Henrietta Davis

In my eight years on the School Committee, I fought for schools that serve all our children, to provide every one of them the opportunity to succeed in life. Now I want to work for all the residents of Cambridge, to make our city work for each Cambridge citizen and every Cambridge neighborhood.

• Biographical Data
• Accomplishments on the School Committee
• Affiliations
• Goals on the City Council
• Endorsements
• How to contact us.

Biographical Data

• Eight years of public policy planning and implementation
• Expertise in building coalitions to make change
• Two years chairing the school budget committee
• Trained negotiator and experienced communicator

Member, School Committee, 1988-95

Chair, Student Health Sub-Committee

Chair, Sub-Committee on Special Education

Freelance journalist, specializing in financial matters and in education, 1975-85

Community planner, City of Cambridge, 1972-74

Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, enrolled in the Master of Public Administration program

Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, Master of Social Planning, 1972 University of Rochester, B.A., 1967

Cambridgeport resident since 1967. Married to Richard Bock; two sons: Aaron, 13, is a student at the King Open School and Daniel, 15, is a sophomore at Cambridge Rindge and Latin.

Accomplishments on the School Committee

Looking for creative solutions. With funding from the Pew Charitable Trust and the Health of the City Program I helped form the Healthy Children Task Force, a partnership between Harvard's Schools of Public Health, Medicine, and Dentistry and the City. The task force has undertaken a number of projects: providing student mentors for students at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School; winning a multi-million dollar grant from the Centers for Disease Control for the immunization of all Cambridge children, and developing a new community dental service.

Working with others. With other school activists, I helped to start the Violence Prevention Task Force, a multi-agency group that has led to a coordinated effort to avert violence in Cambridge. This group built bridges between the schools, the health system, the courts, and the police in an effort to communicate and work with people of all ages. We now have a Violence Prevention Coordinator-paid by the Hospital and School Departments and by the Department of Human Services-who is continuing the task force

Affiliations

Co-Chair, Healthy Children Task Force

Member, Cambridge Kids Council

Member, School Health Task Force

Member, Violence Prevention Task Force

Goals on the City Council

1. I will pursue economic development and job creation.
   This year's city budget increased by less than 1% and that small increase was paid for by taxes from new enterprises. In order to pay for many needed city services, I am a strong proponent of economic development with full neighborhood involvement. By "economic development," I don't mean just building big projects. I intend to support small businesses and assist companies that have started here so they stay here and grow. The city should coordinate its economic development and job creation efforts with its public education goals.

   Central Square: I pledge to support the initiatives of the community and business people who are investing their time to find ways to enhance and support the richness of Central Square, a vital section of Cambridge.

2. I will support a strong school budget.
   I will always be a friend of the Cambridge public schools. The school population has increased over the last five years, and costs follow enrollment. I will advocate for teaching materials, teachers, and school buildings. Right now one of our most popular schools is housed in inadequate rental space, which costs taxpayers thousands of dollars each year.

3. I will make government fiscally accountable.
   In my mind fiscal accountability is not just shorthand for slash the budget. We should not waste money, look for ways to save money and make sure we are getting good value for our dollars. I was against increasing administrative salaries in the School Department when we were holding the line on other salaries. On the City Council I will look behind each budget proposal to make sure that necessary services are retained.

4. I will fight for supermarkets for Cambridge.
   With the demise of two major supermarkets in Cambridge, members of the City Council must dedicate themselves to encourage affordable, quality food stores in this city. At the same time we need to find the best way to manage the truck traffic a food store will require, as well as the cars and trucks that already clog our neighborhoods. I will listen to residents as the current planning for supermarkets proceeds.

5. I will support the expansion of affordable housing.
   With aging housing stock in a city that's very desirable to live in, it is difficult to provide enough affordable housing. I pledge to expand the housing base, and will aggressively seek funding to subsidize housing costs-both for rehabilitation and for rental subsidies. Further, we need to work with our institutional neighbors, Harvard and MIT, to create and retain affordable housing.

6. I will continue to advocate for healthy children and families.
   As a founder of the Violence Prevention Task Force and the Co-Chair of the Healthy Children Task Force, I've supported numerous efforts to give children a healthy start in life. Being on the City Council will enhance my ability to work for kids and families. As a Councillor, I will advocate to keep funds for children and family services in the budget and to enhance them when possible.

7. I will heed citizens' calls for better traffic control.
   One of the most important jobs of the City Council will be to balance the goals of economic development against the threat of increased traffic on Cambridge streets. We must aggressively seek alternative modes of transportation, whether it's new bus and shuttle routes, bicycle lanes, or pedestrian walkways. In addition, we need better ideas about how to handle truck traffic and must work together to enforce the existing laws.

8. I am firmly committed to affirmative action.
   All Cambridge residents need to feel welcome in City Hall, and it's critical that our public work force reflect the diverse makeup of this city. I support an open hiring process that respects affirmative action goals, favors the hiring of Cambridge residents, and selects the best, most qualified leadership for our city departments.

9. I will support a healthy Cambridge environment.
   We all have the right to clean air and water and a peaceful environment free of noxious noises and fumes. As a City Councillor I will champion city efforts to keep Cambridge green, and to protect our water supply. We have a very successful recycling program but it needs to be expanded to include businesses and the public schools.

10. I will work for safe homes and safe streets.
    I endorse a national search to hire a police commissioner. The Police Department needs strong, professional leadership. I am a supporter of community-oriented policing which, at its best, is designed to call upon citizens to work with police to make neighborhoods safer. I particularly endorse any and all efforts in Cambridge to prevent sexual assaults.

Contact Our Campaign

Write us at

Henrietta Davis Campaign

108 Chestnut Street

Cambridge, MA 02139

Fax Us at 547-0877, call first