"I want to thank everyone who has stuck with me through thick and thin," Galluccio said in his acceptance speech. "I will work tirelessly to make the city the best it can be."

After his election, Galluccio moved quickly to resolve major issues facing the council. No committees--where most of the council's work is done--could be formed until a mayor was elected.

But by the time the council held its first meeting with its new mayor, Galluccio had already made all of the committee assignments.

"I met with all of the individual councillors last week," Galluccio said after his first meeting as mayor. "This is the first regular meeting, and I am happy to say that the committees are assigned."

As mayor in Cambridge, Galluccio also chairs the school committee. In his first week on the job, he worked on settling a contract dispute between the teachers union and the school district.

The restructuring of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School as well as the merger of the Fletcher and Maynard elementary schools have consumed the rest of his school committee time. Both issues were worked out over the course of several months.

All Talk?

Despite the new look of the council, most agree that it has made few important policy decisions.

Longtime council observer Robert Winters, who also publishes the online Cambridge Civic Journal, said the council is still trying to define itself.

"They are still adjusting, trying to decide who likes who," Winters said. He added that confusion over the mayoral vote may have left unresolved tensions between councillors.

Throughout the current term of the new council, the group has moved quickly through meetings, making few major decisions since February.

A few zoning matters and building projects, such as deciding a site for a new main library, is still unfinished business. They will be handled before the end of July or in the new fall session.

Davis says some policy initiatives are taking shape, but still need time before being brought forward.

"A lot of work goes on in committees, and it takes a while to get things up and running," she says.

Despite the lack of formal business, though, many councillors have taken the opportunity to make their voices heard--with some of the focus on Harvard.

In April, the council heavily criticized the University's stance on a living wage, saying that Harvard should adopt the $10 wage the city implemented for all its full-time employees.