fyi From: <livablecambridge@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Heather Hoffman <heather.m.hoffman.1957@gmail.com> Date: Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at 12:39 PM Cc: Cambridge Neighborhood Association Google Group <association-of-cambridge-neighborhoods@googlegroups.com>, livable Cambridge open <livablecambridge@googlegroups.com> Subject: Re: [ACN] Re: [livablecambridgeopen] Wed. 2/24, 5pm, Support campaign finance limit at Cambridge City Council I think drawing attention to developer contributions to Councillors about to vote to enrich them or another developer will backfire because I've watched it happen. Leaving aside the people who are intending to be bribed, people always think they aren't influenced by donations like that. No one paid any attention to Lawrence Lessig's testimony that the only people who aren't influenced by gifts are sociopaths; all of us normal folks are softened up by niceness from other people. Councillors will claim that they are getting donations because people donating like how they do things, not because they expect specific favors in return, and I could probably say something really rude in agreement. Personally, I think the problem is bigger, that our city government cedes everything it can to developers and generally works for them and not for us and puts a progressive veneer over all of it, as gentrification and displacement roar along and the City's bank account overflows with all that tax m oney. What campaign finance reform could do is make it easier for people to run without spending so much time raising money, and that might bring in a different and perhaps better class of candidate. Heather Hoffman, out east where we aren't allowed to have nice things unless developers pay for them On Wed, Feb 24, 2021 at 11:31 AM Blier, Suzanne <blier@fas.harvard.edu> wrote: I agree with Lee that the developer piece is a big start (and well worth doing). I also think that if we as residents speak up (and write to council) before key votes on who has received funding from firms tied to this decision it would help. On money outside of Cambridge. Maybe we suggest that this is allowed ONLY for people not currently on Council (but I am not sure this is legal). Note - there is a lot of developer money coming in this way. I feel less concerned with religious donors (Moslem) or youth (Sunrise) but I do feel strongly that Cambridge elections should be for and about Cambridge donors.