OUR HISTORY:
May 5, 2019 At the conclusion of neighborhood group leaders' meeting the first discussions on this new organization and selection of core officers.
June 7, 2019 We agreed on a name - the Cambridge Citizen Coalition (CCC), completed our by-laws, acquired a domain name, and set up a website.
July 16, 2019 First CCC public mention on Cambridge InsideOut.
July 22, 2019 CCC received our IRS employer ID number and 501c4 status
August 18, 2019 CCC held our first formal meeting, drew up a plan for the future and put together a set of goals to reach it.
October 6, 2019 CCC held our first Cambridge City Council Candidate Forum
FOLLOWING A LEGACY:
Cambridge Citizens Coalition in part is following in the footsteps of the CAMBRIDGE CIVIC ASSOCIATION
As we think forward about our goals, we recall the long standing impact of the Cambridge Civic Association on the local political scene. With thanks to Robert Winters for advancing this history in the Cambridge Civic Journal. rwinters.com/CCA/CCAorigin.htm
In 1945 the Cambridge Civic Association was launched to garner greater support for Plan E. As noted in the July 12, 1945 Cambridge Chronicle, "The CAMBRIDGE CIVIC ASSOCIATION will be a political association dedicated to promoting honest and efficient local government through the support of the city manager plan, working for and supporting competency in the office of city manager, working for and improving the school system of the city, and freeing the school system from all influences other than those which will provide the best possible education for the children of Cambridge, and seeking and supporting the candidacy of competent men and women in public office. It will urge competent persons to run for both the School Committee and the City Council, raise funds with which to finance their candidacies, and will actively campaign for their election. The committee will investigate the qualifications of everyone who seeks election to public office and will select and publish a slate of endorsed candidates and then seek to elect them. Throughout the year it intends to be constantly represented both before the School Committee and the City Council on all matters of public interest and to bring to bear upon public questions the concerted opinion of its membership." A Research Group was launched at the same time. Membership dues in each association were set at a minimum of $1 per annum, and every citizen of Cambridge who desires to participate was invited to apply for membership.
Robert Winters discusses the larger impact of CCA in a June 7, 2009 post in the Cambridge Civic Journal: "Once upon a time there was a civic organization in Cambridge known as the Cambridge Civic Association (CCA). It was formed in 1945 out of several organizations that had been existed through the 1930s and that had lobbied the state legislature to create the Plan E Charter option (1938) which featured a city manager form of government and proportional representation elections for city council and school committee. These reforms were central to model charter reform movements active in the United States from the early 1900s.
The central theme of the CCA in its early days was "good government" in the sense of being anti-patronage and for professionally managed local government. This changed with the introduction of rent control at the end of the 1960s after which the CCA shifted leftward and became permanently lashed to the mast of the rent control vessel. Though the CCA still exists on paper (I believe), it rapidly declined after the statewide abolition of rent control (late 1994) and essentially disappeared a decade later (early 2005). I bring up the ghost of the CCA today only to point out that when it was created it had some very admirable goals....
One founding principle of the CCA that fell into disuse over the years is listed above as #3: To encourage and support the candidacy of men and women seeking election to public office and to support intelligent, wholesome leadership in public affairs. Indeed, I can personally testify to the fact that in its dying years the only reason the CCA made endorsements at all was because the CCA-endorsed incumbents wanted the benefit of having an advertised CCA slate of candidates that would help secure their reelection. There was precious little effort to recruit new candidates or to support them.
Today, the benefits of incumbency are greater than ever. The cost of political campaigns have become absurdly high and most of the incumbents now have (City paid) staff who are inevitably political appointees who directly or indirectly assist in the reelection efforts of their bosses. The deck is increasingly stacked against challengers. Furthermore, the salary and benefits for elected councillors are now so sweet that it is unlikely that any of them would ever want to move on to another job. With this background in mind, I would like to encourage all Cambridge residents to help level the playing field by finding out about this year's challengers for seats on the Cambridge City Council and the Cambridge School Committee. This is not meant as a dig against any particular incumbent as much as an appeal to support the challengers in what is a difficult and laudable effort. Please see the Cambridge Candidate Pages for the current list of expected candidates. Then use your own judgment - don't expect me or anyone else to do it for you. Speaking of this year's municipal election, there are some activists who are now expending great effort to attack the City Manager and most of the current City Council."
