On May 1, Engine 6 Newton Housing Advocates held an online forum with the Democratic candidates for Newton’s two State Representative seats that will be open as incumbents retire at the end of this year. Candidates participating were:

• Alex Jablon and Amy Sangiolo for the 11th Middlesex District seat, which has been held by Rep. Kay Khan for 30 years; and
• Bill Humphrey, Rick Lipof, and Greg Schwartz for the 12 Middlesex District seat, which has been held by Rep. Ruth Balser for 25 years. 

The State primary election on September 3 will narrow the field to one Democratic candidate for each District. 

The candidates spoke independently of each other and were in the online forum only while they were speaking. Each candidate provided a 3-minute introduction and was asked three questions: 

1. Do you support a state law that would authorize Newton to level a Real Estate Transfer Fee?
2. What changes would you suggest to our state zoning laws?
3. Do you support Abundant Housing legislation to create new housing at all price points?

Below is a summary of each candidate’s introduction and responses to the three questions and to questions from the audience. (See full video here.)

11th Middlesex District candidates

Alex Jablon

Alex Jablon was born in Newton and works as an auditor. He is a renter who “knows housing issues because [he] lives them.” Some of his important issues are transit-oriented housing, healthcare affordability, fully funding schools, improving transparency, public transportation, and housing affordability for young people to remain in Newton. 

1. With the national settlement ending standard broker fees, he believes this is the “perfect time to enact a transfer fee” because it would provide independence from State and Federal funding and could generate additional revenue for other areas, like schools and transportation.
2. He would like to see the State take a bigger role in housing, but he believes mandates encourage minimum compliance. He would like to see incentives for developers to build more affordable housing instead of just meeting thresholds.
3. He  “absolutely supports” Abundant Housing legislation, especially for affordable and middle-income housing.

Q&A: Do you support changing State legislation to allow triple-deckers to be built in Massachusetts?
“Yes, definitely.”

Amy Sangiolo

Amy Sangiolo promised to continue Kay Khan’s legacy as a progressive leader. She served for 20 years on Newton’s City Council, where she worked to protect trees and open spaces and demanded more affordable housing from developers. She works in the Attorney General’s Office protecting the rights of tenants and homeowners. She believes the State must take more responsibility for housing. She supports upgrading the State housing stock, improving eviction sealing, and providing legal counsel for tenants. She believes there should be a statewide program for homeowners to help prevent foreclosure.

1. She said that the State’s lack of affordable housing is critical and that no one should pay more than one-third of their income for housing. The devil is in the details: At what price point should the real estate transfer tax be set and who should be required to pay?
2. She commended Newton for passing the MBTA Communities Act. She would like to add the ability to increase the affordable unit requirements, but she thinks it is too early to amend the Act.
3. She supports the Governor’s proposed bond bill to increase housing production for low and moderate-income residents (The Affordable Homes Act) but would like to see 30%, as opposed to 20%, of the housing go to people earning below 80% of Area Median Income (AMI).

Q&A: Newton reached the Chapter 40B threshold this year. Is there room to build on 40B?
She replied that 40B is well-intentioned, but problematic in that market-rate units in a 40B development count toward a community’s low-income housing requirement. She believes more housing units at 50% and below of Area Median Income (AMI) are needed and that there is a lack of oversight for 40B projects once they are approved. She would like to see wraparound services for people in low-income units to prevent evictions because, even in Newton, low-income tenants are being evicted at an unacceptable rate. 

Do you support by-right Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU)?
She believes they are a great idea and that communities should have the ability to set conditions for ADUs because not all communities are the same. 

Would you support more zoning for more density to support higher levels of affordability?
No, she would prefer increasing state subsidies toward affordable housing projects to make them more economically viable for developers. 

Missing middle housing—How do we lower the market rate for people who don’t qualify for subsidies?
She does not believe housing prices automatically come down when more housing is built. The people she assists in the Attorney General’s office say there are plenty of market-rate units available, but people earning between 50% and 80% AMI cannot afford these units. 

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12th Middlesex District candidates

Bill Humphrey

Councilor Bill Humphrey said that Massachusetts should be “a commonwealth for everyone.” He believes there is a “tremendous” need for maintenance funding for low-income housing stock and for housing at all levels to stop young people from leaving the state. “Housing is a fundamental human right.” The housing crisis is one of the most common issues he finds when talking with voters. 

