Jess S
The two biggest issues are managing equitable growth and slowing/mitigating the impacts of climate change. Equitable growth is more immediate; when you don't have secure housing, healthcare, childcare, eldercare, food, it's hard to focus on anything else. The city has a big role to play in improving the lives of vulnerable community members right now, today. At the same time, decisions the city makes now around climate change will have effects that last for decades if not centuries. On climate change, I want a manager who will take the low hanging fruit - small, easy changes that add up to a real impact - but who also understands that we need to make bigger, more fundamental changes to how we live, move, and work. Many of those changes won't be easy and may not be popular, but the alternative is passing the buck to young people and future generations, and that is unacceptable. Specifically, the manager should have a strong commitment to reducing car ownership, storage, and use throughout the city.

Jess S
Cambridge is 2/3 renters with a median age of 30. Young renters are the lifeblood of this city, and they've born the brunt of the downsides of growth, mostly through housing costs. And housing costs spill over into other areas - people will cut back on food, healthcare, and retirement contributions to keep themselves housed near the things that are important to them, whether that's a school, a job, family and friends, or the wider community. Those sacrifices have long-term health and financial effects that cannot be easily reversed. Slowing the rise in housing costs will allow young people, and people of all ages of modest means, to invest in themselves in ways that will benefit them and their communities for decades to come. It's urgent.

Ben Miller
Opportunity: better leverage Cambridge’s unique economic position (Kendall Sq, Harvard, MIT, etc), be bold in policy (e.g., vaccine mandates), zoning reform

Lisa Griffith
Zoning reform should allow for increased density of building, decreased parking requirements.

Scott K
Implementing the Cycling Safety Ordinance as fast, complete, and effectively as possible. Fixing zoning to allow housing to be built at a rate that maintains the cost of living in an widely affordable range. Building out nation leading municipal services, including high speed and reliability municipal broadband and comprehensive sidewalk and bike lane snow removal.

Chris Z
Safer and more comfortable space for people who walk and bike throughout the city -- it should not be so dangerous to get from place to place, and it should heavily favor people who are using more sustainable modes of transit, so that we shift to a healthier and safer society.

Sari B
Affordable housing Municipal affordable broadband Supporting independent businesses and restaurants harmed by pandemic so the city isn’t taken over by chains Separation of storm drains and sewage pipes Bike safety

Robert Goss
Affordable housing.. Homeless population. Affordable retail. Climate issues. Greenspace.

Rob Cannata
Housing costs, childcare costs for kids 0-3, pedestrian safety, public transportation.

Damian Bero
Housing, more walkability, limiting car traffic.

Caitlin O'Halloran
They should help make the city a better place for renters. Help to make Cambridge more affordable for a variety of people at mixed incomes. More housing! Build up if needed. Restricting the number of floors in an apartment building is silly when there's not really any view of anything anyway.

Ali Huberlie
Education, COVID (ideally a vaccine mandate for the city), housing, small businesses

John` L
Affordable housing, bike infrastructure, access to open space, public transit, allow more building/development to occur.

Anthony Moffa
Housing costs (both to rent and own), taking municipal broadband seriously, public transit and making the city less car focused and more pedestrian focused

Jess S
The number one priority should be housing. If you can't afford to live here, it doesn't matter much to you what the second priority is, because you won't be here to benefit from it.

Aaron Homer
I think we need someone progressive and policy oriented, someone with a vision for how the city needs to change to adapt to the challenges of the next couple decades. Between climate change and the housing crisis, Cambridge cannot and will not look the same a decade from now, and the city manager needs to be someone actively interested in driving that change, not just being responsive.

Jonathan B
Creating more housing

Ben Miller
Bicycle safety, housing

Aaron Homer
Housing is both one of Cambridge's biggest issues and one that the city government has the greatest impact. Cambridge needs to building a lot more homes, both Affordable and market rate, so more people can afford to live here.

Elinor Karlsson
Slower streets Fewer cars Bike infrastructure More housing for all income levels

Kevin Moses
Housing affordability, upzoning, allocating more street space to pedestrians, Bicycles, and mobility devices. Diversifying the city

Jess S
It's still important to have the Council and City Manager aligned on key priorities. A CM can do a lot to help or hinder progress, and solid executive leadership is needed to ensure city programs are well-run.

J Saif
Right, the Community Development Department, where City planners who draft zoning language work, reports to the City Manager, and the City Manager appoints members of the Planning Board and Board of Zoning Appeals. PB and BZA both play a direct role in housing in Cambridge, and many current members oppose increasing the housing supply in Cambridge, despite housing costs being the biggest concern to Cambridge residents in survey after survey.

Danielle Lorizio
Affordable housing, increased covid testing

J Saif
The Community Development Department reports to the City Manager, and that is where City planners who draft zoning language work. The City Manager also appoints members of the Planning Board and Board of Zoning Appeals. PB and BZA both play a direct role in approving housing in Cambridge, and many current members of both oppose increasing the housing supply in Cambridge, despite housing costs being the biggest concern to Cambridge residents in survey after survey.

Kate Goldberg
Diverse housing options, access to jobs, access to food pantries with fresh produce, and high quality education for all.

Michelle L
I think the next City Manager of Cambridge has a tremendous opportunity to use the City's strong balance sheet to meet the moment and support our City's residents with improving housing opportunities, our schools and fostering a positive sense of community within the City. Listen and be open-minded about opportunities, even if it's not the way "it's always been done".

Michelle L
I think the next Cambridge City Manager should focus on increasing the Affordable Housing stock in Cambridge.

Housing, housing, housing

Understands the vital role that increased urban density will play in combating climate change, and what responsibilities that places on Cambridge.

Economic development

Vision for City operations

Leading a large and varied organization

I live in Cambridge