End the Impasse: Re-Elect Reeves

The Cambridge City Council, uncompromisingly divided over the selection of the next mayor, seems to be unconsciously re-enacting its own birth pangs. When the towns of Old Cambridge, Cambridgeport and East Cambridge were jointly incorporated into a city almost 150 years ago, tensions ran high between the competing interests of industry and academe. Today, the Cambridge Civic Association (CCA) and the Alliance for Progress (the Independents) are in a stand off over the choice of the next head of City Hall and the School Committee. This stalemate by means of partisanship serves as an unfortunate affirmation of a divided history.

The minister James D. Green was elected the first mayor of a racially integrated, multi-denominational Cambridge in 1846. He served to link the three towns into a single city, despite the political, cultural and economic differences existing among them. Since then, Cambridge politics have been far from unified, a situation which has often left the mayor's office vacant. Warren M. Little '55, executive director of the Cambridge Historical Society, notes, "It isn't the first time Cambridge has been without a mayor. The fact that the system can carry on and work is what's important." Cambridge is functioning, yes. But without a mayor it is not functioning very well.

Outgoing mayor Kenneth E. Reeves '72 has placed himself in the center of the conflict. He has become the pivotal vote on the City Council by continually casting his ballot in favor of himself while the four CCA council members back Francis H. Duehay '55 and the four Independents vote for Sheila T. Russell. Though the spotlight appropriately shines in his direction, aspersion should not be cast the way of former mayor Reeves. By voting for himself, he votes for the interests of the city he has served well over the past four years with his sincere dedication to education and the public welfare. Among other things, the former mayor has demonstrated support for the students of Harvard College by standing up against the administration in the confrontation over the control of Phillips Brooks House. Besides, four-time mayor Alfred E. Velluci gained office multiple times by casting a ballot for himself, effectively forcing the increasingly frustrated and obstinately divided council to vote in his favor.

Reeves is being ousted due to little more than the personal ambitions of other council members. Though both Russell and Duehay are qualified for the position, by perpetuating factionalism they are putting their own interests ahead of the city's. Duehay, who is serving as the acting mayor, says, "There are nine people on the City Council. I think that all of them want to be mayor at some time or another and someone serving twice prevents them from [enjoying] this opportunity." Of course, Duehay and the Independents don't really mind the impasse because they are enable to enact their own executive policies as controllers of City Hall. And if the stalemate continues, Duehay will be able to delegate control of city government to committees of council members, the heads of which he will appoint. Pending no further council action, Duehay will have effective control over taxes, education, housing, the budget and the schools without having been fairly selected as mayor by the committee.

Since January 1, the City has been deprived of Kenneth Reeves' leadership. Council members would do well by voting to reinstate it. As the situation stands, they are preventing the business of Cambridge from transpiring in a democratic manner, and may soon prevent it from transpiring at all. Cambridge residents worry along with former mayor Reeves that the School Committee will become impotent from inactivity. If the council chooses to elect Frank Duehay as the next mayor, then it ought to get itself together and officially invest him with the office instead of allowing him to hold power without title. We believe that city business needs to be guided by a strong and caring voice, such as that supplied by former mayor Reeves. The council should overcome its divided history and end the current impasse.