Complaining that senior citizens are not able to get around to take advantage of state services provided for them, McGurk proposes an increase in city appropriations, asking for more funds to alleviate the elderly's lack of mobility.

DOUGLAS OKUN

Douglas Okun, an architect and a resident of Cambridge for a decade, has never run for city office before.

"My background in architecture and planning gives me an edge over other candidates in solving housing problems," Okun says. He cites housing as the major issue in this year's campaign, and advocates ending rent control in favor of a vacancy decontrol program with federal rent subsidies for low incorae families.

Okun supports development of new housing on unused land, expansion of the city's tax base, and protection of the elderly from condominium conversion.

MARY ELLEN PREUSSER

"Harvard is engaged in the rape of the city because their expansion threatens to ruin the traditional ethnic composition of this community," Mary Ellen Preusser, incumbent council candidate says.

Preusser supports rent control and limits on condominium conversion, believing that adequate housing should be available for citizens of all income levels.

While Harvard is the object of much of Preusser's pique, her major legislative concern on the city council is the organization of human services in the community.

"In the era of Propostion 13 and the shrinking dollar, it is especially important that we coordinate human service programs," Preusser says, adding that when she began on the City Council 150 agencies in Cambridge were receiving funds and "no one really knew how much money was coming through the city."

JOHN RUMA

First-time City Council candidate John Ruma says that housing for the elderly police protection and cleaner streets are the important issues confronting Cambridge today.

"I've been among politicians, and I know what they're talking about. I can do as good a job as any of them," Ruma, owner of a taxi company, says.

Ruma would like to see the development in Cambridge of unused land. "We should utilize the Kendall Square area, put something there, factories or houses instead of just putting soccer fields where they don't belong."

"I want more housing for the elderly, and I don't particularly care for more condominiums," he adds.