1. He is a passionate supporter of the Real Estate Transfer Fee (RETF), and he sponsored a City Council resolution on it, for which most Council members voted a few years ago. He is part of a Transfer Fee Coalition group working with other communities on the issue. He believes the RETF would be much less than the annual increase in a house’s price and that the fee is a way to support the Newton Affordable Housing Trust, “which needs additional funding to unlock its potential.”
2. He believes state-level zoning changes, such as repealing the rule prohibiting the building of triple-deckers and accessory dwelling units (ADU) by right, would help create more middle-income housing. He favors expanding the MBTA Communities Act to communities not currently included. He said that housing needs to be addressed at the state level because it is a regional problem, not a community-by-community problem.
3. He believes Abundant Housing legislation is critical for economic and political reasons. If the State concentrates efforts only on one price point of housing, it does not address the problem for others, like the missing middle. 

Q&A: NYC had a public authority called Public Development Corporation with the power to overrule building codes and zoning. Would you support something similar in MA?
He said he would need to see specifics and  supports a state bank to help increase affordable housing. He believes the State already has many tools it could use to increase housing.

Rick Lipof

Councilor Rick Lipof began by stating the importance of combating hate in our communities. He noted the interconnections of transportation and climate with housing. He said he is proud to have moved forward the Austin Street, Riverside, Needham Street, and other multifamily developments in Newton. He believes all types of housing are needed, including the “missing middle.” He said he supports Green Building methods and has the endorsement of Dan Ruben of Green Newton’s Building Committee. He believes it is important to create housing with a public process, which he has done as chair of the City Council’s Land Use Committee. 

1. He would support the Real Estate Transfer Fee, depending on what it looks like. Cities and towns will craft this and decide whether to use the County median price or $1 Million as the threshold. A tax between 0.5% and 2% would apply on the portion above that level.  

He noted that the current transfer tax is $4.65 per thousand and the new millionaire’s tax is 4% on income over $1 million annually. He supports raising new revenue for affordable housing while being mindful of the needs of seniors selling their properties and the need to keep Newton’s housing costs competitive with surrounding towns.

2. He supports the MBTA Communities Act and was part of a group to expand the Village Center Overlay District in Newton. He said he believes fear overwhelmed the reality of how good the VCOD could be. He sees good potential in the bond bill before the legislature.

3. He was not asked about Abundant Housing legislation.

Q&A: A State law from the 1970s makes it easy to combine small lots and build McMansions. Would you revisit this law to keep smaller lots?
“Yes, smaller lots keep the land less expensive.”  

He noted that 40% of the people in Newton work from home and that the fear of new developments overwhelming the neighborhood with traffic is worse than the reality.

Greg Schwartz

Greg Schwartz is a doctor who wants to improve the health and well-being of all residents. He noted that housing impacts health, and also the way housing is constructed affects residents and the environment. While on the City Council, he voted for developments – including Riverside, Austin Street, and Trio – because they were located on transit nodes. He voted against the Northland development because he believed it was car-dependent and would worsen environmental health. 

1. The Governor’s Real Estate Transfer Fee (RETF) proposal would allow Cities and Towns to Opt In to a fee, but not require it. The cost of housing is one of the most important challenges facing our state and district. Those who bought real estate years ago benefit, but those who are now looking to buy are struggling. He supports all ideas to reduce barriers to housing and believes REFT is important to funding affordable housing trusts. He would like a discussion on the appropriate threshold amount — whether it should be $1 million, $2 million, or some other price point. 
2. He supported the MBTA Communities Law and believes we should see how it plays out before amending it. He supports statewide zoning that would permit Auxiliary Dwelling Units by right. 
3. He believes the state needs new housing at all price points. He supports increasing housing in the middle through State efforts like tax benefits. He also supports funding included in the State’s affordable housing bond bill to renovate and improve public housing, which has relied on funding from the private sector. 

Q&A: How would you work to improve the MBTA?
He believes it is improving. The key is supporting the MBTA with State funds. Buses need to be reinstated, and commuter rail needs to be improved to improve accessible housing options across the State. 

Do you think Newton’s response to the MBTA Communities Act will improve housing for middle and low-income residents, and do you think we should include more areas of Newton under the Act?
He believes we should wait and see how developers respond and suggests looking at innovative housing work being done in Rhode Island to expand opportunities and make projects financially viable.

Developers in Newton can build 3-8 unit multifamily housing only in VCODs, which limits the missing-middle income housing. What would you do?
He suggested building more townhouses and courtyard housing, which is not multifamily but can be middle-income housing. State funding could provide controls to force developers to keep prices down. The State could require developers to show their books and verify an appropriate level of profit. VCOD may or may not be something Newton wants to extend. He noted that that is a City issue and he would promote public/private partnerships to build housing.