From today’s Boston Globe, here’s a rather sobering article about the state of affordable housing in the greater Boston area with a look at some of the recent struggles in Newton and a not-very-flattering story about Setti Warren.
Here’s an excerpt about how affordable housing advocates reacted to the mayor’s recently announced housing plan:
…But in a blow to the [Newton] mayor, affordable housing advocates have also refused to get on board. They say they can’t back a push for hundreds of new units when the administration hasn’t shown enough progress toward building the 9 to 12 laid out in the HUD settlement.
And developer Scott Oran’s assessment of the city’s attempts to claim an exemption to Chapter 40B based on land use percentages.
“I think that’s the most cynical interpretation that I’ve ever heard,” [Oran said], “using golf courses to keep out low-income people.”
Please read and comment.
That Scott Oran quote really irks me, because I hate it when people take things out of context in order to be deliberately misleading. The fact of the matter is, there’s a specific statute in the state tax code that allow’s golf courses to declare themselves permanently un-developable in exchange for reduced property taxes. That’s why the golf courses in the City’s 40B analysis were treated as such. This is the same Scott Oran who had to have his arm twisted to pony up 6 more affordable housing units at Austin Street, right? And don’t get me started on 40B, because that’s a bad joke. The city can get far more affordable housing units by negotiating with developers, than we ever got under 40B. Just watch what happens with Washington Place.
Another day, another attack on Mayor Warren by the Globe. It’s almost like some people with an agenda have contacts there. And yes, excellent observation Mike, what an interesting quote from the guy who needed to be dragged kicking and screaming into adding another 6 affordable units, after claiming he couldn’t possible afford to do even one more. Meanwhile his market rate units, the ones that he can decide what to set the rent at, are in the $3-4K/month range. How about you offer less granite countertops and Viking ranges and make the market rate units affordable for normal people before you go sniping at the mayor.
The article quotes Andrea Kelly quoting Mayor Warren and presents it as direct Warren quote. This does not seem like good journalism.
Jeffrey – I questioned the same thing. Either the reporter turned a paraphrased conversation into a quotation or someone taped the meeting unbeknownst to the mayor. If the reporter turned a paraphrased conversation into a quotation, then shame on him. If someone taped the conversation in the mayor’s office without his knowledge, then shame on her/him/them. It’s poor journalism or unethical behavior. For the record, the reporter will not divulge what “reporting methods” he used in this article (his words).
Jane. Shoddy journalism, but it seems like a trend at a Globe and elsewhere. The economics of internet news is often blamed, but it can’t explain everything– especially at the Globe.
The Globe’s Spotlight pieces are still excellent, particularly their in depth coverage of vulnerable and marginalized portions of our population that would otherwise remain totally hidden from our view. That said, I’ve been disappointed at the Globe’s editorials and with how too many of their columnists slant things. It seems that they either stereotype people and places in Newton or just don’t have a feel for this place. Not everyone in Waban suns at the Windsor Club or coasts at Braeburn Country Club. Was it necessary to put that in this piece.
The final straw. I was a Bernie Sanders supporter and I respect the Globe’s decision to endorse Secretary Clinton; but the false, snide and personally insulting diatribes against Sanders by Michael Cohen and other columnists made me lose even more respect for a paper I once admired for its integrity. They were quick to write that Sanders had purchased a $600,000 lakefront property in Vermont without noting that it was really just an exchange from the proceeds Bernie’s wife received on the sale of a large property in Maine that had been in her family for 2 generations. It didn’t come from donors or lobbyists.
Personally, I hope that Bernie and Jane thoroughly enjoy and relax at their new lakefront home. They deserve it.
This Globe article is not the usual short “hit-piece” on Newton, not necessarily the mayor, with quotes from various counsellors and developers, which I too have been known to disparage.
This article, written by David Scharfenberg, provides an in depth look into lower income housing in the Boston area, part of a Globe series on income disparity, including its geographical placement, its effects on children’s life potential and the various problems that stand in the way of accomplishing its greater purpose. This one on Boston’s surrounding suburbs includes a part on Newton but is not focused just on Newton. I think it is a really good piece.
