A note of thanks after the 2023 election season
For the Cambridge Citizens Coalition
A warm thank you and congratulations to all the newly elected City Council and School Committee members. And a huge thanks to everyone who ran in these elections. Elections are an individual and a team event. Our citywide voting system with its complicated “at large” selection process of transfer votes makes elections difficult for candidates and voters alike. This year we were fortunate to have so many talented and accomplished individuals running from all parts of the city and being endorsed by various groups. It speaks to how important we all feel governance issues are. Running for election is mentally and physically exhausting work for candidates and supporters. The process is made even more nerve-wracking since the final results are rarely clear during the course of the campaign until the final tally is announced.
We are happy to have advanced our mission this year by increasing our numbers on the City Council – retaining two great incumbents and adding two extraordinary newcomers. Several of our council candidates also were endorsed by other groups. 2023 was our first foray into the School Committee election, and we are delighted to have two remarkable individuals succeed – an incumbent and a newcomer. All these candidates ran extraordinary campaigns.
As we think back on this election, what stands out are the wonderful experiences we all had along the way. Walking the streets of this incredibly dense city and its beautiful and diverse neighborhoods, knocking on doors and talking to potential voters makes one realize how little most people know about what is happening in the city and how important it is to get more involved. When one meets another canvasser or candidate along the way, one puts aside differences over policy issues and enjoys a fellow campaigner and what we have in common. This was true during the long hours at the polling places around the city. We remember not only the warm conversations with supporting and competing candidates, but also with their families, friends and supporters. Those hours are some of the things that we all will cherish most.
Thank you to everyone who ran for elected office in 2023: A special thank you to those who did not win this year. Each of you was part of the larger process of helping other candidates who share some or most of your views. Thank you to the candidates who agreed to be part of our and other group endorsements. Without you none of the endorsement groups would have been successful. Thank you to the many advocacy group leaders and workers. This is not easy work. Thank you to the many family members of candidates and campaign workers alike. Your support and willingness to give up critical time with those you love helped to make this election possible. Thanks to the Election Commission, polling workers and police officers who kept the process working and polling places open – making it possible for us to cast our votes. Thank you especially to all the voters of Cambridge who made the effort to vote, whether by mail-in ballot, early voting or in person.
Cambridge is a truly extraordinary city. We are fortunate to have the opportunity every two years to try to make it the best place possible for all our residents.
Suzanne Preston Blier is a Harvard Professor who teaches a course on Cambridge history and civic matters and also leads several groups in the city.
Thank you for this letter. It has been a real pleasure and honor to run. I have lived and breathed the shift of Cambridge demographics and people’s wants and wishes. It is something one could not learn from schools. I want to thank you and many other supporters through out this campaign. I also want to thank my critics for pointing out things I had overlooked. At the end the Cambridge people have won. Congratulations! Hao
In addition to the two Council incumbents that met with their approval, CCC endorsed nine challengers, only two of whom were elected. Most of their challengers seemed unfamiliar with or distant from important values and goals shared by a majority of Cambridge residents. It’s great that CCC is happy with the results; much of the rest of Cambridge is, too.
James: Indeed, CCC should be happy with the results. Not only did they double the individuals they got on City Council this year (to 4, including 1 newcomer, from 2), but they also got 2 endorsees on the School Committee (including another amazing newcomer). If you look at the results from a statistical vantage the CCC slate also did better than the others, including ABC. This, despite the vast amount of non-Cambridge money supporting ABC, DSA, and bicycle lobby candidates (McGovern had only 36% local $$ support; Azeem had only 44% local $$ support). All told, it was a rather telling election also since ABC, DSA, Our Revolution, and Residents Alliance candidates often merged on issues – and attacks (which didn’t really have an impact). And there is more to be happy about. In the end it should be far less vitriolic City Council. I would take Wilson over Mallon, Sobrinho-Wheeler over Zondervan, and Pickett over Carlone any day. And thanks in part to the CCC candidate campaigns, Dan Totten did not get elected either. Looking to January, I can see some good policy synergies between Pickett, Toner, Simmons, and Wilson on various Council issues, a move toward more data driven policies and accountability. I also look forward to some real changes for the schools.
oh…lol!
It’s a good election when every group can claim it as a win.
Everyone worked very hard, winners, losers and the many volunteers. I hope we can look forward to a more civil and accountable council. Let’s hope for no more last minute policy orders or amendments that even the other councillors don’t expect– let’s hope for long-term planning and synergy among and across policies — let’s hope for impactful and well thought out, forward-thinking policies for the environment, housing, and transportation that neither privilege or penalize. Let’s hope for the best for all Cambridge residents — and collaboratively work toward those goals.
Self-righteous rhetoric often conceals divisiveness. I appreciate the thanks expressed for all that worked for democracy. Yet “bike lobby” is supposed to be ok, but not “car lobby” for the CCC? Okey dokey. We are talking about people that realize that bikes are crucial for the environment. Or parents that don’t want their kids killed by cars. And a group of volunteers that works toward more housing. Everyone has a right to defend their priorities. Some people, however, think that other people’s priorities are “vitriolic.” That’s divisive, no?
CCC completely lacks any principles—they ran the last two campaigns calling candidates who received donations from developers corrupt. This election they endorsed by far the biggest recipient of developer money, Councillor Toner.
They endorsed two openly bigoted candidates and doubled down when called out for it in the craven hope that those candidates (in one case a CCC leader on “sabbatical”) would help their slate.
Their three candidates for School Committee had absolutely nothing in common. It bodes incredibly poorly for Cambridge parents and public school students that this group has decided to foolishly monkey around in Cambridge School Committee elections in the sole hope that some of those candidates will be future NIMBY candidates for City Council.
This spin is meaningless bunk—par for the course from this group.
LMBRC: CCC did not take a stand on bike lanes. We had candidates on both sides of whether more careful planning might better address the broader needs of bicyclists and others who use the streets.
QUERTY: City Council passed an ordinance this term limiting campaign donations from developers, so Cambridge Civic did not include that data for 2023. But funds from unions (builder-linked and others) were key in this election – much of this money coming from outside Cambridge. On the CCC website, in our newsletters and blog posts we did make note of this fact – and of Toner’s large donations from this group (but remember he also has been closely allied with the teachers’ union). CCC supports unions. After we looked at all the evidence, the forwarded or “liked” tweets etc but did not find any clear bigotry evidence. One candidate deleted a tweet from her work involving a crisis situation and apologized. The other showed how key parts of the “evidence” wer not true and published explanations for those that were. That said, social media certainly needs to be considered by all candidates and endorsement groups next election; other factors that will need to be considered are reports of staff abuse (the mayor), support for damaging private property (Totten) and other directly harmful actions. As to the famed “CCC leader” on sabbatical (a Crowe attack meme): no CCC board members (our leaders) ran for election this year. However, there are 30 people on our advisory team – people we contact occasionally for advice: https://www.cccoalition.org/who-we-are.html
Winters is one of CCC’s advisory group members. He started the city’s recycling program and runs the important Cambridge Civic website which provides key election data. Almost every candidate for election at some point contacted him this election cycle: are you condemning all these candidates as well?
Suzanne, you endorsed a candidate who sued to have them removed. Are you on the payroll of big oil?
May I add a note of shame to all those who were too lazy to vote. Only 25% of us took the time and care. The rest of you, stop commenting and vote!