But, in theory at least, the “open-meeting laws” of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are not to be circumvented. Policy-making, in Cambridge as elsewhere in the Commonwealth’s legislative bodies, is something that must occur in public. An exhibition open to all. Even “activists.” Even children.

One kind of meeting (public if more than four Councillors participate in the exhibition), too exhausting to occur more than once a month and—the Council Chamber lacking air-conditioning, never in Summer—is the Round Table. Council rules that regulate this kind of consular entertainment are: (1) The uninvited public may not speak; (2) The meeting may not be broadcast or seen on CCTV, or otherwise televised; (3) No votes may be taken; (4) No decisions may be made. The meeting of September 18, 2006, had been announced: Roundtable Meeting: “Excitement Lab Cambridge.”

The subject of the Roundtable was so challenging that, in my effort to find out what it was, I failed to note the most important information. Rather than doing what one is told to do, call the Chief Information Officer of the City, I called the Council Office, was directed to the Clerk’s Office, and thence to the Mayor’s Office where I finally discovered that there would be a discussion about the idea of an arts festival for Cambridge, and that various City officials and invited guests would be present.

I was so relieved, my fear—the morpheme, “lab,” y’know—that this might be a Finneran-Reeves biotech industry project, was somewhat assuaged. I set off shortly after five and arrived at the Council Chamber in City Hall to find it empty and in the Council Office got the information that the meeting was being held at the Inman & Broadway Conference Room.

Walking along Inman Street, I was overtaken by the Information Officer, who had made the same error; and I, noticing her hesitancy, encouraged her to rush on ahead of me. I was grateful—to err is human, and all that.

I did arrive in the crowded room—the guests and other participants were all seated about long tables arranged to make a square—and had missed nothing but the snacks.

Mayor Reeves opened the meeting by asking all present to introduce themselves. There were enough chairs for everyone, but not all could be arranged at the table and some were set back against the wall. This method enables a differentiation of player and entourage (sometimes referred to as personal-support-system) but not unless systematically observed. It wasn’t. He was kind enough to include all persons present, including two unattached non-participants, and another who arrived later.

And there was a quorum, sufficient to call the meeting to order. The background to the evening roundtable, related by the Mayor himself, had to do with “. . . making the City more interesting during the summer.” This started two years ago with an appropriation by the City Manager of $100,000. Councillor Sullivan was Mayor at the time, and with his connections and abilities as a fundraiser, there ended up being about $300,000 available. Of course this did have something to do with the 2004 DNC happening in Boston, and Cambridge (we?) wanted a piece of the action..

From my Notes: “. . .why would the city try to be more interesting?” “Things have become more competitive.” “. . . .why would y’go thru the extra effort?” “we can come . . .”

“The City is thinking of . . .

The City could decide . . .

(At one time we thought it . . . .)

“Some years ago I thought of having an Office of Tourism. quasi . .”

“In Boston, next year there will be BIO 2007!”

Bling!! Harvey! Help! where are you? What are you doing, down there in Cuernavaca!

Back to my notes: “. . .Right now the city has appropriated . . . $100,000 from the City Manager, there’s another $90,000 from the State.” “The Excitement Lab! . . . let’s spin out how this entity would work with . . . (my brain is going dead. Did he really use spin as a meliorative term?) . . Some of the seasoning is some literature. . . .”

In the midst of this careful laying out of a scheme (for—godbless his adman’s imagination—a Cambridge Summer Festival) to be considered by this assembly, I glanced about me trying to identify who had shown up and noticed Terrence Smith from the Cham of Com, Beth Rubenstein, Assistant City Manager for Community Development, Councillor Toomey had arrived soon after I did, and there was Councillor Simmons. Sullivan, Kelley and Davis were there when I walked in.

“Let’s hear from. . . .” I heard the Chair introduce Maure Aronson, Director of World of Music, speaking about the value of his work before having him speak. He quickly got to the point, saying that any City interested in mounting a summer festival has to sustain it—they do not sustain themselves. All great cities support the arts, so that the City benefits. The “World of Music” draws about 100,000 people during the year. There is no venue in Cambridge that would hold large numbers at once. At one time he had thought that Danehy Park might be a good place. Opposition to using the Cambridge Common makes it a “no go.” Montreal in summer—the city shuts down—has both paid and unpaid events. Among the most succesful festivals throughout the world are the Fringe festivals. Most needed for festivals to succeed is the support of the people.

People seated about the square have begun to suspect that Mayor Reeves is seeking to have someone present come up with something to which everyone, or at least hizoner himself, can say, “Aha! (That’s it!)” He has asked to hear other voices and has begun to call on raised hands, going about the square on his right. “Professor Mark Schuster . . . .of MIT”

Mark Schuster: Please bring back the sculpture rigs. An event does not necessarily have to be an arts event. Other possibilities include; a Cambridge Open House showing what happens in Cambridge. The Council could schedule a special exhibition, Humanities, a festival of the Book, of books in Cambridge, written, published. a miniature Frankfurt Book Fair?

Since place is very important, make use of outdoor venues. The really interesting festivals have a local aspect. What about the “Head of the Charles?” What about a meet of buskers? What about MIT celebrating its 150th Anniversary?

From here the conversation went to American Folk Festival, like in Bangor, Maine. Lowell got a mention, Alexis Peña, producer, introduced. Mention was made that what is needed is a) the support of the government, b) the support of the inhabitants. The Business Council given mention. The Octoberfest brings people a wonderful history. Except that the brew has to be hidden indoors.

