New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
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“Open letter to New Bedford City Councilors,
I am writing to express my strong support for Councilors Shane Burgo, Linda Morad, and Brian Gomes’ motion that would allow New Bedford voters to exercise democracy by voting on the following non-binding ballot question in the November 2023 election:
“Should the city of New Bedford adopt an ordinance stabilizing rents in order to prevent displacement in the local housing rental market?”
As you know, rent price increases have created increased homelessness and housing insecurity for elders, low-income, working-class, poor, single-parent households, and disabled people living in New Bedford. Rent prices have nearly doubled in the last few years and tripled in the last decade. New Bedford has some of the highest eviction rates and average rental increases in the state. This means that the most at-risk among us are even more vulnerable to displacement, housing insecurity, and homelessness.
Allowing the residents of New Bedford to vote on this non-binding ballot question would be an important step towards ensuring that the voice of the citizens of the city is taken into account in the debate regarding rent stabilization as a potential tool to address the current housing crisis. Your support would also allow for a democratic process to take place, giving residents a voice and allowing the results to be a part of the decision-making process.
As such, I strongly urge you to support this motion and provide the opportunity for New Bedford residents to vote on this crucial issue. As you are aware, you were elected to represent the people of the city, and any vote against Councilor Burgo, Morad, and Gomes’ motion is a vote that seeks to limit the voice of the people in New Bedford. I hope that you will allow the people of New Bedford to officially express our stance on rent stabilization.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
In the pursuit of participatory democracy,
Erik Andrade.”
How do you come to the conclusion that democracy means the renters can tell the homeowners what they can charge? Unless you’re describing democracy in its purest form which is mob rule. You want to lower rent prices? Tell the city or state fro that matter to lower their property taxes. People own these homes and buildings which they then rent out yes profit is expected. These people have to have accounts set aside for repair and upgrades to the buildings. They won’t be able to pay for that if they’re taking a loss on the property.
Thank You! This sounds ridiculous. You work hard to pay your bills to keep your credit good you work even harder to save the money for down payments. Then after you purchase the house there is the mortgage the insurance the TAXES and water and sewage. Keep in mind repairs. Front porch on my house $10k and people should tell us what we should charge for rent. I would leave my apartments empty and struggle before I would have someone tell me how much my life and time is worth. All them yrs of struggling to be a homeowner.