The Davis Square Community

the voters of this Commonwealth abolished rent control statewide by referendum in 1994.

There was an initiative law proposed to outlaw rent control. Since the municipalities are creations of the state government, the state legislative power can do that. Since I didn't live in one of those three cities, I voted against the initiative, figuring it was none of my business.

Later, I found out what the argument was: The three cities were by rent control artificially depressing the value of rental properties, and thus the amount of property taxes that they were collecting. Based on the formula that the state uses for distributing local aid money, that increased the amount that the three cities received in local aid. The local aid money comes from the state income tax, and generally speaking, derives from higher-income cities in the metro area. So the argument was that Cambridge, Brookline, and Boston were leeching off the rest of the state to provide a benefit to their residents. You can buy that or not as you choose, but the initiative passed.