Candidates Questionnaire - Brian Murphy
1. Many residents feel that their
property taxes are too high, and that because of this they cannot afford to buy
a house or rent an apartment to stay in Cambridge. How can we make sure that property taxes keep the
city affordable while providing the city with the tax base it needs?
Property taxes are some of the least
progressive taxes available, but unfortunately provide a disproportionate share
of Cambridge’s tax revenue. Without changes to state law, Cambridge can not impose an income tax, commuter tax, payroll
tax, sales tax or meals tax – only the property tax can be used for local revenue.
In addition, most of how we implement the property tax is regulated by state
law – for example, we are limited as to how much more we can tax businesses
instead of residents. The regressivity of the property tax has been made worse
by the federal government’s cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans while
reducing services for those most in need. State government has also exacerbated
the problem by cutting back on state aid in the last several years – for
example we received $39, 108,074 in the three largest categories of state aid
(chapter 70, additional assistance and lottery money) for FY 2002. In FY 2005,
we received $31,567,432 from those same three sources – a reduction of over
$7.5 million in three years. Because residential values in Cambridge have increased at a much higher rate than commercial
values, residents are forced to pay more of the overall tax burden. For FY
2005, commercial property paid 61.29% of the overall property tax levy. In FY
2002 it was 65.43% of the overall property tax levy.
I am responding to the pressure of property
taxes on our residents, and I am taking an aggressive approach to managing
the impact of these trends on next year’s rates. I have taken a two-part
approach to this issue: short term solutions and long-term progressive change.
For the short term, we are working to find
ways to reduce the burden on residents. We won the fight to freeze city water
costs for 2005. As Finance Chair I also led the charge to pass a lean 2006
budget that ensures that this year we will have lowest property tax increase in over a decade. I have also
directed the administration over the last few years to review and update the
fees we charge for services to ensure that they adequately cover the costs of
services provided and are in line with other communities. Increasing the
revenue from these fees is another way to reduce the dependence on property
taxes. I lead a citywide commission, the Special Committee on the Property Tax,
which has been meeting to establish possible solutions to decrease the property
tax burden on those who need it most. In addition, we are looking for ways that
the city can better provide information about the property tax and make it
easier for residents to apply for exemptions and abatements. I have been attending
and scheduling Property Tax House Meetings in neighborhoods hit hard by the
property tax increase as well.
My long term goals for city finance and
taxation are deeper and broader. It is not enough to reform around the edges of
the property tax system. I hate the property tax: it’s regressive, and
hurts residents who simply want to stay in their current homes. Unfortunately,
right now, state law forbids Cambridge from using more equitable alternatives. Cambridge – and other cities in Massachusetts – should be able to use other taxes in order to
reduce our overreliance on property taxes. I’m fighting to change that, but it will be a long, tough battle against entrenched interests at the state
level. However, most other cities across the Commonwealth are in similar
situations with property taxes threatening the diversity of their communities
and there is great potential, if we can work together, that we make local taxes
more equitable in the next few years. I am open to a local income tax, sales
tax, payroll or commuter tax. Cambridge loses millions of dollars annually because
institutions like Harvard and MIT do not pay their fair share of taxes. That’s
why I am particularly attracted to a payroll tax that would allow us to tax
universities in their roles as employers, and allow us to get them to pay their
fair share. However it is done, it is essential that we organize at the state
level for changes to state law concerning taxation of not-for-profits. It’s
simply not fair for Cambridge residents to subsidize Harvard and MIT.
I am passionate about progressive,
responsible municipal finance, and I understand the threat that housing costs
place on the health and diversity of our city. I supported the increase in the
homeowners’ exemption for property taxes from 20% of the average bill to 30% of
the average bill as we struggled to find ways to make this inherently
regressive tax more progressive. I am committed to exploring additional ways to
alleviate the tax burden on residents and push the state legislature for
greater flexibility in how the property tax works.
