After Rent Control: CCA Looks to Future

Led by a new slate of officers and a more compact executive board, the Cambridge Civic Association (CCA) hopes to revitalize city politics and redefine itself now that rent control--for 25 years one of the group's key issues--is gone.

But critics question whether the progressive organization can over come its recent political fumblings and give a strong showing in the city council elections this fall.

As the CCA prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary next month, its new leaders promise a reformed good-government group. However, the defection of popular Mayor Kenneth E. Reeves '72 from the group in 1993 and a breakdown in communication within the organization last year threaten to hamper the liberal group's efforts to clarify its political agenda.

The CCA confirmed a new board of directors May 1, electing a new president, Geneva T. Malenfant.

Malenfant, a longtime Cambridgeport resident and community activist, decided to downsize the executive board, reducing the number of vice presidents from nine to two. The vice presidents are Dick Clarey and Julia Gregory.

The smaller board has hit The ground running, appointing a new staff member, Jo Ann Hoffman, as acting executive director to run the group's day-to-day operations. In its first to meetings, held on May 4 and last Thursday, nearly 30 board members showed up, the highest attendance in recent memory.

"This is a new beginning," Malenfant said in an interview. "I look upon it as the beginning of the next 50 years."

Malenfant hopes the group's new structure will make decision-making more democratic. "Previously, the executive committee was too large and it pre-empted the role of the board ofdirectors in decision making," she said.

While she acknowledged taking action might takelonger and the group may become less efficient,she said the changes will involve "a wider rangeof people" and help build membership.

The CCA has traditionally prepared informationsummaries and issued policy recommendations to theCity Council members it endorses. Malenfant saidthe group has streamlined its work, assigning mostof it to one of five committees: education,housing, budget and finance, elections and acommittee devoted to the anniversary celebration.

The CCA's outgoing president, R. Philip Dowds,was the target of some criticism as the end of hissecond one-year term approached. Some members sawDowds as overly partisan in the world of Cambridgepolitics, and faulted him for the group'stenacious pro-rent control position, which theysay alienated many Cantabrigians.

In an interview, Dowds called the group'ssometimes zealous stance in support of rentcontrol "a disastrous mistake."

"I worked hard to change that during my twoyears as president. The event of Question 9 caughtup with us before we could clean up our act," hesaid, referring to the controversial statereferendum that narrowly passed last fall,abolishing rent control.

"I think it's a mistake for a group like theCCA to become solidly identified with anyposition, pro or con, on a major public issue likethat," he added.

He compared rent control to the proposedbuilding expansion of the Stop and Shopsupermarket, which also generated controversy. Thegroup adopted a moderate, low-key stance,supporting the expansion but urging the city torestrict the truck traffic on Memorial Drive thatneighbors of the grocery thought would disrupt theneighborhood.

"It should have been that way for rentcontrol," Dowds said. "How it came to be that theCCA came to be comprised only of those in favor ofrent control was a long process, and a bigmistake."

The former president said the group neversucceeded in reaching a consensus on rent controland chose to follow a policy of, "Let's stick withwhat we got. Maybe everything else is worse."

"That is no way to run a public program," hesaid.

Other CCA members disagreed. "At times, Ithought the CCA was too weak in defense of rentcontrol," said Lester P. Lee Jr., a tenantactivist and CCA board member.

But Malenfant does not believe he death of rentcontrol marks the end of the CCA's reason forexistence.

While conceding that the group might lose thesupport of tenants dissatisfied with the outcomeof Question 9, she said the end of rent controlmight bring back voters who had previously beenrepelled by the CCA's position.

"There are very few people, in my opinion, forwhom rent control is the only issue," she said.

Political Influence

Another issue the new CCA leaders want toaddress is the group's relations with the fourcity councillors it has endorsed.

The group's hold on the council had been solidsince 1989, when it captured a majority form theIndependent councillors for the first time indecades. But Mayor Reeves defected from the groupin 1993 when he decided to run for a second termas mayor.

The CCA had tried to rotate the office amongits endorsed councillors every two years. When itrefused to support Reeves, he sought and receivedthe support of the Independents, effectivelyrealigning the council's majority.

Left with only four councillors, the CCA hasbeen accused of being too partisan by thefledgling Alliance for Change, a new group withwhich four Independent councillors haveaffiliated.

Malenfant hopes the CCA can recoup politicalcapital by being less partisan and by consultingwith its candidates more.

"When there is a disagreement within ourcandidates, the CCA will probably not take aposition," she said. "All of our city councillorsact in what is the best interest of theirconstituents. It is not the job of the civicassociation to second-guess that."

