That Other Council

The Cambridge City Council race, hitherto ignored by college students, is taking on a whole new level of excitement this year as MIT senior Erik Snowberg has joined the pack of competing candidates.

Snowberg decided to run for office in order to galvanize the student voting block to action. He decided the best way to do this was to give students a candidate they could relate to--him.

Unfortunately, the 22-year old San Francisco native may only have a cursory knowledge of Cambridge city politics. Dismissing Cambridge residents' worries about his ignorance of rent control, gentrification or zoning, Snowberg says, "You don't need to know those things to be on the council."

While this apparent ignorance could potentially be a problem, Snowberg's candidacy does add a much-needed voice to students' issues. Furthermore, although many Harvard students prefer to vote absentee in their hometown municipal elections, others may be motivated by the possibility of a peer's campaign to join the ranks of Cambridge citizens.

At least, we hope so. Although long-term Cambridge residents may feel threatened by the prospect of transient students setting the council agenda to suit their needs as much as they are frightened by the encroaching yuppie vote, the fact remains that students do constitute a significant percentage of Cambridge's population.

Students need the experience of participating in government in preparation for becoming active members of their future communities, where ever they may choose to settle down.

Though Snowberg might not be the right student candidate for the council, his effort may inspire others to run and win. We would dearly love a Harvard student to take on this challenge.