September 20, 2006 GAC Update
The Council held Roundtable meeting on Monday on the topic of "Excitement Lab Cambridge." The field for the 2006 Governor’s Race was set yesterday with Deval Patrick’s win in the Democratic Primary. Worcester Mayor Tim Murray won the race for Lieutenant Governor. In other contested races Secretary of State William Galvin won the race for that office and Cambridge City Councillor and former Mayor Michael Sullivan won his race for Middlesex County Clerk of Courts.
Next Tuesday’s GAC meeting is a discussion about the direction of the Committee. I encourage you to come with your ideas and interests. Please RSVP no later than 5 p.m. this Friday, September 22 by e-mailing tsmith@cambridgechamber.org or phoning (617) 876-4213.
Upcoming GAC Events
The 2006 Government Affairs program is sponsored by Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research.
September 26, 2006 GAC Meeting
The GAC will meet on Tuesday September 26, 2006 at noon in the Chamber Board Room. The topic will be a discussion among those GAC members about the direction of this committee for the next couple of years. A draft agenda is provided below:
Draft Agenda
1. Welcome and Introductions
2. Events
Summary of GAC activities since December 2003
Planned events Fall 2006 to 2008
Opportunity for committee members to suggest events
3. Other Activities
Need for/interest in a steering committee
Need for/interest in policy specific sub-committees
Need for/interest in other GAC activities
Please let me know if you plan to attend or if you have any suggestions for this draft agenda.
Also let me know if you think this meeting is unnecessary and I’ll find a speaker for a more usual GAC guest speaker luncheon. Please send your thoughts on this matter to me at tsmith@cambridgechamber.org or phone me at (617) 876-4213.
MassDevelopment President & CEO Featured at October GAC/Executive Speaker Luncheon
Robert Culver, President and CEO of MassDevelopment, will speak at Chamber’s GAC/Executive Speaker luncheon on October 24, 2006. Mr. Culver has served in this position since March of 2004. Prior to joining MassDevelopment he served as an administrator at Yale University, an executive with Cabot Corp, and an administrator at Northeastern University. MassDevelopment works with businesses and local governments to create jobs, address economic development issues, and improve blighted areas.
Start Time: 11:30 a.m.
End Time: 1:30 p.m.
Location: Hyatt Regency Cambridge
575 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
Members: $40.00, Non-members: $80.00
Prices require registration and payment at least two business days in advance.
$10 additional thereafter.
Find out more at: www.cambridgechamber.org/involved/viewevent.html?id=159
Congressman Capuano to Address November GAC Meeting
Congressman Michael Capuano will be our guest at the November GAC meeting. The Best Western Hotel Tria will host the meeting at noon on Tuesday, November 28, 2006 The Hotel Tria is located at 220 Alewife Brook Parkway. The Tria offers slightly more space than is available at the Chamber’s Conference Room but space is still limited so RSVP early for this meeting by e-mail at tsmith@cambridgechamber.org or phoning (617) 876-4213.
September 18, 2006 City Council Roundtable on “Excitement Laboratory Cambridge”
The Council met in a Roundtable meeting on Monday to discuss an idea now being called “Excitement Laboratory Cambridge” which is the working name for institutionalizing City participation in promoting, coordinating, and possibly funding events. This idea emerged from work done in 2003 and 2004 to have activities in Cambridge during the Democratic National Convention held in Boston in 2004.
Monday’s meeting was a continuation of discussions held since 2003 informed by the City’s experience with events in 2004 and 2005. Issues raised included the need to better coordinate information about the wide variety of events currently scheduled throughout the year in the City, the types of events that the City may want to add, addressing community concerns that have been raised in the past about using certain venues, such as Danehy Park and the Cambridge Common, for events, and the need for a formal structure to oversee City funding to organizations, coordination, and marketing. An issue that seems to still be unclear among Councillors is whether the goal should be to increase events available for residents versus events that will draw visitors into the City.
The next step will likely be Council action to establish a committee such as the task force created in the mid-1990s that resulted in the establishment of the Cambridge Office of Tourism. Mayor Reeves specifically mentioned that work in his comments on the next steps.