It discusses the repercussions of building low income housing in low income areas in Boston using statistics and studies to present the different impacts on low income families, especially their children, between living in the above and living instead in suburban and other surrounding areas illustrated with a view into a family who was able move from Dorchester to Lincoln.
It mentions the 35,000 units of affordable housing built by developers under state law 40B but also includes that one of the law’s “critical shortcomings” is that units in the more wealthy areas don’t generally accommodate the “truly poor” or families raising children. “… for decades now, state regulations have steered many of the affordable apartments to moderate-income families — up to $73,050 for a family of four, at last count — working people who may be in need of affordable housing, but not necessarily the transformative experience an upscale community can offer the truly disadvantaged.” “Fifty-five percent of the affordable housing in Eastern Massachusetts’ suburban communities is reserved for older people.”
The segment on Newton being referenced above concerns housing advocates who pointed out that “Since Warren took office in 2010, just 18 below-market units have been built in the city, with another 33 under construction. The meager numbers have been a source of embarrassment for the mayor, an ambitious Democrat.”
“These affordable housing advocates doubt the mayor’s sincerity.
It was just three years ago that he withheld federal housing funds for a nine-unit development for the chronically homeless planned for a long-decommissioned fire station in Waban” followed last year by a settlement with HUD with the Mayor committing to creating 9-12 units for the homeless.
They say they can’t back a push for hundreds of new units when the administration hasn’t shown enough progress toward building the 9 to 12 laid out in the HUD settlement.”
Some of you may not like it but everything above is true. He includes the country club in Waban and the Windsor Club which is exclusively for Waban residents. He never says everyone in Waban goes there but with Waban being a such a small area, it is not being subjective to mention them.
The quote being called out above follows. I read it differently. The reporter is quoting Andrea Kelley telling him about their meeting with Mayor Warren rather than using an illegal recording or wrongly attributing a quote to the mayor. The part where Andrea Kelley says what the mayor says isn’t necessarily true but that does not mean he didn’t say it. The quotes are not grammatically correct but they do not corrupt the article itself or its writer.
“Andrea Kelley, a landscape architect and affordable housing activist, said she and a couple of others delivered the news in a private meeting with the mayor just off his City Hall office. And it did not go well.
Warren grew frustrated, she said, turning on another advocate in the room. “He was yelling at her and she was trying to finish her point and she would say, ‘With all due respect Mr. Mayor, please let me finish what I’m trying to say,’ and he would scream at her, ‘No, I’m going to tell you,’ ” she said.”
Are the facts of this article hitting too close to home? Is that why the comments mention only how badly written Globe articles have become instead of discussing the facts of the article?
Marti – Turning a paraphrased conversation into quotes is what an author does in a docu-drama, not what a journalist does in a news article. You may not like to hear it, but either the reporter turned a story related to him into actual quotes (which I suspect is the case and is very poor journalistic practice) or someone taped the meeting. A professional reputation is not to be taken lightly. If you mess up, then you deal with the consequences. I have little sympathy for this reporter.
That Newton is one of the Globe’s frequent targets is just plain tiresome at this point. And how many times must that very inappropriate quote that one person said at one meeting three years ago be dragged out? It happened and it shouldn’t have, but it’s time to drop it. Who amongst us hasn’t said or done something inappropriate at some point.
Jane, the fact that Mayor Warren canned the Engine Nine proposal because of protests from residents of Waban and was forced to make a settlement with HUD is a fact that happened a very short time ago. It is a factual that the city is required by HUD to create 9-12 apartments for the chronically homeless and that many affordable housing advocates do not trust the sincerity of the mayor’s new housing plan.
If you only want to defend the mayor and admonish this writer, that is your choice. As you said, he will face whatever consequences he has coming. I do not mind hearing it at all.
I still prefer to take the purpose of the article and its facts as more important. I do know more about the housing advocates than I do about our mayor. I have not liked many things he has said and done or not done recently.
