Sam on the Issues
- Advocating for Youth Programming
- Preserving our Environment
- Protecting our Vital Neighborhoods
- Quality of Life
Advocating for Youth Programming
Our children spend the vast majority of their time outside of the classroom. The city has sponsored a wide array of out-of-school programming for this time – but for many parents, it’s a tough knot to untie. That’s why, as Vice Mayor, I co-chaired a
to help connect families to these programs. Our children need academic enrichment. They need physical activity. They need programming that keeps their minds engaged. Two years ago, I campaigned for a City Council that works more closely with the School Committee. I’ve made that a reality by working with the School Committee on various important issues, including after-school programming. When our leaders work together, great things can happen.
Preserving our Environment
On the Council I have worked tirelessly to help homeowners “go green.” I asked the City Manager to draft a "home rule petition" that would enable Cambridge to pursue a program that helps homeowners cover the upfront costs of upgrading their homes by allowing them to access up to $37,500 of city-sponsored funds for purchase and installation of solar electric and solar thermal panels. The homeowner then pays that money back to the city when they pay their property tax. This mechanism gives the homeowner the money to make the improvements on their house now and allows them to spread out the cost of that investment over time. Meanwhile, the city gets paid back in a very stable and predictable manner through this special assessment that becomes part of the property tax. The assessment would transfer to a new owner in the case that the house was sold before the full amount had been repaid. I believe that every community needs every tool available to it when fighting against climate change. There is broad agreement that we work in every way possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Cambridge should lead the way in the path to sustainability.
Click here for more on The Environment: Homeowners and Green Energy.
Protecting our Vital Neighborhoods
As an urban planner, I realize that planning, development, and housing are key issues to the future of Cambridge. Cambridge is a city of only seven miles of land. On those seven miles, we house two huge, famous universities; over 100,000 people; and numerous thriving businesses in various fields. We have to use what little land we have wisely. I chair the Council’s Housing Committee, and in this role, I convened a panel of service providers to inform building managers of what resources were available for them and for their tenants here in Cambridge if a tenant was having difficulty paying the rent. And I have worked to create more family-sized housing units in Cambridge, because I know that when a family leaves our city, we lose a piece of ourselves. On the City Council, I will continue to be a voice for responsible development, creating open space, and fighting for affordable housing to keep families here in Cambridge.
Quality of Life
Since taking office, I have maintained regular “office hours’ to work with constituent issues. The people of Cambridge are my boss – I am here to serve you. When a Cambridge resident comes to me with an issue, I will do whatever I can do to solve it. Many of these issues fall under the responsibility of Inspectional Services, a very important office in city government. During the last budget cycle, I asked them point blank if they felt they were asked to do too much given the staffing resources they had. I’ll continue to make sure the people of Cambridge get the service they need from their city and their leaders. Crime continues to go down in Cambridge, and that is a good thing – but there is more work to be done. Disturbances in neighborhoods can really impact daily life, and it is important that all the resources we have are deployed to make sure that people are safe and sound in their communities. These resources include the police and other parts of the city government (including Human Services and Parks and Recreation), the elected officials, and the citizens themselves, who often are the strongest force in combating crime by being vigilant and working in conjunction with police and other officials to disrupt bad behaviors impacting their community.
To learn about Sam's views on energy, education, land use, environment, housing, and much more, check out the following articles:
- Sam's page on the Cambridge Civic Journal's website
