Neighborhood Residents Endorse Proposed Model Cities Ordinance

The residents of Cambridge's model neighborhood have overwhelmingly voted to approve a proposed ordinance setting up a City Demonstration Agency (CDA) to run the model cities program in Cambridge.

In a house-to-house referendum held during the past two weeks, 4469 of the neighborhood's 6000 to 7000 adult residents voted to approve the ordinance. Only 95 voted against it. There were 15 invalid ballots. Under the proposed ordinance, drawn up by a committee of model neighborhood residents, a majority of the members of the CDA would be residents of the model neighborhood.

At Monday's City Council meeting, Justin M. Gray, assistant to the City Manager for Community Development, placed a towering pile of "yes" votes, and two thin stacks of "no" votes and invalid ballots before the Council. He asked the councillors to approve the ordinance as soon as possible.

The Council unanimously passed the ordinance to a second reading. It should come up for final approval on May 27.

Gray and the residents of the model neighborhood present in the Council chambers wore bright orange buttons reading "MC--Would you Believe--MC." Councillor Alfred E. Vellucci took a bag of the buttons and distributed them to his fellow councillors.