CCA-endorsed councillors appear to approve thechanges.

"The CCA as an organization sometimes, in thepast several years, arrived at decisions withoutenough research and certainly without consultingtheir endorsed officials," said Councillor FrancisH. Duehay '55. "A more consultative process is avery good idea."

But Dowds expressed some skepticism aboutwhether greater con sultation can be easilyachieved.

"One of the great dilemmas the CCA has that isalways difficult is how to combine being abroadminded, good-government organization withbeing a political party that supports specificclusters of candidates," he said.

"You might find one of your chosen candidatesis on the wrong side of the issue," Dowds added."Then what do you do?"

Duehay said the CCA must alter its politicalrole. "The major job of the CCA is to try to findcapable and diverse candidates and to recruit themto run for office," he said.

"I don't think the job of the CCA is to dictateto people whom they endorse, but I do think theCCA should be doing research, working within thecommunity to assist their public officials inbringing things to their attention," Duehay added.

'A Less Prominent Role'

Another issue Malenfant hopes to improve is theCCA's public image. The organization was sometimesseen as divisive, partly because of Dowds'high-profile role and his comments to the press,which were seen by some as impolitic.

"I think I will take a less prominent role thanpreviously has been the case," Malenfant said,alluding to his predecessor's visibility.

Dowds, however, defended his performance aspresident.

"My personal view is, the public business mustbe done in the public," said the Riversidearchitect. "For all I care, they can mount TV inthe [meeting] room and televise the discussions. Ipersonally don't think there's any way, andcertainly no good way, to do the public businessin secret."

"Virtually everything the CCA did, every publicposition it took, every action it initiated, wasdebated and approved by mostly the board [ofdirectors], and occasionally [by] the executivecommittee," Dowds said.

But he added: "In hindsight I think that mypresidency would have gone better if theorganization had paid more attention to out-reach,to new membership and to invigorating an interestin public affairs."

CCA members also praised Dowds' tenure aspresident. "I would not single out Mr. Dowds, whoI think worked very hard and very sincerely onbehalf of the organization, as particularly betteror worse than anyone else," Duehay said. "Heinherited the organization at a very difficulttime."

Lee, a member of the CCA nominating committeethat approved the slate of officers before thegeneral membership vote, agreed. "Historicallyspeaking, the presidency of the CCA is rotatedevery two years," Lee said. "That the CCA ishaving problems is well known, but I don't thinkthose problems lead as much [from] Phil Dowds as[from] the politics of the city and how they'rechanging."

As for the CCA's political future, Malenfantsaid the CCA must focus on public education anddeveloping a permanent housing policy for thecity. Lee said the group must examine theaffirmative action program implemented by CityManager Robert W. Healy, which he calledineffective.

"I think we have a great opportunity to affectdecision-making at the local level," Malenfantsaid.

Dowds plans to become more involved withCambridge Citizens for Livable Nieghborhoods, alocal policy group of which he was treasurerbefore becoming CCA president

While she acknowledged taking action might takelonger and the group may become less efficient,she said the changes will involve "a wider rangeof people" and help build membership.

The CCA has traditionally prepared informationsummaries and issued policy recommendations to theCity Council members it endorses. Malenfant saidthe group has streamlined its work, assigning mostof it to one of five committees: education,housing, budget and finance, elections and acommittee devoted to the anniversary celebration.

The CCA's outgoing president, R. Philip Dowds,was the target of some criticism as the end of hissecond one-year term approached. Some members sawDowds as overly partisan in the world of Cambridgepolitics, and faulted him for the group'stenacious pro-rent control position, which theysay alienated many Cantabrigians.

In an interview, Dowds called the group'ssometimes zealous stance in support of rentcontrol "a disastrous mistake."

"I worked hard to change that during my twoyears as president. The event of Question 9 caughtup with us before we could clean up our act," hesaid, referring to the controversial statereferendum that narrowly passed last fall,abolishing rent control.

"I think it's a mistake for a group like theCCA to become solidly identified with anyposition, pro or con, on a major public issue likethat," he added.

He compared rent control to the proposedbuilding expansion of the Stop and Shopsupermarket, which also generated controversy. Thegroup adopted a moderate, low-key stance,supporting the expansion but urging the city torestrict the truck traffic on Memorial Drive thatneighbors of the grocery thought would disrupt theneighborhood.

"It should have been that way for rentcontrol," Dowds said. "How it came to be that theCCA came to be comprised only of those in favor ofrent control was a long process, and a bigmistake."

