Daedalus Wrap-Up

Last night we had our Young Progressives event at Daedalus. The event was a great success with young voters gathering for drinks and discussion about key Cambridge issues--neighborhood safety, the preservation of Cambridge's unique local businesses and affordable housing. Jarrett Barrios stopped by to speak and I was pleased that Chris, Ayal and Brooke of The Garment District as well as Rory and Ryan of Lumen Eclipse, Matt from ActBlue, School Committee Member Richard Harding, and Tim Schofield were able to stop by and show their support. Thanks to the many young guests who made the night so much fun! Also thanks to Daedalus for providing such luminous surroundings. It is exciting and inspiring to see so many young progressives passionate about Cambridge and the upcoming election.

Katrina

We are all overwhelmed and saddened by the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. I think most of us have struggled to comprehend the scope of the devastation, and to find some ways to respond. Supplies and assistance are making their way south from the Cambridge community, thanks to the efforts of many. As we loaded up supplies from the Cambridge Hospital on to the truck, I was struck by how vast the need is for the most basic of necessities.

One of the ways I have chosen to respond is by co-sponsoring a benefit on Thursday, September 22nd from 6:30 pm -8:30 pm at The Bell in Hand, Union Street, Boston. If you are able to attend, please do. Unfortunately, the recovery from this catastrophe will take years and our financial and spiritual support will be needed on an ongoing basis.

Summerbridge Cambridge had its Celebration event last night. High school and college students teach and mentor promising middle school students in an intensive summer program and then throughout the school year.
The event was great - these 6th, 7th, and 8th graders showed such composure and talent. These kids are clearly learning some wonderful skills - I especially enjoyed the humorous presentation of conflicts in literature.
This is the kind of program that can really broaden horizons for some kids - kudos to Hilary Mead and her team.

Picnic Today

Check out pictures from today's Harvard Mayor's Picnic:

(That's Craig and Dwan, two of our interns in the green shirts, dancing to the music!)

Candidates Forum Wrap-Up

Returned from candidates’ forum at the Senior Center sponsored by DFA-Cambridge, Progressive Democrats of Cambridge and CPPAX. Amazing turnout – I’d guess 125 people on a hot August night showed up and stayed from 7 pm until 930 pm.. Fifteen of the eighteen candidates for city council showed up.

I always get dry mouth at these events – I went through three bottles of water during the evening! It’s a challenge to answer questions with any level of detail with so many candidates, but the issues discussed were crucial – affordable housing, development concerns, tax reform, and more. We had a minute to respond to each question. There was a more detailed candidate questionnaire completed in advance– my responses can be found at http://www.pdcambridge.com/ .

It was really most exciting to see that many people attend the forum this early in the season – it’s a hopeful sign that progressives will be engaged and involved in this campaign.

Join Me at the Dog Parks Hearing

I hope you can join me for a meeting of the Public Facilities Committee on Tuesday, July 19, 2005 to discuss off-leash dog runs for Cambridge. The meeting will be held at 5:30pm in Sullivan Chamber at City Hall.

At the meeting, I'll provide an update on the status of potential off-leash dog spaces in Cambridge, including those in Cambridgeport, Fresh Pond, East Cambridge and Danehy Park. For the past year, I've been fighting for an increase in the number of dog parks in our city. It continues to be a challenge given the constraints of limited open space and competing demands. Dog runs, however, provide dogs and people with safe spaces to exercise, make friends and help build stronger communities.

For more information, you can e-mail me, or get in touch with CDOG, the dog owners advocacy group here in Cambridge. Their website is: http://www.bostonpooch.com/