Thank you Robert Winters for this important background from which to delimit our own mission and future. For more on the CCA see this 1996 Crimson article: www.thecrimson.com/article/1996/3/15/cambridge-civic-association-sets-four-goals/
May 5, 2019 At the conclusion of neighborhood group leaders' meeting the first discussions on this new organization and selection of core officers.
June 7, 2019 We agreed on a name - the Cambridge Citizen Coalition (CCC), completed our by-laws, acquired a domain name, and set up a website.
July 16, 2019 First CCC public mention on Cambridge InsideOut.
July 22, 2019 CCC received our IRS employer ID number and 501c4 status
August 18, 2019 CCC held our first formal meeting, drew up a plan for the future and put together a set of goals to reach it.
October 6, 2019 CCC held our first Cambridge City Council Candidate Forum
FOLLOWING A LEGACY:
Cambridge Citizens Coalition in part is following in the footsteps of the CAMBRIDGE CIVIC ASSOCIATION
As we think forward about our goals, we recall the long standing impact of the Cambridge Civic Association on the local political scene. With thanks to Robert Winters for advancing this history in the Cambridge Civic Journal. rwinters.com/CCA/CCAorigin.htm
In 1945 the Cambridge Civic Association was launched to garner greater support for Plan E. As noted in the July 12, 1945 Cambridge Chronicle, "The CAMBRIDGE CIVIC ASSOCIATION will be a political association dedicated to promoting honest and efficient local government through the support of the city manager plan, working for and supporting competency in the office of city manager, working for and improving the school system of the city, and freeing the school system from all influences other than those which will provide the best possible education for the children of Cambridge, and seeking and supporting the candidacy of competent men and women in public office. It will urge competent persons to run for both the School Committee and the City Council, raise funds with which to finance their candidacies, and will actively campaign for their election. The committee will investigate the qualifications of everyone who seeks election to public office and will select and publish a slate of endorsed candidates and then seek to elect them. Throughout the year it intends to be constantly represented both before the School Committee and the City Council on all matters of public interest and to bring to bear upon public questions the concerted opinion of its membership." A Research Group was launched at the same time. Membership dues in each association were set at a minimum of $1 per annum, and every citizen of Cambridge who desires to participate was invited to apply for membership.
Robert Winters discusses the larger impact of CCA in a June 7, 2009 post in the Cambridge Civic Journal: "Once upon a time there was a civic organization in Cambridge known as the Cambridge Civic Association (CCA). It was formed in 1945 out of several organizations that had been existed through the 1930s and that had lobbied the state legislature to create the Plan E Charter option (1938) which featured a city manager form of government and proportional representation elections for city council and school committee. These reforms were central to model charter reform movements active in the United States from the early 1900s.
The central theme of the CCA in its early days was "good government" in the sense of being anti-patronage and for professionally managed local government. This changed with the introduction of rent control at the end of the 1960s after which the CCA shifted leftward and became permanently lashed to the mast of the rent control vessel. Though the CCA still exists on paper (I believe), it rapidly declined after the statewide abolition of rent control (late 1994) and essentially disappeared a decade later (early 2005). I bring up the ghost of the CCA today only to point out that when it was created it had some very admirable goals....
One founding principle of the CCA that fell into disuse over the years is listed above as #3: To encourage and support the candidacy of men and women seeking election to public office and to support intelligent, wholesome leadership in public affairs. Indeed, I can personally testify to the fact that in its dying years the only reason the CCA made endorsements at all was because the CCA-endorsed incumbents wanted the benefit of having an advertised CCA slate of candidates that would help secure their reelection. There was precious little effort to recruit new candidates or to support them.
