"He has been a wildly ineffective counsellor," Dowds added. "He has accomplished very little."

Dowds proposed two theories about the motives of Walsh's real estate dealings, both of which he says imply improprieties.

One is the theory being advanced by the prosecution--that Walsh made fraudulent deals to rescue his personal real estate empire, Dowds said.

The other theory, which does not depend on his guilt of fraud, is that Walsh was trying to curry favor in the city government by offering its members real estate deals, Dowds said.

Dowds said that even if Walsh did not perpetrate fraud, the fact that he made deals with his fellow city government officials is ethically questionable.

Engaging in real estate dealings with other members of the local government was not against Cambridge rules two years ago, but would be now, Dowds said.

"Cambridge municipal ethics legislation was designed to stop his [Walsh's] real estate deals," said Dowds, adding that while Walsh's "very disturbing to many people."

"It was just not clean government," Kaufmann said.

Such relationships between public officials, "compromise their ability to effectively carry out their positions," Kaufman said. "City councillors should have nothing a common with each other besides the fact they both happy to be on the city council."

CTU co-chair Michael H. Turk voiced additional concerns arising from the Walsh trial. Turk said that in light of Walsh's firm's implication in the trial, the firm's past cases involving Cambridge affairs should be reviewed.

Turk said he also questions whether those persons who accepted the mortgages, including Representative Thomspson and Officer Bongiorno, are completely without blame.

City Council Not Affected

Others are concerned about the effects of the Walsh concerned about the effects of the Walsh controversy on the everyday dealings of the city council. Walsh said yesterday that there had been none, and councillor Timothy J. Toomey agreed, saying, "it hasn't affected [the council] in any way yet. Walsh hasn't missed a meeting yet, and he's been as vocal as ever."

But one councillor, who requested anonymity until the end of the trial, said "obviously it's disruptive. It's very difficult to have this going on."

Kaufman said the trial "put a cloud over the body."