Winthrop housing law opposition sparks messy recall battle
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A grassroots revolt against the law meant to increase housing density in Massachusetts suburbs has triggered a chaotic recall effort against a town councilor in Winthrop.
Why it matters: The effort to oust Councilor Max Tassinari shows the deep local resistance to state-mandated zoning changes that would allow for taller buildings, more units and denser housing in communities connected to the MBTA.
- Winthrop's a test case for grassroots resistance to density requirements.
Driving the news: Residents mobilized against Tassinari over his vote in favor of complying with the state's MBTA Communities law, which requires cities and towns to allow multifamily housing in single-family neighborhoods.
- A recall committee collected 1,994 certified signatures to boot Tassinari from office.
- Tassinari also faces claims that he had a conflict of interest over the zoning issue.
Winthrop's town clerk initially rejected the petition, saying it didn't meet the 20% threshold of voters needed to advance.
- The legal fight centers on whether "20% of voters" means all registered voters (which would be 2,863) or only recent election participants (822).
- The town's Board of Registrars overruled the clerk 3-1, and there's now an emergency court petition in play to force the recall question onto the November ballot.
The intrigue: State election officials repeatedly warned the Registrars they lacked the authority to override the town clerk.
- It's all created a jurisdictional mess that's now headed to the state's top court.
The big picture: The law was a fundamental shift away from local control of zoning that's sparked fierce opposition in suburban communities statewide.