He is a graduate of the Cambridge Public Schools and realizes both the advantages and disadvantages of growing up in the city. He knows first hand of the hardships facing single parent families, as his mother Nancy strove to raise three children on her own following the untimely death of his father Tony in 1980.
Anthony is fortunate that, by following his mother's lead, he has been able to overcome adversity and work his way through Providence College, receiving a B.A. in Political Science. He will graduate from Suffolk University Law School this spring.
He has strong roots in this community and cares very deeply about it. His grandmother brought his father to this country when he was five years old and they settled on Sherman Street in West Cambridge. His father graduated from the Peabody grammer school, Latin High School, Harvard College, and Harvard Law School. He later went on to serve two terms on the Cambridge School Committee.
Anthony has founded Galluccio Associates which supports and sponsors little league, girl's softball, youth hockey and the Pop Warner programs. Anthony recently gained support for his outdoor skating program. As chair of the Cable Television Committee, he has worked hard to televise youth activities on local cable channels.
Anthony has requested an SAT-based curriculum in our high school, an expansion of the core knowledge program in our grammar schools and the creation of a new, off-site alternative school to remove disruptive students to a more focused and need-based environment. At $11,000 per student, money is not the issue--we must address the real problems within our schools in a positive but honest manner.
Anthony strongly believes that residents are better served when they know where and when crimes exist. He has initiated a new Sexual Assault Awareness Program to better inform residents of these unacceptable incidents while also protecting the victims' rights to privacy.
He has initiated a first time homebuyer program to help tenants take advantage of their new right to buy and live in their own condominium. A strong proponent of home and limited equity ownership, Anthony advocates using a portion of new tax revenues resulting from the end of rent control to assist currently protected low income and elderly tenants.
As the Chair of the Economic Development Committee, he stressed that commercial taxes provide 2 out of 3 tax dollars and are an unrecognized source of relief to residential tax payers. He has also initiated a strategy to recruit businesses which will provide needed jobs and services to our residents without disrupting our neighborhoods. Anthony has pushed for prioritizing our needs and is proud that his first budget included a property tax reduction for the first time since 1983.
Anthony understands the importance of providing quality elderly services, home care and safe living accommodations to elderly residents. He has pushed for changes to State and Federal laws to stop substance abusers and the mentally ill from being placed into elderly housing.
Councilor Anthony Galluccio promised Healy that the "new" council would be less political and more fiscally prudent than past councils.
"This council has a whole new approach. You have nine city councilors with an entirely new approach coming at you. I don't want you to overlook any opportunity to consolidate," said Galluccio.
Before the council meeting, Galluccio said Cantabrigians are tired of the city's spendy ways.
"To me, we've got to start setting priorities. I hope there will be a new angle on the budget this year. I think a lot of residents are tired of more, more, more," said Galluccio. Cambridge Chronicle, Mar. 23, 1995
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...Councilor Anthony Galluccio would like to see other companies like NYNEX given a chance to break up the monopoly that Continental Cablevision has over Cambridge cable television.
Galluccio said he has "nothing personal against Continental Cable" but that "competition is good for everyone." He added that estimates have predicted that "an all-out war" could reduce rates by 20 percent. Cambridge Chronicle, Feb. 21, 1995
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True to his word when he took office a few months ago, Councilor Anthony Galluccio voted "present" on the baseball strike order because it is a national issue. When he started on the council, Galluccio said he would vote present on any order about national issues, unless the city was directly affected.
"People who are tuning in now are probably thinking, 'Are they voting on the baseball strike?' " Galluccio said. Cambridge Chronicle, Feb. 21, 1995
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"This city has to get off the mark and look at funding mechanisms and get the word out to rent control tenants to explore home ownership." Cambridge Chronicle, Feb. 16, 1995
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"You have to go into the community and do the work and they didn't do the work," Galluccio said. "They are going to have to hire people outside the city. I'd rather see them wait and hold the positions so they can go into high school and target the people in their own languages. What's the point if we're going to end up hiring people from Lawrence, Brockton and Lowell." Cambridge Chronicle, Feb. 9, 1995
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Galluccio also made a pronouncement that he would not vote on national issues that have given the city the "People's Republic" moniker.
If it's not local, Galluccio said he will just vote present. Cambridge TAB, Dec. 27 - Jan 2, 1995
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First-time homebuyer program: Council approved an order from Councilor Anthony Galluccio calling for the city and local banks to formulate a program to help residents buy their apartments by helping with down payment and mortgage costs.
This is also a potentially long-range program for the city. Cambridge TAB, Feb. 14 - 20, 1995
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The councilor says "the city must emphasize home ownership as rent control ends in the city."
"Everywhere in the country the focus has shifted from rental assistance to home ownership, except here," Gallucio says.
"Politicians have benefited far too long from a system which places the burden for subsidizing [tenants] on property owners," the councillor adds. "Rent control hasn't afforded people the opportunity to own their homes." Harvard Crimson, Jan. 6, 1995
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Anthony Galluccio was sworn in last December as the newest Cambridge City Councilor after councilor William Walsh was sentenced for bank fraud. At 27, he is the youngest sitting councilor, a legislative aide to state Sen. Robert Wetmore (D-Barre) and a student at Suffolk University Law School.
Globe staffer Howard Manly talked with Galluccio last week.
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Without question, this is the most exciting time of my life. I grew up in Cambridge, attended public schools, and my dream is to own a home and raise a family here. This is my opportunity to take my experiences and use my energies to make Cambridge a better place to live.
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First of all, rent control is not over. We are in a transitional period right now. I need to make sure that the transition is administered fairly. Under the law, the city has one or two years of the property owners providing subsidies to tenants. It needs to be watched carefully to ensure that city officials remember that rent control is almost over and this is purely a phaseout for the most vulnerable. Since Question 9 passed, the city has gone to work immediately on proposals which would severely restrict the rights of property owners. I'm working extremely hard to defeat the proposed freezes on condominium conversions and the current downzoning proposal before the council. Both are kneejerk reactions to the loss of rent control and their attempts to further control property owners.
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I am working hard to develop the trust and respect of my colleagues. I will not be judged on how loud I yell, but on whether I actually get things done. Every proposal needs at least five votes, which means that I need to become a consensus-builder. So far, I have been very successful in passing my major initiatives and I credit that to my being willing to work with any number of city councilors on different issues.
For example, I am working with City Councilor Frank Duehay on my ownership initiative, despite our disagreements on rent control. Recently I worked hard with City Councilor Katherine Triantafilou on forcing the Police Department to put together a plan to make the public aware of sexual attacks on women while protecting the privacy rights of victims.
Other proposals that I have are much less controversial and just require hard work on my part. My youth recruitment and employment initiatives, bringing competition to the cable industry and bringing back community ice skating are not controversial; they just require perseverance.
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I'm uncomfortable with the notion of taking a "majority".
The alliance was formed to break down the elitist type of control the Cambridge Civic Association has exerted over city government. We are not a group who wants "control". That's machine politics, and that's the CCA. We want that to end.
This is the first election in which the CCA will be judged without rent control. This means that voters will look at the CCA's role on the quality of education, rising taxes, businesses leaving the city, the quality of life for young people, and the lack of housing leadership. In this setting, voters will be able to get a clearer picture of where the CCA has led us. I think the Alliance candidates will thrive.
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The following City Council candidates are endorsed by the Alliance For Change:
The following School Committee candidates are endorsed by the Alliance For Change:
Don't forget to vote for all Alliance backed candidates - together we can take back our city !!!
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