By adamg on Tue., 2/4/2025 - 10:33 pm
WBUR reports on Josh Kraft's first day as an announced candidate for mayor, in which he said one answer to the city's housing crisis would be giving landlords tax breaks if they agreed not to raise rents. He also called for a pause on construction of new bike and bus lanes, but said he would support the city's "Trust Act" sanctuary-city status for immigrants.
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Good catch.
By CopleyScott17
Wed, 02/05/2025 - 7:46pm
I didn't think to search for partner, just wife and wedding...
Well most of our
By anon
Wed, 02/05/2025 - 12:15pm
Well most of our superintendents come from other city’s or states. This recent one is from Somerville the last California. Is it any real requirements for these high positions nowadays except for being a resident???
Put money on it
By Residente
Wed, 02/05/2025 - 12:40pm
Wu wins. Kraft doesn't have a chance. I'm willing to put money on it and give you favorable odds.
Has he lived in any of these places ever?
By Kaz
Wed, 02/05/2025 - 2:06pm
So, supposedly from around October 2020 to around July 2024 (but even around as recently as December) he lived at 8 Beresford Road in Chestnut Hill (in the Brookline part, Newton actually bordered on his backyard but he was in Brookline). Except the purchaser was "Balter Bradley" as the Trustee of the realty trust that bought the place. Interestingly, both Balter and Josh were investors in at least one Israeli startup (Cellolo) so at least they knew each other and he wasn't just squatting in someone else's house.
But the new place in the city is 2 Battery Wharf #2308 and that was bought by Two BW Boston LLC (registered to 1 Patriot Place) in October 2023 from a couple that left the city to help kids in Cary, NC...but were regular donors to the Boys & Girls Club (where Josh has been CEO). But he doesn't seem to claim to live there until April 2024 at the earliest.
It'd be interesting to know if anything other than his mail ever goes in the door there. It's not like Balter sold 8 Beresford when Josh "moved out" so there's no reason to think he might not still be there. Nobody else seems to be associated with that address since he "moved" to Battery Wharf. I wonder if there's even patio furniture on the balcony at #2308.
Raising Rents will never stop
By Some Ville
Thu, 02/06/2025 - 7:57am
but not just because landlords are "greedy".
It's how banks determine the value of a building. The sum total of all the listed rents over some period of time. Not raising rents hurts their debt to equity ratio and ability to take loans against the building, not to mention if they get too far underwater the bank can call in the loan entirely.
Tax breaks to landlords also will not trickle down to their tenants, they will just pocket the difference because...they can't raise rents to increase their bottom line.
Until they are enough units on the market that supply is approaching demand, we will not have competition for tenants, so price competition won't happen.
Commercial landlords will literally let units sit empty for years rather than lower rents, because of the valuation impact it will have overall. They'll keep writing off the losses to mitigate the damages, or try to get zipcar/cell phone tower/etc income to compensate (like that abandoned building in eastie on the way to the airport).
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