Candidates Questionnaire - David Maher

1. Many residents feel that their property taxes are  too high, and that because of this they cannot afford to buy a house or rent an apartment to stay in Cambridge. How can we make sure that property taxes keep the city affordable while providing the city with the tax base it needs?

When you compare Cambridge to other Massachusetts cities and towns - you will see that the Cambridge residential tax rate is actually lower than most others - and the range of services that we provide to residents is far greater. Cambridge continues to be one of the most desirable communities in which to live in the greater Boston area. As a result, our residential property values have continued to escalate. According to Massachusetts tax law communities are required to value property based on sales data. It is these increased values that are making it near impossible for working families to purchase housing in our city and placing many long-term residents - especially seniors - at risk as a result of increased property tax bills. During the current city council term, I have taken the lead on this issue - calling for the creation of a special committee, on which I serve, that is exploring a variety of methods, which should provide essential relief. In addition, as chair of the Government Operations and Rules Committee, which is the committee charged with developing the city council goals and objectives, I lead the committee in adopting the councils new number one goal requiring that all city expenditures be evaluated for there impact on taxpayers. In addition, I raised the property tax issue at a number of city council meetings, in the media and in writing to homeowners. I personally assisted many residents with abatement applications. As a result of my efforts, the city will be redesigning the annual tax fact newsletter that residents will receive this fall - making easier to understand and offering more helpful information to taxpayers. During the next term, I will continue to focus my attention on this very important issue.

2. How can we make public transportation better in Cambridge and what can the City Council do to encourage residents to use public transportation?

The city council has taken a number of steps to encourage the use of public transportation among them the Parking and Transportation Demand Management Ordinance - which requires all large scale commercial and residential developments to submit detailed transportation plans for reducing parking including subsidized MBTA passes, ride-sharing services and bicycle facilities. In addition the city council has enacted zoning that encourages the development and conversion to new housing near transportation hubs. The city has also taken steps to improve bus shelters and the posting of bus schedules along transportation routes.

3. What can the city do to make sure that future negotiations with the city's unions are fair to workers?

Under the City Charter the City Manager has full authority over all collective bargaining matters. As a City Councillor, I am more than willing to use the managers handling of these issues when evaluating the Manager. I have a long track record of supporting labor issues and have been endorsed by many unions over the years. Since being elected to the Council several contracts have been negotiated and I am happy to report that there have been no job actions against the city during the time I have been on the council. On the whole Cambridge Public employees enjoy a fair and equitable benefit package that have successfully bargained with the city.

4. Cambridge is one of the centers of high-tech innovation in the country. What can the City Council do to encourage innovation and take advantage of new technology while keeping the city affordable for its residents?

Research has indicated that in addition to proximity to world-class universities like those in Cambridge the livability of a city is a key factor to attracting and retaining life science professionals and others. The City Council needs to continue to support factors that make our community livable including having a pedestrian friendly environment, a diverse community, supporting and fostering a sense of community, having a rich arts community and vibrant neighborhoods.

5. What will you do to take advantage of the unique educational resources provided by the Cambridge's universities while preventing university development that threatens working families?

When I was first elected to the City Council I was surprised that the council has no formal structure to bring the universities to the table. I introduced the City Council Order, which called for the creation of a standing University Relations Committee. As the first chair of this committee, I lead the facilitated two-year process of establishing a blueprint for future university/city relations. These efforts focused on a wide variety of shared interests including, housing issues, the local environment, land use, support for local public schools and the fiscal health of the city. These efforts launched a new effort to reach common ground on a number of important issues facing several neighborhoods bordering the universities.

6. What can City Council do to ensure that future development is not environmentally harmful?

The City council should continue to adhere to the policies we established of using green methods in the construction and rehab of all city buildings and further encourage private developers to use environmentally sound standards. The city council has made a considerable financial investment to ensure adherence to these high standards and to set and example for private developers. This year the city council also strengthened the longstanding environmental goal on air quality to include a broader environmental focus to promote a healthy environment by adopting environmentally sound and energy efficient practices throughout the community.

David Maher
120 Appleton Street
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138