City Manager Tom Carroll Resigns Citing Cambridge Harbor Concerns

City Manager Tom Carroll submitted his resignation letter to the City of Cambridge Council yesterday. Carroll’s last day of service will be no later than May 17.

The Spy will have further news as soon as it is available.

Dear Mayor and Council:

I herewith submit my resignation from the position of city manager of the City of Cambridge. It has been my honor to serve Cambridge in this role over the last two years, and I am truly proud of the many positive changes we made together in this time.

You have my firm commitment to work in partnership with you and City staff to ensure an orderly transition in the coming weeks. My last day of service with Cambridge will be no later than Friday, May 17. Critical tasks to advance include preparing a draft FY 25 Budget and CIP, evaluating the performance of several key employees including two department heads, hiring a finance director and planning director, and assisting with initial steps to recruit the next city manager. In the coming days, we can have additional discussions about priorities during this transition period.

I am resigning because over the past year, I have become deeply concerned about the direction of the Cambridge Harbor project. I have expressed these concerns to Council, and I anticipate and expect the project in its current conception will have negative and lasting implications for this community. Because I see no indication that a new approach for Cambridge Harbor will be advanced, I cannot in good conscience continue to serve as Cambridge city manager.

As I reflect on the two years we have served together, I am extremely proud of our accomplishments. The revitalized Cambridge Police Department is committed to community policing and patrolling with purpose. Combining Public Works with the former Municipal Utilities Commission has advanced efficiency, effectiveness, and equity. Combining financial services with utility billing provides more separation of duties and coverage. In Engineering, we have provided a smooth succession plan so Cambridge can undertake the important slate of capital projects ranging from sanitary sewer investments to the shoreline resiliency project. Administrative Services adds support and human resources services that our organization has historically lacked. And the Development Department under the capable leadership of our Assistant City Manager provides the structure Cambridge needs to improve housing, economic development, and planning. I am particularly proud of our wages and classifications system which provides greater consistency, fairness, and equity for all our employees. This has helped our workforce to become more reflective of the community we serve, even as much more work remains to advance diversity and inclusion. I now must leave it in your hands to continue the work we have begun.

Thank you for all the support you have provided me and all the service you have given to Cambridge. This is a wonderful community with so much yet-to-be realized potential. I am honored to have served here with you.

Sincerely,

Tom Carroll