Pages
Stay In Touch
More
© 2021 The Somerville Times. All rights reserved.
Ward 3 Alderman Ben Ewen-Campen put forward a resolution to the Somerville Board of Aldermen to focus attention on affordable housing issue faced by municipal workers in the city.
By Jim Clark
A resolution was put forward at the latest regular meeting of the Somerville Board of Aldermen asking that the Administration establish a dedicated fund within the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to provide direct housing assistance for municipal employees struggling to remain in Somerville, which could be funded through revenue from a real estate transfer fee.
Sponsor of the resolution, Ward 3 Alderman Ben Ewen-Campen, spoke in favor of the idea saying, “With all the work that we have been doing on this Board with the real estate transfer fee, the reason I submitted this this week is to reconfirm why we’re doing all this work in the first place. Which is to help Somerville residents stay in a city that’s becoming increasingly unaffordable.”
Ewen-Campen explained that he was not the person who came up with the idea, and that he felt there is a lot of support for it, and that he wanted to “get the city working on reminding the public of what this is all about in the first place.”
Ward 5 Alderman Mark Niedergang commended Alderman At-Large Mary Jo Rossetti for highlighting the issue and said that he feels strongly about it as well.
“I do not want Somerville to be a city where the folks who work for us live 20, 40, 50 miles from here,” Niedergang said. “I hate that idea. It reminds me of Weston, Wellesley, cities where rich people live. That’s not the kind of city I want this to be. I will see this as one of the top priorities for the funds we could raise through the real estate transfer fees.”
Niedergang recommended that the resolution be sent to the Legislative Matters Committee, where the real estate transfer fee is being developed, as well as Housing and Community Development for continuous follow-up. The resolution was approved and so ordered.
If you found this article of interest, please consider sharing it.
Why are they discussing this? It is not going to happen. The people clearly do not want this TAX. And the people who we elect should be tossing this whole business out as we are their employers. And, if I made their salaries I could afford to stay here and run my business. So maybe they should pay me as well. Seriously?
Please stop referring to this as a fee. It is not. A fee is for services rendered. This is a tax. It’s insulting to the residents to think that if you call it a fee it’s more acceptable.
‘That’s not the kind of city I want this to be’. Wow. So now Niedergang’s vision of what the city should be is what we are striving for? I think that those of us who built this city, who kept it going during hard times, and who support community organizations would like it to be the city it once was.
If it quacks like a duck: “I do not want Somerville to be a city where the folks who work for us live 20, 40, 50 miles from here,” Niedergang said. “I hate that idea. It reminds me of Weston, Wellesley, cities where rich people live.”
Look in the mirror, Alderman. Isn’t he the one that has a side business running airbnbs out of a couple homes in town? You know who could really use those places? Public employees!
Mr Neidergang should hop in a car sometime and venture out of Spring Hill. More affordable towns are a hop, skip, and a jump away. Everett is 4 miles. Revere is 8 miles. Malden is 5 miles. Lynn is a whopping 14!
Mark Niedergang is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. How more people do not see right through his schtick is a real head scratcher. If he truly believed what came out of his mouth, then he would rent his apartments for below market. Instead he’s getting the maximum return by going the AirBnB route.
“With all the work that we have been doing on this Board with the real estate transfer fee, the reason I submitted this this week is to reconfirm why we’re doing all this work in the first place. Which is to help Somerville residents stay in a city that’s becoming increasingly unaffordable.”
What a joke. The reason Somerville is becoming increasingly unaffordable is due to the amount of fees and taxes that keep being piled on its residents.
You want Somerville to be affordable? Then stop bleeding us dry.
One Sentence Summary: Somerville is clandestinely seeking a tax hike to provide a salary increase for its municipal employees.
So, Ward 3 Alderman sponsors a resolution to give Somerville residents priority, but he then must have forgot what he had been saying in public when it came time to vote on it last night, since he and the others actually voted against providing Somerville residents first shot at affordable housing. What a bunch of lying hypocrites this bunch has turned out to be.
“Sponsor of the resolution, Ward 3 Alderman Ben Ewen-Campen, spoke in favor of the idea saying, “With all the work that we have been doing on this Board with the real estate transfer fee, the reason I submitted this this week is to reconfirm why we’re doing all this work in the first place. Which is to help Somerville residents stay in a city that’s becoming increasingly unaffordable.” Ewen-Campen explained that he was not the person who came up with the idea, and that he felt there is a lot of support for it, and that he wanted to “get the city working on reminding the public of what this is all about in the first place.”
It’s becoming more clear with each passing 5 hour meeting that this transfer tax (special interest politics at the core) the BOA is trying to stuff down our throats was never about preventing Somerville residents from displacement. The BOA’s vote last night spoke volumes. The real motive behind this divisive issue is to ensure SCC gets their hands on more funding. That has become crystal clear! Also, Niedergang as Chair would not entertain divulging any financials until after the public hearing takes place in May. Why??? Nothing like keeping your constituency in the dark. Should it not be the BOA’s job to ensure transparency and make sure all the facts are in the public realm before holding a public hearing? Shame on you Mark!
It’s like watching a bunch of kool aid drinking lemmings following the leader. Unfortunately, our long time Alderman are afraid of losing their jobs so they now pander to the left wing socialist movement while leaving everyone else behind. They had no problem trying to sneak through this tax and when caught they were left scrambling for excuses and all of a sudden thought it was perhaps a good idea to listen to the community as a whole once there was massive pushback. Again, no transparency when it comes to the SCC. No audits, no accountability. Niedergang is obnoxious and can’t be trusted along with the rest of the BOA. Why is he hiding the financials? From the beginning they tried to sneak and jam through this tax. Not one on the BOA or the mayor is trustworthy and I’m truly sickened of what this city has become. Pay attention to who speaks in support of this tax at the podium because if you were not aware of the first public meeting, employees of the SCC never identified themselves as employees, they only stated they were Somerville residents. A truly deceptive and disgusting display of conflict of interest.