Dear Editor: The recent Council Meeting hearing on the changes to the Hoboken Rent Control Ordinance resulted in a distortion of the facts. Essentially, the changes proposed would protect residents of buildings in Hoboken such as Clock Towers, Applied Housing, Marine View Plaza and Church Towers which have been under Federal rent regulations for many years and will soon become unregulated, posing a threat to tenants who may see their rent go to market rate levels. For those who don’t remember the history of these buildings, years ago, before Hoboken became such a “hot spot”, many of our properties were not maintained properly and posed a threat to our community . Federal programs infused millions of dollars into our community to renovate former factories and old tenement buildings into affordable housing for residents. Such projects were exempt from local Rent Control and charged rents according to Federal income guidelines. Now, after 30 years of Federal control, these buildings face the prospect of having their subsidies end. As tenants, we are all concerned about the possibility of our “affordable” rents being allowed to rise to market rate if there are no protective measures taken. Thankfully, Mayor Anthony Russo and most of the City Council have proposed and supported to amend the City’s Rent Control Ordinance to allow such properties to come under Rent Control, just like other apartments in Hoboken. While some are complaining about the proposed amendment and raising all sorts of alarmist suggestions, in reality the changes will protect the affordable housing units we have and ensure that we don’t go back in time to a community where there was absolutely no incentive for landlords to maintain their property. The amendment protects tenants of formerly subsidized buildings and it ensures that Hoboken continues to be a safe, affordable community. Ray M. Falco Clock Towers Tenant