Charting the Cambridge Political Landscape: 2021 City Council Election Alliances in Text and Image

​CCC published a chart of City Council Election Alliances in September. We have redesigned that chart to make it easier to read.  We also clarified a few elements in it and have added new information (see above image). Some asked for corrections (which we were happy to make in this version), and overall we have received positive responses for this work. None-the-less,  some residents asked us to provide a written text to go with our chart. This blogpost does just that. Note: While both Paul Toner and Joe McGuirk initially advocated for more bicycle lanes with stakeholder input per their  Vision Zero Coalition  statements, more recently they have come down in opposition to safe bicycle lanes.  Other corrections to the earlier version of the chart are outlined below. 

                                             CAMBRIDGE POLITICAL GROUP ENDORSEMENTS  (and what they mean) 
 
Cambridge voters are voicing confusion about the various Cambridge political groupings in play this year. Who are they?  What do they stand for?  How will this impact City Council decisions. This is our take.
 
                                                                             BROADER POLITICAL GROUP FRAMING 
Local Political Groups
                                      CCC (Cambridge Citizens Coalition) Founded in 2019
                                      CRESA (Cambridge Residents Alliance) Founded in 2012
Local Political Groups with Area Linkages
                                      CBS (Cambridge Bicycle Safety) – Promoting safer bicycle routes
Local Political Groups with National Alliances 
                                      DSA (Democratic Socialists of America)
                                      OR (Our Revolution) – Alliance with Bernie Sanders
                                      SM (Sunrise Movement) – Climate; better jobs
Local Groups with National Linkages
                                      ABC (A Better Cambridge) – YIMBY, builders, market solutions
 
                                                             CAMBRIDGE GROUP AFFILIATIONS  (those names in italics are incumbents) 
                           Burhan Azeem – ABC, CBS
                           Dana Bullister – CCC, CBS, SM 
                           Dennis Carlone – CCC, CBS, CresA, OR 
                            Robert Eckstut – CBS 
                            Tonia Hicks – ABC, CBS, OR, CresA 
                            Alanna Mallon – ABC, CBS
                            Marc McGovern – ABC, CBS 
                            Joe McGuirk – ABC
                            Patty Nolan – CCC, CBS, CresA
                            Sumbul Siddiqui – ABC, CBS
                            Denise Simmons – ABC
                             Theodora Skeadas - CBS, CresA, OR, SM
                             Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler – ABC, CBS, CresA, DSA, OR, SM
                             Paul Toner – ABC
                             Nicola Williams – CCC, CBS, CresA, OR
                            Quinton Zondervan – CBS, CresA, DSA, OR, SM
 
                                                                                    LOCAL CAMBRIDGE GROUPS
 
CAMBRIDGE CITIZENS COALITION  (CCC) https://www.cccoalition.org/
          Candidates
                                Dana Bullister
                                Dennis Carlone
                                Patty Nolan
                                Nicola Williams
         Local Engagements

• Balancing of commercial and other interests; smart planning
• Get commercial funding out of local politics 
• Environmental activism (saving our trees, open spaces, addressing climate crisis)
• Preservation and reuse of sustainable buildings, good design and accountability
• More effective local and area wide approaches for the unhoused
• Police reform – HEART, adding social workers or other professionals in crisis situations
• Government transparency: outside candidates for City Manager
• City Governance (Plan E) revisions
• Promote neighborhoods and engage neighborhood groups
• AHO: declined to support 2019 AHO petition –advocating for the Planning Board and Historic Commission to keep design supervision role, not developers.
• MMH: strongly opposed the Missing Middle Housing (MMH) petition to add more and larger market rate housing infill that would increase property values, remove open spaces, and eliminate more trees
• AHA: Developed Advancing Housing Affordability (AHA) petition (new) modifying single family zoning districts (for more units) an employer-based area housing approach.

Principal Outreach Format: emails, blogs, Twitter, Facebook

•      Funding: local
•      National Alliances: none
•      Local Target Audience: progressives, activists, people seeking a balanced approach 

​
 CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS ALLIANCE  (CRESA)  https://www.cambridgeresidentsalliance.org/
         Candidates
                             Dennis Carlone
                             Tonia Hicks
                             Patty Nolan
                             Theodora Skeadas
                              Nicola Williams
                             Quinton Zondervan
                             Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler
       Local Engagements

• Police reform – support the HEART Petition
•  Neighborhood efforts to wheel-in large commercial developments
• Addressing the unhoused 
• Government transparency
• Promotes the importance of open spaces, parks.
• City Governance (Plan E) revisions
• Outside candidates for City manager
• AHO: CresA split on the AHO Petition in the 2019 election 
• MMH: CresA did not early oppose the MMH Petition (see ABC, CCC, CresA, OR)

Principal Outreach Format: emails, website
Funding: local
National Alliances: none
Local Target Audience: progressives, activists
 
                                                                            LOCAL AND AREA GROUPS
 
CAMBRIDGE BICYCLE SAFETY  (CBS) https://www.cambridgebikesafety.org/

• a Cambridge group with a local and area-wide focus that advocates for more and safer bicycle lanes 

                Candidates who signed the BSA pledge to support bicycle lanes
                                Dennis Carlone
                                Robert Eckstut
                                Tonia Hicks
                                Alanna Mallon
                                Marc McGovern
                                Patty Nolan (has faulted the way rollouts achieved)
                                Nicola Williams (states all business & other stakeholders must be involved in decisions)
                                Theodora Skeadas
                                Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler
                                Quinton Zondervan
 
        NOTE: While both Paul Toner and Joe McGuirk initially advocated for more bicycle lanes with stakeholder input per
         their  Vision Zero Coalition  statements, more recently they have come down in opposition to safe bicycle lanes.
    
