Council hears update on community engagement hire and cautious rollout of American Freedmen Commission

The Cambridge City Manager told the council the administration has hired Jackson Price as director of community engagement and is moving the resident survey to an annual cadence with a performance target above 60% "excellent/good." The manager said departments will be encouraged to share engagement best practices and the communications office will solicit council input on resident‑survey questions.

Mayor Simmons and several councilors urged a citywide road map for community engagement so departments have consistent methods, measurable outcomes and coordinated budgets. "If you don't know where you go in any chain we'll get you there," Mayor Simmons said, asking for department plans that feed into an overall engagement model.

On ADEI work, the manager described the effort to establish an American Freedmen Commission as complex and currently "yellow," with staff and elected leaders reviewing models from other communities, planning robust public engagement and deciding whether to appoint an executive director before or after creating the full commission. "We've had a number of conversations... and I think in some ways maybe this is also a good point to... bring the council through" for further discussion, the manager said.

Councilors asked about language access, inclusion of immigrant and faith communities, and possible roles for local universities in fall preparation for civic conversations. Several members urged careful staging of the commission and advisory council to avoid repeating errors seen elsewhere; Mayor Simmons said the city has consulted Boston to learn from its experience.

Next steps: the manager said an advisory council tied to OEI/A EI strategy and the city's AI work will be formed this fall; staff will circulate invitations for volunteers and return to the council with updates.