City Council Remains Deadlocked In Balloting for Cambridge Mayor

The Cambridge City Council tried to elect a new mayor for the City again yesterday, but the result was the same as the first time around: a deadlock.

Throughout the four ballots cast yesterday, the pattern of voting was the same as that of a week ago. The council minority of four "independent" councillors switched their votes among each other, in effect leaving the choice of a mayor up to the council majority, five councillors endorsed by the Cambridge Civic Association. (CCA).

No Agreement

For their part, the CCA councilllors were unable to agree on a choice for mayor. Each of the two announced CCA candidates for mayor-Councillors Thomas Coates and Thomas H. D. Mahoney-voted for himself. Two other CCA councillors-Barbara Ackermann and Robert P. Moncnieff-voted for Coates on one ballot and Mahoney on the next, while CCA councillor Edward A. Crane '35 voted "present" throughout the balloting.

Upshot

The upshot of it all was that no councillor ever received more than three of the five votes needed for election as mayor. Some City Hall observers believe that this deadlock may last for some weeks of balloting to come.

While the balloting for mayor continued, Councillor Alfred E. Vellucci hastened to inform the council that the resolution he presented last week calling for the council to "proceed with the election of a City Manager" did not necessarily mean that he was interested in firing City Manager James L. Sullivan.

Innocently

"I did this innocently, as I had done in the past. I don't think the election of a City Manager should be contingent upon the election of a mayor." Vellucci said, charging there were rumors that votes for or against the manager would be traded for mayorality votes. He said he wanted to get the question of the manager out of the way before choosing a mayor.

The council voted to ask for a legal opinion as to whether it has to take up the question of the manager at all unless it wishes to fire him, since there does not appear to be any set limit to the manager's term.