a communication from Vice Mayor Jan Devereux regarding the outcome of the Ad-Hoc Rules Committee hearing

CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL Jan Devereux City Councillor January 18, 2018 Dear Colleagues: I would like to thank Mayor MeGovern for appointing me to chair the ad-hoc committee tasked with reviewing and suggesting updates to the Council Rules. I thank my fellow members of the Committee, Councillors Kelley and Mallon, as well as Councillors Simmons, Siddiqui, and Zondervan who attended and participated in the committee's public hearing on January 16th, and am pleased to submit a draft of the proposed changes that incorporates their suggestions. Among the proposed changes, the most significant in my opinion are increasing the quorums of all committees to a majority of the committee and making the Housing Committee a committee of the whole. I strongly support both these suggestions and hope that you all will give them serious consideration. I believe we all would agree that housing affordability is the most pressing issue before us, and I think that all nine of us want to be actively involved in formulating housing policy. Making Housing a committee of the whole would send a signal that we will be working even harder together this term to address this difficult and complex issue. Increased quorums on the committees also will signal that this Council intends to use committee work productively and strategically to shape policy, and that attendance at hearings is a priority this term. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on Monday when the Council Rules come up for discussion. Sincerely, JenDererus Jan Devereux Vice Mayor CITY HALL, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 02139 [phone removed] FAX [phone removed] TTY/TDD: [phone removed] EMAIL: jdevereux@cambridgema.gov