Cambridge Council Debates Clearing 68-Item Policy Order Backlog on Opening Night

CAMBRIDGE — January 8, 2024 — Cambridge City Council opens 2024 term with a showdown over a backlog of 68 unanswered awaiting reports. City Manager Yi-An Huang told the nine-member council Monday that the city has answered roughly 60 awaiting reports per year for the past four to five years while the council generates 80 to 100 annually, warning that even with added staff time a January request might not be answered until November. Councilor Paul Toner moved to place all 68 carry-over reports on file and start fresh, arguing the council should "prioritize rather than spend time going through the 50 or 60 that we have there." Vice Mayor Marc McGovern resisted, calling policy orders "the mechanism and the language of this body." Councilors Siddiqui, Nolan, and Wilson all declined to support the clean-slate motion, and the matter was steered toward the Government Operations Committee with no date set. The meeting also featured a briefing on a January 2 Chester Street fire that killed Brian Brandt, 52, and displaced residents of a 30-plus-unit building, with Fire Chief Tom Cahill reporting the blaze was contained to the unit of origin.