The former president said the group neversucceeded in reaching a consensus on rent controland chose to follow a policy of, "Let's stick withwhat we got. Maybe everything else is worse."

"That is no way to run a public program," hesaid.

Other CCA members disagreed. "At times, Ithought the CCA was too weak in defense of rentcontrol," said Lester P. Lee Jr., a tenantactivist and CCA board member.

But Malenfant does not believe he death of rentcontrol marks the end of the CCA's reason forexistence.

While conceding that the group might lose thesupport of tenants dissatisfied with the outcomeof Question 9, she said the end of rent controlmight bring back voters who had previously beenrepelled by the CCA's position.

"There are very few people, in my opinion, forwhom rent control is the only issue," she said.

Political Influence

Another issue the new CCA leaders want toaddress is the group's relations with the fourcity councillors it has endorsed.

The group's hold on the council had been solidsince 1989, when it captured a majority form theIndependent councillors for the first time indecades. But Mayor Reeves defected from the groupin 1993 when he decided to run for a second termas mayor.

The CCA had tried to rotate the office amongits endorsed councillors every two years. When itrefused to support Reeves, he sought and receivedthe support of the Independents, effectivelyrealigning the council's majority.

Left with only four councillors, the CCA hasbeen accused of being too partisan by thefledgling Alliance for Change, a new group withwhich four Independent councillors haveaffiliated.

Malenfant hopes the CCA can recoup politicalcapital by being less partisan and by consultingwith its candidates more.

"When there is a disagreement within ourcandidates, the CCA will probably not take aposition," she said. "All of our city councillorsact in what is the best interest of theirconstituents. It is not the job of the civicassociation to second-guess that."

CCA-endorsed councillors appear to approve thechanges.

"The CCA as an organization sometimes, in thepast several years, arrived at decisions withoutenough research and certainly without consultingtheir endorsed officials," said Councillor FrancisH. Duehay '55. "A more consultative process is avery good idea."

But Dowds expressed some skepticism aboutwhether greater con sultation can be easilyachieved.

"One of the great dilemmas the CCA has that isalways difficult is how to combine being abroadminded, good-government organization withbeing a political party that supports specificclusters of candidates," he said.

"You might find one of your chosen candidatesis on the wrong side of the issue," Dowds added."Then what do you do?"

Duehay said the CCA must alter its politicalrole. "The major job of the CCA is to try to findcapable and diverse candidates and to recruit themto run for office," he said.

"I don't think the job of the CCA is to dictateto people whom they endorse, but I do think theCCA should be doing research, working within thecommunity to assist their public officials inbringing things to their attention," Duehay added.

'A Less Prominent Role'

Another issue Malenfant hopes to improve is theCCA's public image. The organization was sometimesseen as divisive, partly because of Dowds'high-profile role and his comments to the press,which were seen by some as impolitic.

"I think I will take a less prominent role thanpreviously has been the case," Malenfant said,alluding to his predecessor's visibility.

Dowds, however, defended his performance aspresident.

"My personal view is, the public business mustbe done in the public," said the Riversidearchitect. "For all I care, they can mount TV inthe [meeting] room and televise the discussions. Ipersonally don't think there's any way, andcertainly no good way, to do the public businessin secret."

"Virtually everything the CCA did, every publicposition it took, every action it initiated, wasdebated and approved by mostly the board [ofdirectors], and occasionally [by] the executivecommittee," Dowds said.

But he added: "In hindsight I think that mypresidency would have gone better if theorganization had paid more attention to out-reach,to new membership and to invigorating an interestin public affairs."

CCA members also praised Dowds' tenure aspresident. "I would not single out Mr. Dowds, whoI think worked very hard and very sincerely onbehalf of the organization, as particularly betteror worse than anyone else," Duehay said. "Heinherited the organization at a very difficulttime."

Lee, a member of the CCA nominating committeethat approved the slate of officers before thegeneral membership vote, agreed. "Historicallyspeaking, the presidency of the CCA is rotatedevery two years," Lee said. "That the CCA ishaving problems is well known, but I don't thinkthose problems lead as much [from] Phil Dowds as[from] the politics of the city and how they'rechanging."

As for the CCA's political future, Malenfantsaid the CCA must focus on public education anddeveloping a permanent housing policy for thecity. Lee said the group must examine theaffirmative action program implemented by CityManager Robert W. Healy, which he calledineffective.

"I think we have a great opportunity to affectdecision-making at the local level," Malenfantsaid.

Dowds plans to become more involved withCambridge Citizens for Livable Nieghborhoods, alocal policy group of which he was treasurerbefore becoming CCA president