Thursday, April 25, 2024

Fifteen members of a Charter Review Committee were announced Friday by an Ad Hoc Selection Committee: Kaleb Abebe, Jessica Dejesus Acevedo, Mosammat Faria Afreen, Cambridge Redevelopment Authority board chair Kathleen Born, Harvard professor and former Planning Board associate member Nikolas Bowie, Kevin Chen, Max Clermont, Jennifer Gilbert, Kai Long, manager at Atwood’s Tavern and president of the East Cambridge Business Association Patrick Magee, Mina Makarious, former deputy city manager Lisa Peterson, Ellen Shachter of Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services, Susan Shell and Jim Stockard.

Following passage of ballot initiatives that won a majority of votes in November, the committee is expected to take up to a year to review the city’s Plan E Charter, hold community forums and gather input before recommending changes to the City Council that “they believe will improve and modernize Cambridge’s structure and governance,” the selection committee said. The first meeting is to be held at the beginning of August.

Any recommendations the City Council accepts will be put before voters in a municipal election before adoption.

All Charter Review Committee members are registered Cambridge voters, as required by the charter, and “reflect the diversity of Cambridge,” the selection committee said.