SPOA Protests Rent Confusion

Members of the Small Property Owners Association (SPOA) aired their frustration over confusion in Cambridge's rules for classifying rent-controlled apartments at a City council meeting last night.

SPOA members, who at one point shouted down Independent Councillor Thomas W. Danehy, said that the city's system for classifying rent-controlled apartments is inconsistent. And they added that city agencies have not corrected the problems in evaluating units since the group began picketing council meetings several months ago.

According to SPOA, the Rent Control Board, the Board of Zoning Appeal and the Inspectional Services Department rely on inconsistent standards and have on occasion ranked the same building as containing both four units and three units. As a result, landlords are generally forced to pay more when doing repairs.

Although the city has held four hearings on the matter since September, landowners said they remained dissatisfied.

Councillors and SPOA representatives agreed that a report submitted last night by City Manager Robert W. Healy merely outlines current procedures, providing no solutions to the debate.

"What we had asked the city manager to do was to draw up a list of policy options for the council," said Francis, H. Duehay '55. But he said he was disappointed that Healy's report failed to make such suggestions.

After a short recess, Mayor Alfred E. Vellucci proposed an order to correct the differences in past evaluations by exempting certain property owners from rent control.

Several councillors spoke against the proposal, but it was passed by a vote of 5-2 to be reconsidered by the council next week.

"The motion as phrased might very well take into account a very large number of units," Duehay said in an interview. He and Councillor David E. Sullivan called the order too broad because it would apply to an unlimited number of units.

Sullivan also charter-righted an order about the language of rent control legislation and a home-rule petition to the Senate and House of Representatives.

Tree-Haters in Freedom Square

In other business, the council voted to order the Public Works Department to "erect a sign in front of the Harvard Lampoon that reads 'Freedom Square' as per council order of 1960, and to protect the Freedom Tree in front of the same building."

The tree, located in front of the Lampoon castle on Bow St., was attacked several weeks ago by unknown vandals for the fourth time in several years.

"Somebody's messing around with our tree up there," said Vellucci, who proposed the order. "They have tree-haters up there at Harvard."

Lampoon Narthex Tyler E. Chapman '90 said the sign was "actually better than some of things he has proposed in the past," referring to plans to turn the semi-secret society into a public urinal or homeless shelter.

"We have five addresses, and one of them is Zero Freedom Square," he added.

PBHA Recognized

On a more concilliatory note, council members commended the Committee on the Homeless of the Phillips Brooks House Association, which for the eighth consecutive year has organized the Homeless Winter Shelter in the basement of the University-Lutheran Church.

And in a lull in the discussion over rent control, Danehy asked Healy to confirm or deny the truth of a rumor that the city manager would be selected as Harvard's next president.

"The job hasn't been offered," Healy said. But even if a bid were made, the city clerk informed the council, a municipal ordinance would preclude him from accepting such a position for a period of two years after leaving city government.