        Principal Outreach Format: Facebook, email, Twitter
        Funding: local
        National Alliances: none known               
        Local target audience: bicyclists                
 
 
                                                                  NATIONAL GROUPS WITH LOCAL CHAPTERS
 
DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA (DSA) Cambridge Branch  https://www.dsausa.org/ (no local website)
                Candidates
                                Quinton Zondervan
                                Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler
       Local Engagements 

• Rent control, tenant protections, and tenant organizing, and decommodification of housing more generally
• Needs of the unhoused,  government funding of housing, social housing
• Police Reform (HEART proposal)
• BDS (pro-Palestine) Policy Order in City Council
• AHO: supported building significantly larger affordable housing projects (beyond current AHO)
• MMH:  DSA did not oppose Missing Middle Housing (MMH) petition (see ABC, CCC, CresA, OR)

        Principal Outreach Format: meetings, Facebook, Twitter, emails, 
        Funding: area and national 
        National Alliances: strong
        Local Target Audience: progressives, activists, people pushing hard left
 
OUR REVOLUTION  (OR) https://ourrevolution.com/ (Affiliated with Bernie Sanders). No local website
              Candidates
                                Dennis Carlone
                                Tonia Hicks
                                Nicola Williams
                                Theodora Skeadas
                                Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler                
                                Quinton Zondervan 
         Local Engagements in Council and in the Community

• Low- and middle-income housing; needs of unhoused (housing as a human right)
• Decommodification of housing with government funding, social housing, land trusts
• Rent control, tenant protections, and tenant organizing
• Global warming and city livability
• Money out of Cambridge politics
• Police Reform (HEART amendment)
• City Charter Reform
• AHO:  OR took no official position on the Affordable Housing Overlay
• MMH: Strongly opposed the Missing Middle Housing petition (see ABC, CCC, CresA)

        Principal Outreach Format: Facebook, meetings, emails
        Funding: local and area
        National Interests
                      Government transparency 
                      Get commercial funding out of local politics
        Local Target Audience: progressives, activists, people pushing left           
 
SUNRISE MOVEMENT  (SM) https://www.sunrisemovement.org/ Cambridge Branch (no local website)
              Candidates
                                Dana Bullister
                                Theodora Skeadas
                                Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler
                                Quinton Zondervan
     Local Engagements 

• Green New Deal Petition
• “Awake” issues
• MMH: Missing Middle Housing Petition. Cambridge Sunrise did not take a public stance on the MMH petition, but Boston Sunrise co-sponsored it with ABC. (see ABC, CCC, CresA, OR)

        Principal Outreach Format: meetings, emails
        Funding: national and regional
        National Interests           
                 Green New Deal
                “Awake” Campaign
                 Government funding over commercial interests
                 Supported Sanders in 2020 election
        Local Target Audience
                  Young people, strong left progressives
 
                                                                LOCAL GROUP WITH NATIONAL LINKAGES
 
A BETTER CAMBRIDGE  (ABC): https://www.abettercambridge.org/
                Candidates
                                Burham Azeem
                                 Tonia Hicks
                                Alanna Mallon
                                Marc McGovern
                                Joe McGuirk
                                Sumbul Siddiqui
                                Denise Simmons
                                Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler
                                Paul Toner
Local engagements:  

• Higher density citywide (they want to increase City population substantially to house all present and future employees here)
• Commercial Development interests
• Opposes current voluntary committee members (Planning Board, BZA, Historical Commission)
• Advocates for larger/denser affordable housing structures (above current AHO limits).
• AHO: Promoted AHO petition; closely affiliated with Just-a-Start (housing developer).
• MMH: Introduced Missing Middle Housing (MMH) up-zoning residential for more market-rate single-family and 4-story multi-family housing, removing open spaces and trees.
• Petitioned to curtail City conservation districts and preservation efforts.

       Principal outreach format: Twitter, email, website
       Funding: Some candidates receive significant funding from real estate and non-Cambridge donors.
       National alliances: YIMBY (“Yes in My Back Yard”) which supports up-zoning (altering or removing
       current zoning) and opposes local preservation initiatives. 
Local Target Audience: commercial interests, residents wanting more development, more building, and greater density in every neighborhood.

Corrections: 10.19.21. We have updated the chart to correct a couple of typos and to show DSA within the CBS (pledge signers) circle. Note while Toner and McGuirk did not sign the bicycle pledge, they did write that they support bicycle lanes in principle in another document.