In my four years as a City Councillor, I
have worked locally and nationally towards a more disciplined and thoughtful
financial structure for our cities. I currently serve as the following:
-Chair, City Finance Committee
-Vice-Chair, National League of Cities
Municipal Finance Panel
-Member, Massachusetts Municipal Association Municipal Finance Board
-Chair, Special Committee on Property Taxes
These boards provide me an opportunity to
continue advocating for a fairer system of taxation that will not overburden residents.
2 How can we make public
transportation better in Cambridge and what can the City Council do to encourage
residents to use public transportation?
It is important to our city’s health and
well-being that we fight to maintain and increase both accessibility and
affordability in public transportation. I spoke at a State House Rally to fight
increased MBTA fares, and, unlike a certain governor of our Commonwealth, I
often use the Red Line to travel.
Ease of use, safety, and predictability are
some of the factors that influence use of public transportation. I filed a
council order to work with the MBTA to increase the number of bus shelters in
the city. We also need to ensure that bus stops and T stations are and feel
like safe places. We recently purchased back our city’s street lights from
NSTAR recently after years of poor service that left many streetlights out of
service for extended periods of time. Now that the city is in charge of maintenance,
service and accountability for that service will be increased.
We have increased the number of covered bus
stops and obtained more comprehensive maps at many stops. This is an important
start, but more work needs to be done. Accessibility needs to be improved
dramatically. The erratic availability of the elevators for Harvard and Central Square stations is disgraceful. The City Council has and will continue to pressure the MBTA to expand handicapped accessibility in
both T and bus stations. I am encouraged somewhat by the acknowledgement of
this problem by the new head of the T, Dan Graubauskas.
Unfortunately, in general, the last several
administrations on Beacon Hiil have not shared former Governor Dukakis’s
commitment to public transportation. Most recently, I was disappointed to see
the Night Owl service eliminated. Of the eleven largest transit systems in the
country, only Atlanta and Boston do not have 24 hour weekend service. In contrast, Cambridge subsidizes employees T passes and urges T subsidization
as part of traffic mitigation for new developments. We need to continue to
pressure state government to understand the importance of a safe, frequent and
reliable public transportation system to the health of our communities.
3, What can the city do to make sure
that future negotiations with the city’s unions are fair to workers?
I have been a longtime advocate of worker’s
rights and the power of labor unions. In 2005, I have already been endorsed by
seven major labor unions operating in Cambridge, including those in the AFL-CIO and the new Change
to Win coalition. I also serve on the Justice for Janitors Workers Rights
Board. This past year, I have stood with and spoke out on behalf of:
-R&C Cleaning employees in their long
but successful fight to organize at Genzyme
-Harvard janitors as they continue to for
fairer wages
-Utility workers in their negotiations with
NSTAR
-Truck drivers in their ongoing struggle
with NorthEast Electrical
-Electrical workers and communications
workers in their ongoing struggle with Verizon
The city of Cambridge as an employer has an obligation to negotiate fairly
and remain responsive to its unions. In general, I believe the city is both a
responsible and responsive employer. I am proud that Cambridge is one of the few cities nationwide that has a Living
Wage Ordinance, which I have worked to update. This ordinance extends
beyond full-time city employees to include city contractors and subcontractors
as well, and establishes an hourly wage that is needed to support a family of
four.
We also have in place a number of ordinances
that ensure that city contractors provide workplaces that meet community
standards. For example, I was successful in pushing the city to extend the
responsible employer ordinance to include flat work, a change that meant that
more Cambridge road projects would have union wages and benefits.
I will always stand for the rights of working people to collectively organize
and would do all I could to ensure justice in the workplace and fair wages for
city employees. I will also help to find opportunities aside from the
bargaining table where the city’s employees and the city administration can
work together to make a better work environment.
4. Cambridge is one of the centers of high-tech innovation in the
country. What can the City Council do to encourage innovation and take
advantage of new technology while keeping the city affordable for its
residents?
Done well, use of new technology and innovation
should not only provide new and/or better services for residents, but it should
reduce or stabilize costs as well.
