Both local and national politics were on voters’ minds in Cambridge as the city turned out to vote.
In the early afternoon, Cambridge residents who voted at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin school had affordability on their minds as they cast their ballots. “I’m mostly focusing on incumbents supporting increasing housing affordability,” said Cambridge voter Charlie Tyson.
Bike safety was another common issue voters were considering when deciding who to rank. Cambridge Bicycle Safety, the city’s largest Super PAC, endorsed a slate of seven “bike champions” and five “bike supporters.” According to voters, these endorsements have had an impact.
“I’m focusing on bike lanes and housing,” said Chelsey Edwards. “I typically follow [Cambridge Bicycle Safety’s] endorsements.” Fellow Cantabrigian Theresa Murphy had a similar response. When asked what issues she prioritized, she said “Mainly street safety … and then housing affordability as well.” She also indicated that she would be voting for candidates endorsed by Cambridge Bicycle Safety.
Near a cluster of candidates for City Council and School Committee outside Graham and Parks in the mid-afternoon, voter Andy Adler said “I’m looking for people who think,” adding that “putting in bike lanes is nice, but putting them in stupidly” was a waste of time and resources. Adler said he put Patty Nolan number one for City Council. He also said he had voted against the new Cambridge charter, finding its changes not very significant.
Meanwhile, George Scialabba said he voted for candidates who both supported affordable housing and safe bicycle transit, ranking Ayah Al-Zubi number one and Burhan Azeem number two.
The bigger picture
National concerns were a factor for some voters.
“I was particularly mindful of who on the council feels responsibility for addressing our present risk of nuclear peril,” said Elaine Scarry, a Harvard professor whose books include “Thermonuclear Monarchy: Choosing Between Democracy and Doom.”
Outside of CRLS, Stanislav Rivkin also had national threats in mind. “I’ve been focused throughout this campaign on trying to help those who are most under assault by the Trump administration,”
he said. Rivkin has pledged to protect residents from the negative impacts of the Trump administration, including ICE raids and cuts to welfare spending.
With nineteen city council candidates one could possibly rank, a record number of people running for school committee, and a city charter referendum all on the ballot today, Rivkin worries that voters may be struggling to sort through the noise.
From polling place to polling place
The adrenaline of the early morning opening of the polls was still evident for candidates later in the day.
“We’re just getting warmed up,” declared Timothy Flaherty outside the Valente public library polling station, where a half dozen supporters were with him, including Fred Fantini, who spent a record 40 years on the Cambridge School Committee until his retirement in 2023, and Timothy Toomey, who was on the Council from 1990 to 2021 and also served as Mass. State Representative from 1993 to 2017. Flaherty has also had support from dozens of young people he’s coached on baseball and basketball teams.
Housing has been a mobilizing issue for Flaherty, who is concerned that the recent upzoning measures adopted by city council in February won’t help alleviate the city’s housing shortage or help with affordability.
“I’m just very happy for the support that I’ve received from these great people here,” Flaherty said. He felt he had run the campaign he wanted to run, and now “the voters will decide, and I’m just very happy with the effort all these people have put into this campaign,” Flaherty said.
Candidates were rotating from polling place to polling place. At one point outside of Graham and Parks, city council candidates Flaherty, Patty Nolan, and John Hanratty were there along with School Committee candidates Caitlin Dube, Jane Hirschi and Luisa de Paula Santos. They talked with voters and often each other during lulls. Sometimes voters engaged with them – a voter Nolan had never met came up to her to thank her for helping him with an issue. And sometimes they chose not to engage. “Those are NIMBYs, we don’t want to talk to them,” said one young man to another as they walked past John Hanratty, who was holding a sign calling for the repeal of upzoning.
Flaherty said at Graham and Parks that there was “no way to tell” who might win. Other candidates also said it was hard to get a read on who was doing well. “It’s really unsettled,” said Patty Nolan, a veteran of multiple campaigns for School Committee and City Council. Still, she said uncertainty “was good for democracy,” though nerve-wracking for candidates.
Rivkin said residents should expect the unexpected. “I have no clue about my own personal chances. What I’m quite confident about is that the overall outcome of this election is going to be surprising to most people,” he said.
Michael F. Fitzgerald contributed reporting.
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