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POR 2026-101

Foreign Policy Issues in the City Council

How it started
May 7, 2026 · Proposed by Councillors Nolan and Simmons: a formal request from the Council to the administration.
What happened
May 11, 2026 · ✅ Order adopted, 6–3 (Adopted)

Voted yes (6)

  • Burhan Azeem
  • Tim Flaherty
  • Marc McGovern
  • Patty Nolan
  • E. Denise Simmons
  • Cathie Zusy

Voted no (3)

  • Ayah Al-Zubi
  • Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler
  • Sumbul Siddiqui
Roll call of May 11, 2026 · from the city’s record · photos: City of Cambridge
What’s next
No response on the docket: nothing has been filed back under this request's number. Answers sometimes arrive as other items; this ledger tracks only this one.
The document Agenda item attachment · 1 page

At times, the Cambridge City Council submits resolutions or policy orders that do not directly relate to municipal business, but are nevertheless important to note because of the impact on Cambridge residents or the City government; and

Some resolutions, while important morally or symbolically, are not directly related to the impact on Cambridge residents or the City government and can take up valuable City Council business hours on debate and public comment, without ultimately making a significant material impact on residents; and

Previously, the City Council adopted POR 2024 #13, which asked the City Council to discuss the topic of foreign policy resolutions in the Government Operations, Rules & Claims Committee; and

The question of when it may be appropriate to address foreign policy issues at regular meetings of the City Council and how and when to have such discussions of importance to the community was not brought back to the full city council and that discussion is important; now therefore be it

ORDERED:

That the Government Operations, Rules & Claims Committee and the Civic Unity

Committee hold a joint meeting as soon as possible to discuss the topic of including foreign policy resolutions in regular City Council meetings.

In City Council May 11, 2026. Adopted by a yea and nay vote:-

Yeas 6; Nays 3; Absent 0.-

Attest:- Paula M. Crane, Interim City Clerk

A true copy; ATTEST:-

Paula M. Crane

Interim City Clerk

🗓 The meeting where this was taken up: May 11, 2026

Public Comment (1)

1 written comment received (2026-05-18). Letter-writers are named in the city's own agenda and are not republished here, by policy.