Initial Screening Committee for the City Manager Search Finalized

Today Mayor Siddiqui announced the appointment of an Initial Screening Committee for a new City Manager. Councillors McGovern, Toner, Zonervan, and Azeem selected the 15 community members participating in the screening committee. The Initial Screening Committee, comprised of 15 community members reflecting citywide constituencies and four City Council members, will be facilitated by Randi Frank, LLC, the search firm hired by the City Council to help conduct the search. The purpose of the Committee will be to interview the most qualified applicants and determine the finalists to present to the public and to the City Council for their vote.

 

“To ensure we had a committee that was diverse, we gathered data from the applications that were submitted,” said Councillor Marc McGovern, who chaired the Ad Hoc committee of the City Council. "I want to thank Councillors Azeem, Toner and Zondervan for working with me to select this broad group of residents and stakeholders.” 

“We want to express our gratitude to the over 100 people who submitted applications and were willing to give their time in support of our search efforts,” said Mayor Siddiqui. “This has been a full community effort and I am excited to see the process move forward.”

Once the Initial Screening Committee selects the finalists in mid May, the public will have opportunities to meet the finalists and provide feedback prior to the nominating vote taken at a City Council meeting in mid June.

The following provides a list of the Initial Screening Committee members and a brief bio for each:

• Brian Burke - Resident Advocate 

Mr. Burke has lived in Cambridge for over 20 years and owns his home in mid-Cambridge. Mr. Burke is the Senior Director of Corporate External and Legal Affairs at Microsoft, and currently serves on the Board of Directors at the Cambridge Community Foundation. 

• Kathleen Moore - Resident Advocate 

Ms Moore has lived in Cambridge for over 30 years and rents her home in West Cambridge. She is a  lawyer by education, and with 10 years of service to Cambridge Public Schools, she is now in private practice as an educational consultant and president of Vox Cambridge College Consulting Company. 

• Susan Fleischmann - Resident Advocate 

Ms. Fleischmann has lived in Cambridge for over 20 years and owns her home in mid-Cambridge. She recently retired as the Executive Director of Cambridge Community Television, and was on the C2 Planning Study for Central Square and the Broadband Task Force.

• Banti Gheneti - Resident Advocate

Mr. Gheneti has lived in Cambridge for over 6 years and rents his home in Central Square. Mr. Gheneti is active in Project Right to Housing, an organization providing direct aid and advocating policies in Cambridge for unhoused people.

• Mo Barbosa - Health & Human Services Representative 

Mr. Barbosa lived in Cambridge for over 30 years and currently resides in Newton, MA. He is the Senior Director of Community Engagement at Health Resources in Action, which works locally, as well as statewide and nationally with a focus on health and racial equity, violence intervention, and youth development. 

• Rachel Weinstein - Cambridge School Committee Representative

Vice-Chair Rachel was born and raised in Cambridge and owns her home in West Cambridge. She is serving her second term on the Cambridge School Committee.

• Christine Elow - Public Safety Advocate 

Ms. Elow is the current Commissioner of the Cambridge Police Department. She was born and raised in Cambridge, and now lives in Boston.

• Michael Monestime - City Planner 

Mr. Monestime has lived in Cambridge for over 10 years and owns his home in North Cambridge. He holds a Masters Degree in Urban Planning from UMass Boston and is currently on the Senior Leadership team for Morningside Group. He is the former Executive Director of the Central Square Business Improvement District.

• Vernon Walker - Non Profit Representative

Reverend Vernon K. Walker has lived in Cambridge for several years and rents his home in North Cambridge. He is the Senior Program Manager of the Communities Responding to Extreme Weather (CREW).

• Thomas Lucey - Higher Education Representative 

Mr. Lucey is the Director of Government and Community Relations for Harvard University and has been in his role since 2003.

• B. Kimmerman - Large Business Representative 

Ms. Kimmerman has lived in Cambridge for over 6 years and rents her home in mid-Cambridge. She is the Director of Government and Community Relations at the Kendall Square Association.

• Jason Alves - Small Business Representative 

Mr. Alves was born and raised in Cambridge, and currently resides in Watertown. He is the Executive Director of the East Cambridge Business Association.

• Elaine DeRosa - Affordable Housing Advocate 

Ms. DeRosa has lived in Cambridge for over 45 years and owns her home in Central Square. She is the former Executive Director for CEOC Cambridge and currently serves on the Cambridge Affordable Housing Trust and is on the Board of Commissioners for the Cambridge Housing Authority. 

• Chris Cassa - Arts/Recreation Advocate 

Mr. Cassa has lived in Cambridge for over 20 years and owns his home in East Cambridge. He is a member of Cambridge Bike Safety, and has helped lead the Memorial Drive Alliance, aimed at expanding access to recreational and green space along the Charles River, and is a landscape photographer who has exhibited his work in and around Cambridge.

• James Kaufman - Municipal Finance Representative 

Mr. Kaufman has lived in Cambridge for over 20 years and owns his home in Cambridgeport. He was the Managing Director at Suffolk University Theaters, and worked at the Massachusetts Division of Capital Planning & Operations as a budget analyst. He was also a Central Square Theater Board member for 10 years as a member of the Finance Committee.

For more information about the City Manager search process, please visit the City’s website here, or contact Michael Scarlett, Mayor’s Chief of Staff, at mscarlett@cambridgema.gov.