Cambridge Elections

VOTERS RARELY have such clear choices in an election as they do today. During the next two years the Cambridge City Council and School Committee will decide on the future of rent control, condominium controls, land development and the staffing of the school system. Today, however, voters will decide the broader question of whether Cambridge will continue to have a municipal government concerned with efficiency and progressive innovations. Student voting, particularly under Cambridge's proportional representation system, can have a significant impact on this decision.

Incumbent Councilors Barbara Ackermann, Francis H. Duehay '55 and Saundra Graham have earned another council term as they have dealt with these questions in a concerned and intelligent manner. The student vote may be the deciding factor in determining the fate of the challengers. David Sullivan, who played a significant role in securing students the right to vote here, offers a fresh perspective on many issues and should be students' first choice. Mary Ellen Preusser and David Wylie are two other challengers who will rely on strong student support.

The liberal, pro-rent control forces probably will fail to gain five council seats; once again it will be vital that voters return Mayor Alfred E. Vellucci to office. Though questions about his former state job remain unanswered, his re-election is necessary to insure a liberal majority on the council. Vellucci has served as a unique link between the liberals and the more conservative neighborhoods. Though Councilor David Clem has been a great disappointment on rent control and condominium control, he too has been a constructive force on the council and deserves another term.

For the school committee race, incumbents Sara Mae Berman, Glenn S. Koocher '71, Alice Wolf and challenger Charles Pierce '75 best understand Cambridge's needs and the complexity of educational issues. Koocher and Pierce are probably the most dependent on the student vote.

Students have both a positive and negative impact on Cambridge and today is their best opportunity to exert a constructive influence on the city's future.