That night, Maher seized six votes and the title of mayor of Cambridge. The Council then voted to make the result unanimous.

“Although the process seems a bit difficult, it is the process, and it is democracy,” said Simmons, outgoing Cambridge mayor, during the final meeting. “It gives us an opportunity to continue to discuss with each other in an informal context.”

ARE YOU MY MAYOR?

The mayoral position that was so hotly contested this winter comes with several responsibilities and significant compensation.

The mayor earns a salary of $105,025, almost $35,000 more than the other councillors’ $70,329 annual paychecks, according to Michael P. Gardner, the city’s personnel director.

In addition to chairing the City Council meetings, the mayor serves as chair and as a seventh vote on the School Committee.

But some say that the mayorship carries very little recognition—in fact, the delay in selecting a mayor had “practically zero” impact on the city, according to local political pundit Robert Winters.

“The mayor of Cambridge could be walking down any street in Cambridge and wouldn’t be recognized by most of the city,” Winters says. “It’s largely a symbolic position.”

But members of the School Committee point out that the sluggish mayoral race forced them to wait for the selection of their final committee member—the mayor—and thereby stymied their attempts to assign members to subcommittees.

“I think in some ways it had a profound impact because there were many significant issues...that were difficult to work on without knowing who the permanent chair was going to be,” says School Committee member Marc C. McGovern.

But he adds, “We did...a very good job of not letting that slow us down.”

Now that Maher has served on the committee for the past several months, School Committee members say that they are pleased with his contributions to the group.

“Mayor Maher brings the perspective of someone who once served on the School Committee,” says committee member Patricia M. Nolan ’80. “He’s a voice of calm and quiet leadership, which is really nice.”

MAYOR ADJUSTMENT

The turbulent history of Cambridge mayoral elections—coupled with what some view as inappropriate roles in the mayor’s job description—has led several elected leaders to call for change in the selection procedure.