Fellow Cantabrigians,

I am running for Cambridge City Council because I believe Cambridge needs to return its focus to the basics for its neighborhoods, its children and its residents by focusing on a few key areas:

-    Oversight of City Government is a critical responsibility of the City Council.  This oversight, in some cases, could have been much better. The lack of Council oversight in the ongoing City appeal of the Montiero decision is an example of we can do better.

-    Development is crucial for the City’s fiscal future.  But, development must be respectful of the neighborhoods in which it is planned. A well thought out master plan and collaborative development effort  can yield better results for the neighborhood, City and developer alike.We can do better.

• Development can overwhelm a neighborhood or community. Too often our neighborhoods and residents are at a disadvantage when meeting with developers. Community Development can and should fill the role of supporting the neighborhood. Too often that does not happen.  We can do better.
• Public Safety is more than the work of the Police and Fire Departments it is the ability to walk down City streets and sidewalks without fear of falling. The safety of our sidewalks is, in my opinion, unacceptable and we can do better.
• Fiscal stability is more than a AAA bond rating, its planning for the future retirement costs of our hard working City employees such that those costs are not thrust upon our children and grandchildren.  We have the resources and knowledge and we can do better.
• Cambridge has a generational opportunity to develop a master plan to remake and revitalize large swaths of the City from Kendall through Central Squares. The result can be new residential, retail and commercial space that creates new while enhancing existing neighborhoods with exciting, quirky and lively retail. We must seize this opportunity.
• Preparing our children for the future is a daunting task.  Cambridge has the resources to be successful.  We must work together to ensure the future success of the City’s children.  Working together, we can do better.

I cannot do this alone. I need your help with the campaign. I need your help to reach out to more voters through coffees and going door-to-door.  I also need people to sign up to take a yard sign, take bumper stickers (they also work well on bikes and backpacks), help with literature drops, telephone calls and stand outs.

Let’s work together to restore the focus to Cambridge government.   With your help and your #1 Vote on November 8^th, we can work together to make Cambridge even better.