John Pitkin
He/Him
- Currently
- Retired
- Election history
- 3rd time running
He/Him
Now retired, John Pitkin has lived in Cambridge since 1970; he purchased his house in 1973. Before his retirement, he was a self-employed demographics consultant.
He has been involved in Cambridge politics for many years, serving on boards, forums, neighborhood associations, and in advocacy groups. Many of these are climate-oriented, such as Green Cambridge and the Sierra Club. He has also been a staunch opponent to development, petitioning for citywide downzoning in the late 1990s and, more recently, trying to stop the Inman Square redesign.
He previously ran for city council in 2001 and 2003.
The Harvard Graduate Student Union-UAW's guide to municipal elections in Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston for City Council and Somerville Mayor.
The Harvard Graduate Student Union-UAW's guide to municipal elections in Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston for City Council and Somerville Mayor.
If you had asked me [...] if I would run for city council again I would have suggested you get your head examined. So what happened? [...] The answer has to with what's been happening in my neighborhood of Inman Square [...] as a result of another traffic engineer scheme not of the same scale as the inner belt but one that was entirely determined by a city's traffic engineer.
I've been very impressed with his capacity to bring people together, in fact, he was the organizing principal behind the city wide forum on climate change that was held a few years ago with experts coming in from all over and explaining whats about to happen.
Three candidates — John Pitkin, Sukia Akiba, and Ilan Levy — and Councilor Dennis J. Carlone failed to complete the mandatory questionnaire and were not invited to the forum. Councilor Timothy J. Toomey was invited, but did not participate.
Pitkin said he did not agree with their decision to keep him from the forum.
"I shouldn't have to answer their questions in order to participate in a public forum. That's odd," he said.
Nov. 12, 2019 — Declan J. KnieriemThree candidates — John Pitkin, Sukia Akiba, and Ilan Levy — and Councilor Dennis J. Carlone failed to complete the mandatory questionnaire and were not invited to the forum. Councilor Timothy J. Toomey was invited, but did not participate.
Pitkin said he did not agree with their decision to keep him from the forum.
"I shouldn't have to answer their questions in order to participate in a public forum. That's odd," he said.
Paradoxically, a “better” university does not make a better neighbor but a more problematic and, in many respects, a worse one. Right now, the road ahead for Harvard and Cambridge looks rough, with or without a tunnel under it.
May 6, 2002 — John PitkinParadoxically, a “better” university does not make a better neighbor but a more problematic and, in many respects, a worse one. Right now, the road ahead for Harvard and Cambridge looks rough, with or without a tunnel under it.