Marjorie’s Story

Marjorie was raised in Cambridgeport in public housing and was the first in her family to graduate from high school at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School. Marjorie went on to graduate from UMass Amherst and received her Masters Degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Marjorie and her husband live in North Cambridge where they are raising their two young children, Brendan and Laurice. Marjorie’s commitment and passion is to make Cambridge the strongest community it can be - a diverse and vibrant community that people are proud to call home. Her work is defined by her Cambridge roots and concern for the future of all Cambridge citizens, young and old alike.

Chairs Council Committees (2010-2011):
1) Finance
2) Community Health
3) Housing
4) Commission on Early Childhood Care/Education

Marjorie Decker is serving her 12th year on the Cambridge City Council. She is motivated by a deep sense of social and economic justice, strongly influenced by her upbringing. Marjorie's mother, Catherine Curley Decker grew up in Cambridge's Roosevelt Towers, worked for over 20 years with Cambridge elderly.  Today, Catherine works with homeless families and helps substance abusers find detox programs. Marjorie's father, Tim Decker grew up on Western Ave and Washington Elms. He is a disabled Vietnam Veteran, who served two tours in Vietnam and currently lives in the Bedford, MA.

Marjorie, like her parents, grew up in public housing in Cambridge. Marjorie was the first in her family to graduate from High School, Cambridge Rindge and Latin. She went on to graduate with honors from UMass Amherst and delivered the commencement speech. In 2007, Marjorie earned her masters at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, focusing on Human Rights and Children.

After college, Marjorie taught first grade and was a special Education teacher with Teach For America, in Shreveport Louisiana. After returning home to Cambridge, MA, Marjorie was hired by the City of Cambridge to develop an afterschool/summer program in Fresh Pond Apartments for low income families. She went on to serve as a Legislative Aide for Representatives Ellen Story and Alice Wolf.

After working for many years in state government, Marjorie left to become the Executive Director of the Equal Justice Coalition, a state-wide advocacy program focused on increasing support for civil legal aid for low-income people. Marjorie worked closely with the Massachusetts and Boston Bar Associations to successfully increase state support for the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation.

Marjorie has an extensive background in running political campaigns. She managed State Representative Alice Wolf's first two campaigns and, in 2004, was tapped by the Democratic National Committee to step in and help refocus the State of Maine's organizing efforts for Senator Kerry's Presidential campaign. Marjorie's work resulted in the highest voter turn-our in Northern Maine-blowing away Republican operatives, who were quoted in the press as being completely caught off guard by the victory.

Marjorie is now in the 12th year (6th term) on the Cambridge City Council and served as Vice Mayor from 2004-2006. In 1999, Marjorie was the youngest woman ever to be elected to the Cambridge City Council and she remains 1 of only 13 women elected to city council in over 150 years. In addition, this past term (2010-2011) Marjorie became the first woman to be appointed Chair of the Finance Committee.

Marjorie's work on the Cambridge City Council has been marked for its advocacy for social justice and empowering communities to secure resources that reflect their priorities. Marjorie has been a strong advocate for women's health in Cambridge. For the last three years, she has challenged the Cambridge Health Alliances decision to remove mid-wives from neighbourhood clinics with the highest percentage of low-income and immigrant women. Marjorie has been steadfast in her commitment to ensure that through the difficult financial times-the Cambridge Health Alliance, include its patients in identifying the health service priorities, resulting in the establishment of a neighbourhood advisory committee for one of its clinic and a Cambridge Health Alliance task force on Women's Health.

Marjorie's commitment to Cambridge Families and Youth is evident in her work on the City Council. While serving on the Cambridge Kids Council, Marjorie successfully initiated a Youth Committee and a Special Education Committee. The Youth Committee was created to provide a forum for young people to communicate with city policy leaders about their concerns and priorities. Until this was created, Cambridge had a policy board, overseeing the city's entire youth programming, with no young people involved. Over the years, this group has played a pivotal role in the Kids Council.  In addition, to what they contribute to the city policies and programming, the program has been an invaluable vehicle in providing dozens of high school students the chance to be mentored and acquire leadership abilities, quantitative skills and public speaking opportunities.

The Special Education Committee was initiated by Marjorie when she learned that the city did not have a policy or a good history of supporting families, whose children had IEP's and SPED needs in our out of school/afterschool programs. This committee, made up of parents and policy makers, has resulted in the first ever city policy and protocol for integrating children with special needs into city run after school programs.  The program also included additional training for afterschool teachers. Marjorie was responsible for initiating the total re-examination of these programs that were available in youth centers, and it was Marjorie’s commitment and vision regarding these youth centers that enabled them to offer programs that were more age appropriate and of the highest quality.

In her twelve years on the council, Marjorie has worked closely with workers, labor organizers and Cambridge business' to ensure that workers earn living wages, with health care and retirement benefits. In her first term on the council, she played a pivotal role in influencing Harvard University to provide a living wage to all of its employees. Marjorie has supported the organizing efforts at Bio-tech companies, candy factories, developers and often worked as a mediator between union and private companies-ultimately resulting in better working relationship for both parties.Just a few weeks ago, Marjorie led the effort to prohibit hotels from outsourcing housekeeping jobs in Cambridge as a matter of public health and safety.

Marjorie was the first woman to be honored by the Greater Boston Labor Council for her advocacy on behalf of immigrants and workers. She was the youngest woman to be inducted to the Boston YWCA's prestigious Academy of Women Achievers for her work on affordable housing and advocacy for her work on racial and economic justice. Prior to running for City Council, Marjorie served on the board of the Cambridge Anti-Poverty Agency (CEOC) and as a member of the Cambridge Peace Commission.

In 2003, Marjorie was appointed to the United Nations International Association of Peace Messenger Cites executive board.  In this role, Marjorie has traveled around the world working to link issues of Mining exploitation in El Salvador, the plight of stateless refugee children in detention centers, and nuclear disarmament. She believes strongly that municipal officials around the world are an important link between the work of local communities, national governments and U.N. policy decisions. In any major catastrophe or act of war---it is local officials who are the first and last responders. Marjorie continues to serve on the executive board to this day.

Marjorie believes that the city council is the most important forum to create a civic space for residents to communicate their concerns, articulate their opinions, express their points of views and identify their priorities on local, state and national issues. Unlike, the state Legislature or Congress-the city council chambers are the closest to where residents live and work and should be a forum to communicate to all members of their representatives in government.

Marjorie's most recent accomplishment includes learning to balance the role of first time mom with her work on the city council. While much of Marjorie's career on the council has focused on improving the lives of Cambridge families and children becoming a mom has only deepened her advocacy.