The Alewife

Gordon to speak at Friday's contributors meeting

Progressive 2005 city council candidate Jesse Gordon will be the guest speaker at the Friday  contributors meeting of The Alewife held at the round table in the back of Porter Square Books from 8 to 9 in the morning.

Jesse Gordon

Gordon is a founding member of the Progressive Democrats of Cambridge and the creator of the Mass. Scorecard, which the voting records of elected Democrats against the state party's platform.

Although he is not yet a candidate for the 2007 city council race, Gordon will share his plans for a slate of city council candidates, united in their resolve to fire City Manager Robert Healy.

Everyone is welcome.

A column by Jesse Gordon

Pussyfooting around dog parks

I’d like to propose that two under-used parks be used as dog parks. For both, I’ve got specific places in mind, but for both, the concepts apply to other places around Cambridge too.

“Dog parks” mean fenced grassy areas where dog owners can let their dogs run leash-free. Lighting is preferable; and maybe some signs – but the basics needed are just a fenced grassy area.

Under-used city-owned areas are therefore ideal for dog parks, and could be used as dog parks immediately.

They’re usually dedicated to that purpose, although Boston and other towns have some parks that are dedicated to dogs only in the early morning. Dog owners, as always, are required to be responsible for cleaning up after their pets.