The turnaround in relations with Boston occurred shortly after Grogan’s arrival to Harvard, leading some to charge that Grogan has been able to use his political ties in Boston to push the University’s future development interests across the river, while putting less emphasis on Cambridge.

Grogan is good friends with Menino and worked in various capacities in Boston government since the early 1980’s before coming to Harvard.

“It’s clear as day that Grogan’s influence and experience in Boston city government was used to pave the way for their development across the river,” resident Cob Carlson says. “He was a hired gun who did his job.”

Grogan does not deny that his political ties have been an asset to him, saying his relations with Boston have helped get Harvard’s future development plans up and running.

“It’s no secret that the University is going to be expanding into Boston, so relations needed to be developed rapidly,” Grogan says. “I’m very pleased with the progress we’ve made. Now expansion can proceed in a way that benefits the city and the neighborhoods as well as the University.”

Harvard’s recent investment of $5 million over five years to increase and improve afterschool offerings in Boston has merely solidified the University’s strong position in Boston.

“They’re really stepping up to the plate to help improve their neighborhood,” Menino said in an interview after the afterschool partnership was announced in March. “Harvard and Boston have had a good relationship over the last few years, and we want to continue that and build on that.”

But as Harvard turns its eye to Boston, some in Cambridge have felt left out in the cold, and relations with the city at times seemed to have reached a point that even positive events are clouded by conflict.

Harvard’s announcement of the afterschool partnership with Boston, for instance, left Cambridge officials wondering why they were left out.

Cambridge had been a joint partner with Boston and Harvard in the 20/20/2000 housing initiative of November 1999, a popular and successful agreement that provided $20 million over 20 years from the University towards funding affordable housing loans.

Unlike that partnership, no Cambridge officials were even informed of the afterschool partnership until the day of the announcement.

“I can’t fathom how anyone could sign off on contributing $5 million to Boston without understanding how that would make Cambridge feel,” Galluccio says. “Leaving us out of the loop was a major setback to our relations.”

Harvard’s plans for a $100,000 investment in Cambridge summer school programs in the same week fell well short of expectations established by the Boston commitment, leading Cambridge officials to blast Harvard for ignoring their host city.

The council passed a strongly worded order expressing their “extreme disappointment in Harvard for not making a public commitment to equitable funding to Cambridge public schools,” and Galluccio personally wrote a letter to Rudenstine saying he was “very unclear about the current relationship between Harvard and the City of Cambridge.”

Only the recent announcement of a $1 million investment by Harvard in Cambridge’s summer school program was able to alleviate some of the tension within Cambridge.