Yet others say the system ought to change.

Most sources, regardless of their thoughts on the electoral system, agree that there will likely be no further challenges to the Duehay mayorship.

"One of the highest values in government is stability, and we don't want to add to the treachery the instability of changing the titular mayor every week--nobody thinks that serves the best interests of the people," Reeves says.

"I would not anticipate [a change] anytime soon, because I think the council is now going to settle down to its work," Sullivan says.

History of the System

The current election system dates back to the 1940s.

In 1915, the city had a so-called "strong mayor" form of government where the mayor, elected by Cantabrigians, managed city affairs. City councillors were selected from the city's districts.

Governmental corruption, including the imprisonment of the mayor and the "snow incident"--snow was not cleared from the streets due to the City Council's inactions--led to a reform movement in 1938.

As a result of this movement, the state legislature, added a fifth option for governments within the Commonwealth. This option, which is the current governmental system in Cambridge, offers a package with proportional representation and professional city management that includes the council-elected mayorship.

This style of government, known as "Plan E" because it was the fifth option, was passed in 1940.

According to Edward G. Samp, a former election commission chair for the city, it is "very difficult" to change the governmental style.

In order to do so, Samp says, the city would have to hold a convention with elected delegates, who would make a recommendation to the city; the issue would then appear on a ballot, and the residents of the city would vote on the situation.

"We've never had [a convention]," Samp says. "It would be quite a sales job to convince voters that we would have to have a convention."

Plan E did, however, come up for review on the ballot five times after it was originally adopted.

"People equated the defeat of Plan E with going back to the old ways," Samp says, explaining why Plan E was never abolished.