As it so happens, I also opposed the Engine 6 and the Rowe St. projects and don’t think the article portrayed the nuanced story of what happened in Newton accurately, as you clearly do. It once again portrayed one segment of the city as deeply caring and another as selfish clods. I don’t often wade into the development discussion because it means I’ll be vilified by one group of people or another. If you say that you support Austin St., Crescent St., and some version of the Orr project, one group thinks you’re ruining Newton. If you oppose Engine 6 and Rowe St., another group vilifies you as an amoral idiot. It’s all gotten kind of silly if you ask me.
Recently I was told I was part of a “cabal” by one of the housing advocates and I didn’t like it one bit, but guess what? It happened and so what? It’s a small part of my life and I brushed it off. You just move on to the next thing. This business of holding grudges gets you nowhere. One day an elected official backs something I oppose and I let him/her know it, then move on. The next day that same person and I are working together on another project. This business of making one person or group into the enemy is for the birds and gets us nowhere.
This thread was about that section of the article that referred to Newton. It’s perfectly appropriate to comment on the topic as it was presented.
I have to agree with Marti on the journalism in this piece. It’s well-researched and the quotes in question are in perspective. They’re not portrayed as direct quotes, but as paraphrases from a conversation. The Mayor was also asked about it and that is mentioned.
But focusing on that small part misses the bigger point.
We have a problem, not just a PR problem, but a real housing problem. Every two-family rental that is converted into market-rate condos makes it worse. Every accessory apartment that gets absorbed in a renovation makes it worse. Every apartment that doesn’t get built because of neighbor opposition makes it worse. Every smaller home that gets torn down to build something twice the size makes it worse. We need varied housing stock, not just single-family homes of over 3000 square feet.
Yes, it’s a social problem but it’s also a business problem. The farther that people must travel to work in this city the more difficult it is for businesses to open and thrive here. That reduces our commercial tax base. And I’m not just talking about offices, I’ve heard similar issues from people operating food-based retail businesses here.
As a city we can absorb more people. We have the capacity and the wealth. Increasing the economic and racial diversity here will have a very positive impact on all aspects of our lives. Rather than finding ways to stop it, we need to find ways to make it happen.
What Chuck said.
@Jane: What is so nuanced about what happened in Newton in regard to Engine 6? Furthermore, what is so nuanced about Setti Warren opening up Newton’s finances to defend against the embarrassment of being sued for discriminating against some our community’s most vulnerable? Setti Warren has a record of saying one thing and doing another. When his actions directly harm those who can’t defend themselves, I feel zero sympathy for the guy when he’s called out for it.
And to anyone who wants to defend Setti Warren for openly yelling at female residents when he isn’t getting his way, I encourage you to hold him up to the same standard that he holds others to. As I think back to when he illegally fired our Police Chief and exposed the City to significant financial risk, I wonder: Is the Charter Commission going to propose/vote on an impeachment process?
(http://newton.wickedlocal.com/news/20160422/updated-judge-upholds-arbitration-award-in-favor-of-former-newton-police-chief.)
I think this was an informative and useful article but I also think Jane’s right about the passage about the mayor. Here’s how I read this paragraph:
This isn’t paraphrasing, it’s quoting. By writing,
the reporter (Scharfenberg) is quoting the mayor without actually being there to hear the words. Andrea Kelley may have told Scharfenberg that Mayor Warren said, “No, I’m going to tell you,” but Scharfenberg should not have put those words in quotes.
That said, I don’t think the quotes are the most egregious part of the passage. I do think that writing that the mayor was yelling without being present to hear the conversation is sloppy journalism. It’s a he said/she said, and the Globe should — and traditionally does — rise above that temptation. Scharfenberg could have made exactly the same points without citing a conversation he didn’t hear.
@Tom Davis: I got a kick out of this sentence:
“And to anyone who wants to defend Setti Warren for openly yelling at female residents when he isn’t getting his way…”
It sounds to me like you’re saying that yelling at females is inappropriate but yelling at males is fine, in which case I disagree. Yelling at people doesn’t belong in the workplace because it accomplishes nothing productive. But it happens and it’s not the end of the world.
