Seidel To Seek Council Seat

Two years after a hard-fought campaign left him 90 votes shy of a seat on the Cambridge City Council, urban planner Sam Seidel said in an interview this morning that he will make a second run for the council this November.

The entrance of the 40-year-old Inman Square resident, whose 2005 runner-up finish in the council race was his first entrance into elective politics, adds the first strong challenger to the current field of nine incumbents. All councilors are elected city-wide through a single ballot on which voters rank nine of the candidates running in their preferred order.

In the interview, Seidel said that his two areas of emphasis will be "making sure that we are providing every kid with an excellent education" and "tackling the high cost of housing" in the city. He said that these two issues will play a large part in determining what Cambridge will look like "10 or 20 years in the future."

Seidel, who has a masters degree in urban planning from the Graduate School of Design, added that he also hopes to push environmental concerns on the council, and that this is one area where Cambridge should set an example.

"We can't be a leader on everything, but on environmental stuff it’s very clear we have to set the bar high and set it way out in front of us," said Seidel, who went to college in Berkeley, Calif., a city noted for its environmentalism. "We're the perfect size, we have plenty of resources, and we have lots of bright ideas. Cambridge ought to set a model for other cities to follow."

Seidel's entrance into the race, which he has been considering joining for at least the past several weeks, comes the day after the resignation of State Senator Jarrett T. Barrios '90. City Councilor Anthony D. Galluccio, who has consistently received the most votes in council elections since 1997, is considered to be one of the leading candidates for the seat.

Should Galluccio exit the council race—for example, in order to devote more funds to a state senate campaign—his absense would drastically increase the chances of a non-incumbent winning a council seat. Galluccio would, however, be legally allowed to serve concurrently as both a state senator and a city councilor.

Seidel's candidacy could also pose a challenge to freshman councilor Craig A. Kelley, an outspoken critic of both City Manager Robert W. Healy, Cambridge's chief executive, and his fellow councilors. Kelley and Seidel share much of the same political base: middle-class, progressive voters concerned about education reform and environmental issues.

But Seidel said in the interview that he would take a different approach to pursuing his agenda if elected, and that one of his top priorities in creating "a new dynamic on the council."

"We need to work to reinvigorate our public discussion through our elected bodies," Seidel said. "We want more cooperation and collaboration among councilors, and one of the things I can bring to the council is an ability to work with people to build consensus toward solutions."

Kelley could not be reached for comment for this story.

Stay tuned to www.thecrimson.com for updates.

Prior coverage:
Barrios Departs, Race Opens

Seidel: Urban Planning Focus

—Staff writer Paras D. Bhayani can be reached at pbhayani@fas.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Nicholas K. Tabor can be reached at ntabor@fas.harvard.edu.