June 12, 2018
Alderman Matt McLaughlin
Alderman JT Scott Alderman
Jesse Clingan
Dear Matt, JT, and Jesse,
On the surface the Clarendon Hill redevelopment deal looked good: tear down the old apartments, build market-rate housing, and use the proceeds to replace the public housing with even more affordable units.
While it’s totally understandable that the residents at Clarendon Hill desperately want long overdue renovations, the deal that the development partners (SCC, POAH, and Redgate) were pitching deeply divided our community — pitting the residents against workers.
Mayor Curtatone, the Somerville Housing Authority, and the development team pulled out all the stops to persuade the Board of Aldermen that their divisive proposal was the only option.
Instead, you stuck to your principles of upholding strong worker standards on public funded projects and supporting working people’s strength in unions.
In challenging times, we need elected leaders like you. We need elected leaders who will ask the hard questions and see the bigger picture. We need leaders who will not accept “take it or leave it” threats from developers. We need leaders who, like you, insist that community development must address systemic inequality by creating both quality housing and good jobs.
We’ll remember the votes you took in the coming elections. You have our support.
In Solidarity,
Somerville Stands Together
Community Labor United
Massachusetts Jobs with Justice
Massachusetts Building Trades Council
SEIU Local 888
Somerville Municipal Employees Association
