After Reeves, Russell Charts New Course

About the only thing Cambridge Mayor Sheila T. Russell and former mayor Kenneth E. Reeves '72 share in common is the first letter of their last name.

Russell and Reeves differ in gender, race, sexual orientation, background, style of dress, political philosophy and their approach to running this diverse city of 100,000 residents.

Last January, their differences caused the longest debate in the selection of the city's mayor since 1948, as the Cambridge City Council remained deadlocked for eight weeks.

By city charter, the nine councillors elected in November meet the first week of January and choose a mayor from amongst themselves.

Reeves had previously served two consecutive two-year terms as mayor and was re-elected to the council in November. But several councillors wanted a different leader sitting in the second floor office in City Hall.

In late February, the Council unanimously chose Russell as mayor.

But many observers still see large ideological rifts between both camps, and some tensions have surfaced during the first four months of Russell's term.

Reeves:Strong Mayor

Although councillors usually rotate the mayorship biannually, Reeves served two complete terms as mayor and was one of America's highest-ranking black, gay officials.

He was an activist who appointed special commissions, organized parades--including Cambridge's own inclusive St. Patrick's Day Parade--and reached out to Cambridge's minority groups.

This year, however, many thought Reeves was seeking to expand his powers beyond the scope appropriate for a city whose charter calls for a strong city manager and weak elected officials.

"The problem a number of city councillors had was that [Reeves] acted like he was making every decision himself," says Councillor Francis H. Duehay '55, a former mayor and 13-term Council veteran. "He lost touch with the councillors who voted for him."

After its longest deadlock since 1948, the Cambridge City Council selected political moderate Sheila T. Russell as mayor, thereby ending the four-year reign of Kenneth E. Reeves '72. Irked by Reeves' attempts to expand mayoral power, councillors turned to Russell because she was a voice for restraint and it was .....

A Different Approach

And so they turned to Russell, 60, a lifelong Cambridge resident who was first elected to the council in 1985 after the death of her husband Leonard, who himself was mayor at the time.

An Irish-Catholic who never attended college, Russell identifies more with the working-class residents of the city than Cambridge's social liberals and activists.

Russell's election was supported by the conservative Alliance for Change, which currently holds four seats on the council.

In contrast to Reeves, Russell is known as a listener and a consensus builder, who promised to "bring the mayor's position back down to the scope intended by this form of government," says Councillor Anthony D. Galluccio.

Russell says she hopes to delegate more responsibility to City Manager Robert W. Healy and to educational experts when formulating the city's public policy.

"I'm going to be my own person. Ken Reeves had a totally different style," Russell says. "He didn't try to compete with me, and I'm not going to compete with him."

Walking With the People

Like Reeves, Russell aptly fulfills her ceremonial duties as Cambridge's head of government.

On a typical day last month, she chaired a 9 a.m. meeting and then ran off to Rindge Park in North Cambridge, where the Public Works Commission was giving youngsters rides on forklifts and cranes.

Russell lacks the sartorial splendor and ethnic heritage of Reeves, her predecessor. But she had no problem driving a two-year-old youngster through Rindge Park on a rider lawnmower on that afternoon.

"The thing about Sheila is that she knows how to walk with the people," says Pauline Quinn, the child's mother.

When Russell returned to her office around noon, she answered a string of phone calls and met with city leaders. She will chair a School Committee meeting before returning home around midnight.

"Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if we had bought a house in Woburn," Russell wonders.

"Boring," she concludes after a moment.

School Committee Leadership

Now that rent control has been abolished, the progressive and moderate factions on the city council have found common ground on most issues.

The new battleground is in the school committee, which the Cambridge mayor chairs, and which recently emerged from its most acrimonious budget debate in a decade.

After six weeks of bitter argument, the school committee responded to declining enrollment by slashing 23.5 teaching positions--a move which left many teachers and elected officials demoralized and divided.

Russell's deliberative style was to remain neutral and "let the educational experts in the school system perform their duties, doing what they're hired to do," says School Committee member Joseph A. Grassi.

Although Reeves operated with a heavy hand, he generally kept the School Committee united. By contrast, some say, Russell's hands-off style allowed tensions to surface.

"The mayor's real job is to drag the system forward despite the politics," says one public official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "If that's true, this last budget process was one of the worst ever."

But School Committee member Alfred B. Fantini blames Reeves for precipitating the massive cutbacks by negotiating a long-term teaching contract in the face of an uncertain economic future.

Russell increased hostilities by encouraging parents, administrators and politicians to debate the issues passionately, Fantini says, but the process itself was one of the best in his 14-year tenure.

The disputes, Fantini says, "would have happened regardless of who was mayor."

And while some criticize Russell's leadership style as too laid-back, she showed deft leadership skills in resolving a dispute between Superintendent of Schools Mary Lou McGrath and Edward Sarasin, principal of Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School.

When 150 students marched out of school to protest budget cuts, McGrath placed Sarasin on a leave of absence for violating disciplinary guidelines in suspending the students.

