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Marjorie Decker
Member of the
Massachusetts House of Representatives
from the 25th Middlesex district
Assumed office
January 7, 2013
Preceded byAlice Wolf
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseBahij Bandar
Children2
Parent(s)Catherine Curley Decker
Tim Decker [1]
ResidenceCambridge, Massachusetts
Alma materUniversity of Massachusetts (B.A.)
University of Massachusetts (M.P.A)
Harvard University (M.A.)
OccupationLegislator

Marjorie C. Decker is an American politician serving as the State Representative for the 25th Middlesex district in the Massachusetts General Court.[2]

Early life and education

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Decker was born and raised in North Cambridge, Massachusetts. She grew up in public housing in Cambridgeport, and she graduated from high school at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. She received her Bachelor of Arts in social thought and political economy from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, an MPA from the University of Massachusetts Boston, and a Master of Science from the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University in 2007.[3]

Career

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She served seven consecutive terms on the Cambridge City Council in Cambridge, Massachusetts[4] from 1999 to 2013 and was the youngest woman ever to be elected to the Cambridge City Council.

In 2012, she was elected state representative to the Massachusetts legislature with her term starting in 2013.[5]

She lives with her husband, and two children in Cambridge.

As of 2024, she is facing a primary challenge from Evan MacKay, a graduate student at Harvard University.

Conduct

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Opposition to public committee votes

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Decker has opposed making the committee roll call votes of Massachusetts legislators publicly accessible. She voted against bills in 2018[6], 2019[7], and 2021[8] that aimed to amend the Massachusetts House rules to allow public access to the outcomes of committee votes.

In 2022, a non-binding ballot question was presented to voters in her district, asking whether their representative should support changes to House rules to make each legislator's committee vote available on the Legislature's website. 94.2% of voters in Decker's district supported the measure.[9]

Memorial Drive closure controversy

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In 2020, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) expanded Riverbend Park along Memorial Drive in Cambridge to include Saturdays.[10] After considerable public debate and a Cambridge City Council vote in support of expanded hours[11], the DCR limited the park space to Sundays only in April 2023, prompting disappointment from some residents.[12] In June 2023, Decker emailed constituents, stating, "I have not ever publicly or privately advocated against Saturday closings."[13]

However, emails released as part of a Freedom of Information Act request in July 2023 appeared to contradict this account. In a March 25 email, Rebecca Tepper, Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, noted a "falling out" between Decker and fellow Representative Mike Connolly, who supported the extended closures. Tepper twice described Decker as "staunchly opposed" to the Saturday closures and indicated that Decker had "reiterated her position that she was opposed to the park and hoped that none of her colleagues would attempt to force this on her district."[14]

Following these revelations, Decker publicly denied the claims, stating on X (formerly Twitter): "The email from Secretary Tepper does not, and never has, reflect my current position or any position I have articulated in the past. The fact is that I have never stated any personal opposition to closure of Memorial Drive on Saturdays."[15]

Cake punching incident

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In 1998, while serving as an aide to City Councillor Alice Wolf, Decker punched a congratulatory cake intended for City Councillor Katherine Triantafillou, after the latter’s anticipated election as mayor was derailed by two councillors switching their votes to Councillor Frank Duehay. This disruption led to Cambridge Police officers being called to the scene.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Obituary: Timothy J. Decker" Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, April 17, 2012
  2. ^ Galvin, William Francis. "Return of Votes For Massachusetts State Election 2012" (PDF). Boston Globe. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  3. ^ "About Marjorie Decker", decker4rep.com
  4. ^ Cambridge, City of. "Cambridge City Council Members". Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  5. ^ Levy, Marc, "Decker wins (unofficial) 84 percent in state rep primary; it’s Rogers in the 24th, Curtatone as register", Cambridge Day, Thursday, September 6, 2012
  6. ^ "Order H.2019". malegislature.gov. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  7. ^ "Order H.2019". malegislature.gov. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  8. ^ "Order H.68". malegislature.gov. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  9. ^ "PD43+ » 2022 - 25th Middlesex District - Question 6Shall the representative from this district be instructed to vote in favor of changes to the applicable House of Representative rules to make each Legislator?s vote in that body?s Legislative committees publicly available on the Legislature?s website?". PD43+. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  10. ^ Levine, Julia (2024-02-06). "Opponents of Riverbend Park meet in Riverside with state official, demanding support on traffic". Cambridge Day. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  11. ^ "POR 2023 #33 That the City Manager is requested to confer with the appropriate departments and agencies to ensure the continuation of Riverbend Park closures on Saturdays and Sundays. - Cambridge City, MA". cambridgema.iqm2.com. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
  12. ^ "It's Official: State 'Conservation' Agency Will Reduce Park Access to Bring Back Motor Vehicle Traffic - Streetsblog Massachusetts". mass.streetsblog.org. 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
  13. ^ Gajda, Mike (2023-07-26). "Release of document trove about Riverbend Park raises questions on Decker account, DCR decision". Cambridge Day. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  14. ^ "Mass DCR / Riverbend Park 2023". MuckRock. 2023-04-03. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  15. ^ https://x.com/MarjorieDecker/status/1684245083304996878. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. ^ "Cambridge City Council Notes". rwinters.com. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
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source: Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjorie_Decker

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