Cambridge is split between Massachusetts's 5th congressional district, represented by Democrat Ed Markey, elected in 1976, and Massachusetts's 7th congressional district, represented by Democrat Mike Capuano, elected in 1998. The state's senior member of the United States Senate is Democrat Elizabeth Warren, elected in 2012, who lives in Cambridge. The Governor of Massachusetts is Democrat Deval Patrick, elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2010.
On the state level, Cambridge is represented in six districts in the Massachusetts House of Representatives: the 24th Middlesex (which includes parts of Belmont and Arlington), the 25th and 26th Middlesex (the latter which includes a portion of Somerville), the 29th Middlesex (which includes a small part of Watertown), and the Eighth and Ninth Suffolk (both including parts of the City of Boston). The city is represented in the Massachusetts Senate as a part of the "First Suffolk and Middlesex" district (this contains parts of Boston, Revere and Winthrop each in Suffolk County); the "Middlesex, Suffolk and Essex" district, which includes Everett and Somerville, with Boston, Chelsea, and Revere of Suffolk, and Saugus in Essex; and the "Second Suffolk and Middlesex" district, containing parts of the City of Boston in Suffolk County, and Cambridge, Belmont and Watertown in Middlesex County. In addition to the Cambridge Police Department, the city is patrolled by the Fifth (Brighton) Barracks of Troop H of the Massachusetts State Police. Due, however, to close proximity, the city also practices functional cooperation with the Fourth (Boston) Barracks of Troop H, as well.
City government Cambridge City Hall in the 1980sCambridge has a city government led by a Mayor and nine-member City Council. There is also a six-member School Committee which functions alongside the Superintendent of public schools. The councilors and school committee members are elected every two years using the single transferable vote (STV) system. Once a laborious process that took several days to complete by hand, ballot sorting and calculations to determine the outcome of elections are now quickly performed by computer, after the ballots have been optically scanned.
The mayor is elected by the city councilors from amongst themselves, and serves as the chair of City Council meetings. The mayor also sits on the School Committee. However, the Mayor is not the Chief Executive of the City. Rather, the City Manager, who is appointed by the City Council, serves in that capacity.
Under the City's Plan E form of government the city council does not have the power to appoint or remove city officials who are under direction of the city manager. The city council and its individual members are also forbidden from giving orders to any subordinate of the city manager.
Robert W. Healy is the City Manager; he has served in the position since 1981 and will be retiring during the summer of 2013. He will be succeeded by the current Deputy City Manager, Richard Rossi. In recent history, the media has highlighted the salary of the City Manager as being one of the highest for a civic employee in Massachusetts. Since the city manager is not elected, his job description might be better compared with those of large-enterprise business or non-profit managers, rather than with those of politicians.
The city council consists of:
Leland Cheung (Jan. 2010–present) Henrietta Davis (Jan. 1996–present)* Marjorie C. Decker (Jan. 2000–present) She has been elected as a State Representative and is not running for re-election. Craig A. Kelley (Jan. 2006–present) David Maher (Jan. 2000-Jan. 2006, Sept. 2007–present)** Kenneth Reeves (Jan. 1990–present)** E. Denise Simmons (Jan. 2002–present)** Timothy J. Toomey, Jr. (Jan. 1990–present) Minka vanBeuzekom (Jan. 2012–present)* = Current Mayor ** = former Mayor
Fire DepartmentThe city of Cambridge is protected full-time by the 274 professional firefighters of the Cambridge Fire Department. The current Chief of Department is Gerald R. Reardon. The Cambridge Fire Department operates out of eight fire stations, located throughout the city, under the command of two divisions. The CFD also maintains and operates a front-line fire apparatus fleet of eight engines, four ladders, two Non-Transport Paramedic EMS units, a Haz-Mat unit, a Tactical Rescue unit, a Dive Rescue unit, two Marine units, and numerous special, support, and reserve units. John J. Gelinas, Chief of Operations, is in charge of day to day operation of the department. The CFD is rated as a Class 1 fire department by the Insurance Services Office (ISO), and is one of only 32 fire departments so rated, out of 37,000 departments in the United States. The other class 1 departments in New England are in Hartford, Connecticut and Milford, Connecticut. Class 1 signifies the highest level of fire protection according to various criteria. The CFD responds to approximately 15,000 emergency calls annually.
Engine Company Ladder Company Special Unit Division Address Neighborhood Engine 1 Ladder 1 491 Broadway Harvard Square Engine 2 Ladder 3 Squad 2 378 Massachusetts Ave. Lafayette Square Engine 3 Ladder 2 175 Cambridge St. East Cambridge Engine 4 Squad 4 2029 Massachusetts Ave. Porter Square Engine 5 Division 1 1384 Cambridge St. Inman Square Engine 6 176 River St. Cambridgeport Engine 8 Ladder 4 Division 2 113 Garden St. Taylor Square Engine 9 167 Lexington Ave West Cambridge Maintenance Facility 100 Smith Pl. Water DepartmentCambridge is unusual among cities inside Route 128 in having a non-MWRA water supply. City water is obtained from Hobbs Brook (in Lincoln and Waltham), Stony Brook (Waltham and Weston), and Fresh Pond (Cambridge). The city owns over 1,200 acres (486 ha) of land in other towns that includes these reservoirs and portions of their watershed. Water is treated at Fresh Pond, then pumped uphill to an elevation of 176 feet (54 m) above sea level at the Payson Park Reservoir (Belmont); From there, the water is redistributed downhill via gravity to individual users in the city.
County governmentCambridge was a county seat of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, along with Lowell prior to the abolition of county government. Though the county government was abolished in 1997, the county still exists as a geographical and political region. The employees of Middlesex County courts, jails, registries, and other county agencies now work directly for the state. At present, the county's registrars of Deeds and Probate remain in Cambridge; however, the Superior Court and District Attorney have had their base of operations transferred to Woburn. Third District court has shifted operations to Medford, and the Sheriff's office for the county is still awaiting a near-term relocation.
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