"I feel that we have not gotten enough information and that we have not been involved in formulating a policy," says Wolf, adding that Healy is often able to influence council policy by his method of executing it.

Wolf says one major issue raised by the Binney St. garage is the city's lack of independent legal advice. Only two of the nine councillors are lawyers, and the city's only resource on matters of law is its solictor--who worked for Healy.

"He uses the city solicitor's opinions--which are the furthest thing from legal opinions--to his advantage," says William Cavellini, a leader in the 16-years fight against MIT's University Park development. "It's all decided before the council meeting starts.

Community activist Peter Valentine said at a recent council meeting that he believes the city is "being planned in private meetings by the city manager, the Community Development department, the developers and the universities."

And administration critics say events to support this view are plentiful.

Last month, Mayor Alfred E. Vellucci shouted developer John L. Hall off the council floor during a short recess, later calling the incident one of the worst ethics violations in his 34 years on the council.

Hall says he accidently wandered on to the floor.

The number of former city officials who now work for developers alarms other city residents. David Vickery, a former head of the Community Development department, is now a partner in Reynolds, Vickery, Messina & Griefen, a commercial development firm. Kathy Spiegelman, his successor, is Harvard's director of planning.

"Those people just stroll into Mr. Healy's office," says McManus, adding she has "never gotten the man to return a phone call."

But Healy denies that his former employees wield undue influence.

"I just had a big fight with David Vickery the other day," says Healy, adding, "Kathy hasn't been in here in a couple of months."

He says claims that he and developers plan the future of the city on their own are patently false. "I don't have any authority to cut deals," he says.

Healy is rarely described as an excessively political city manager. At council meetings he is generally reticent, answering questions from councillors but rarely allowing them to draw him into arguments.

His low-key style of management presents a marked contrast to Sullivan and his confrontational style.

"James Leo Sullivan would allow himself to get in fights," says Cavellini. "Healy's reaction is just to roll with it and not to fight back."