Dear Billy T and Somerville Speakup Line,
SOMERVILLE…PRETTY SCARY…be affraid, be very affraid…. recent quote from one of the Somerville Alderman. A concerned resident and ‘coalition’ advocate in Somerville recently sent me this…and it speaks volumes.
I’m in Ward 5, and Mark Niedergang recently said this:
“QUITE FRANKLY, WHILE I AM NOT A SOCIALIST, I NOW BELIEVE THAT THE ONLY WAY TO PROVIDE A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN SOMERVILLE IS TO TAKE HOUSING OUT OF THE FREE MARKET ECONOMY BY DEED RESTRICTING IT TO BE PERMANENTLY AFFORDABLE TO LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME TENANTS OR OWNERS….In our hyper-capitalist economic system, housing is simply a commodity like any other product. ” Mark Niedergang Ward 5 Somerville City Councilor.
Get ready…can you say ‘rent control’…? This Niedergang quote is from correspondence generated through the Councilor’s mailing list and currently on his web site.