There are 176 days until Election Day and our television and digital ads are now live! This first wave of ads aims to educate Massachusetts voters about the proposed ballot question that would mandate a one-size-fits-all rent control policy on every community in the Commonwealth and raise costs for everyone.
The initial television ad, “The Facts,” makes clear that this ballot question on “rent control” is far more than it seems.
Audio: Here are the facts: It imposes a rent mandate on every city and town, with no exceptions. Studies show prices could go up for most renters. The housing supply decreases. And finding a place to live gets even harder. And for homeowners, rent mandates could raise property taxes ten percent. Forcing deep cuts to schools and first responders.
This initial ad buy will include broadcast, cable, and digital channels and will run for several weeks.
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The educational campaign begins just days after the non-partisan Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation (MTF) announced its opposition to the rent control ballot question, noting:
“Statutorily limiting rent increases will make Massachusetts rental properties unattractive for investors and make new rental unit developments financially infeasible. Financing will flow to other areas that do not statutorily limit the ability to recoup development costs, worsening the housing shortage in Massachusetts and degrading the existing housing stock. Rent control should not be adopted because it will exacerbate housing shortages, drive up housing costs, and increase property taxes for homeowners.”
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MTF joined a growing list of opponents to this rent mandate ballot question. Since our last update, Housing for Massachusetts has secured the endorsements of:
- Lawrence City Councilor Vivian Marmol
- Raynham Selectman Joseph Pacheco
- Westfield Mayor Mike McCabe
- Attleboro City Councilor Erin Morrissey
- Plymouth County Commissioner Greg Hanley
- Fitchburg City Councilor Andy Van Hazinga
- Leominster City Councilor David Cormier, and
- The Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce
Our coalition is also set to announce another wave of endorsements from elected officials that will further highlight the broad opposition to this ballot question. Stay tuned…
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Last week, the ballot question process passed two milestones.
First, the special legislative committee on initiative petitions, as expected, recommended that the House and Senate take ‘no action’ on any of the 11 proposed ballot questions.
In the committee report, legislators noted the one-size-fits-all nature of the proposal:
“This Petition would apply in every community statewide, which is distinct from the most recent authorized rent regulation in Massachusetts from 1970…Unlike past practice, this Petition would apply equally to every community in the Commonwealth, with no provision for a municipality to opt-in or opt-out, or to establish a community-specific maximum allowable rent increase.”
The committee also highlighted the restrictive nature of this ballot question, writing:
“The expert testimony provided compared this Petition with the existing laws of three other states, noting that this Petition would provide Massachusetts with the lowest allowable rent increase, no vacancy decontrol, and the shortest amount of exemption for new construction.”
Finally, the committee report pulled from the strong panel we put forward at the hearing back in March, noting:
“Opponents in the hearing testified that the restrictive nature of this Petition could stifle home construction and lead property owners, especially those with a small number of units, to convert rental units to condominiums, further exacerbating the challenges of gaining access to housing in Massachusetts.”
With the legislature taking no action, ballot question supporters now have to gather an additional 12,700 signatures by mid-June.
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The second major milestone we passed was our court hearing. If you recall, back in February four small property owners who are aligned with Housing for Massachusetts challenged the constitutionality of the ballot question.
The oral arguments in that case took place last Wednesday, May 6, with justices from the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) focusing their questions largely on whether this proposed question, because it exempts religious housing, violates Article 48 of the Massachusetts constitution.
We expect the SJC to rule on whether the ballot question can move forward before the end of June.
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The campaign against rent mandates also continues to generate strong media coverage in outlets across Massachusetts. Some highlights over the past two weeks include:
- An op-ed by Greater Boston Real Estate Board President & CEO Greg Vasil in Banker & Tradesman, in which he runs through the math of how, “Rent control would trigger a permanent decline in residential tax collections…”
- A Boston 25 story that looked at how rent control is playing out in nearby Portland, ME, including the view of one small property owner that, “rent control makes renovations and upkeep impossible.”
- A Worcester Business Journal story that includes coverage of our recent campaign event in Central Massachusetts and this quote from State Representative Joe McKenna, “I studied economics and finance at Bentley University before getting elected, and it does not take an economics major to understand that if you put artificial price controls on the revenues that rentals have, you’re going to disincentivize investment in property.”
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Thank you for your continued support and partnership of this campaign. Every conversation, every share, and every show of support helps strengthen our effort to defeat rent mandates.
Take action now → click HERE to access the social media toolkit and help spread the word. Share the new ad with your networks and join the effort to educate voters about the real impact of this ballot question.
Housing for Massachusetts