Policy Order O-1

WHEREAS: This day the Cambridge City Council honors Mushtaque Alikhan Mirza; and

WHEREAS: Mushtaque was born in India of Persian ancestry in a Muslim family.  He immigrated to the United States to study Environmental Engineering; and

WHEREAS: In 1973 Mushtaque graduated from the University of Connecticut and received his engineering license and has made Cambridge his home since 1973; and

WHEREAS: In 1977 Mushtaque began his employment with the Department of Environmental Protection for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and

WHEREAS: Mushtaque enforced the Safe Drinking Water Act from 1977 through 1982; and

WHEREAS: In 2003 Mushtaque took advantage of the early retirement incentive and retired; and

WHEREAS: During his working career, Mushtaque received the Exemplary Public Employee Award on June 3, 1998 from Governor Cellucci and the Diplomat Environmental Engineer Award from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers.  He also served as trustee of the Massachusetts Organization of State Engineers and Scientists from 2006 to present and as a member of the Executive Board for the period 1990 through 2003; and

WHEREAS: Mushtaque is deeply involved in the Democratic Party where he has served as Chair of the Democratic City Committee for Ward 4 from 1994 to the present time, has been a Democratic State Committee member since 1999, was Vice President of the Massachusetts Electoral College in 2004, and is a 2008 alternate delegate to the Democratic Party National Convention; and

WHEREAS: Mushtaque is a member of many professional and social organizations such as the American Academy of Environmental Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Boston Society of Civil Engineers, the Sierra Club, the Water Environment Federation, the New England Water Environment Association, the Arab American Institute, the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, a Homeless Shelter volunteer at the Harvard University Lutheran Church, the Boston Interfaith Clergy and Spiritual Leaders Dialogue, the First Night Interfaith Watch Service at St. Paul Cathedral, Boston, and the Cambridge Peace Commission; and

WHEREAS: Mushtaque enjoys classical music, swimming, bicycling, cross country skiing, travel and sailing and speaks Persian, Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati and basic Arabic; now therefore be it

ORDERED: That the City Council go on record dedicating the corner of Lee Street and Massachusetts Avenue in honor of Mushtaque Mirza; and be it further

ORDERED: That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to prepare a suitably engrossed copy of this resolution for presentation at the Dedication Ceremony on June 21, 2008 on behalf of the entire City Council.