At 6:21, Heir Apparent Rossi was exhibiting symptoms of boredom openly. At 6;22 Big Daddy Healy put his hand to his forehead, and began scribbling on a pad while looking vacantly at the air to his left.

At 6:25, Assistant Manager Rubenstein was still concealing her feelings behind a congenial mask. And I woke up to hear Councillor Davis say that she seconds what Denise is saying. Supposedly. Davis: “ . . . we don’t want to make bigger what we already have. Damiano. Frankie Avalon . . . .” “I’m a believer in packages.” sic “I went to one of those city days in West Virginia. Everybody loved it!” “. . . the Regatta is for everyone but us!”

Councillor Denise Simmons: “I wanted to say the same things. It’s a matter of packaging . . . ”

At 6:27 Lunch time is the only kind at such events—Rossi puts food in his mouth and folds his arms over his belly. Not sure he should be eating between meals. Councillor Galluccio arrived. Uh! oh! Was there a quorum actually at the start of the meeting? Do Roundtable meetings require a quorum? “What is for us a big thing . . . I don’t know how to get our residents to pay attention.” A young woman from the Arts Council was speaking, Another woman spoke, “I am an aging hipster. This was a great place for 21-year olds. What is the identity of Cambridge?” “‘Excitement Lab’ sounds dorky.”

Mayor Reeves allowed as to how “these things—rountables, presumably—go on for two hours, “We have one more hour.”

Paul something or another, ignoring the time constraint: “What are 21-year olds motivated to do!” I had no way of telling whether this was or was not a rhetorical question. The man’s field is Communication Management. And Councillor Decker, having arrived ready to speak found herself hearing a guest who works for the MIT museum speaking: “. . .who comes to these events? We do not know what the average Cambridge person wants. If people do not pay for it, they do not value it.” What an offensive view of the matter, My friends know that if they have to pay for it, it is not really there.

Small wonder that art confuses people. They thought that they would be able to value it if they paid: like in I paid $50,000 for that Hundertwasser, and the curator said it was a fake. Galluccio interrupted my thought, saying “Cambridge has become more conservative.” And before I can complete my mental reservation about that use of the word “conser-,” Rossi pipes up complainingly with “Everybody stays home!” *The (Assistant) City Manger’s program for* “Build the sidewalks, Fill the potholes, and Maintain the bridges” is “Couch potatos are good for the City Budget” and a stimulus for Biotechnology in dreams authored by the pharmaceutical lobby.

Councillor Decker was finally recognized at 6:47 (less than 45 minutes to go) and proceeded to recite all the commonly accepted knowledge as rapidly as possible. “Certain things the Council should ask itself,” “what is the goal?” “what to support” “who is the audience?” “Tourists!” “It’s fun! . . .” “the onus is on the Council . . . is to be more deliberative” “Weekly fairs” “We’ve come a long way . . . .doing things in the Commons.” “ . . . on and on” Sure, and get arrested by the Healy police. Sure, and get stared into silence and inaction at the City Council by the Manager when you protest his tyranical approach to law and order.

*What is commonly understood as the main evidence of the manager’s opposition to public events and gatherings, to wit, the absence of maintained toileting facilities in public spaces, in fact may be simple indifference of someone who does not live here to those who do*.

It was clearly time to do something and Mayor Reeves tried. “Six-person board,” he muttered and the next speaker who had been in London for the past year and a half mentioned that what a lot of countries are doing is providing the tools for the people who have the ideas. No one paid attention. But the Mayor continued with, “We need more planning!” Professor Schuster, maintaining his calm, said, “The first thing that strikes me is that if the six people who began the “First Night” were sitting around this table, nothing would have happened. The model is some people getting together to do something. Start by “ . . .looking at what is not happening.”

Thus encouraged, Reeves spoke, saying, “I am going to say some incendiary things. “Waterfire costs something like $20,000 to produce.”” “Other places are competitive with us!” “Compete for biotech!” Austin has begun. Finneran’s fingers.

Matters heated up as the Roundtable began to spin—that word again, drat!—From “The funding should not be for existing things. Find new things. Focus on the NEW! a GROWTH model!” An appropriation of funds is needed to get things started. People will not take us seriously without an appropriation. And then to:

Galluccio: “We haven’t decided what kind of city we want to be! (cri de coeur) An internal issue of whether we want to be ‘small-town American’ or a ‘world-class' city. We have to be on the same page as the administration!” And so, because this for Galluccio is Rossi already, he, Rossi, rising to the challenge, parried with, This is where we were. We have been there. Where? Brilliant riposte. And before Gallucccio can respond. Rossi tripped him with, “Where do you put a big tent?” Touchè!

Decker trying to get the last word in self referentially, “I look at the root issue!” Where we are prioritizing . . . the direction of the city . . . opportunities to lobby the citizens . . .

Kelley believes that the school system could play a role. Mayor Reeves mentioned that “half a million dollars is not too much to begin with,” and as soon as he noticed the City Manager’s face beginning to redden, he turned up the heat to “and yes, a million dollars!” Beet red! Not a chance!

People exited from the hall chatting. It was rather remarkable. An easily comprehended entertainment.

The amount of vote-collecting available from the Mayor’s seat is directly proportional to the invitation list to a Roundtable. And the assessed value of properties adjacent to the Cambridge Common requires that it be regarded as somehow attached to those properties themselves. I never did find out if the Multicultural Art Center was on the invitee list.