Robert Winters
He/Him
- Currently
- Harvard Extension School Instructor
- Election history
- 5th time running (ran in the 90s)
He/Him
Robert Winters is perhaps best well known in Cambridge for maintaining a blog, titled Cambridge Civic Journal, about Cambridge politics; his notes about City Council meetings going back to 2006 are still available at his website. He started including videos, often with guests, in 2014. And he puts together a page with basic candidate information for every election as well.
He has also been active on Twitter for many years. His long history of posting, engaging with, and liking content there that other people and organizations classify as transphobic, racist, sexist, Islamophobic, and pro-retaliatory-violence is an issue other candidates, in addition to voters, are weighing in on this election season. For instance, he follows the well-known far-right, anti-LGBT+ LibsofTikTok account, and drew their attention to a local drag queen event at the Cambridge Public Library. Since that account is notorious for inciting violence, the Cambridge Police ended up deploying to protect residents in response.
When questioned about this history at a candidate forum, he said he didn't remember or liked something he found funny. On Twitter, he responded to accusations of transphobia with, "Fortunately, I don't follow those with nothing to say worth listening to."
Despite being a registered Democrat, he has referred to Ayanna Pressley and Mike Connolly as "misrepresentatives", publicly says Elizabeth Warren exaggerates, and repeatedly replies to Katherine Clark's twitter account with tweets like "ClarkBot".
While his website refers to himself as a new candidate, he previously sought election in the 1990s.
In general, Robert Winters does not support subsidized housing, nor many market-rate housing initiatives, nor increasing tenant protections.
No. I didnât support he original âAffordable Housing Overlayâ as written or as originally proposed when I was a member of the Envision Cambridge Housing Working Group, and the current proposal is worse. There are far better and fairer ways to do this. It should not just be about maximizing the number of subsidized units.
Cambridge is already is one of the most densely populated cities in the state and the country. There are some opportunities for additional growth, but I would not support wholesale disruption to the residential character of Cambridge.
| Organization | Cambridge? | Union? | View |
|---|---|---|---|
| Save Mass Ave | this cycle | ||
| Cambridge Citizens Coalition | on Sept. 14, 2023 |
Housing policy, development, governance questions
Housing policy, development, governance questions
Distribution of funds, non-profits and their position in Cambridge
Distribution of funds, non-profits and their position in Cambridge
General. Note: only distributed in downloadable word or pdf documents.
General. Note: only distributed in downloadable word or pdf documents.
"questions about the issues that most impact Cambridgeâs low-income populations" (available in several languages)
"questions about the issues that most impact Cambridgeâs low-income populations" (available in several languages)
I applied to be on the Charter Review Committee and was blocked from membership.
Democracy is a great idea, but it really doesn't mean much to me when every single one of my "representatives" is not representative of me or my positions.
Islam and democracy rarely mix well.
Could we possibly consider bringing electrical infrastructure up to modern standards before we just pass out free [school] lunches to everyone? How about extending our transit system? That would be "thinking big again".
Given a choice between a creeping Islamic government vs. a military takeover, choose the military takeover. Islam and government don't mix..
The best form of support for local businesses is to simply get out of their way by keeping regulations as simple as possible while remaining consistent with overall City objectives. I will add that ensuring at least a chance at parking along or near major corridors and Squares is still important even if reduction on the dependence of motor vehicle use is an overall goal.
There is no question that cyclists want and need greater safety on our roads, but suggesting that the only way to build in that safety is via mandates and rigid timelines and one monolithically preferred treatment of roads (that were never properly reviewed for this treatment) is the antithesis of good planning.
[About a protest over the Cambridge police killing of Faisal] Just a small bunch of misinformed twerps being indoctrinated by the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Nothin' to see here.
I donât know if anyone has yet lashed out me for this, but I am generally supportive of the Cambridge Police Department as one of the best-trained and empathetic departments in the entire country. That, of course, is not a statement that every single Cambridge Police Officer is auditioning for sainthood, but pretty much all whom I have met in recent years impress me as the kind of people who I would like to know as personal friends. I believe the Cambridge Police as well as the City Administration have acted very responsibly in all that they have done after the unfortunate tragedy that took place early this year. This wonât make me any friends among the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) nitwits who continued to shout down City Council meetings this year, but I donât really like any of those people anyway and I always thought they were more interested in building their brand than actually pursuing justice. Vigilante justice, by the way, is not justice.
Speaking of police and public safety, I think the City made a great move in creating the new Community Safety Department. On the other hand, I have never supported the so-called H.E.A.R.T proposal and I have generally viewed it as a political patronage scheme from people who have never disguised their overt hostility toward police in general and their ultimate goal of abolishing police entirely. For this I am quite sure that the proponents view me as an evil racist for speaking against their quest for funding with little or no accountability. I still cannot fathom why the City Administration continues to entertain their proposals â except as a purely political concession to some city councillors. In contrast, the Community Safety Department seems to be making all the right moves recently as they try to get established.
I apparently have commented with words to the effect of âIslam and government donât mix wellâ â and for this I have been called an Islamophobe.