Today, the benefits of incumbency are greater than ever. The cost of political campaigns have become absurdly high and most of the incumbents now have (City paid) staff who are inevitably political appointees who directly or indirectly assist in the reelection efforts of their bosses. The deck is increasingly stacked against challengers. Furthermore, the salary and benefits for elected councillors are now so sweet that it is unlikely that any of them would ever want to move on to another job. With this background in mind, I would like to encourage all Cambridge residents to help level the playing field by finding out about this year's challengers for seats on the Cambridge City Council and the Cambridge School Committee. This is not meant as a dig against any particular incumbent as much as an appeal to support the challengers in what is a difficult and laudable effort. Please see the Cambridge Candidate Pages for the current list of expected candidates. Then use your own judgment - don't expect me or anyone else to do it for you. Speaking of this year's municipal election, there are some activists who are now expending great effort to attack the City Manager and most of the current City Council."
Thank you Robert Winters for this important background from which to delimit our own mission and future. For more on the CCA see this 1996 Crimson article: www.thecrimson.com/article/1996/3/15/cambridge-civic-association-sets-four-goals/
Who We Are
Our team is comprised of Cambridge residents from various parts of the city who support responsible growth. From the preservation of our environment and sustainability to enduring importance of our architectural legacy, our transition from the Cambridge Civic Association (CCA) to the Cambridge Citizens Coalition (CCC) was formed with the objective of pushing for the city as a unified front.
Our Board is comprised of local leaders and activists. We proudly represent a cross-section of ages, passions, interests and communities.
Our backgrounds range from economics to software design; art history to business, biochemistry to law, transit worker to traffic specialist.
Our careers have included paths as administrators, attorneys, educators, authors, entrepreneurs, consultants, documentary filmmakers, economists, energy advisors, foundation directors, graduate students, landscape architects, psychologists, professors, realtors, rock musicians, scientists, software designers and students.
Our homes are all in Cambridge and represent the diverse spectrum of our city’s neighborhoods:. Our homes range from condos, to multiple family structures, to rental apartments, to single family residences.
Our local volunteer work and activism include little league coaching, local and regional non-profit Boards, local and regional school boards, local zoning initiatives, neighborhood association leadership, publishing a kids’ newspaper, preservation and restoration efforts, recycling projects, and condo association activities.
CCC's Board of Directors and Officers
Our Board is comprised of local leaders and activists. We proudly represent a cross-section of ages, passions, interests and communities.
Our backgrounds range from economics to software design; art history to business, biochemistry to law, transit worker to traffic specialist.
Our careers have included paths as administrators, attorneys, educators, authors, entrepreneurs, consultants, documentary filmmakers, economists, energy advisors, foundation directors, graduate students, landscape architects, psychologists, professors, realtors, rock musicians, scientists, software designers and students.
Our homes are all in Cambridge and represent the diverse spectrum of our city’s neighborhoods:. Our homes range from condos, to multiple family structures, to rental apartments, to single family residences.
Our local volunteer work and activism include little league coaching, local and regional non-profit Boards, local and regional school boards, local zoning initiatives, neighborhood association leadership, publishing a kids’ newspaper, preservation and restoration efforts, recycling projects, and condo association activities.
CCC's Board of Directors and Officers
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CCC Board of Directors and Officers (see longer bios below).
