"At one level, there seems to be this great concern about development in the city, but I sometimes wonder whether that's because we have a well-organized minority here," says one city official who asked to remain anonymous.

He says local politics has not captured many of the voters who could have been expected to replace and reinvigorate Cambridge's voting base.

For many, like Kartwicki, this is because they do not plan to stay in the city very long. And others say they just cannot find enough time in the day to concentrate on local politics.

"People moving in are very work-oriented, job-oriented, career-oriented," says Geneva P. Malefant, the vice president of the Cambridge Civic Association. "People think it's just one more thing that they have to spend time on when they don't have any more time."

A High-Tech Magnet

Over the past decade, and especially within the last few years, Cambridge has become a center for high-tech industries that demand a different kind of employee than the city's traditional manufacturing base.

New high tech businesses have sprung up because of the proximity to Harvard and MIT.

"[The city] has become almost a magnet for pharmaceutical companies and biotech companies and informational companies," Duehay says.