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In 1994, Disney’s “Lion King” topped the box office and the band Ace of Base had a hit on its hands, singing, “I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes.”
To House Speaker Ron Mariano, it seems like yesterday. In explaining his opposition to the return of rent control through a 2026 ballot question, he recently told reporters that there already had been a statewide vote on the issue, more than 30 years ago. He sides with rent control opponents, calling it a failed policy that will drive down housing construction.
The 1994 ballot initiative banned rent control, which was in place in three communities: Boston, Brookline and Cambridge. (As one progressive activist noted, 64 of the current 160 House members were not eligible to vote that year, and eight weren’t born yet.)
It was one of nine questions that appeared on the 1994 ballot, including tax questions and allowing retail stores to be open Sundays and holidays, according to a summary on the secretary of state’s website. While typically there have been between two and four statewide questions, Massachusetts could see another surge next year, and possibly more than in 1994.
Jack Corrigan, a longtime Democratic operative, recalled the 1994 battle over banning rent control that year wasn’t even the state’s main political event. Mitt Romney’s run against U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy drew the most attention.
“Their first debate drew more Massachusetts viewers than the OJ [Simpson] car chase, and Kennedy clobbered Romney,” he said via email. He added that the race for governor – Republican Gov. William Weld faced Democratic challenger Mark Roosevelt – was a “rout.”
Denise Jillson remembers that year differently. She was in the thick of the fight to ban rent control as chair of the “Yes on 9” ballot campaign, which narrowly won. “We were using bumper stickers and lawn signs. It was door to door,” she said. “It was meeting people at supermarkets and at the local dumps and talking to them about it. I was going across the commonwealth doing tiny radio stations.”
Jillson, a Cambridge resident who owned a rent-controlled four-family home, had a day job working at a manufacturing company and had two kids at home. Citizens for Limited Taxation’s Barbara Anderson, who died in 2016, also pitched in. “We were similarly aligned in keeping government at bay and out of our pockets,” said Jillson, who is now the executive director of the Harvard Square Business Association.
Proponents of the ban also made hay out of press coverage of several people living in rent-controlled apartments, including a judge on the state’s Supreme Judicial Court and the prince of Denmark.
Lew Finfer, a longtime community organizer and rent control supporter, recalled in a written history, “Not a week goes by that I don’t greatly regret putting even more time into the 1994 referendum campaign that we lost.”
Finfer and other rent control supporters are quick to note that Boston, Brookline and Cambridge all voted to keep the policy as the rest of the state voted to ban it.
“I expect the absentee landlords and realtors and their organizations will spend tens of millions to defeat it,” he told me, referring to the pro-rent control measure headed to the 2026 ballot.
That would certainly amount to more than the spending in 1994. And next year, just like then, there’ll be a race for governor (Maura Healey is up for reelection) and U.S. Senate (Ed Markey has both Democratic and Republican challengers). But rent control could dominate them all, as both sides have had years to gear up for another round. We can see the signs.
Here is a history of the 1994 battle that goes into much more detail, and features Denise Jillson, who still owns that four-family in Cambridge. Do you have any memories about the Beacon Hill drama that ensued, in the era of Bill Bulger and Charlie Flaherty, right after the ballot question passed? I didn’t have room to get into it. Let me know: [email protected].
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HAPPENING TODAY
8:30 | Louis D. Brown Peace Institute and The Boston Foundation co-host a panel about what they call a “unique” homicide response protocol. Organizers say city agencies, community organizations and multi-faith leaders have built durable partnerships. | The Boston Foundation 75 Arlington St., Boston | More Info
10:00 | The MBTA Board meets. | 10 Park Plaza, Boston | More Info
1:00 | Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and Ed Augustus, secretary of Housing & Livable Communities, announce the annual Community Development Block Grant awards. The block grant program is meant to help small cities and towns address a wide variety of community development needs. | Housatonic Community Center 1064 Main St., Great Barrington
2:00 | The annual Massachusetts Gold Star Families Tree dedication ceremony is presented by Military Friends Foundation. The tree honors service members who died in the line of duty, and ornaments from loved ones will be displayed. Gov. Maura Healey and First Lady Joanna Lydgate attend. | Memorial Hall, State House, Boston
4:30 | The State House Press Association holds its annual holiday party. | Press Gallery, Room 456, State House Boston
7:00 | The MassGOP holds its annual Christmas party, featuring a straw poll for governor. The host committee includes MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale, Vice Chair Judy Crocker, National Committeeman Brad Wyatt and U.S. Senate candidate John Deaton. | West End Johnnie's, 138 Portland St., Boston
FROM BEACON HILL
TAX SHIFT LATEST: Asked about Sens. William Brownsberger and Nick Collins’ counter-proposals to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s property tax shift bill, House Speaker Ron Mariano said, “These guys pulled these bills right out of their back pocket. So I think that we need to understand what their bills do.” House Ways and Means chairman Aaron Michlewitz added that Wu’s bill also still hasn’t been released to a committee on the Senate side: "It seems that there's an ability to move quickly when there's a desire to, and unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case on the mayor's home rule." – State House News Service
CONVENTION CENTER TURMOIL: Another executive is leaving the Mass. Convention Center Authority. After CEO Marcel Vernon negotiated an exit with the quasi-public agency’s board, the top culture and diversity officer said he was leaving in solidarity with Vernon. – Boston Business Journal
DCF RULE CHANGE: State officials removed rules that require potential foster parents to support a child’s gender identity and sexual orientation. The move came after a Trump administration investigation and funding threat. – GBH News
ANTISEMITISM COMMISSION: Days after 15 people were killed in Sydney during a Hanukkah celebration, top state leaders, including Gov. Maura Healey and legislative leaders, said they would ensure the recommendations of a special commission on combating antisemitism would be implemented. – State House News Service
AARP is fighting to stop criminals from stealing over $246 million a year through cryptocurrency kiosks. Fraudulent activity targeting older Americans is on the rise. We support Senate Bill No. 707 and House Bill No. 1247, which will crack down on those who use crypto ATMs for fraudulent activity. Licensing crypto ATM operators in Massachusetts would give state officials stronger oversight and flag operators who break the rules. Learn more at aarp.org/ma.
NEWS NEXT DOOR
TAX BILL LAWSUIT: The Pioneer New England Legal Foundation filed a class-action lawsuit against the city of Boston in Suffolk Superior Court. The suit, filed on behalf of an office landlord, claims city officials retaliated through higher tax bills. – Boston Business Journal
SNAP FRAUD: Two men were arrested and accused of taking part in a scheme to fraudulently obtain roughly $7 million in SNAP benefits. More than a million people in Massachusetts receive SNAP benefits, and the state gets hundreds of millions of dollars per month from the federal government. – Boston Herald
POSSIBLE PLYMOUTH OVERRIDE: Plymouth’s town manager and members of its select board raised the possibility of a Prop. 2 ½ override and layoffs in the future due to rising health insurance costs. – Plymouth Independent
AFFORDABLE HOUSING REPORT: More affordable housing must come through keeping private market rents low in addition to the construction of new units, a new report from the Mass. Association of Community Development Corporations and the Boston Foundation. – GBH News
WHITE STADIUM LATEST: The Supreme Judicial Court added to its docket the lawsuit over Boston’s redevelopment of White Stadium, which is opposed by the nonprofit Emerald Necklace Conservancy. –Boston Globe
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