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The Cambridge Election Commission confirmed Catherine “Cathie” Zusy will fill the vacancy on the Cambridge City Council Thursday following the death of Councilor Joan F. Pickett on Aug. 30.
Her appointment was widely anticipated: per state law, in the case of a vacancy, a successor is determined by a recount of the votes cast in the previous election as if the vacant member was not on the ballot.
In the case of last year’s municipal elections, that would be Zusy, who narrowly lost to Pickett for ninth in the race. Cambridge operates under a ranked choice voting system, where all candidates compete in one district for votes.
But the Thursday afternoon recount, though mostly pro forma, confirmed that Zusy will serve out the remainder of Pickett’s term through January 2026 — setting her up to cast votes on pivotal issues related to housing, transportation, and Cambridge’s form of government.
Zusy has long been involved in Cambridge activism and helped to raise $8 million dollars to restore Magazine Beach Park in Cambridgeport — earning her the moniker “Magazine Beach Lady.”
In a Thursday interview following the recount, Zusy — a trained museum curator turned community organizer — said she sees herself as “a curator of the neighborhood.”
She suggested that her curatorial approach could help Cambridge increase its supply of housing while simultaneously addressing some residents’ concerns about overdevelopment.
“I hope I can solve the puzzle of building more housing without destroying neighborhood fabric and neighborhood character, or tearing out trees or filling up open spaces,” she said.
Zusy took a similarly considered position on the contentious issue of bike lane expansion, endorsing the Council’s decision to delay a deadline for the city to build out its separated bike lane network.
“I fully recognize the need for more and better bike lanes,” Zusy said. “Giving the city an extra year to roll out the 25 miles of lanes so that they really work and so that they’re really safe is a good idea.”
She spoke trepidatiously about bike safety after two cyclists were killed in collisions with box trucks this summer.
Though she said that she and her husband are cyclists, she recalled giving her son a stark warning about biking around the city: “Cycling was the best way to get around Cambridge — if you didn’t get killed.”
Zusy also made clear that she’s a problem solver who wants to get things done.
“I’ve always helped my neighbors,” she said. “People in Cambridgeport know I’m a go-to person if you want to solve a problem.”
“We’re a city that commissions plans all the time, but you know, we need to implement those plans if we hope to accomplish anything,” Zusy said.
Zusy’s election was warmly received by her fellow city councillors.
“Although her appointment came due to tragic circumstances, I'm confident that she will be a thoughtful, contributing member of the Council,” Vice Mayor Marc C. McGovern wrote in a statement.
Councilor Sumbul Siddiqui praised Zusy’s track record of local advocacy in a statement.
“Given Cathie’s years of experience and advocacy on neighborhood issues, particularly Magazine Beach, she will be well-prepared to plug into the various topics the City Council engages on,” Siddiqui wrote. “I look forward to serving with her, and wish her a smooth transition.”
After co-founding the Magazine Beach Partners — serving as president since 2017 — Zusy has spearheaded the renovation of St. Augustine’s African Orthodox Church and discussions on the city’s use of late local artist Peter Valentine’s house.
Zusy has also been extensively involved with the Cambridge Citizens Coalition, a local activist organization involved in housing, transit, and governance issues that endorsed her during the 2023 election.
CCC President Suzanne P. Blier, a Harvard professor, celebrated Zusy’s ascendance to the Council in a statement.
“Zusy brings people together for positive ends,” wrote Blier. “She aims high, gets results, and will be an extraordinary City Councillor.”
Zusy said her term will be guided by a belief in the “brilliance of this community.”
“I’m looking forward to working with them and my fellow councilors to figure out how to provide more housing and to make Cambridge a place that young people and young families can live and to build community here,” she said.
—Staff writer Benjamin Isaac can be reached at benjamin.isaac@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @benjaminisaac_1.
—Staff writer Avani B. Rai can be reached at avani.rai@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @avaniiiirai.
