Graham Challenge May Bar Feinberg From Commission

Cambridge City Councillor Saundra Graham said yesterday she would vote at the next Council meeting to investigate the eligibility of Election Commission candidate Matthew H. Feinberg.

Graham said a source told her Feinberg is not a registered Democrat, and is therefore ineligible to replace Democratic incumbent Francis R. Burns.

Feinberg is one of the three candidates chosen February 6 by vote of the Democratic City Committee's eleven ward committees. City Manager James L. Sullivan must select one to replace Burns.

Feinberg said yesterday he was a registered Democrat. He said that after hearing last Monday that his eligibility might be questioned, went to the Election Commission office to look for his voter's affidavit but the election commissioners could not find it, Feinberg said.

The Cambridge voting register has a blank next to Feinberg's name, indicating an "independent," Feinberg said.

Feinberg said that if the affadavit is not found, his eligibility will be determined by Sullivan.

Councilor Walter J. Sullivan proposed an investigation of the Commission election at last Monday's City Council meeting. Graham, who is a member of the Democratic City Committee, killed the proposal because "no one has explained to me what he did wrong."

Sullivan said yesterday he was unaware of any specific illegalities, but that he wanted to make sure the meeting was held "according to the rules."

A member of the Committee, who asked to remain anonymous, said yesterday the conservative, pro-Burns wing of the Committee was responsible for the challenge to Feinberg.

He said the conservatives had lost to reformers in Tuesday's election for ward committee posts, and are worried about maintaining their power