Montclair, NJ – Montclair just had a special election for two new Board of Education members. Montclair residents may be called back to the polls in May on the issue of rent control.
“Yesterday the Township of Montclair notified the Committee of Petitioners that it had certified our a href=”https://montclairlocal.news/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Certification-of-Referndum-Petition-to-Repeal-O-20-05-dated-3.9.2022.pdf”>Petition for Referendum, which would result in a vote on rent control after a statutory period during which the Council has the opportunity to either repeal its own ordinance or provide an alternative that would persuade the Committee of Petitioners to withdraw its Referendum. An election would probably occur sometime in the beginning to middle of May,” states Montclair Property Owners Association’s executive director Ron Simoncini.
“While we are marching towards a referendum, there is still hope it can be avoided with compromise,” says Councilor at Large Peter Yacobellis. “As both tenant and property owner groups have said to me — the current ordinance is very flawed. We should not ask the public to vote on a flawed rent control law that leaves out most renters when we know both sides agree on far more components to strengthen it, including expanding rent control to two and three family units.”
The best rent rent control law is the one that affects the least units – it’s the dumbest way possible to increase affordable housing. Yacoobellis is in HR – what does he know of housing economics?
Here is a nugget: As of 2019, about 182 U.S. municipalities had rent control and 99 were in New Jersey.
Think there is a structural issue?
Do you want to guess how many of the 182 are guilty of redlining? Doesn’t the Council’s rent control ordinance redline? Why would key stakeholders support redlining?
Frank, are those rhetorical questions?
No
What are the answers? I’m interested