Dear Billy T and Somerville Speakup Line:
Here is the email I sent to the Aldermen yesterday.
Dear Board of Aldermen,
This transfer fee is nothing more than a socialist extortion and should not pass in any form. If the “People’s Republic of Cambridge” stopped it so will we.
The CPA tax and the Proposition 2 1/2 override were more than enough pilfering from us Home owners and this needs to stop. If this city really meant what they say they would have made FRIT and other developers cede the 20% affordable housing rates but chose another back room bag job and settled for 6% and a cash payment for units that will take years to develop the inventory the 20% would have gotten us on that deal. This fee is just a greedy cash grab to be taken away from home owners fed up with the increased taxes and having to make choice to sell and move to more affordable locations. The city cannot be trusted to do the right thing and actually use it as intended. The exemptions will of course not be honored and just temporarily permitted to see how much money is lost and at that time and will then try to modify it to remove the exemptions one by one while also trying to increase the percentage collected on this tax. I know some of you Aldermen are in favor of no exemptions and that is just greed.
Taxes are rarely reduced and most likely rise as current and future administrations get used to the deeper trough you feed from. I will be at the meeting and look forward to informing the people of this socialistic crap for what it is “Robbing the Hood” instead of Robin Hood. I have no connection to SPOA or any other landlord organizations but I would ally with them in opposition to this. Sometimes cities and towns become more expensive due to location and people have to make choices and move to a city or town that provides housing at a price within their budget. I would love to live in Dover, Wayland, Weston, Duxbury or Marblehead but they are beyond my budget so I am here.
If the city continues to increase taxes we landlords will just pass it on to our tenants as higher and higher rents which will accelerate the gentrification process led by these same steps you are supporting to fight gentrification.
What will be your next suggestion? Rent Control? Change is inevitable and when Somerville developed as much as it did why would any rational person not expect rent and home prices rise in relation to the surrounding development? Why should the homeowner be made to pay for something they had no direct input in?
I am not going to be made to feel guilty for this outright stealing from me to give to others. We have charity for that and you and the other socialists can give all the money you want but keep your hands out of my pocket when doing it. I will fight hard to keep what I earned and saved for my family to stay right where it is.
I will see you on Wednesday when I have my say.
Sincerely,
Peter Blaikie – Home Owner