Catalina Arboleda (Mid-Cambridge). Psychologist. term end 2025 Suzanne Preston Blier (Harvard Square). Art/Architectural historian/ CCC President.Term: 2027. Lynn Cetrulo (Fresh Pond). Psychiatrist social worker, psychoanalyst. Term ends: 2025. Suzan Frankle (North Cambridge). Social Media consultant: Term ends 2026. Elizabeth Gilmore (West Cambridge). Cambridge Homes, Mass Audubon Boards. Term ends 2026 Elizabeth Gombosi (Mid-Cambridge). Administrator. CCC Vice President. Term ends: 2026. Eric Grunebaum ( North Cambridge). Principal at Cambridge Energy Advisors. Term ends: 2025 Heather Hoffman, J.D. (East Cambridge). Hurley Street Farm Host. Term: 2027. Betsy Houghteling. (West Cambridge).Former Museum of Science Overseer. Term ends. 2026. Katiti Kironde (North Cambridge). Designer. Term ends: 2027. Annette Lamond (West Cambridge). Economist. Term ends 2025. Christopher Mackin (Harvard Square). Founder Ownership Associates, Inc. Term ends: 2026. Jana Odette (West Cambridge). Personal Manager and Life Coach. CCC Treasurer. Term ends 2029. Phil Wellons, J.D. (Riverside). Consultant-International Financial Systems. Term ends 2025. William Julius Wilson (MIT/Port). Sociologist. Emeritus Harvard Professor, honary. Term ends 2025. Pam Winters (North Cambridge) - formerly Planning Board. 2026. CCC Clerk. Term ends 2026. |
CCC's Advisory Team
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CCC Advisory Team Members
Lawrence Adkins (Riverside) - Development Consultant Madeleine Aster (North Cambridge) – Local Advocacy Brad Bellows (Riverside) – Architect, Transportation Doug Brown (Fresh Pond) – Environment, FPRA Sage Cabone (East Cambridge) - Indigenous, Community Work Lawrence Cetrulo, J.D. (Fresh Pond) - Environment, Liability Francis (Fritz) Donovan, J.D. (Mid-Cambridge) - Immigration, MCNA Fabrizio Gentili (East Cambridge) - Real Estate Agent, ECPT Susan Frankle (North Cambridge) - Marketing Consultant John Gilmore, J.D. (West Cambridge) -Historic Preservation, HSNA Susan Labandibar (Porter Square) – Business Owner, Activist Francesca Gordini (East Cambridge) - Architect Marilee Meyer (Mid-Cambridge) – Architectural Historian, HSNA Federico Muchnik (Porter Square) - Filmaker, Author, Teacher Gregory O'Bannon (The Port) - Transit Worker Orlando Patterson (Harvard Square) – Sociologist John Pitkin (Mid-Cambridge) - Demographer Laura Roberts (Mid-Cambridge) - Museum consulting. Hugh Russell (Mid-Cambridge) - Architect and former Planning Board Member Marie Saccoccio, J.D. (East Cambridge) – Architectural Preservation. Elena Saporta (Cambridgeport) – Landscape Architect Susan Shell (West Cambridge) - Political Scientist O. Robert Simha (East Cambridge) – Planning, University Development Merry White (North Cambridge) - Anthropologist, Author. Norma Wassel (North Cambridge) - Social Worker Nicola Williams (Harvard Square) - Business woman; Local Advocacy Robert Winters (Mid-Cambridge) – Mathematician, Cambridge Civic Journal. |
ESTEEMED FORMER CCC BOARD MEMBERS AND ADVISORS: Philip Balboni, Costanza Eggers, Peter Glick, Stephanie Guirard, Stephen Kaiser, Chris Matthews, Walter McDonald, Rafi Mohammed, Beverly Mire, Carol O'Hare, Shippen Page, Janet Reckman, Julio Torres Santana, Phil Sego.
Current CCC Board of Directors and Officers
Catalina Arboleda (Mid-Cambridge). A psychologist, and native of Colombia, Catalina came to Cambridge as a Harvard Undergraduate. She is active on her Mid-Cambridge condo-board and travels frequently internationally.
Suzanne Preston Blier (Harvard Square). An art and architectural historian specializing in Africa, a subject she teaches at Harvard. She helped to found the Harvard Square Neighborhood Association and the Cambridge Citizens Coalition. She has worked on local architectural preservation, zoning, and other issues. CCC President.
Lynn Cetrulo (Fresh Pond). Lynn grew up in Michigan and has been a Cambridge resident since 1971. She is both a psychiatrist social worker and a lay psychoanalyst, affiliated with the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, and has a private practice in Cambridge. She has served, and continues to serve on a number of non- profit boards and is a member of The Cambridge Club.
Susan Frankle (North Cambridge)Susan grew up in New Jersey, just outside of New York City. In her professional work she is a marketing consultant in healthcare. She is an organizer of the North Walden Neighbors group.
