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Campaign Update:

One of the things I love about elected service is the opportunity it provides to meet, work with, and try to help so many different people from our community. Over the past few weeks I have been going out and having conversations in senior apartments, talking about how we can make Cambridge an even better place to live.

Above is a picture from one such event I recently held at the JFK Apartments. We had a fun and lively discussion that led to policy orders for the City Council to consider, constituent service requests for the administration to address, and ideas for the future for us all to talk about. Make sure to stop by, say hi, and join the dialogue at one of my next meetings!

Upcoming Events:

Dear Neighbors and Friends,

In the last week before our August 1st City Council meeting, I have been out in the community hosting town hall events and coffee shop meet and greets listening to what’s on resident’s minds in order to continue delivering results for Cambridge. I am working hard to bring a number of community issues before the Council, including revisting several streets residents feel are unsafe, looking at the feasibility of recycling styrofoam on a city level, and answering a question several of you have asked me about the possibility installing those bicycle parking features in residential areas. You can read the full agenda of the upcoming Council meeting here. Monday promises to be a packed agenda with 8 committee reports, 32 agenda items from the City Manager, and a whopping 33 policy orders. As always, public comment begins at 5:30, but if you can't make it please feel free to email me your thoughts!

Come Celebrate President Obama's 50th

http://my.barackobama.com/gen44bostonbirthday?custom1=4988245

Although I'm plenty busy with my work at City Hall, President Obama's upcoming campaign is too important to sit on the sidelines. Many of Obama's policies have been immensely beneficial to Cambridge and I believe it's in the best interest of our community to see him re-elected. So I'm proud to be co-hosting his campaign's official birthday celebration here. You may have seen the recent coverage in the Globe. The details are:

August 3rd, 6:30 PM
Towne Boston, 900 Boylston St, Boston

The great news is that former White House Press Secretary and current Senior Advisor to the campaign Robert Gibbs is confirmed for the event, as well as the Deputy Campaign Manager Jen O'Malley Dillon. President Obama himself will video conference in from a sister event in Chicago. This is the first time we have had Robert Gibbs in the Boston/Cambridge area in a long time and he will bring a lot of energy to the event!

Tickets are selling fast - be sure to get yours now so you can help our President celebrate his 50th birthday. Here is the link to purchase tickets to this exciting event:

http://my.barackobama.com/gen44bostonbirthday?custom1=4988245

Waste Reduction in Cambridge

Demonstrating the city’s commitment to eliminating waste, Cambridge has joined a national movement that allows residents to opt out of receiving junk mail, phone books, catalogs, coupons and credit card offers. Visit http://cambridge.catalogchoice.org to learn more. I am proud of the steps we are taking to reduce waste in the city. I was an adamant supporter of Single-Stream Recycling in Cambridge and have proposed an intiative to take the next step and implement a curbside composting program. This upcoming Monday I will be proposing that the city use new technology like that offered by ReFoamIt to provide residents with an easy option of drop off Styrofoam to be recycled.

Economic Development Committee - Goals Update

At the City Council meeting this upcoming Monday I will be delivering a Committee Report on a hearing held last month on defining goals related to Economic Development for the City of Cambridge. During the goals process this past year, the Government Operations Committee left it to the Committee Chairs to define the specific agenda for the goals which drive the budget of the upcoming year. You can read the full text of the committee hearing here. A few of the many proposed goals that were discussed included aligning neighborhood groups to local business associations, making it easier for landlords to rent to desired retail uses (like restaurants, florists, etc.) than to rent to banks, creating a supportive environment for start-ups, creating more opportunities for job growth, and extending our employment training programs.

The community provided too many great ideas to list here! Attendees at the committee hearing were asked to rank the proposals for review by the City's Economic Development Department. The committee will hold a follow up hearing later this month to finalize the goals; watch this newsletter to be informed exactly when.

Quick Survey to Improve our Parks

In order to gather information about resident’s recreational preferences and direct funding to selected projects, the Land & Water Conservation Fund grant program requires each state to complete a Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) every 5 years. To spread the word about the SCORP process and direct future use of LWCF funds, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs is conducting a survey to gather data about Commonwealth residents’ preferences for recreational activities. To participate in the survey, visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BL79V26.