With election day fast approaching, Cambridge City Council hopefuls say their year-long campaign efforts are finally reaching a crescendo.

Michael A. Baldasaro wants to carry on the legacy of his grandfather, Mayor Emeritus Alfred E. Vellucci--the father of rent control in Cambridge.

"I have to be the protector of rent control," says Baldasaro, who is endorsed as the number one candidate by the Cambridge Tenants' Union.

Baldasaro says Harvard's contribution to the city will have to be reevaluated in the future, but he is confident that, like his grandfather, he can keep the city's non-profits in line.

The 39-year-old, life-long resident of East Cambridge is also interested in providing for the basic needs of all his constituents.

"We need to work with our children, we need homes for the homeless and we need police and an educational system," says Baldasaro.

William Becze has been an actor and performer in Cambridge for nearly 15 years.

Although he says he has never been involved in politics, Becze says he feels it is time for a change in City Hall.

"I've been going door to door talking with people," Becze says, "But I've found it hard to raise funds."

If elected, Becze says he will strive for consensus on the narrowly divided city council.

"Israel and the Arabs can do it," Becze says.

Gloria M. Beeks, 63, wants the concerns of Area Four residents to be heard.

"I'm running for city council because coming from Area Four, we have not had a voice in the city council," says Beeks, a member of the Area Four Crime Task Force and the Area Four Youth Center.

Citing the proposal to place a homeless shelter for alcoholics in Area Four, Beeks says, "We've suffered a lot of discrimination with being dumped at."

Beeks says that what the people of her neighborhood want is affordable housing and not commercial buildings. But Beeks, who is endorsed by the Alliance for Change, does not support rent control without a means test.