Fact: Islam and government do not mix well
But the longtime Cantabrigian denied allegations that he is racist, transphobic, or Islamophobic, which he wrote in an Oct. 2 blog post are part of a âfull-fledged campaign of harassment and intimidation.â
Still, Winters stood by his social media posts, including a post alerting the popular far-right TikTok account Libs of TikTok to a drag story hour at the Cambridge Public Library â which prompted the Cambridge Police to send an officer to the event â and a post where he wrote that âIslam and government donât mix.â
âIâm sorry if anyone failed to appreciate my sense of humor (actually, Iâm not really sorry) or failed to see either the irony or the absurdity of something I said over the last quarter-century,â he wrote in the Oct. 2 blog post, accusing his critics of using âthe tactics of Joseph McCarthy.â
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To Winters, a problem with BEUDO is the âobsessionâ with ârequiring retrofits of buildings via mandate without any regard to practicality and expense.â
Winters said he does not support city funding for HEART, a local police response alternative, and that the criticism towards the Cambridge Police Department âis not fair.â
âI think we actually have a pretty good police force in Cambridge, when you compare it to almost anyplace else in Massachusetts, if not the whole country,â he said. âDoes that preclude the possibility that maybe somebody could make an error? Of course not.â
Oct. 10, 2023 — Jina H. ChoeBut the longtime Cantabrigian denied allegations that he is racist, transphobic, or Islamophobic, which he wrote in an Oct. 2 blog post are part of a âfull-fledged campaign of harassment and intimidation.â
Still, Winters stood by his social media posts, including a post alerting the popular far-right TikTok account Libs of TikTok to a drag story hour at the Cambridge Public Library â which prompted the Cambridge Police to send an officer to the event â and a post where he wrote that âIslam and government donât mix.â
âIâm sorry if anyone failed to appreciate my sense of humor (actually, Iâm not really sorry) or failed to see either the irony or the absurdity of something I said over the last quarter-century,â he wrote in the Oct. 2 blog post, accusing his critics of using âthe tactics of Joseph McCarthy.â
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To Winters, a problem with BEUDO is the âobsessionâ with ârequiring retrofits of buildings via mandate without any regard to practicality and expense.â
Winters said he does not support city funding for HEART, a local police response alternative, and that the criticism towards the Cambridge Police Department âis not fair.â
âI think we actually have a pretty good police force in Cambridge, when you compare it to almost anyplace else in Massachusetts, if not the whole country,â he said. âDoes that preclude the possibility that maybe somebody could make an error? Of course not.â
In June 2022, Libs of TikTok was putting together one such harassment campaign by publicly building an online list of Pride events around the country that were being marketed as age-appropriate for children and families. Such events are common, a regular part of most citiesâ Pride Month programming. After all, LBGTQ+ kids exist, most of your queer friends will confirm that they knew who they were before they turned 18, and children deserve to feel proud of and loved for who they are just as much as any adult.
Libs of TikTok disagrees, and put out a call for its followers to add events in their own communities to a running public list. Robert Winters quickly complied and provided the Libs of TikTok list with a date, time, location, and link for a Drag Queen Story Hour event for LGBTQ+ children and families being hosted by the Cambridge Public Library during the first week of Pride Month.
Oct. 4, 2023 — Loren CroweIn June 2022, Libs of TikTok was putting together one such harassment campaign by publicly building an online list of Pride events around the country that were being marketed as age-appropriate for children and families. Such events are common, a regular part of most citiesâ Pride Month programming. After all, LBGTQ+ kids exist, most of your queer friends will confirm that they knew who they were before they turned 18, and children deserve to feel proud of and loved for who they are just as much as any adult.
Libs of TikTok disagrees, and put out a call for its followers to add events in their own communities to a running public list. Robert Winters quickly complied and provided the Libs of TikTok list with a date, time, location, and link for a Drag Queen Story Hour event for LGBTQ+ children and families being hosted by the Cambridge Public Library during the first week of Pride Month.
In one such tweet, Winters is quoted as writing, âKeep the chains on the protestors. Theyâll go well with the leg irons #StupidLivesMatter.â The flier also includes Pasquarelloâs liked tweets, one of which includes the statement, âWeâve been told that teachers talking to kids about sex (fantasies, orientation) doesnât lead to grooming!â
...
In a Thursday interview, Winters called the accusations against him âcompletely uncalled for and unfair,â adding that they were âclearly motivated by hostility.â
âSometimes I think things are funny, no matter where they come from,â he said. âI donât think anybody should be censoring my right to laugh at what I think is funny.â
Oct. 2, 2023 — Muskaan Arshad, Julian J. GiordanoIn one such tweet, Winters is quoted as writing, âKeep the chains on the protestors. Theyâll go well with the leg irons #StupidLivesMatter.â The flier also includes Pasquarelloâs liked tweets, one of which includes the statement, âWeâve been told that teachers talking to kids about sex (fantasies, orientation) doesnât lead to grooming!â
...
