Salem Ward 5 Councillor Lydia King will introduce a resolution Thursday night that urges the State House to pass rent control legislation and to "take action to advance policies that protect tenants, prevent displacement, and strengthen communities in the Commonwealth." For the full text of the resolution, see page 10 of the meeting agenda.
Actions to take ASAP
- Email Salem City Council (citycouncilors@salem.com) ASAP in support of this resolution. See sample letters below.
- Sign up to speak before 6:30 pm tomorrow. For suggested talking points and additional guidance on giving public comment, see Solidarity Rising's latest newsletter.
- If you don't live in Salem, ask your City Council to pass a similar resolution as the one written by Councilor King.
Sample letter from Jeremy Mele
I am writing the Council to express my support for the "Resolution: To Urge Support for Rent Stabilization to Protect Tenants and Preserve Our Community." I was a renter in Salem for years before my wife and I purchased our condo. During that time, we felt the squeeze of the cost of rent drain our pocketbooks. For many years, we lived paycheck to paycheck because a significant portion of our income was going to housing. Even then, we still needed a roommate, especially with the specter of a potentially annual rent increase of unknown size hanging over our heads.
Housing is a human right, but we don't treat it like that in this country; we treat it like a commodity, lock it behind private paywalls, and allow landlords to dictate the terms and rates. Such landlords would reply that they are simply following market logic, and, in that, they are mostly correct. The market prioritizes the bottom line above all else. When landlords hold the necessity of life that is housing in their hands, though, they have an inordinate amount of power to demand outrageous rents and they often do so. They know that, unlike commodities like electronics, where buyers can simply reject a price that is too steep, renters cannot go without housing and are compelled to pay rents that they would otherwise choose not to.
This is why the Resolution is so important. The legislation it urges Beacon Hill to pass provides cities and towns the option (and it is important to note that it is only an option) to stabilize rents and keep increases from going past the increases to the cost of living. Most working families, including those who call Salem home, do not get a yearly cost of living increase, so I see no reason why landlords should balk at "only" being able to keep rents indexed to inflation. Surely, if the rent was a fair price to begin with, then it modestly increasing along with inflation should be fair too. The Massachusetts Minimum Wage has not increased in three years. Meanwhile the cost of food, gasoline, and other goods have skyrocketed. Why should landlords expect huge annual increases when workers have to make do with less and less?
I was incredibly disappointed that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court struck down the petition to get rent stabilization onto the ballot. Nevertheless, the legislature can and must act to get rent prices stabilized and keep them affordable for working families. As representatives of the City of Salem, I implore you to stand up for our working families and renters and to call upon Beacon Hill to pass rent stabilization. I would particularly ask our At-Large Councilors and my Ward Councilor Jason Sydoriak to please consider what I have said. As your constituent, it is important to me that families across the state have protections from landlords who would bankrupt and, eventually, evict them. Everyone deserves a roof over their head, and the only way to make that possible is by giving our communities the ability to say no to private greed. Thank you for your time.
Sample Letter #2
I’m a homeowner in Salem who is writing to ask you to support the resolution to urge support for rent stabilization this Thursday.
As we all know, housing is one of the biggest concerns in Salem. A big piece of why my partner and I chose to buy a home was for the stability and security that we were able to achieve with it, a stability and security we never felt as renters. We were so fortunate to have the ability to purchase somewhere, but that shouldn’t be the only way for people to feel confident that they can stay in their homes. The community I live in is better when more people know that they will not be immediately priced out of the place they are living.
I remember living in an apartment in Jamaica plain and feeling literal panic when our landlord upgraded our wiring so that we would no longer have to run cords outside of our house, because it felt like a clear sign that the rent was about to increase beyond anything we could afford. I look back on that moment as such a terrible sign. Rather than being grateful that we were able to be safer in our home, all I could think about was being priced out of the place I had loved and lived in for the last five years. I don’t want my neighbors to have those fears.
The Massachusetts SJC's decision to invalidate the rent controlled ballot measure on a technicality was really disappointing and frustrating, and makes it all the more essential to me that my elected officials take the necessary steps to keep our communities stable and accessible. In Salem, we deserve a local option to make rent stabilization choices for our own city, rather than being beholden to state level decision-making that I don’t trust to care about my neighborhood. I hope that you, as my local leaders who love Salem, take this step to make our city keep working for those of us who live here. Thank you so much for supporting this resolution.