Final point: Journalism is getting increasingly sloppy everywhere. Overworked journalists aren’t encouraged to deliver the best journalism they can produce, they’re encouraged to drive the most eyeballs to websites. I’m finding it difficult to find a trustworthy news source these days.
Gail, I think most have acknowledged your first and third points. I think your second one is misplaced annoyance – the part you reference concerns femal residents. You inference is not what Tom implied. It is, of course, your choice to concentrate on on what you think most important.
I find that to be misdirection over minutiae at this point.
Some of us would like to move on to discuss the point of the article because it is important. Some of us believe remembering the mayor’s past decisions enlightens his work today. Some of us are not part of the mayor’s fan club, agreeing with every decision he makes. It’s possible to like some things he does and not like others.
I read a lot of David’s articles and find most of them, like this one, do a good job at getting to the heart of the matter at hand.
Chuch did a great job of pointing out the meat in the article and in the series itself. Tom’s points are good ones too.
@Gail: I’d like to point out that in the same response, you manage to make a point that journalism is getting increasingly sloppy everywhere, but at the same time attempt to misdirect relevant facts about Setti Warren by inferring something that I clearly did not imply. Because I’ve been told you’re an unquestioning supporter of Setti Warren, I’ll respond to your assertion very clearly.
In no way did I say nor do I believe that yelling at females is inappropriate but yelling at males is fine. In fact, in a leadership context, I believe that yelling is a sign of weakness, which is why I’m not surprised that Setti had to resort to it as he is increasingly sounding like a hot head to me. Unlike Setti, I believe in leading by example, and it’s my position that yelling at anyone because you’re not getting your way is inappropriate and quite frankly embarrassing.
Furthermore, you’re entirely ignoring both the facts and Setti’s record by suggesting that it’s okay for him to yell at residents when he isn’t getting his way. Is that why we have such high turnover rate in City employment, because anyone who dare bring up a different perspective need fear the wrath of tough guy Setti? Moreover, as I said earlier, let us not apply one standard to some Newton employees and another to the Mayor. When Setti illegally fired our Police Chief, he set the bar high for himself. In my opinion and that of many others, he has failed to come even close to it.
@Marti: Thank you for the follow up, which I do appreciate.
@Jane: I’m sure you’re busy, but I’d still appreciate a response, especially as related to my Charter Commission question.
Let me try this again.
@Tom: You wrote:
Furthermore, you’re entirely ignoring both the facts and Setti’s record by suggesting that it’s okay for him to yell at residents when he isn’t getting his way.
I suggested no such thing. How is it okay for you to infer from my comments but not for me to infer from yours? You didn’t criticize the mayor for yelling at residents; you specified female residents. I don’t know you and I don’t know how you treat women. I do know that the world is full of people who believe women are weaker than men though, and I read your sentence as you wrote it. If I misinterpreted, I apologize. But you are the one who specifically called out “female residents.”
Yelling is inappropriate — mostly because it can be intimidating and counter-productive. It happens though. People lose their tempers. If it’s a pattern, I agree that it points to bad leadership. In this particular instance, we don’t even know if it’s true. One person said the mayor yelled; the mayor said he didn’t.
You are correct that I am a supporter of Setti Warren. Unquestioning though? Hardly. Ask him sometime if I’ve ever challenged him.
@Marti: I agree that David Scharfenberg is a fine journalist. But when a journalist quotes a he said/she said as if he knows exactly what happened, he distracts readers from the points of the article. Aside from that particular passage, I was happy to see him call attention to an important issue.
I’m not going to tread into this journalism debate. But to Tom’s point about impeachment… I’ve pointed out many times on this blog that our City Charter lacks any recall provision for elected officials. It’s a glaring omission that has emboldened wrongdoing in the past, and it’s only a matter of time before we wish such a tool was included in the Charter. I join Tom Davis in supporting an impeachment process or recall provision being included in the Charter.