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Above, Jeff Roy and Charles Bailey.
Long-time Franklin-Medway State Rep. Jeff Roy, who is from Franklin and challenger, Charles Bailey, also from Franklin, agreed to an in-person debate, which was conducted at the Medway Middle School, on Tuesday, Oct. 8, sponsored jointly by the Democrat and Republican
Town Committees. The full debate can be viewed on Medway Cablechannel and in Franklin on Verizon 29 and Comcast 9. In addition, it can be streamed from the Medway Cable Facebook Page and Franklin’s All Access TV on Youtube.
In addition, both candidates agreed to participate in a debate -- responding to questions suggested by Observer readers -- in writing, in the Observer. One question and the candidate's respective responses will be published for a total of seven weeks leading up to the election. The sequence of responses will be altered each week (e.g. Roy first then Bailey first and vice versa).
#7 - What can or should be done to provide housing for seniors that is actually affordable (as opposed to 55+ housing that still requires a robust middle- to upper-middle class income)?
CHARLES BAILEY
The senior population in Franklin and Medway has been increasing considerably each year and many are being priced out of their homes because of the reckless spending and radical policy of our state legislators. The senior citizens in Franklin and Medway face various financial struggles, including the rising cost of living, healthcare expenses, and property taxes. Addressing these issues requires a comprehensive and consistent plan that ensures all available resources are accessible to every resident.
I would advocate for increasing the number of supportive housing locations that combine affordable housing with on-site services and offer programs to help seniors with home repairs and modifications to improve safety and accessibility. A one-story ranch style home of approximately 1,000 sq/ft is more realistic than some of the large lucrative developments that are currently being constructed or proposed. Most seniors are looking to downsize and purchase something within their budget.
The Franklin Ridge project will be a good start to increase the number of affordable units. The town transferred approximately 17 acres of land that is located behind Franklin High School to the Franklin Municipal Affordable Housing Trust. Franklin stands to receive about $13 million dollars in state and federal funding for this project. However, there are some logistical and infrastructure issues with this location such as the need to create a water booster pumping station and the final costs to taxpayers have yet to be determined.
On August 6, 2024, Gov Healey signed into law a $5.16 billion housing bond bill. The bill is three times greater than the one that was passed in 2018, but does it accomplish the goal of providing affordable housing? Maintaining, updating and improving public housing, which represents about 1% of the state population is allocated $2 billion of this amount. I agree that public housing should be safe and well maintained but would the money be better spent on initiatives involving the private sector.
We need to stay focused on the #1 priority which is affordability. This bill also includes a myriad of other wish list items that don’t keep costs down, such as $275 million in innovative, sustainable and green housing initiatives.
This bill has some components to it that will help mitigate the current affordable housing crisis for seniors. The Accessible Dwelling units (ADUs) allow a small home (around 900 sq/ft) to be built on the property of a single-family home without imposing zoning requirements. The homes built would still be subject to local ordinances which include costly newly imposed energy initiatives.
Construction costs have risen significantly since Covid. Repurposing existing structures (i.e. Davis Thayer school) or converting single family homes into multi-family homes may provide a quicker and more affordable option.
To learn more about my thoughts to improve the quality of life for our seniors please visit:
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I’d like to take this time to thank the Franklin Observer for hosting this ‘Debate in Print’ thus giving my opponent and I an opportunity to present our views on these various issues. Thank you all for taking the time to send in your questions and for following along these past few months. Our positions on the issues that matter to you should be much clearer now. I find it is fitting to end with a question concerning our seniors. I continue to be inspired by their sacrifices and contributions to this great nation. For this I will be forever grateful. I humbly ask for your vote this Tuesday and look forward to seeing everyone at the polls.
Sincerely, Chuck Bailey.
JEFF ROY
Out of concern that his comments had been altered by removal of a graphic in a previous posting, Rep Roy has instead provided a link to his answer to Question 7 on his web site (below) and also asked that the editor acknowledge his own support for Mr. Bailey.
In fact, I the editor, Alan Earls, as an individual, contributed $150 to Mr. Bailey’s campaign. Furthermore, I am the former chair of the Franklin Republican Town Committee and currently serve as the clerk/secretary. This is and has been an open secret. Many people in Franklin are aware of my political affiliation and I am happy to discuss that with anyone. I also always work to deliver balanced coverage of news in Franklin and Medway. No one, that I am aware of, has asked for a political disclosure of anyone else in the local news media, let alone at the state of national level. Perhaps it is time to make this practice universal.
Rep Roy's Responses on Question 7 can now be found at the link, below:
https://jeffreyroy.com/2024/10/30/franklin-observer-online-debate-question-7-housing-for-seniors/
ED NOTE: A sincere thanks to both candidates for taking the time to deliver these thoughtful responses over the last seven weeks! -- Alan Earls
