With Plan E, reform got under way and it has never stopped. "Plan E has been a success because of the Cambridge Civic Association," A. Chester Hanford, professor of Government, believes. Robert Amory, Jr. '36, professor of Law, says that one of the remarkable things about the CCA and their Cambridge reform is that "most reform movements wear off after a few years, but the CCA has kept its momentum."

CCA's success is complex. Donald Spencer '26, past president of the group, and now one of its directors, considers its non-partisan attitude its most effective weapon. "The CCA is successful because it sticks to its purpose--to protect gains and progress already made in Cambridge under Plan E, and to originate or support new civic improvements. We stay out of partisan politics and national issues." Spencer also believes that "there is such a thing as a common denominator of decency, fair play, and honesty among the voters. If you've got the ability to find a trace of this in the people, then you'll be joined by all of them and you will grow."

Machine Politics?

Another factor in the CCA's success is the organization within the group. Francis L. Sennott, a former councilor, trying for another term, has called it "machine" as have most opponents.

But Professor Amory points out that "the CCA has a great lack of force over its candidates," hardly a trademark of a well-oiled political machine. Nor can it dominate its workers, as they are mostly professional men who will not submit to the dictatorship required by machine politics.

The City's Richest Man

"The best way to look at the CCA," Amory maintains, is by process of elimination. Lynch, MacNamara, Foley, and Sullivan are not competent legislators, he feels. If anyone has the idea that the CCA is on the side of the rich, Amory maintains, he need only look at one of the Association's opposition, Lynch, perhaps the richest man in Cambridge. "On the other hand," Amory added, "MacNamara must get his $4000 yearly salary from the City Council or he would starve, but I think he would keep the City Manager in office if it came to a vote."

The quality of CCA candidates is also important to the Association's strength. Long before election time, the 22 member endorsement committee invites every candidate, whether the CCA has endorsed him in previous elections or not, to appear for an interview. Once the committee finds how the candidate feels toward the CCA and Cambridge government, its members vote whether to endorse him or not. If the candidate is not endorsed, then he can run as an "independent."

Endorsement Contribution

Professor Hanford thinks the CCA's greatest contribution toward good government is through its endorsement committee. "The problem in local politics is to bring out good, qualified men, instead of the self-seeking type," he states. Mayor Edward A. Crane '35 emphasizes the CCA's financial contribution to these endorsed candidates. "In a city wide vote, the CCA's contribution makes it easier for it to swing the election. A candidate who has ability and qualifications also needs about $2000 to campaign successfully. Many of the most qualified candidates could not scrape together this amount." The most notable examples of this, Crane says, are Professor Amory, Richard M. Gummere, chairman of the Committee on Admissions, who served a term on the School Committee, and Richard E. Shaine '41, formerly an Adams House tutor, who the CCA brought into the 1949 School Committee race.

Qualified Politicians

Besides men who ordinarily would not run because of vocation, the CCA has helped qualified politicians. Among this group is Charles A. Freeman, past president of the Cambridge Colored Civic Association who as a city council candidate was defeated in 1949. This year, Freeman, an extremely well-qualified candidate, does not have enough money of his own to wage a successful campaign and the CCA has put up the necessary funds to allow Freeman to run. Then too, there is Crane himself, a magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa; Amory calls him the "best qualified mayor in the United States."

CCA success depends to a great degree on the City Manager, who runs the City's administrative side. The present City Manager, John B. Atkinson, was elected by the first Plan E City Council in 1941. At the time, Atkinson, a shoe manufacturer, had not been inside City Hall for 20 years, and took little interest in city politics. A friend suggested to Atkinson that he submit his name to the Council for nomination as city manager. He turned out to be the only local applicant for the job and was elected six to four.

No Interference

Atkinson says that the CCA "in no way attempts to direct me and they never interfere with the operation of the city." Because of this, Atkinson has been able to run the city like a business enterprise--unhampered. Through a cautious spending policy, he has managed throughout his ten years in office to keep Cambridge's tax rate low. At the present time, Cambridge is the only city in Massachusetts with a lower tax rate now than it had in 1941.