Dear Editor:
We have an important election coming up on November 8 and the chance to reject the recent changes to the rent control ordinance that harm renters. Real estate developers want rent control protections gutted in Hoboken and these changes, despite the misleadingly harmless description of them which will appear on the ballot, could have a significant role in destabilizing our community.
Many in the real estate industry have nothing to lose and much profit to gain if Hoboken is turned into a bedroom town of short term residents with no real investment in the community. Imagine every weekend being another Saint Patrick’s Day celebration in Hoboken! That could happen if the changes to the rent control ordinance becomes law and succeeds in driving out many long-time residents.
When residents took to the streets with petitions to repeal the changes the City Council and their allies in the real estate industry worked hard to ignore the desire of thousands of voters to have a chance to vote on these changes. They turned their backs on democracy and continually threw obstacles towards having this referendum on the ballot.
A powerful, well-funded anti-rent control group of developers/investors along with the real estate lobby have sued to require voters to say “yes” if they don’t want these changes to take effect.(And to have the question worded the way they wanted it to read) I don’t believe that it is an accident that we have to vote “yes” to say no to the changes to this law. But people who care about keeping the community stable will show that they are not that easily confused.
Voting to reject these harmful changes by voting “yes” on November 8 will send a clear statement to the powerful and very well funded real estate industry that the people of Hoboken aren’t going to be pushed around. Please vote yes on question number 2 to reject these changes which reward landlords who have been breaking the law by illegally overcharging tenants and giving them an incentive to harass current residents out of their homes in order to raise sky high rents even more.
Thank You,
Rebecca Lewis