Barber Eliminated From Council Slate Of Convention '75

The Cambridge Convention '75, after a reconsideration balloting, decided Monday not to endorse Denis Barber '60 as a candidate for the city council, because of Barber's position on rent control.

At the Cambridge Convention held last month, Cambridge residents nominated Barber and nine other reform city council candidates on a slate which strongly supported the retention of Cambridge's rent control laws.

After the convention, however, Barber declined to sign a convention statement binding candidates to support of rent control if elected to the council.

Convention steering committee representatives also allege that Barber changed his stance on rent control from the position he stated at the convention.

Barber yesterday called the convention decision to reconsider his vote "sad" and unnecessary because he said he "agreed with many of their platforms."

Three hundred residents participated in the reform convention held May 10 at Rindge Tech to endorse candidates for fall city council and school committee elections.

But he added, "Rent control is on the long term bad for the social and economic welfare of the city."

Barber said, "Short-term rent control is necessary for the time being, because you cannot undo it right away."

Rent control reduces a landlord's income on rental properties that are taxable, and discourages middle income families from offering rental space in their homes by imposing increased tax pressure on single-family homes, Barber said.

He said that members of the conventions steering committee have misread his original platform statement if they have concluded that he changed his position since the convention.

David E. Sullivan, co-chairman of the steering committee, said yesterday that Barbar's position on rent control is a clear contradiction to the convention's principles.

Reconsideration

He said that it "was very clear Barber could not support the convention's call on rent control" and that the convention therefore had to reconsider him.

He called the Barber incident "unfortunately necessary."

Barber said yesterday that he intends to speak at the city council next week on decontrolling rents on vacant homes in Cambridge.

The city council last Monday night invited Barber to speak at next week's city council meeting