After the incident, Russell called a meeting between the two and Sarasin was back at work within two days. Sarasin and McGrath agreed to Russell's suggestion to work with a mediator to settle their differences.

Portraits on the Wall

Russell's greatest strength, observers say, is dealing with Cambridge residents on a day-to-day basis.

Reeves kept an unlisted phone number and requested that citizens arrange visiting appointments through his secretarial staff.

Russell, on the other hand, leaves the door to her office open and allows a parade of citizens to pop in, including one Catholic priest who stopped by one recent day and asked, "You behavin' Mayor?"

"Yeah," Russell answered. "But I need to lose 40 pounds."

While Russell is receptive and accessible to the working class residents of the city, political observers say she has not matched Reeves' ability to reach traditionally disempowered groups.

Local observers continue to question her efforts to reach out to the city's large minority community.

Some cite Russell's office as evidence of her difficulty in dealing with Cambridge's substantial minority population.

Russell's office in City Hall is graced by portraits of 19th century Cambridge mayors--all of whom were white males.

Portraits of Cambridge's three female and one black mayor are nowhere to be found, and that angers some residents in this multicultural city.

"To me, that really defines how backward she is," says an official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "You have this type of city, and her first act is to bring in portraits of white males."

Russell says she plans to hang other portraits as soon as they can be obtained.

And she brushes off her critics by pointing out the strong support which both she and her late husband enjoyed among North Cambridge's large minority population.

She also emphasizes that she has expanded the city's summer jobs program for disadvantaged youth and has defended Cambridge's affirmative action policies during her tenure.

"I don't buy arguments that [Russell is] some kind of bigot," says community activist Lester P. Lee, who is black. "She agrees on many issues important to our community."

Dancing the Limbo

But many Cambridge residents see great symbolic value in having a black mayor.

As mayor, Reeves was a role model to the city's youth, and "his unwavering support of the public schools, which are over 50 percent minority," was vital, says School Committee member E. Denise Simmons, who is black.

When dealing with minority coalitions, Russell is frequently compared to Reeves.

Last month, for example, Russell met with representatives of Cambridge Carnival International, an ethnic group which hosts multicultural festivals in Cambridge every summer.

Everton Daniel, one of the group's executives, repeatedly reminded Russell of Reeves's support in the past and pressured Russell for concessions.

Although Russell seemed eager to please the group, Daniel shook his head after the meeting as he waited for a bus outside City Hall.

"That new mayor has big shoes to fill,"Daniel said.

Coming Into Her Own

No doubt, Russell will continue being dogged by comparisons to Reeves.

She, too, treats the job as a full-time position. But she leaves behind the pizzazz and the style which characterized the Reeves administration.

"Sheila's a modest person," says local talk show host Glenn S. Koocher '71. "She's more closely aligned with neighborhood constituencies, and she's someone who feels very comfortable with herself."

Because of council gridlock, Russell began her mayoral tenure two months later than normal, and crisis mediation has taken most of her time.

Russell says she hopes to devote more time to the issues which she has always stressed: neighborhood policing, care for the elderly and basic city services.

And many feel Russell will contribute to the mayor's office in her own unique way.

"If Sheila gets a breathing moment, I think you'II see someone who will come into her own," Fantini says.CrimsonC.R. McFaiden

After its longest deadlock since 1948, the Cambridge City Council selected political moderate Sheila T. Russell as mayor, thereby ending the four-year reign of Kenneth E. Reeves '72. Irked by Reeves' attempts to expand mayoral power, councillors turned to Russell because she was a voice for restraint and it was .....

A Different Approach

And so they turned to Russell, 60, a lifelong Cambridge resident who was first elected to the council in 1985 after the death of her husband Leonard, who himself was mayor at the time.

An Irish-Catholic who never attended college, Russell identifies more with the working-class residents of the city than Cambridge's social liberals and activists.

Russell's election was supported by the conservative Alliance for Change, which currently holds four seats on the council.

In contrast to Reeves, Russell is known as a listener and a consensus builder, who promised to "bring the mayor's position back down to the scope intended by this form of government," says Councillor Anthony D. Galluccio.

Russell says she hopes to delegate more responsibility to City Manager Robert W. Healy and to educational experts when formulating the city's public policy.

"I'm going to be my own person. Ken Reeves had a totally different style," Russell says. "He didn't try to compete with me, and I'm not going to compete with him."

Walking With the People

Like Reeves, Russell aptly fulfills her ceremonial duties as Cambridge's head of government.

On a typical day last month, she chaired a 9 a.m. meeting and then ran off to Rindge Park in North Cambridge, where the Public Works Commission was giving youngsters rides on forklifts and cranes.

Russell lacks the sartorial splendor and ethnic heritage of Reeves, her predecessor. But she had no problem driving a two-year-old youngster through Rindge Park on a rider lawnmower on that afternoon.

"The thing about Sheila is that she knows how to walk with the people," says Pauline Quinn, the child's mother.