Elizabeth Gilmore (West Cambridge). Past chair, UNICEF New England and the Guidance Center; Elizabeth is also the Founder and former Executive Director of Greentimes, an education newsletter for 50,000 urban public school kids. Current Boards of Cambridge Homes, Mass Audubon, and Maine Coast Heritage Trust.
Elizabeth Gombosi (Mid-Cambridge). Elizabeth was Associate Director (ret.) of the Archaeological Exploration of Sardis and an ongoing member of the Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Association, currently serving as Membership Secretary. She is a long-term member of the Board of Kinhaven Music School in Weston, VT.. CCC Vice President.
Eric Grunebaum ( North Cambridge). Eric is a Principal at Cambridge Energy Advisors, and has consulted on and developing solar and energy efficiency projects. He is also a broker in clean energy impact investments. An activist in restoring Jerry’s Pond on Rindge Ave. he is also a filmmaker, whose works include The Last Mountain, a feature documentary on coal and clean energy in West Virginia.
Heather Hoffman, J.D. (East Cambridge). Heather is a long time Cambridge activist who serves on the boards of both the Association of Cambridge Neighborhoods and the East Cambridge Planning Team. She attends lots of meetings and enjoys hosting the Hurley Street Neighborhood Farm. CCC Treasurer.
Elizabeth (Betsy) Houghteling. (West Cambridge).A long-time volunteer, Betsy served for 12 years as Overseer and Trustee of the Museum of Science. She also has worked on political campaigns and for education non-profits. During the Dukakis administration she was Director of Communications for the Department of Revenue. A Kennedy School graduate, she and her husband enjoy being a “host family” for international students. .
Katiti Kironde (North Cambridge). Katiti launched a career as fashion designer with an eponymous clothing line in the years after becoming the first African model on a women’s magazine cover (Glamour) while a Harvard Student. She and her husband who raised their children in Cambridge, founded the Kironde Education and Health Fund (KEHF) in her native Uganda.
Annette LaMond (West Cambridge). A Ph.D. in economics, Annette is an author, editor, and consultant, whose research has ranged from industry regulation to Cambridge women's history. A longtime member of the Cambridge Plant & Garden Club, she has advocated for public planting projects throughout the city. She is currently leading a neighborhood campaign to improve traffic safety.
Christopher Mackin (Harvard Square) – Chris, long-time renter in Cambridge, is Founder and President of Ownership Associates, Inc. based in Cambridge and a special advisor to American Working Capital LLC. He teaches part time at Rutgers University. He serves on the Board of the Harvard Square Neighborhood. Association.
Jana Odette (West Cambridge). Jana Odette is a Consultant, Personal Organizer and Coach. CCC Treasurer.
Phil Wellons, J.D. (Riverside). Phil specializes in international financial markets, transactions, and comparative political strategies, as a lawyer and faculty member. He was Deputy Director of the Program on International Financial Systems, working in the Zambian finance ministry, and as international consultation on five continents. Locally he has participated in several zoning initiatives. CCC Clerk.
William Julius Wilson, Honorary (MIT/Port). Geyser University Professor Emeritus at Harvard, Bill has written extensively on issues of race, class, and poverty. The holder of a National Medal of Science, among many other honors, his many books, have transformed the way that we see key issues of societal imbalances today.
Pamela Winters (North Cambridge). A graduate of Simmons College and Lesley University, Pam is a former Past President and Board Member of the Cambridge Art Association. She also has served on the Cambridge Planning Board.
Former CCC Board and Advisory Members: Lisa Dreier, Stephanie Guirand, Carol O'Hare, Walter McDonald, Janet Reckman, Phil Sego, Julio Torres Santana
Suzanne Preston Blier (Harvard Square). An art and architectural historian specializing in Africa, a subject she teaches at Harvard. She helped to found the Harvard Square Neighborhood Association and the Cambridge Citizens Coalition. She has worked on local architectural preservation, zoning, and other issues. CCC President.
Lynn Cetrulo (Fresh Pond). Lynn grew up in Michigan and has been a Cambridge resident since 1971. She is both a psychiatrist social worker and a lay psychoanalyst, affiliated with the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, and has a private practice in Cambridge. She has served, and continues to serve on a number of non- profit boards and is a member of The Cambridge Club.
