Cambridge City Council unanimously approves four-year extension for city manager

Cambridge City — The Cambridge City Council voted 9–0 on March 3, 2025 to extend the city manager’s employment contract for four years, covering Sept. 6, 2025, through Sept. 5, 2029, after returning from executive session.

Councilor Toner moved to approve the four-year contract; the motion passed on a unanimous roll call. Councilors debated whether a three-year term would provide better accountability, but all members said they supported renewing the manager’s contract even where they differed on length.

Councilor Sabrina Wheeler said she would vote yes but preferred a three-year term as better governance. Wheeler noted the city manager’s salary trajectory under the proposed contract, saying, “In the first year of this contract, it’ll be $327,000. By the last year of this contract, it’ll be $349,000,” and warned that early termination could expose the city to large payouts.

Vice Mayor McGovern, who supported the four-year term, said the council will continue annual evaluations and that the buyout language limits the payout to roughly six months’ salary, which he described as “about $150,000.” McGovern argued that multiyear stability is important given expected federal and local uncertainties.

Councilor Azeem emphasized budget discipline in negotiations and noted the contract’s smaller raises, pointing out that the fourth-year increase is about 1.2%, leaving the manager’s compensation close to inflation-adjusted parity. Several other councilors — including Wilson, Nolan, Siddiqui and Zuzi Flores — voiced support for the extension while noting a preference among some members for a shorter term and stressing accountability and improved communication with the manager’s office.

Mayor Simmons thanked staff and council members for a deliberative process and said the council’s action reflected a shared commitment to the city’s priorities, including focused outreach to seniors and investment in neighborhoods such as The Port.

After the approval vote, Councilor Toner moved to suspend the rules to allow reconsideration; the council voted 9–0 to suspend the rules but then on the reconsideration motion all nine members voted "no," so the reconsideration failed and the four-year contract stood as final. The council then adjourned on a 9–0 vote.

The action recorded by the council updates the city manager’s contract for the four-year period noted above; the meeting record shows the council will continue annual performance reviews and retains authority to remove the manager for stated grounds under the contract terms.