Cambridge City Councilor Joan Pickett dies after brief illness, city announces

Joan Pickett, 69, was a first-time member of the Cambridge City Council.

Cambridge City Councilor Joan Pickett died on Friday “following a brief illness,” the city announced Saturday.

Pickett, 69, joined the council last year after her first time running for the position, Cambridge Day reported last year. She was also a neighborhood leader with the Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Association and Cambridge Streets for All.

Mayor Denise Simmons said in a statement that news about filling the vacancy left on the nine-person body will come out “as quickly and as thoughtfully as possible.”

“The family appreciates everyone’s thoughts and well-wishes at this difficult time, and news of a memorial service shall be made available to the public in the days to come,” Simmons wrote on Saturday.

Pickett lived in Mid-Cambridge for 26 years, according to her bio on Cambridge’s website. She was raised in New Hampshire. She attended Boston College as a first-generation student and received two masters degrees from Columbia University.

“We got to know each other better this year, and I’ll miss sharing candy with her during meetings,” Vice Mayor Marc McGovern told Cambridge Day. “Joan was always able to have respectful conversations, even if there was disagreement. Her passing is a loss to the council.”

Pickett’s career was in commercial lending and municipal bond finance, according to the city, and she worked for more than 20 years with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

On the council, she advocated against the expansion of separated bike lanes in Cambridge. In a letter submitted to Cambridge Day, Pickett said the separated lanes have led to congestion. She was part of a coalition that sued the city over the Cycling Safety Ordinance.

“Separated bike lanes have fueled deep division within Cambridge,” she wrote. “We can start to mend our civic relationships by hitting the pause button on further installations and undertaking a process that will focus on the goals of safe and efficiently functioning streets.”

Details about memorial services for Pickett are expected to be announced in the coming days.