. That is commendable, but as a councillor at large, he doesn’t treat all constituents the same- rather by a litmus test of where you stand on his issues. I’m glad he was able to give you immediate support. Too bad that isn’t for everyone.
I can promise this, if you want to lose your neighbourhood and those trees you seem to love, vote for McGovern…I guarantee that! Like Pete I am glad he was helpful to you in your hour of need but that was YOU! As Pete so eloquently put it: He will be helpful to those who are allies, but dismiss those who are “against him” (as opposed to just being opponents of an issue) Sadly I know another councilor like that. They take any opposition personally and McGovern “gets into it” with constituents like he did with one that was upset about some trees that were being cut down in her neighbourhood. She was shocked and left very upset by their encounter. I agree with Pete that based on what he did for you : “He would be excellent at working with police on house-calls and mitigating situations”. But as a City Councilor he gets a big fat ZERO. A city Councilor’s job is not about playing Superman and coming off as a hero to the few, especially in attention grabbing incidents that involve drama like gun and gang violence. He has a penchant for publicly inserting himself into controversial divisive issues and playing favourites with those people whose profiles will benefit him politically even at the expense of community unity! So Pete again you are right:In pursuing his agenda he has a tendency to emphasize issues that eventually turn into rather divisive situations. In this time of such divided politics when need to build bridges and come together, to solve the challenges that we face, we don’t need Superman to the rescue, we need thoughtful, steady evenhanded reliable leadership across the board. Leadership that we can all count on not just help for some, we already have agencies and professionals for that!
I believe that the disagreements among the three writers above are not mainly about Councilor McGovern. They are disagreements between those who (choose to) characterize his efforts on behalf on Cambridge residents at risk of losing their Cambridge homes as “publicly inserting himself into controversial divisive issues and playing favourites” and those who see those efforts as an integral part of his dedication to his work as a social worker and a City Councilor.
Zall is a well known troll for ABC. A neighbor recently told Bono that ABC stands for “A Bigger Cambridge.” (Sounds right.) Zall can’t make intelligent arguments so he specializes in personal attacks and besmirching the integrity of others who don’t share his zeal for unlimited development. Except, of course, when it comes to where Zall lives! Turns out, not unexpectedly, that Zall is what former City Councillor Craig Kelley recently called a “YIYBY” – “Yes In YOUR Back Yard.” In other words, a stone cold hypocrite. Here’s his astonishing testimony at the Planning Board in 2010: JAMES ZALL: My name is James Zall, Z-a-l-l. I live at 203 Pemberton Street which is just across the railroad tracks from the parking lot. The building that’s being proposed here is a very attractive building. It calls to mind many of the large developments that have gone up in the last decade along the northern part of Mass. Ave. between say Saint John’s Church and the Arlington line. But Sherman Street is not Mass. Ave, and this building seems very much out of scale with the neighborhood that it’s in, four stories of the 25 units. The pictures that we’ve seen show an attractive building sort of in
isolation. We don’t see anything in these
drawings that gives a sense of the surrounding buildings. And it seems to me very much out of scale with the neighborhood. And I would like to see a much smaller development in that location.” Well said, Zall! (Now sit the f*k down.)
Much has happened in the past 11 years, including consistently rising housing costs, displacement due to constricted housing supply imposed by outdated exclusionary zoning laws and (as recently as 15 months ago) the Trump attack on affordable housing. I will continue to stand up for better housing policies in Cambridge, and will do so under my real name.