City council elections are in 2 days. As I watch this year's race, with OWS as a backdrop, I couldn't help but notice how our city, 'the people's republic', seems to represent the systematic failure of our democracy. What am I talking about?

1. City Manager: Robert Healy has been in City Manager for 30 years.
2. 7 out of the 9 current city councilors have 6 terms in office or more.
3. Average Money Spent by current City Councilors for reelection: officially around $25K, unofficially $50K. (with the exception of Craig Kelly)
4. Salary of City Coucilor: $70,329, of Mayor: $99,552.
5. City Councilor receive the biggest part (let's say 70%) of their contributions from individuals tied to corporate businesses with interests in the city. (this is really a challenge to city councilors: prove me wrong!) read more...

Before I start, let me warn you... this post is not for the faint of heart. No more explanation or understanding or whatever... I've been mad for a while now... Now i'm just angry... I'm sorry to say but now that i've been an neighborhood activist for 5 years, bloging for a few... participating in trying to make my community better... it's time to get mad... pissed... angry... Why? cause our city governance is a joke... Oh... how I can I say that, we have triple A bond rating! Frack you... GOVERNANCE IS NOT ABOUT MONEY... A city council being paid outrageous amounts of money... with the power to choose their heir and partners... boards with not the slightest understanding of what their doing... and believe me, I prefer to take you for idiots rather than smart and conniving, because the later would mean you know what you doing, and therefore would be guilty of consciously screwing us... read more...

This morning I was walking by the river, Cambridge Parkway side, when I saw booeys in the water, by the Broadway Cannal... see pict... they were couple of trucks from Clean Harbor Emergency Response Unit, DEP and even Homeland Security...

Although I asked, didn't get an answers from anybody...

I wonder what happened... guess just have to be patient... someone will keep us informed...

To put conservatism in a bottle with a label is like trying to liquify the atmosphere ... The difficulty arises from the nature of the thing. For conservatism is less a political doctrine than a habit of mind, a mode of feeling, a way of living.
R. J. White

In reaction to the French Revolution Burke wrote, "A state without the means of change is without the means of its conservation," but insisted that further change be organic rather than revolutionary. An attempt to modify the complex web of human interactions that form human society, for the sake of some doctrine or theory, runs the risk of running afoul of the iron law of unintended consequences.
Wikipedia

According John N. Gray the essence of liberalism is toleration of different beliefs and of different ideas as to what constitutes a good life.
Wikipedia read more...

When I started at neighbor media, I decided to 'expose' Cambridge, at the time I wasn't sure what it meant... Three years later, I think it meant trying to understand the processes making our city work... the mechanism behind those processes ... maybe by the end of this blog... the people that make it work... and maybe as Silvia Glick best said
... turn the perception of Cambridge into the realty of Cambridge ...

I started understanding the role and influence of the City Council during the Alexandria Real Estate (hereafter referred to as ARE) rezoning petition, for more read my past blogs... The process I discovered, although sound in principle, highlighted a disconnect between the City Councilors and the residents. A disconnect maybe best expressed, a few month later, by many Councilors:
... we got an amazing deal, like we’ve never seen before, we couldn’t have done it without you ... read more...

I have been working hard trying to get my articles and interviews out there... Not easy to find time to do everything... Anyhow... Here they are 9 interviews of Candidates running in the City Council election. In my next post, i'll go into more details, give you my take on the interviews and what I've learned. Here I'm gone be quite... Let you decide for yourselves... I didn't edit any of the interviews... sometime I had to stop the recording and start a new one, henceforth a few 2 parters... I really tried to get a better understanding of who the candidates are, why they run, how the city works, what they hope to achieve... I hope you find them as interesting as I did... I would like to thx all of the candidates who took the time, I think it show not only a true will for transparency. I chide the candidates who refused, didn't answer or didn't find the time... as Mr Colbert would say... wag of the finger... read more...

OK... Here it is...
What if we make this Halloween a special one. One in which we not only enjoy walking the streets with our kids tricker-treating but also where we treat our neighbor, family and friends with a vote card... as per picture... we could call it the pass the vote campaign... Wouldn't it be amazing... trick or treat and vote... every child would hear their parents say to someone... here is a vote...and pass them a vote ... as per picture... Imagine the effect... Just saying the word vote...nothing more, nothing less.. passing the picture ... et voila... with a little magic we all become active participant in our democracy... we make each other aware of how lucky and privilieged we are... here is a vote... don't forget it... and remember the kids... I would love to hear they reaction...

It's decided i'm doing it... I know on this beautiful day most people probably wont read this but who knows... let's give it a go...

So read more...