CAMBRIDGE — Cambridge Waterfront Development Inc. board member Rich Zeidman has resigned.
Zeidman, who was appointed to the board by the City of Cambridge in 2018 and reappointed in 2021, mentioned the progress that CWDI has made and his desire to spend his retirement years in actual retirement as reasons for his resignation.
“Former Mayor Victoria Jackson-Stanley made it clear those 6½ years ago that my appointment was based on my years of legal experience in the land development sector,” Zeidman said in his letter of resignation, according to a May 23 news release from CWDI. “I have used my experience and contacts to help CWDI create a top-notch development team with consultants from the development, design and financing sectors.”
According to the news release from CWDI — the group spearheading the Cambridge Harbor project along the Choptank River — Zeidman’s resignation went into effect following the CWDI Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday, May 22.
The news release included comments from multiple CWDI board members. Board President Angie Hengst called Zeidman’s knowledge and experience invaluable.
“We’re grateful for his service to the community through his place on the CWDI board these past six years,” she said.
CWDI Board Secretary-Treasurer Frank Narr said Zeidman’s skills, contacts and guidance led the organization through the “critical” initial development phase.
The announcement of Zeidman’s resignation comes just nine days after CWDI alleged in a court motion that Cambridge Mayor Stephen Rideout sent a letter to Zeidman in October requesting his resignation from the CWDI board.
Rideout declined to comment on Zeidman’s resignation.
The motion, filed May 14, is in response to a lawsuit filed by the Commissioners of Cambridge in early May against CWDI, CWDI Holdings and Yacht Maintenance Company regarding a 2021 property transfer agreement between CWDI and the city.
According to the motion, CWDI alleges, “When Mr. Zeidman did not resign in response to this request, the city promptly introduced an ordinance regarding appointment and removal of individuals to represent the city on the governing boards of non-profit organizations ...”
The proposed city ordinance, which was tabled indefinitely on Feb. 12, would have given the city the authority to appoint an individual to represent the city on a non-city governed board; and also remove that individual, and subsequently impose a fine or jail time if the individual continued to act as a representative of the city on said board. In a Jan. 2 letter from CWDI Executive Director Matt Leonard to Rideout, Leonard asked the city to abandon the ordinance altogether.
On April 16, Rideout held a meeting where he proposed amendments to CWDI’s Articles of Incorporation in an effort to get the relationship between CWDI and the City of Cambridge “back on track.” One of his proposed amendments would explicitly give the city, county and state the authority to remove and replace their appointees to the board at any time.
Although Rideout had planned to sign or further amend his proposed amendments to CWDI’s Articles of Incorporation on Thursday, he postponed the signing following an agreement between CWDI and the city to enter into mediation.
According to CWDI’s May 23 news release, the city has been notified of Zeidman’s resignation.
“We look forward to working with city leadership on filling the resulting vacancy through the processes described in our bylaws,” Leonard said. “And we are optimistic that we can have a productive and successful mediation with the city next week.”
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