Phil Sego

A friend and I were talking about Cambridge’s housing problem. Like me, he’s a proponent of increasing affordable housing. But as our conversation went on, he became increasingly frustrated with my comments about the impacts of density and growth. Finally, he blurted out, “haven’t you ever heard of the law of supply and demand?” “I hate to tell you this,” I replied , “but any marketing professional will tell you that in reality, there’s no LAW of supply and demand.” There’s been a lot written about Cambridge’s housing problems. Our stock of affordable units is being turned into expensive upscale housing at an alarming rate. Rents are spiraling upwards, and there is apparently no limit to how many units can be gobbled up by new 6-figure wage earners. Realtors and developers are ecstatic. It’s like a gold rush; any realtor who can get a seller to sign with them is guaranteed a minimum of $30,000-50,000 per home sale. Competent realtors are making $500K per year and more . ...

I used to live on Thorndike Street – just three blocks from the former Middlesex County Courthouse, and witnessed firsthand the terrible scar that was inflicted on my neighborhood. Besides the obvious and tangible issues of being horrendously out of scale, casting a shadow throughout most of the day, bringing in an absurd of amount of traffic, and creating a never-ending scofflaw parking problem, the Courthouse was seen among my neighbors as an example of how the city and state will do whatever they please - without regard for the East Cambridge community. The parking garage, which was built later was supposed to alleviate the parking problems in the neighborhood. The land it was built on was taken by eminent domain, and done so only after a long and arduous battle.   Although the garage failed to live up to 100% of the community’s expectations, it did take some of the parking pressure off of the East Cambridge residents. The original 22-story “Brutalist” concrete eyeso...

To the editor: The recent Chronicle article “ Group forms to push city-owned broadband in Cambridge ” should have been published 20 years ago, when this idea would have made sense. But not surprisingly, internet connection technology has radically changed since then. Numerous internet providers, such as Starry, are currently offering low-cost internet connections to residents and businesses in large buildings, distributed by ground-based microwave. T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint and others are in the process of rolling out 5G wireless internet, which would provide more speed than Comcast’s residential connections, and more than enough speed for the average family and small business. The largest cost in installing an internet distribution system is the street distribution lines and the pole-to-residence lines. The various 5G systems will compete head-to-head with Comcast, municipal and any wired system with a distinct advantage – they won’t have to bear the huge costs of a cable/fibe...

Cambridge has been changing rapidly during the last 10-15 years. Since the economic slowdown of the 70s, former City Manager Robert Healy's constant focus on "the bottom line" has made us comparatively quite wealthy. But with over 20,000 residents having been forced out of Cambridge, clearly something is wrong. Cambridge is a great place to live. The universities and rich culture make this city very attractive. Empty nesters have been flocking here from their suburban homes; students stay after they graduate. Its proximity to Boston, attractive cityscape, quiet neighborhoods, great restaurants, and well-funded public schools make it a really nice place to live. Add in the city’s commitment to human rights and other issues, it’s not surprising that so many people want to live here. But besides Cambridge’s superb quality of life, the one factor that has always driven people to come is JOBS. Cambridge has attracted tech, biotech, pharmaceutical research companies, of...