The last three and a half years as your Mayor have been an immense privilege. We have accomplished so much. The first year of the term started with the Omicron variant, a new challenge for our city already two years into the pandemic. At the same time, we faced another critical decision: finding and hiring a new City Manager. We welcomed Yi-an Huang in July 2022. My office helped lead the community engagement around this process. Read below on more specifics.
Affordable Housing: This term, I championed several initiatives to advance affordable housing and tenant advocacy in Cambridge, including:
Working with the Affordable Housing Trust regarding concerns about property management and working to reconcile and repair relationships with tenants who have expressed concern throughout the city specifically at the Walden Square Apartments
Advocating for the City to buy property from Lesley University
Pushing for the City to establish a municipal voucher program
Increasing access to legal services and assisting residents who have housing concerns
Climate Change: This term, climate change issues have been a priority of mine. Through the promotion of sustainability and education on the climate crisis, my office has worked to make Cambridge a climate leader, with additional attention paid to underserved parts of the City where vulnerable residents are most impacted by climate inaction. This term, I pushed Cambridge to be a greener City by:
Forming a Climate Crisis Working Group with climate experts from Cambridge and Massachusetts to help draft a report on what actions Cambridge must take to reduce emissions and improve resiliency
Hosting an International Youth Conference at City Hall with the United Nations Department of Global Communications Civil Society Unit, UN HABITAT, and UNA focused on climate change
Co-sponsoring a Green Jobs Ordinance to grow the size and diversity of our clean energy workforce
Visiting CPS classrooms with DPW to teach about recycling and providing reusable water bottles
Advancing an amended Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO). The ordinance is a key step in efforts to reduce Cambridge's greenhouse gas emissions as energy use in buildings accounts for about 80% of GHG emissions in Cambridge, with two-thirds of the total related to commercial, institutional, and large multifamily buildings. However, efforts to improve the energy performance of our building stock are hampered by the invisible nature of energy use. Amendments to the Ordinance passed in 2023 will require large commercial buildings to reach Net Zero Emissions by 2035, while small commercial buildings must reach Net Zero Emissions by 2050.
Community engagement: This term, my office established annual inclusive events such as the Community Iftar during Ramadan, Bollywood night at Starlight Square, and a Halloween Trick-or-Treat on City Hall Lawn. We sponsored new events aimed at increasing accessibility and celebrating diversity, which included a Diwali festival and two annual Juneteenth events. Specific community engagement events to connect with residents and families throughout Cambridge, include
Partnering with Cambridge Public Schools (CPS) to host community fairs to provide resources in several languages and supplies for students to thrive during the school year
Hosting coffee hours in the community at small businesses and meeting residents in their own neighborhoods
Starting a monthly Meet and Greet Pizza Night series at Cambridge Housing Authority Buildings to address resident’s concerns and provide connections to resources
Working with the Historical Commission and hiring an indigenous consultant to create a new historical marker in Harvard Square that recognizes indigenous history in Cambridge
Starting a pilot during Black History Month for residents to receive free tickets to the Museum of African American History, and working with the Library to establish a permanent program to provide free tickets beginning in February 2023
Co-hosting educational sessions with Pathways for Immigrant Workers to assist low-wage workers in employment-sponsored lawful permanent residence applications
Schools, Businesses, and Universities: My office works to enhance the collaborative relationship between the City and CPS, businesses, the Biotech industry, and the nonprofit community, as well as Harvard, MIT, and Lesley Universities in an effort to expand the availability and access to mentorships, internships, job trainings, and apprentice programs for resident. This term my office has:
Expanded the Early College Pilot that began in 2022 in partnership with Lesley University to provide 100 CRLS students a year with opportunities to fulfil high school graduation requirements while also earning college credits
Partnered with MIT on expanding the Elevate Youth Local Parks Program in Cambridge, a free outdoor enrichment opportunity for 5th and 6th grade CPS students and a leadership opportunity for Youth Leaders in the Cambridge Housing Authority WorkForce Youth Program
Provided funding for yearbooks and headshots to seniors graduating from Cambridge Rindge and Latin and journals for graduating 8th graders
Secured funding for all Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, High School Extension Program, home school, and charter school students who reside in the district to receive a free MBTA Charlie Card this school year.
Supported and facilitated RECESS, a free summer youth program that is in its third year after being established by our office
Visited classrooms to talk about the importance of public service and engage with students on their involvement in local government
Community well-being: Community well-being became a priority during the pandemic and needs to continue to remain at the forefront of the City’s vision. I have advanced this goal by:
Establishing multiple ad hoc working groups to further work on priority issues, including Universal Pre-Kindergarten, Fare Free Transit, Homelessness, and Climate Crisis
Building on the successful Cambridge Rise Pilot, I worked with the City Manager to secure $22 Million in ARPA funds to launch Rise Up Cambridge to extend direct cash assistance of $500 a month to all families under 250% of the Federal Poverty Limit. This expansion will make Cambridge the only city in the country to provide cash assistance to all families in poverty-learn more here.
Continuing the Mayor’s Winter Support Drive in 2021 and 2022 by raising nearly $50,000 to provide gift cards to residents in need in partnership with Harvard, MIT, Lesley, and the Chamber of Commerce. I worked with over a dozen Cambridge organisations to distribute grocery store gift cards to residents who were struggling during the winter season
Connecting hundreds of Cambridge residents with resources to address housing matters, build resilient local businesses, facilitate communication with city agencies, and accept general concerns and feedback for the City