Jim Braude paints his work on the City Council in terms of battles.

"I am here to win," says the newly elected councillor, "not to preach."

For Braude, the major battle--getting a spot on the council--has already been won.

Campaigning could be difficult. "I have yet to elevate door knocking to an artform," Braude admits. "Having a door shut in your face is not necessarily a pleasant experience."

Still, once he got residents to open their doors, he could gauge their opinions about Cambridge.

That helped form his primary goal as a councillor: to create a better relationship between Cambridge residents and the City Council.

"My primary concern is rehabilitating the damaged relationship between people who live here and their government. Governments can get better when the governed are involved," he says.

Braude says even if he hadn't won, the experience of running for City Council would have been just as beneficial, even considering the long nights.

Braude says he came close to running for governor in 1994, but decided six months ago that he wanted to get involved in politics instead of complaining about the job that everyone else was doing.

Always an active Cantabrigian--his children are ages five and seven--Braude said that having children in the Cambridge school system has given him a different perspective on political participation.

As for the council, Braude says he isn't planning an ideological crusade, but a battle to get things done. --Kirsten G. Studlien