Susan Frankle (North Cambridge)Susan grew up in New Jersey, just outside of New York City. In her professional work she is a marketing consultant in healthcare. She is an organizer of the North Walden Neighbors group.
Elizabeth Gilmore (West Cambridge). Past chair, UNICEF New England and the Guidance Center; Elizabeth is also the Founder and former Executive Director of Greentimes, an education newsletter for 50,000 urban public school kids. Current Boards of Cambridge Homes, Mass Audubon, and Maine Coast Heritage Trust.
Elizabeth Gombosi (Mid-Cambridge). Elizabeth was Associate Director (ret.) of the Archaeological Exploration of Sardis and an ongoing member of the Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Association, currently serving as Membership Secretary. She is a long-term member of the Board of Kinhaven Music School in Weston, VT.. CCC Vice President.
Eric Grunebaum ( North Cambridge). Eric is a Principal at Cambridge Energy Advisors, and has consulted on and developing solar and energy efficiency projects. He is also a broker in clean energy impact investments. An activist in restoring Jerry’s Pond on Rindge Ave. he is also a filmmaker, whose works include The Last Mountain, a feature documentary on coal and clean energy in West Virginia.
Heather Hoffman, J.D. (East Cambridge). Heather is a long time Cambridge activist who serves on the boards of both the Association of Cambridge Neighborhoods and the East Cambridge Planning Team. She attends lots of meetings and enjoys hosting the Hurley Street Neighborhood Farm. CCC Treasurer.
Elizabeth (Betsy) Houghteling. (West Cambridge).A long-time volunteer, Betsy served for 12 years as Overseer and Trustee of the Museum of Science. She also has worked on political campaigns and for education non-profits. During the Dukakis administration she was Director of Communications for the Department of Revenue. A Kennedy School graduate, she and her husband enjoy being a “host family” for international students. .
Katiti Kironde (North Cambridge). Katiti launched a career as fashion designer with an eponymous clothing line in the years after becoming the first African model on a women’s magazine cover (Glamour) while a Harvard Student. She and her husband who raised their children in Cambridge, founded the Kironde Education and Health Fund (KEHF) in her native Uganda.
Annette LaMond (West Cambridge). A Ph.D. in economics, Annette is an author, editor, and consultant, whose research has ranged from industry regulation to Cambridge women's history. A longtime member of the Cambridge Plant & Garden Club, she has advocated for public planting projects throughout the city. She is currently leading a neighborhood campaign to improve traffic safety.
Christopher Mackin (Harvard Square) – Chris, long-time renter in Cambridge, is Founder and President of Ownership Associates, Inc. based in Cambridge and a special advisor to American Working Capital LLC. He teaches part time at Rutgers University. He serves on the Board of the Harvard Square Neighborhood. Association.
Jana Odette (West Cambridge). Jana Odette is a Consultant, Personal Organizer and Coach. CCC Treasurer.
Phil Wellons, J.D. (Riverside). Phil specializes in international financial markets, transactions, and comparative political strategies, as a lawyer and faculty member. He was Deputy Director of the Program on International Financial Systems, working in the Zambian finance ministry, and as international consultation on five continents. Locally he has participated in several zoning initiatives. CCC Clerk.
William Julius Wilson, Honorary (MIT/Port). Geyser University Professor Emeritus at Harvard, Bill has written extensively on issues of race, class, and poverty. The holder of a National Medal of Science, among many other honors, his many books, have transformed the way that we see key issues of societal imbalances today.
Pamela Winters (North Cambridge). A graduate of Simmons College and Lesley University, Pam is a former Past President and Board Member of the Cambridge Art Association. She also has served on the Cambridge Planning Board.
Former CCC Board and Advisory Members: Lisa Dreier, Stephanie Guirand, Carol O'Hare, Walter McDonald, Janet Reckman, Phil Sego, Julio Torres Santana
BELOW: The first meeting of the neighborhood group leaders in Cambridge that would eventually lead to the founding of the Cambridge Citizens Coalition. Not every neighborhood group chose to join us, but many of them did.
