Window Into The State House

The Price Of Rents vs. The Need For Hosusing

The rent is high in Somerville too — or so say city councilors, who are crafting a rent cap plan in Boston fashion. As the average cost of a 1-bedroom apartment in that city now approaches $2,450 — a 12% increase over the last year alone, according to RentHop — City Council President Ben Ewen-Campen has decided “enough is enough.” Somerville renters – now paying the fourth highest rent prices in the state – aren’t likely to see a finished policy until the fall, Ewen-Campen said. He revealed few details, but said the planned home-rule petition would likely mirror Boston’s with a 6% annual cap tied to inflation and a 10% hard cap.

Boston’s average rent, at $2,750, is up 13% over last year.

Massachusetts voters banned rent control statewide in a 1994 referendum. Unless lawmakers pass enabling legislation, cities and towns must win approval from the City Council, the Legislature, and the governor to enact any kind of rent stabilization.

Rent control has a storied and contentious 100-year history in Massachusetts, where it’s been the law of the land during three distinct eras, first in 1920. Cambridge historian Bill Cunningham recently told MASSterList he thinks local policies in Boston, Somerville and beyond “have a chance again” this session.

But first advocates will have to overcome real estate industry opposition who warn of disastrous hits to development. Landlords have already launched a six-figure opposition campaign and filed suit over policy-related documents in Boston. Another hurdle lies in the Legislature, where the House in 2020 overwhelmingly shot down a rent control amendment. Some polls suggest a growing appetite for capping rents, as prices soar statewide. A recent poll found 65% of likely voters favored reviving a local option for municipalities to enact stabilization policies, State House News reports.

Massachusetts had rent control in the 1920s, the 1940s through the mid-1950s, and from 1970 until the mid-1990s. Somerville was among the cities that enacted rent caps for some time during the most recent iteration along with Boston, Brookline, Cambridge and Lynn.

First in a century: DiZoglio to audit state Legislature

State Auditor Diana DiZoglio is making good on her campaign trail promise to audit the Massachusetts House and Senate. The former state Senator from Methuen said it’s time the state’s lawmakers have oversight in their dealings. During her time under the Golden Dome, DiZoglio frequently criticized the Legislature’s opacity.

3 Strikes: Lynch ‘demands’ review after ‘troubling’ incidents at Logan Airport

U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch is calling for a review of FAA flight operations and an update on investigations into three recent “troubling” incidents at Boston Logan International Airport: One close-call between planes, a plane wing into a plane tail and a Massachusetts man who allegedly attacked a flight attendant and tried

MBTA Spring 2023 Schedules Take

to open an emergency exit door on a United flight heading to Boston.

Report: UMass Dartmouth hid sex assault allegations against former police officer, report finds

A scathing investigation found the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth covered up allegations that a former campus police officer, David Laudon, sexually assaulted and harassed a student, allowing the officer to quietly resign and to go on to work for other police departments.

Former Boston Councilor Arroyo retires as Suffolk probate register

Felix D. Arroyo, patriarch of one of the most well-known political families in Boston politics and the first Latino elected to the Boston City Council, has retired from his post as Suffolk County register of probate. Arroyo served as register for over eight years and retired Friday, according to a spokeswoman. Vincent Procopio has been appointed acting register.

Natural gas bills to drop after winter spike

Natural gas consumers will be getting a break on their bills beginning this month, with two of the state’s largest utilities cutting their rates. The state Department of Public Utilities said it has approved a reduction in the base rate for gas charged by National Grid and Eversource, as of March 1.