Campaign Kick Off - Sept 15, 5:30 at Meadhall
Join us for Cambridge City Councillor Leland Cheung's campaign kick-off!
Come celebrate with friends and stars of the Cambridge community.
Host Committee:
Abe Abdul * Erik Balsbaugh * Art Bardige * Betty Bardige
Patrick Bench * Linda Bilmes * Scott Carlson * Jamme Chantler
Jaideep Chawla * Shih-Hung Chen * Sheldon Cohen * Gene Corbin
Kelly Courtney * John Darrah * Campbell Ellsworth * Josh Gerber
Frank Gerratana * Kevin Gilnack * Tara Greco * Michael Grill
Laury Hammel * Tim Heidel * Spencer Irvine * Jesse Kanson-Benanav
Gavin Kleespies * Frank Kramer * Rozann Kraus * Ian Lavery
Patrick Lee * Yoon Lee * Richard McKinnon * Mike Norman
Jane Park * Bhupesh Patel * Anne Poulos * Polly Price
Gus Rancatore * Marlon Roberts * Ruth Ryals * Erin Saif
Justin Saif * Pedro Santos * Stephen Sillari * Bob Simha
Rachael Solem * Eric Spitz * Joan Squeri * Vivian Tam
Danny Tao * Laurie Taymor-Berry * Frances Tingle
Renatta Von TScharner * Yin Zhou * Peter Zaroulis
YOU (host committee still in formation)
When: Thursday, September 15th, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar will be enjoyed at:
Meadhall - Broadway & Ames, Kendall Sq, Cambridge, MA 02142
Suggested Contributions: $25, $50, $100, $250, $500
(But, as always, all are welcome regardless of ability to donate!)
You may also contribute online at:
http://donate.ElectLeland.org/
Please RSVP on facebook or to Meredith at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Dear Neighbors and Friends,
Cambridge residents proved their resilience once again by taking measures to prepare for Hurricane Irene only days after experiencing earthquake tremors. My thanks go out to all the city employees who helped Cambridge brace for the worst and keep residents informed. While the end of August has resulted in rough weather conditions, I’m setting my sights on a productive fall season and have been working hard to introduce a number of initiatives in the community, which you can read about below.
Labor Day is an opportunity not only to spend time with family, but also to reflect on the labor movement that has made family time possible for so many Americans. Work place safety laws, minimum wage, the 8 hour work day, collective bargaining, and medical leave are just a few of the accomplishments working Americans have to be thankful for. In continuation of labor's ongoing struggle, I took to the streets with SEIU Local 615 and several of my colleagues for a Labor Day rally. As covered in The Crimson, SEIU led a march from City Hall to Harvard Yard to show support for honest work and fair wages in the upcoming contract negotiations between Harvard and its dining and security staff.
I was delighted to see so many current students attending in support of Harvard's service workers; as a part-time Harvard grad student I know just how important that staff is. The security guards create the safe environment where I'm free to study late in to the night. The dining staff provide the healthy food options I can grab on the go as I dash from a city meeting in to a class. Students, staff, and Cambridge activists were all reminded of the struggles that still lie ahead as we listened to stories of several dining services workers at the rally. While the administration continues to draw salary despite departing for summer homes on the Cape, dining services workers are put on forced furloughs leaving them scrambling to find temporary jobs to provide for their families. To me, Harvard University President Drew Faust's eloquent words on compassion, service, and changing the world ring hollow if we overlook the needs of those in our own community.
Riverfront Food Truck Pilot Program
Attention foodies: The city is looking for qualified food trucks owners who are interested in leasing public parking locations nearby the riverfront parks. The lease is part of a pilot program to gauge the success of food trucks with a goal to implement them on a more permanent basis. If you operate a food truck and are interested in selling foodstuffs and beverages along the Charles, learn more about the program and download an application here: http://www2.cambridgema.gov/cdd/cp/zng/food/
I first introduced the Cambridge food truck initiative in January after seeing what my friend Boston City Councillor Mike Ross was doing on that side of the river. Cognizant of the desire not to introduce unfair competition to existing establishments, I've been working with the City Administration, food truck owners, and local businesses to understand how we could adapt this nationwide trend to Cambridge. I'm proud of the result and excited to see what this policy experiment brings.
Debut of the Entrepreneur Walk of Fame - Sept 16
The Entrepreneur Walk of Fame will unveil its inaugural class of seven esteemed honorees whose names will be immortalized with a sidewalk star in Kendall Square on Friday, September 16 at 1:00 p.m. Similar to Hollywood’s celebration of movie stars, the Entrepreneur Walk of Fame awards entrepreneurs at the top of their fields who have taken strong steps to transform the business culture, jumpstart a sector of the economy, and most importantly, create jobs. Posters depicting the inspirational stories of the honorees will be displayed around the square with QR codes that allow smartphone users to tap into a virtual world of information to enrich the learning experience. I am proud to lead this initiative to honor individuals who have created new jobs and enhanced the innovation economy. It is my hope that over the long term the Entrepreneur Walk of Fame will inspire our kids to consider entrepreneurship as a career and in so doing create jobs in Cambridge. With our celebrity-obsessed media driven culture I think it's important to show kids a path to stardom based on hardwork and innovative thinking.
This idea arose from a community discussion I led during an Economic Development Committee hearing on how to support the Entrepreneurial culture in Cambridge. In times of recession, small companies and entrepreneurs are collectively the largest creator of new jobs we have. Cambridge already does more to support entrepreneurship than most other cities in America. MIT Professor Aulet identified public celebration as the one missing factor. The subsequent response to the idea for an Entrepreneur Walk of Fame was overwhelming positive. You can read some recent press coverage on Xconomy here. I hope you can join us for the unveiling, which is shaping up to be an extremely exciting event with some amazing speakers!
In a previous Economic Development Committee Hearing on Placemaking in Kendall Square, participants spoke about the Boston Consulting Group's report on Kendall defining it as the most innovative square mile on the planet. One idea they highlighted that could dramatically improve Kendall Square's standing was some sort of South-by-Southwest (SXSW) event. It's important to note that SXSW didn't start out as the grand production it is; it started out as a community celebrating that which was unique to its culture and building upon that celebration year after year. Already, the Entrepreneur Walk of Fame debut has blossomed in to something larger than itself, with T=0 at MIT following immediately afterwards. Only time will tell if the Entrepreneur Walk of Fame has the possibility of growing in to Cambridge's SXSW, but we already know it's the start of something we can build off of.
Committee Hearing on Farmer's Markets
On September 22nd, I will hold a committee hearing to explore some of the physical barriers and economic challenges faced by the non-profit organizations and individuals who currently manage farmers’ markets. I have asked farmers’ market managers from Cambridge as well as well as neighboring communities to weigh in on ways we can create and sustain farmers markets in Cambridge. Jeff Cole, Executive Director of the Federation of Mass Farmers’ Markets (FMFM) and David Webber, the coordinator of for the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture (MDAR) will provide a broader perspective on how farmers’ markets create jobs, expand economic opportunity, and function as ideal places to dispense health and agricultural information while building a stronger community. For more information about the upcoming committee hearing, email me.
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