When Russell returned to her office around noon, she answered a string of phone calls and met with city leaders. She will chair a School Committee meeting before returning home around midnight.

"Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if we had bought a house in Woburn," Russell wonders.

"Boring," she concludes after a moment.

School Committee Leadership

Now that rent control has been abolished, the progressive and moderate factions on the city council have found common ground on most issues.

The new battleground is in the school committee, which the Cambridge mayor chairs, and which recently emerged from its most acrimonious budget debate in a decade.

After six weeks of bitter argument, the school committee responded to declining enrollment by slashing 23.5 teaching positions--a move which left many teachers and elected officials demoralized and divided.

Russell's deliberative style was to remain neutral and "let the educational experts in the school system perform their duties, doing what they're hired to do," says School Committee member Joseph A. Grassi.

Although Reeves operated with a heavy hand, he generally kept the School Committee united. By contrast, some say, Russell's hands-off style allowed tensions to surface.

"The mayor's real job is to drag the system forward despite the politics," says one public official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "If that's true, this last budget process was one of the worst ever."

But School Committee member Alfred B. Fantini blames Reeves for precipitating the massive cutbacks by negotiating a long-term teaching contract in the face of an uncertain economic future.

Russell increased hostilities by encouraging parents, administrators and politicians to debate the issues passionately, Fantini says, but the process itself was one of the best in his 14-year tenure.

The disputes, Fantini says, "would have happened regardless of who was mayor."

And while some criticize Russell's leadership style as too laid-back, she showed deft leadership skills in resolving a dispute between Superintendent of Schools Mary Lou McGrath and Edward Sarasin, principal of Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School.

When 150 students marched out of school to protest budget cuts, McGrath placed Sarasin on a leave of absence for violating disciplinary guidelines in suspending the students.

After the incident, Russell called a meeting between the two and Sarasin was back at work within two days. Sarasin and McGrath agreed to Russell's suggestion to work with a mediator to settle their differences.

Portraits on the Wall

Russell's greatest strength, observers say, is dealing with Cambridge residents on a day-to-day basis.

Reeves kept an unlisted phone number and requested that citizens arrange visiting appointments through his secretarial staff.

Russell, on the other hand, leaves the door to her office open and allows a parade of citizens to pop in, including one Catholic priest who stopped by one recent day and asked, "You behavin' Mayor?"

"Yeah," Russell answered. "But I need to lose 40 pounds."

While Russell is receptive and accessible to the working class residents of the city, political observers say she has not matched Reeves' ability to reach traditionally disempowered groups.

Local observers continue to question her efforts to reach out to the city's large minority community.

Some cite Russell's office as evidence of her difficulty in dealing with Cambridge's substantial minority population.

Russell's office in City Hall is graced by portraits of 19th century Cambridge mayors--all of whom were white males.

Portraits of Cambridge's three female and one black mayor are nowhere to be found, and that angers some residents in this multicultural city.

"To me, that really defines how backward she is," says an official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "You have this type of city, and her first act is to bring in portraits of white males."

Russell says she plans to hang other portraits as soon as they can be obtained.

And she brushes off her critics by pointing out the strong support which both she and her late husband enjoyed among North Cambridge's large minority population.

She also emphasizes that she has expanded the city's summer jobs program for disadvantaged youth and has defended Cambridge's affirmative action policies during her tenure.

"I don't buy arguments that [Russell is] some kind of bigot," says community activist Lester P. Lee, who is black. "She agrees on many issues important to our community."

Dancing the Limbo

But many Cambridge residents see great symbolic value in having a black mayor.

As mayor, Reeves was a role model to the city's youth, and "his unwavering support of the public schools, which are over 50 percent minority," was vital, says School Committee member E. Denise Simmons, who is black.

When dealing with minority coalitions, Russell is frequently compared to Reeves.

Last month, for example, Russell met with representatives of Cambridge Carnival International, an ethnic group which hosts multicultural festivals in Cambridge every summer.

Everton Daniel, one of the group's executives, repeatedly reminded Russell of Reeves's support in the past and pressured Russell for concessions.

Although Russell seemed eager to please the group, Daniel shook his head after the meeting as he waited for a bus outside City Hall.

"That new mayor has big shoes to fill,"Daniel said.

Coming Into Her Own

No doubt, Russell will continue being dogged by comparisons to Reeves.

She, too, treats the job as a full-time position. But she leaves behind the pizzazz and the style which characterized the Reeves administration.

"Sheila's a modest person," says local talk show host Glenn S. Koocher '71. "She's more closely aligned with neighborhood constituencies, and she's someone who feels very comfortable with herself."

Because of council gridlock, Russell began her mayoral tenure two months later than normal, and crisis mediation has taken most of her time.

Russell says she hopes to devote more time to the issues which she has always stressed: neighborhood policing, care for the elderly and basic city services.

And many feel Russell will contribute to the mayor's office in her own unique way.

"If Sheila gets a breathing moment, I think you'II see someone who will come into her own," Fantini says.CrimsonC.R. McFaiden