This is the first in a monthly series of conversations with some of our many noteworthy neighbors — people who call the city home or head this way to work or study. We grab a bite, talk shop, learn more about why Cambridge, and shoot the proverbial … well, you know.
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A rough count of the menu items at Donut Villa in Central Square tallies somewhere close to 200 — and that’s before add-ons, modifications, and combo options. The numbers notwithstanding, the bill of fare is pretty basic, an array of traditional diner foods with a few DV specials mixed in (have you ever had a pizza donut?). The vibe is the same: think a lived-in Happy Days look.
The unpretentious eatery was a fitting backdrop for grabbing a bite recently with Taha Jennings, the deceptively young-looking 52-year-old budget director for the City of Cambridge. No trendy Kendall Square coffee shops for him. No pricey lattes. No souped up matchas. Better a multifaceted mix of customers and staff, a reflection of the city where Jennings grew up.
As we settle onto our high-top stools at our appointed hour, I thank the budget master for his time, acknowledging that spring is one of the busiest times of year in his shop. He graciously affirms with a ‘yes,’ explaining that they are in the throes of multiple check-ins with all 40+ city departments as they finalize the coming fiscal year’s budget. [Editor’s note: this conversation took place before the budget was presented.] “We’re rushing to put everything together” Jennings says, not a harried note in his delivery.
Jennings, the eldest of four, was born in Brooklyn, but his parents soon moved to Cambridge’s Briston Arms, in the shadow of Danehy fields. He is a proud graduate of the city’s public schools and still speaks fondly of his years at Rindge and Latin. “I literally grew up with kids from all walks of life, from very, very poor to very, very wealthy, and we were all in the same classrooms.” He particularly relished the freedom of being a small city dweller, something he wishes he could have afforded to give his own four kids who only knew suburban living when they were young. “I could ride my bike anywhere. I used to go to soccer practice on my own. I used to go to hang out with my friends. I didn’t need a ride or have to get set up. And that makes a big difference … I think, [it] is a special kind of perspective to have.”
After completing college and a master’s degree in urban planning at Rutgers University, he landed a job at the city’s Community Development department as a Neighborhood Planner. Among many projects on his proverbial plate was the revitalizing of Kendall Square. Our conversation pauses just long enough to place a breakfast order with our good-natured — read, patient — waitress. Jennings hesitates, quickly perusing the options. “Can I just get a plain bagel toasted with butter?” he says. “Oh, and a coffee, I guess.” I counter with a simple, “two eggs would be great.” I think our waitress must be a little disappointed, so I add, “and a chocolate chip cruller.”
Hearing different perspectives
Jennings quickly returns to his early years as a city worker. “Working in community development and as a planner there was such a great experience,” he says. “Because even for something as simple as a park renovation, the opinions and feelings about different things — people abutting the property and people wanting to use it for different uses — you get to hear a lot of different perspectives.” He learned how to listen and build consensus around a shared vision. “If you focus on the points that people agree on, and where you want to be, there is usually a lot more agreement than we realize.”
Jennings stayed in community development for more than a decade until he was tapped in 2014 to become Assistant to the City Manager, first under Richard Rossi and soon after, Louis DePasquale. Four years later, he took the helm at the Budget Department, overseeing a municipal purse of over $635 million. Managing the budget is not as different from community development as one might think, Jennings says with quiet confidence. ” It’s a lot of understanding different stakeholders, balancing different priorities, a lot of communication, and a lot of times translating more technical information to a wider audience. Planning is a lot of the built environment; the budget is allocated resources. But overall, it’s the same type of work. You’re kind of trying to find that balance.”
Our meal — such as it is — arrives. Jennings slowly begins to dab small pats of butter on his toasted bagel as he continues, focusing on this year’s budget discussions. “It’s been more collaborative than people might think,” he says. “It’s not like, ‘Oh, you can’t do this.’ It’s a discussion that happens really throughout the year. We shouldn’t be surprised at budget time.”
