“It is unacceptable that taxpayer dollars are being used to sue our towns while those same towns are forced to use taxpayer funds to defend themselves,” said State Rep. Kenneth Sweezey, a Duxbury Republican. “This amounts to punishment, not support.”
Attorney General Andrea Campbell filed a lawsuit last week against nine towns that were out of compliance with the 2021 MBTA Communities Law. The law required communities to create compliant zoning districts to boost housing near MBTA stations by July 14, 2025, and 165 out of 177 communities have met the mandate so far.
The towns of Dracut, East Bridgewater, Halifax, Holden, Marblehead, Middleton, Tewksbury, Wilmington and Winthrop were named in Campbell’s lawsuit.
In a letter to constituents on why she filed the lawsuit Friday, Campbell said the law follows the “guiding principle that people should be able to afford to live near the communities they work in.”
“This lawsuit is not a silver bullet for this important issue, but it is a step toward ensuring everyone in Massachusetts has the chance to build generational wealth, families can remain rooted in their communities, and small businesses can grow and create more jobs,” Campbell said.
Campbell previously cited state data showing the law has triggered the creation of over 7,000 homes in 34 communities.
Sweezey and State Rep. Alyson Sullivan-Almeida of Abington issued a statement criticizing the governor’s administration for “punishing local communities, by forcing residents to pay the legal fees for both sides of the issue, instead of trying to work collaboratively.”
“We stand firmly with the residents and local officials in East Bridgewater, Halifax, and every other community impacted by these enforcement actions,” said Sullivan-Almeida. “These communities deserve support and a seat at the table, not legal threats.”
The representatives said they would “continue to oppose punitive, unilateral enforcement efforts that ignore local realities.”
Several local leaders spoke about the lawsuit Thursday, calling the measure “expected” and noting procedural barriers to coming into compliance.
Republic gubernatorial candidate Mike Kennealy also issued a statement on the lawsuit, opposing the legal action as “absolutely unacceptable” as well as taking aim at his fellow Republican opponent Brian Shortsleeve, who he called “one of AG Campbell’s top donors.”“State government railroading municipalities while simultaneously underfunding them is absolutely ridiculous and not the way we do things in Massachusetts,” said Kennealy. “The Attorney General and Governor Healey have completely weaponized the MBTA Communities Act against our cities and towns. … When I’m Governor, the threats and lawsuits end.”
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