The residents of Cambridge's model cities neighborhood are now voting on whether to accept a proposed city ordinance which would set up the only resident controlled model cities agency in the nation.

This ordinance--drawn up by a committee of 46 model neighborhood residents--would establish a 24-member "City Demonstration Agency" to run the model cities program in Cambridge. Sixteen of the agency's members would be residents of the model area, elected by their neighbors.

During the next two weeks, 55 canvassers will contact each of the 3600 families in the model neighborhood. They will explain the model cities program and ask the residents to drop a "yes" or "no" vote in a portable ballot box.

If--as appears likely--the residents approve the proposed ordinance--it will then go to the City Council, which guaranteed residents a majority on the CDA before submitting its application for the program last spring.

Justin M. Gray, assistant to the City Manager for Community Development (City Hall's liason with the residents), Saturday predicted that the Council would unanimously approve the ordinance. "We won't be going cold to the Council with this ordinance; we'll be going with thousands of residents who say they want it," Gray said.

Kick-Off Rally

At a kick-off rally for the referendum on the ordinance, Gray paid tribute to the resident committee which drafted the ordinance. "All the content came from them. If you went to Wellesley, with all those junior executives, you couldn't produce a better ordinance," he said.

Gray and Janet Rose, chairman of the drafting committee, mounted a horse to lead a parade through the model neighborhood drumming up support for the program. "I'm scared," Mrs. Rose said, but then steadied herself and shouted, "Model Cities is coming."