City of Cambridge, MA
In 2022, the City of Cambridge worked with Cortico to host recorded small-group conversations across the community that informed a leadership profile and helped guide the selection of a new City Manager.
Listen to a highlight from conversations with Cambridge’s immigrant community.
Check out stories and priorities shared in 19 conversations with 120 Cambridge residents and stakeholders as they reflected on what the next City Manager should bring to the role.
Challenge
In early 2022, Cambridge began a public search for a new City Manager as City Manager Louis A. DePasquale prepared to retire. The City Council hired an out-of-state consulting firm to run the search, but council members and other officials felt that a high-stakes decision like this needed deeper community input that reflected Cambridge’s diverse residents and priorities. Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui noted that the consulting firm did not have Cambridge-specific experience or the capacity for extensive local outreach. The City wanted a way to hear more directly from residents and stakeholders about what they needed from the next City Manager.
Solution
The City Council brought in additional community engagement partners, including Cortico, to support a broader listening process. Cortico worked with council members to design and host a series of small, issue-based, 90-minute recorded conversations. These conversations included a wide range of Cambridge community members and stakeholders, such as nonprofit leaders, affordable housing providers, seniors, high school students, small business owners, racial justice organizations, climate leaders, arts community members, parents, immigrant community members, transportation advocates, faith leaders, tenant councils, disability community members, unhoused residents, and neighborhood associations.
The conversations focused on what residents and stakeholders wanted the next City Manager to bring to the role, and on the challenges and opportunities the City should prioritize going forward.
Results
Insights from the conversations were synthesized into a leadership profile that clarified community priorities and expectations for the role, and helped guide recruitment. In May 2022, the screening committee publicly shared four finalist candidates with the community. Using the leadership profile as a guide, the City Council voted on June 6 to offer the position to Yi-An Huang, who was sworn in the following September.
The City used this process to show real-time listening and add transparency to the search. Cortico’s platform has continued to support the Council and the City Manager with ongoing community feedback and insights.
“As we engage the community and ask for feedback, Cortico has been a powerful tool to absorb and understand what residents across Cambridge are looking for in the next City Manager.” — Sumbul Siddiqui, Mayor, City of Cambridge, MA
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