Braude and Decker have led the charge, saying they will block approvals for University development projects--such as the Knafel Center and the proposed new art museum on Memorial Drive--unless the University adopts a living wage.

At a living wage rally in front of University Hall in April, Braude issued an ultimatum.

"If Harvard wants to build a new building and comes to the City Council, all nine of us will say, 'Implement a living wage, and we'll talk,'" he told the 200-person crowd.

But other councillors have been less belligerent, saying zoning matters should not be tied to the living wage.

"I feel it's a little bit hard to mix apples and oranges and throw zoning in there," Davis said last month. "Not all the council supports that."

But Born says that even if the zoning stands apart from a living wage, the University still has a responsibility to act.

"Harvard should stand as a model employer and should set the standard," she said.

Winters said he believes the strong stances on the living wage come from the new councillors' desire to make their names when few other issues have come before the council.

"It is when there is just a little bit on the agenda that it turns into an opportunity for speech-giving," he said.

Despite the lack of policy work this spring, the council decided last month to consider a pay raise for themselves and school committee members.

The issue was hotly contested by local residents because of how it was proposed--no clear mention of the pay raise was placed in the city manager's agenda, and the council voted not to allow a public hearing to discuss the matter.

Many councillors stood behind the decision, saying the council should not waste its time on a public hearing.

"I voted for something that was going to happen anyway so that we can focus on issues that are important, like affordable housing, the budget and the school merger," Decker said after the vote.

Davis, Born and Braude all voted for having a public hearing and Born and Braude publicly said they planned to vote against a pay raise.

"The city council is a policy making body," said Born, who voted against the last pay raise. "In most other cities our size, the city council is not a full time job."