In a Thursday interview, Winters called the accusations against him âcompletely uncalled for and unfair,â adding that they were âclearly motivated by hostility.â
âSometimes I think things are funny, no matter where they come from,â he said. âI donât think anybody should be censoring my right to laugh at what I think is funny.â
I was surprised to learn that in some public libraries there were âdrag time story hourâ events taking place that were publicly funded. On that same day I saw that one was taking place in Cambridge and simply made a note of this fact â and for this I was called a transphobe.
Fact: I really had never heard of such a thing â even though people apparently argue about this all the time now. In case you actually care what I think, I donât believe it is age appropriate to subject young children to things that are either sexually provocative or overtly political. I understand that some people in Cambridge have a different point of view on such matters, but I daresay that my point of view is quite mainstream and I donât even see it as either conservative or controversial. I donât care what adults or even adolescents choose to see or do, but I do think that young children should be shielded from most of this.
Oct. 2, 2023 — Robert WintersI was surprised to learn that in some public libraries there were âdrag time story hourâ events taking place that were publicly funded. On that same day I saw that one was taking place in Cambridge and simply made a note of this fact â and for this I was called a transphobe.
Fact: I really had never heard of such a thing â even though people apparently argue about this all the time now. In case you actually care what I think, I donât believe it is age appropriate to subject young children to things that are either sexually provocative or overtly political. I understand that some people in Cambridge have a different point of view on such matters, but I daresay that my point of view is quite mainstream and I donât even see it as either conservative or controversial. I donât care what adults or even adolescents choose to see or do, but I do think that young children should be shielded from most of this.
[Winter's] Twitter account is a compendium of far-right ideology. None of this is a mistake, heâs liked and tweeted hundreds of racist, transphobic, anti-immigrant, anti-abortion and other vile posts over the years. (I donât have links to every post because he seems to have scrubbed his Twitter account of some tweets.) He says heâs a registered Democrat but proudly supported Charlie Baker.
Sept. 30, 2023 — Ari Ofsevit[Winter's] Twitter account is a compendium of far-right ideology. None of this is a mistake, heâs liked and tweeted hundreds of racist, transphobic, anti-immigrant, anti-abortion and other vile posts over the years. (I donât have links to every post because he seems to have scrubbed his Twitter account of some tweets.) He says heâs a registered Democrat but proudly supported Charlie Baker.
âThese are some pretty virulently Islamophobic, racist, transphobic tweets and likes that these candidates have put out, and the public deserves to be aware of it so that they can make an informed choice,â said DSA organizer Willow Carretero Chavez, a resident of Somerville and an undergraduate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
A letter to Cambridge Day received Saturday from resident Ari Ofsevit went over much the same ground about Pasquarello and Winters, which Winters believed was a âparallel email campaign initiated by Totten to disparage me.â Carretero Chavez said the DSA had no public-facing email campaign on the topic. Separately, Totten also said he was unaware of any letter-writing campaign.
Sept. 30, 2023 — Marc LevyâThese are some pretty virulently Islamophobic, racist, transphobic tweets and likes that these candidates have put out, and the public deserves to be aware of it so that they can make an informed choice,â said DSA organizer Willow Carretero Chavez, a resident of Somerville and an undergraduate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
A letter to Cambridge Day received Saturday from resident Ari Ofsevit went over much the same ground about Pasquarello and Winters, which Winters believed was a âparallel email campaign initiated by Totten to disparage me.â Carretero Chavez said the DSA had no public-facing email campaign on the topic. Separately, Totten also said he was unaware of any letter-writing campaign.
About halfway through the event, Aanchal Manuja, a Tufts graduate student, asked Cambridge blogger Robert Winters about several transphobic tweets he had liked.
âYou have posts on Twitter that oppose trans rights, including one that calls transgenderism like a pedophilic ideology,â Manuja said.
âI actually donât remember if I put a like or something on something I thought was funny or something,â Winters said. âThat is certainly possible, but I certainly donât remember doing anything particularly controversial in that regard.â
Manuja replied that it wasnât just one liked tweet.
âI donât agree with that,â said Winters.
Sept. 27, 2023 — Muskaan Arshad, Julian J. GiordanoAbout halfway through the event, Aanchal Manuja, a Tufts graduate student, asked Cambridge blogger Robert Winters about several transphobic tweets he had liked.
âYou have posts on Twitter that oppose trans rights, including one that calls transgenderism like a pedophilic ideology,â Manuja said.
âI actually donât remember if I put a like or something on something I thought was funny or something,â Winters said. âThat is certainly possible, but I certainly donât remember doing anything particularly controversial in that regard.â
Manuja replied that it wasnât just one liked tweet.
âI donât agree with that,â said Winters.
"It is a shame that a old building which people are very familiar with gets replaced by something that is unacceptable...we hope that [the new building] will not be a detriment to the Square," says Winters.
Oct. 24, 1995 — Manlio A. Goetzl"It is a shame that a old building which people are very familiar with gets replaced by something that is unacceptable...we hope that [the new building] will not be a detriment to the Square," says Winters.