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Roslindale to Cambridge. I care about local politics, especially housing. I'm bigger irl.
Quentin and I got engaged this weekend, and I could not be happier!
@crschmidt @DemonHusky Patty's "many people didn't show up tonight because they think we're not listening" (paraphrase) pissed me off about as much. If that's a sincerely held belief, how is ignoring the 300 people who DID show up an appropriate response? She's just insulting our intelligence with that utter nonsense

Final result: In favor of delay:

Patty Nolan
Joan Pickett
Paul Toner
Ayesha Wilson
Denise Simmons

If someone dies cycling on Cambridge Street in 2026, those are the 5 people who voted in favor of it.

Ugh, does everything have to be an all-female reboot now?
Finally got around to reading TransitMatters' report on modernizing the Framingham/Worcester Line, which is the one that actually matters to me. You'd think I would have read it when it first came out, but the only new proposal in it (and it's one that I have also made) is a relocated and elevated Framingham station. Needless to say I agree with pretty much everything in the proposal and want to see it implemented soonest. https://transitmatters.org/s/TransitMatters-Modernizing-Framingham-Worcester-Line.pdf
@cy Also, Homelessness Is A Housing Problem! I can't believe I forgot that. I talk about that book and its central argument with people *all the time.* It's extremely convincing.
@cy if you're looking for recs more generally, The Color of Law is a must-read for understanding the history of exclusionary zoning.
@cy Arbitrary Lines I haven't read yet and will definitely update here when I do! I've followed Nolan Gray for a long time on the bird site, and while I don't always agree with his takes, he thinks and writes clearly about housing, and is more often right than wrong. I'm excited to read it!
@cy I wanted a complete copy of Robert's Rules as a reference for watching council meetings, but for an intro I'd rec the shorter version over the full tome if you just want to get a basic idea of how these meetings are supposed to go. (Supposed to, because, uh, don't always. Or often. In my admittedly limited experience it's more like 70% actual Robert's Rules, 20% not quite but close-enough-for-government-work, and 10% Calvinball.)

@cy I can enthusiastically recommend The Affordable City right now!

I've read the ebook and just wanted a physical copy too. It's well-written, accessible, and has a ton of great advice for housing policymakers and advocates. I plan to reread it soon in its entirety - it's not long - but it also works well as a reference book.