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Sunday Happenings
Believe it or not, the town that went nearly 85% for John Kerry last year, has a city-sponsored Commission on Nuclear Disarmament and Peace Education, and is lovingly (or not) refered to as the People's Republic also has some Republicans...or one, at least.
Buried in the "Political Notes" section of last week's Cambridge Chronicle is a short blurb about Andre Green, a young Republican who has announced his candidacy for Cambridge City Council:
Green began his speech with "When I tell people I'm a Republican running for Cambridge City Council, I often get a look of sympathy - an 'Oh you poor thing' look, reminiscent of what one would give a puppy that's going to be put to sleep."
While the Green for City Council website avoids discussion of any specific policy recommendations, it seems his "Republican" campaign is formulated on the premise the "job of city government is to ensure that the basic services of the City are performed as efficiently and effectively as possible" but not to take a stance on state or national issues, such as the previously mentioned Commission on Nuclear Disarmament and Peace Education. However, since this local v. national issues debate has been a high-profile disagreement among the all-Democrat Boston City Council, Bostonist fails to see the "Republican" agenda here. Furthermore, the relatively positive light in which Green explains the makes us wonder if he's simply infiltrating the very disheveled Cambridge Republican City Committee (yes, there really is one).
But, hey, this is Cambridge. I guess they take what they can get!
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as long as he's not a neocon bible thumper then he's a-ok by me!
In defense of the Cambridge city council, they don't actually have the power to do anything. Operational authority in the city is vested in the city manager. As a consequence, the main responisbilities of the city council are to vote on naming street corners after local personalities and pass resolutions of the type described above.
And for some reason I thought one of the Cambridge city council members was already a registered republican. Given that the elections themselves are non-partisan, one doesn't tend to know the party affiliation of the candidates unless they announce it or you take the time to check the voter rolls yourself.
I've known Andre for a few years, and he is many things, but a Bible thumper ain't one of 'em.
He is a Republican in the old-fashioned fiscal conservative/social liberal style, and my recollection is he was a pretty staunch McCain man in '00. He knows better than to mention Bush to me, given that I worked on the Ann Richards campaigns in '90 and '94, so I don't know if he has any use at all for the man.
He's a smart, funny guy who is usually well-spoken and who should at least comport himself well during the campaign.
I have no doubt whatsoever that Andre is a very good guy, and I am heartened to hear he was a staunch McCain man in '00. Though I also hope for his sake that Andre knows better than to mention Bush at all in public in Cambridge ;-)
Constantine - I'm pretty sure that, no, there isn't a registered Republican on the council right now. There is Tim Toomey who is a pretty conservative Democrat (in some regards at least). But, I could be wrong. Do you know who you think it is?