Reality Bites by James Norton for the week of June 7

It’s not about rent as much as it is about control

Just when you thought it was bad enough that people in city government recently appear to be asleep at the wheel, someone whispers in the right ear, and WHAMMO ‚Äì another ‚Äúfast track‚Äù proposal for the Board of Aldermen.  That worked real well with that whole ‚ÄúDivestiture‚Äù thing last year, didn‚Äôt it?

   The really sick thing about this latest fiasco is, that if you talked to any of the members of the Board of Aldermen (Alderman Bill White being the ONLY exception I have to point out), the members for the most part thought that the Condo Conversion Ordinance must be a good idea.  That‚Äôs because they hadn‚Äôt heard anything from the public to the contrary.  Maybe that‚Äôs because someone or some organization (along with the Administration) tried to invent a new meaning to the word ‚Äúfast track.‚Äù  Wink wink.
   Oh and that whole thing about the BOA for the most part believing it must be a good idea because they hadn‚Äôt heard any opposition to the ordinance seems a little stretched right?  Well, I would have a hard time believing it too, except I had that very conversation with an Alderman, I kid you not.
In the wake of the recent dancing about the issue and the committee meeting last week, here’s what I have found to be apparent, at least to me:
– The Administration, along with the Board of Aldermen, seem to be back pedaling a bit about the fact that it was very quietly put on the fast track to approval.  This after the committee already had their supposed public hearing weeks ago and the Somerville Community Corporation made sure to have its minions there to give it an extra little push.  No opposition to be seen.  Sound a bit sneaky?
– The Administration via Attorney Thomas ‚Äì either wrote or had a hand in writing the proposed ordinance, which if that‚Äôs true, the ordinance isn‚Äôt worth the paper its printed on.  Probably the most vague ordinance to ever come before the BOA – it doesn‚Äôt come out and actually say the words ‚ÄúRent Control,‚Äù but it might as well.  Have you read it, seriously?  It looks, it smells and it reads like an excerpt from a Rent Control Manifesto ‚Äì just because it isn‚Äôt named ‚ÄúRent Control‚Äù doesn‚Äôt mean that it‚Äôs NOT.  Do any of you remember what Somerville was like in the ‚Äò70‚Äôs under Rent Control?  The rules, regulations and restrictions that were supposed to ‚Äúhelp‚Äù only suffocated homeowners and in the end, strangled the local real estate marketplace
– Somerville already has a Condo Conversion Ordinance in place, which was the basis for the formation of the Condo Review Board.  In fact, I believe that Somerville was the first City in the Commonwealth to have such a board.
No matter how you spin it, wording like:  ‚Äúan Affidavit in the form supplied by the Board that the Landlord has not raised rents by more than 10% or attempted to terminate the tenancy of any Tenant except for nonpayment of rent or other just cause unrelated to the Landlord‚Äôs desire to gain possession of the Housing Accommodation for purposes of Condominium/Cooperative Conversion‚Äù sounds like Rent Control to me.
Doesn‚Äôt it to you?  Are you that heavily medicated?  Talk about drinking the Kool Aid.
Try to take a few minutes to digest what Alderman Bill White has said about the potential for a massive class action lawsuit against the City by a large number of two and three family homeowners.  Try to chew on the whole concept that State Law prohibits a municipality from regulating the use of residential dwellings under four units.
Now try to swallow this:  not only do you have to PROVE you‚Äôre not intending on converting your home into condo units when you give a tenant Notice to Quit, but it would give tenants the right to terminate their tenancy at any time for any reason with just 30 days notice.
People who worked hard to buy their homes will go very quickly from the ‚ÄúAmerican Dream‚Äù of home ownership to ‚ÄúForeclosure Notice‚Äù in 90 to 120 days ‚Äì please believe me.  I can tell you this much – don‚Äôt believe it when they tell you it‚Äôs not like Rent Control.  It is.  You know what ‚Äì don‚Äôt believe me ‚Äì go and read the ordinance for yourself and be honest and educate yourself about the foundation of what Rent Control is ‚Äì not so much about ‚Äúrent‚Äù as it is ‚Äúcontrol.‚Äù
Honestly, I don‚Äôt see how any re-written version of this ordinance can be taken seriously.  It needs to be trashed, and maybe a new, more comprehensive ordinance drafted that won‚Äôt be self-serving to a few and beneficial to all can be developed (pun intended).  Attorney Thomas should be fired along with anyone who admits to helping write that piece of garbage ordinance ‚Äì and that goes for any elected official who supports this kind of despicable local restriction on private ownership of property.