Budget cycling
Perhaps the most significant change this year has been the call for savings. Anticipating a possible downturn in property tax revenues — a recent survey by real estate firm Hunneman suggested the Greater Boston lab market faces a vacancy rate of over 25%, a spillover likely to affect the city’s number one tax payer, MIT — all city departments were asked to cut spending at least 2%. Jennings is quick to applaud his colleagues for the seriousness with which they tackled the request. “Departments did a really good job looking closely and coming up with proposals to actually find those reductions so that the overall budget increase isn’t more than what we feel is sustainable.”
He explains that in every cycle, the city must cover a range of so-called fixed costs that will rise due to inflation: line items such as salaries, wages and benefits, especially health care; energy; and debt service, among others. Keeping a close eye on how much leeway the city might have beyond the basics is a critical part of Jennings’ job, as he, like his superiors, strive for a balanced budget and another year of Cambridge’s long-standing record of triple A bond ratings.
“Do you balance your own check book?” I ask as he finishes off the first half of his bagel. He laughs. “Well, I don’t use a checkbook anymore, but … ” He trails off with the answer being so obvious: a fiscal watchdog at home, too.
A focus on participation
For the 12th year in its history, the upcoming city budget also includes a roughly million-dollar allocation to enable participatory budgeting, which allows city residents over the age of 12 to propose civically beneficial projects. Suggestions are vetted and culled by a voluntary committee of locals and then voted on by all those who are eligible. This year, nine projects were selected, ranging from upgrading city basketball courts to improving sidewalk safety and installing concrete bike lane barriers.
Jennings notes that In the early years of the program, the same projects kept winning, “because I think people learned how to advocate amongst their interest groups.” To counter this, the department expanded its outreach, even encouraging local teachers to incorporate participatory budgeting into lesson plans on civics and government. “We want to make sure we’re getting ideas from as wide a group as possible,” he says.
It clearly worked; this year, there were thousands of suggestions. The results also led the director to expand his efforts to spread the budget word generally, bringing information sessions on the full package to those who might otherwise feel shut out or intimidated or just disconnected from the process — groups like seniors, non-English speakers and others. Inclusion is and has always been important to Jennings. He remembers back to his planning days. “It was always important for us to speak for people who couldn’t make it to a meeting,” he offers, “or were not there or don’t always show up.”
Jennings carefully glances at his watch and notes that he will have to get going soon. He almost seems apologetic for cutting me short. I assure him otherwise. I look around for our waitress to grab the check and carry on with a few more personal questions about his relationship with his hometown.
“Still feels like home”
Does he have a go-to destination for a night out? He chuckles, confessing he doesn’t remember the last time he had a night out. Well then, if he has any free time out of the office and before he commutes home to Sharon, where does he go and what does he do? Still a city kid at heart, he doesn’t hesitate. “I like being in Cambridge areas with a lot of people, so I love walking down Mass Ave, down towards Kendall and MIT, just seeing people and watching them. Or up towards Harvard.”
He also marvels at the city’s parks and gives a shout out to some of his former colleagues from city planning, including long-time landscape architect, city planner Rob Steck and old boss, Stewart Dash. “They were really, really thoughtful about how the community uses public spaces and it shows in the parks. You can see exactly how they envisioned it. Like, this should be a park for old and young, abled and disabled, for all members of the community. You see it’s still happening, and that’s really, really cool to see.”
What keeps him up at night? His four mostly adult kids. “I thought it would [get easier] as they transitioned into adulthood. But it doesn’t,” he says quietly. “The needs are different, and the worry stays up here,” he gestures above his head. “I feel like, you know, it was the same level of anxiety sometimes like when I first dropped them off at kindergarten or something It doesn’t go away.”
Jennings takes one more sip of what is now probably cold coffee and places his napkin on the bagel, half of which is still left on his plate. He puts out his hand to thank me and apologizes again for having to get back to work. The pleasure has been all mine, I tell him, no apologies necessary. He slips out the door and down the street, probably mentally preparing for his next meeting and another round if work. I can almost imagine his grin as he walks and hear him repeat something he said earlier: “I like the hands-on-ness of being in the city. It is the city I grew up in, that I love, and still, you know, feels like home.”
Susanne Beck is a freelance journalist and long-time contributor to Cambridge Day.
This interview was conducted April 6, 2026. It has been edited and condensed.
A stronger
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