We have been exploring ways to use
technology to increase the quality and efficiency of our city services while
maintaining fiscal responsibility. A natural fit for Cambridge is our parking system. We recently began a test
program in three lots using Pay & Display stations that eliminate meters
and reduce staff and maintenance time. I support expansion of pilot programs
such as this across Cambridge.
Last year, I introduced a proposal to switch
city telephone services to voice-over internet to reduce infrastructure and
maintenance costs. I also support development of a wireless Internet
infrastructure for public and possibly eventual residential use.
In conjunction with a wireless internet
infrastructure, I have been researching the possibility of developing municipal
broadband for Cambridge. While a large undertaking, this may be the most
effective way to directly and dramatically reduce costs and increase quality
for residents who subscribe to cable or broadband Internet.
As city councillors, we must always work to
expand relationships between our private universities and our public schools.
The city home to both Harvard and MIT should not have the challenges we face in
terms of math and science performance in our public elementary schools. I
support expanded relationships between our schools’ math and science classrooms
and curriculum and the human and academic resources available to us from all
our colleges and universities.
5. What will you do to take advantage of the unique educational
resources provided by the Cambridge’s universities while preventing university
development that threatens working families?
University development at its worst
threatens both residents and local small businesses by inappropriately changing
the character of our neighborhoods. When done well, it can provide
opportunities for positive benefits for the community. As a City Councillor, I
work with neighborhood residents who oppose unsafe and unfair development. I
advocate on behalf of neighbors as they negotiate with universities on future
development. Currently, for example, I am working with neighbors from the Porter Square, Agassiz and Neighborhood Nine as they think through
what they want their neighborhoods to look like in the future, in advance of
upcoming development by Harvard Law School and Lesley University. We then can see what zoning changes are needed to allow for
development that will fit in with the neighborhood, not undermine it.
The unique educational resources of our four
colleges and universities are part of what makes Cambridge an exceptionally desirable place to live. We are at
our best when strategic partnerships between the city, the universities, and
local businesses and nonprofits are formed. We reach out to the universities in
particular for assistance with our young people ranging from programs as large
as the Cambridge Harvard Summer Academy to as simple as a Saturday morning soccer clinic for Cambridge girls’ soccer with the Harvard Women’s Varsity
soccer team.
I am a constant advocate both within the
city and with the universities to seek out additional ways to improve the
quality of life for our community by tapping into university resources.
6.What can City Council do to ensure
that future development is not environmentally harmful?
Development in our city should be
environmentally responsible. To this end, I support full compliance with “Green Building Standards” (LEED) for new or renovated city
buildings. The new City Hall Annex
is now a ‘”Green Building.” The main library renovation and city police station will also be built using green building principles. It is essential that the
city be a leader in showing developers that green buildings are feasible and
desirable.
Currently, the Cambridge Planning Board
encourages developers to use the LEED rating system under the Project Review
guidelines of the city’s zoning ordinance. Special permit applications are
expected to include a preliminary LEED checklist and narrative. I think we
should do more and require special permit and large variances to be built using
LEED standards. I will be fighting to get the city to do this.
Truly smart development must not only be
environmentally sound but should align with the character of the neighborhood
it will join. As a City Councillor I work with neighborhood
groups to ensure that their concerns are valued regarding new development.
In Porter Square, for example, residents have been confronted by a
major new development project on Mass Ave. that is dramatically out of character with the rest
of the neighborhood, and will exacerbate traffic and parking problems in an
already-congested area. I am fighting for the neighborhood, and have been
working closely with residents to ensure that their voices are not only heard,
but valued, in the development process.
Working with the Porter Square community, I have helped create and pass successful
changes to the city’s zoning code that will provide more notice to neighbors of proposed new development – and will expand parking requirements whenever existing developments undergo
significant modification. In addition, I am working with the community to
develop new zoning for Mass Ave that will foster future development proposals that work with, not against, the
neighborhood’s vision for the future.
The city needs to work with neighborhood
groups on creating our vision for Cambridge’s future, and make sure that we encourage
development that works with the neighborhoods, not against them.
Brian Murphy for Cambridge City Council
(617) 492-7426
campaign@brianmurphy.org
www.brianmurphy.org