Spartichino has made his opposition to Cambridge's Proportional Representation system of voting the focus of his campaign. He claims the system "robs the voters of Cambridge" and favors the liberal incumbents.

Criticism of the current City Council for the "high salary paid to City manager James Sullivan and Sullivan's assistants" is the other major issue in Spartichino's campaign.

Spartichino does not have--and did not seek--endorsements from any political groups in the city. He is counting on his past political experience, which also includes a stint as Massachusetts Assistant Attorney General from 1970 to 1974, to bring him votes in his home turf in North Cambridge. "I may get one vote from Brattle Street," Spartichino says, "but I won't count on it."

Edward J. Stewart

Edward J. Stewart's family has lived in East Cambridge for over 119 years. Two years ago these long ties almost paid off with a Cambridge City Council seat, as Stewart was the first runner-up in the elections. He said recently that he is going to win this time--"just look at The Cambridge Chronicle, they predicted it"--and he claims to have no particular area of support--"all over Cambridge they want me."

The only issue Stewart said he really "cares about" is taxes: "Taxes in Cambridge are way too high." Stewart said he would lower taxes by "watching out for every penny the city spends" and "by stopping the colleges like Harvard and MIT from engulfing all the taxable property in residential districts."

According to Stewart, the pace of development in Cambridge is no issue"--it's the colleges that are the problem." As for the other issues in the election, such as rent control and the city manager's salary, Stewart said only that he will "act according to the people."

But Stewart is one of the few candidates who can probably get away with waffling on the issues. As long as he keeps yelling about taxes and the universities, 119 years will go a long way.

Walter J. Sullivan +

Mayor Walter J. Sullivan is a fixture in Cambridge politics. He has been a participant in the council's regular Monday night meetings since 1959 and served one previous term as mayor in 1968-69. He has consistently been the top vote getter in the city council race and has followed in the political footsteps of his father and his brother, both former Cambridge mayors.

But to become mayor two years ago, the usually conservative former truck driver cast his vote in favor of a liberal city manager in exchange for the opposition's votes for him as mayor. With the bad taste of the incident remaining in the mouths of several Independents, it is unlikely that any election result will see Sullivan back in the mayor's chair when the council reconvenes.

Sullivan said he doesn't foresee any change in the Independent-liberal balance of the council. The elections are quiet because Cambridge Convention '75 isn't organized, Sullivan said. There are no major campaign issues, he added. "It's all personal."

The mayor is also against rent control, saying it only helps people attracted by the universities and discourages landlords from upgrading their apartments. He feels vacancy decontrol would restore incentives to landlords, while still protecting long-term residents, and, like several other Independents, wants only a rent review board that would protect against unfair rate increases.

Sullivan will almost definitely take a council seat in next week's election. But as his loss of last year's Middlesex Country sheriff race indicates, Sullivan's political fortunes are not as secure as they once were.

Joseph F. Tichanuk