RES 2026-90 · Agenda item attachment · Jun 1 2026

RES 2026-90 FIRST IN COUNCIL June 1, 2026 City of Cambridge COUNCILLOR SIMMONS WHEREAS: The City Council was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former Congressman Barnett “Barney” Frank on May 19, 2026; and WHEREAS: Barney Frank was a towering figure in Massachusetts politics and American public life, serving more than three decades in the United States House of Representatives, where he represented the people of Massachusetts with intelligence, tenacity, humor, and an unmistakable voice that cut through pretense like no other; and WHEREAS: Born in Bayonne, New Jersey in 1940, Barney Frank came to Massachusetts as a student at Harvard University and built a life and career inseparable from this Commonwealth, first as a political aide, then a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and later as one of the most influential members of Congress of his generation; and WHEREAS: Congressman Frank was known not only for his sharp wit and formidable debating skills, but for his commanding grasp of public policy, his mastery of the legislative process, and his unshakable conviction that government could and should serve as an instrument to improve people’s lives; and WHEREAS: As Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Congressman Frank helped lead the nation through the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis and was a principal author of the landmark Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which strengthened financial oversight, protected consumers, and sought to prevent another devastating economic collapse; and WHEREAS: Congressman Frank was a trailblazer for LGBTQ+ Americans, making history in 1987 as the first sitting member of Congress to voluntarily come out as gay, and later becoming the first sitting member of Congress to marry a same-sex partner, acts of personal courage that advanced the cause of dignity and equality at a time when such openness carried profound personal and political risk; and WHEREAS: Throughout his career, Congressman Frank championed civil rights, affordable housing, economic fairness, AIDS research and treatment, consumer protection, and the rights of those too often pushed to the margins, bringing to each fight a combination of moral seriousness, political skill, and plainspoken candor that made him one of the most consequential public servants of his era; and WHEREAS: Congressman Frank’s famously blunt public life was grounded in a conviction that democracy demands honesty, engagement, and the willingness to do the hard work of governing, and his legacy endures in the laws he helped shape, the barriers he broke, and the generations of public servants and advocates he inspired; now therefore be it

RESOLVED: That the City Council go on record honoring the life, service, and legacy of former Congressman Barnett “Barney” Frank; and be it further RESOLVED: That the City Council go on record extending its deepest condolences to Congressman Frank’s husband, Jim Ready, to his siblings and extended family, to his friends and former colleagues, and to all who mourn his passing. A true copy; ATTEST:- Paula M. Crane, Interim City Clerk

Vote Certification Condolences to the family of Barney Frank. CHARTER RIGHT EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS IN COUNCIL JUNE 1, 2026 Charter Right exercised by Councillor Simmons: Monday, June 1, 2026 RESULT: 0 TO 0 YEAS: NAYS: PRESENT: ABSENT:

City of Cambridge Condolences to the family of Barney Frank.