Welcome to Affordable Housing Now

Breaking Down the Ballot
Chapter 40B has led to the creation of 58,000 houses, condos, and apartments; over half of which are affordable. However, some believe it has done so at the expense of our state and has benefited the developers more than local communities. Ballot Question #2 address the future of 40B. The chairman of the Coalition to Repeal 40b John Belskis, and the chairman of Protect Affordable Housing Tripp Jones join us to break down both sides of the question.

To listen , click here.

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Republican state Senate candidate Burr shares discontent of local voters
As he looks ahead to his showdown with state Senator Brian A. Joyce in the upcoming statewide election, Canton Selectman Bob Burr, the Republican nominee for the Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth Senate seat, believes his biggest advantage lies with the discontent of the average voter.

This particular brand of discontent, which Burr describes as a combination of frustration and fear, is precisely the feeling that Burr himself has experienced for some time now — and he sees November 2 as the perfect opportunity to do something about it.

“People are worried,” Burr said in a recent telephone interview. “They’re worried about losing their jobs; they’re worried about losing their homes.”

To read complete article, click here.

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Panel split on repeal of state housing law
A ballot question that asks whether the state's 40-year-old affordable housing law should be repealed drew strong, opposing opinions last night from a panel of local leaders and housing advocates at Newburyport Public Library.

Question 2 on the November ballot asks whether voters believe the Chapter 40B law should be repealed. Advocates for a Yes vote believe the law needs to be tossed out completely to force the state Legislature to write one that is fairer to communities and also produces housing that low-income people can really afford. Those against the question say the complicated law is in need of reform but not annihilation.

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Semple: Vote Yes on 2 – Repeal 40B
I read Judy Deutch’s editorial two weeks ago (Sept. 30 Town Crier) where she urged voters to vote no on ballot initiative #2, and although I many times agree with her editorials, this time I do not.

Ballot initiative 2 is a grass roots effort started by citizens to repeal the so-called affordable housing law “40B” which was first adopted in 1969. Although affordable housing is a good concept,40Bs implementation is so flawed that the Massachusetts Inspector General called it “the biggest financial scandal in state history,” a “pig fest” and “developer welfare.” You can watch the inspector general’s testimony on YouTube.

To read complete article, click here.

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Yes on Question 2
The affordable housing law known as Chapter 40B is credited with developing 58,000 new housing units in Massachusetts, and that is to its lasting credit. Communities that would otherwise have turned their backs on new affordable housing - manipulating the levers of local government to do so - no longer had that option.

To read complete article, click here.

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HERE’S THE POINT: Vote yes, three times
On Election Day, members of the so-called party of “No” wants you to vote Yes, Yes and Yes on the three binding ballot initiatives.

In politics, it is said that if your message cannot fit on a bumper sticker, then it is too long. Hence, the Democrats have labeled the Republicans “The Party of No.” It’s short, simple and catchy. But it is also backfiring on them. Those in the now re-energized Republican Party, and those who are also part of the Tea Party movement, are not telling the people no, but they are most certainly saying no to the government.

To read complete article, click here.

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There are two sides to issues on the November ballot
Massachusetts voters will see three questions on their ballots Nov. 2, one of which would have a major impact on the state's finances.

The ballot questions are the result of the initiative petition process, the method by which citizens can place proposed laws or changes in existing laws before voters for approval or rejection. One question calls for the elimination of the sales tax on alcohol, another would repeal the Chapter 40B zoning law, and a third would reduce the state sales and use tax rates from 6.25 to 3 percent.

To read complete article, click here.

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A failed social experiment
In Greek mythology, Procrustes was an evil king. He had an iron bed in which he "invited" every passerby to spend the night. He then set to work to stretch them to fit. If the guest proved too tall, he would amputate the excess length.

The Comprehensive Permit Law, Chapter 40B, is a Procrustean solution to the problem of affordable housing.

After 40 years, only 51 cities and towns have met the 10 percent affordable housing standard mandated in the 1969 law. On Cape Cod, only Orleans is close, hovering around 8 percent. Part of meeting the quota is knowing what counts and what doesn't.

To read complete article, click here.

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40B zoning law is not about snobbery, but smart growth
THE LAW known as 40B — which allows housing developers a path around some local zoning restrictions — is almost inherently unpopular: It has a built-in set of opponents in those towns whose iron control of zoning it erodes, however slightly. Those opponents have now, after 41 years, succeeded in putting it up for a statewide referendum. They’re counting on voters to side with them, the average neighbors, against the coalition of developers and affordable-housing advocates who back the law.

To read complete article, click here.

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Developer pleads guilty to making illegal campaign contributions
A Boston-based developer has pleaded guilty in federal court to making thousands of dollars' worth of illegal campaign contributions to a number of Massachusetts politicians.

In U.S. District Court this week, Martin Raffol, former executive vice president of WinnCompanies, pleaded guilty to engaging in a scheme to conceal material information from the Federal Election Commission and one count of witness tampering.

To read complete article, click here.

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Parente: Vote yes on Question 2, repeal Chapter 40B
Angry voters talk about Nov. 2, 2010, as the day when state and nationally elected officials will understand, fully, the depth of their frustration with increased taxes, fees and high costs of living.

However, there is concern that the anger of Massachusetts voters will serve to focus on removal of irresponsible public officials and on ballot Question 3, rollback of the sales tax, thereby paying little attention to Question 2.

To read complete article, click here.

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If your candidate lost, issues remain
Since I'm writing this column on Monday night, I have no idea who won the primary on Tuesday. I only know I'm glad it's over. Toward the end, the campaigns got ugly — and this was not a partisan issue.

There was no nit too small to pick, and no stone too old to be left unturned. Auditor candidates and congressional candidates were especially bad. The only bright spot was all four of the candidates for the Cape and Islands Senate seat, who ran issues-based and informative campaigns. In that race, there were no losers.

To read complete article, click here.