1-2-3 Backers Won't Hire Temps

Responding to sharp criticism from their opponents, supporters of the ballot referendum Proposition 1-2-3 said yesterday they are not hiring temporary canvassers to campaign on Election Day next week.

Landlord Alex M. Steinbergh of the pro-1-2-3 Cambridge Homeowners Association (CHOA) branded as "totally untrue" a statement by referendum opponents that his organization placed an advertisement seeking campaign temps that appeared in last week's Boston Phoenix.

"The bottom line is no," said Steinbergh. "We're not hiring temporary workers."

Opponents of Proposition 1-2-3--which would drastically change the city's rent control system by allowing some tenants in rent controlled unites to buy their apartments--severely criticized CHOA last year for using temps to collect the signatures needed to put the measure on the ballot.

And Victoria J. Lewis of the Committee to Defeat 1-2-3 said she was concerned that the Phoenix advertisement indicated a similar effort.

The quarter-page ad said the Boston temp agency Personnel Pool had 50 openings for temporary work on election day. It did not specifically mention Cambridge, CHOA or Proposition 1-2-3.

Julie A. Aasen, manager of Personnel Pool, said she placed the ad, but added that she was not filling any places for CHOA or 1-2-3 author Frederick R. Meyer.

"I'm not doing anything for Proposition 1-2-3," she said.

A statement released yesterday by the committee claimed that CHOA "sponsored" the Phoenix ad. Lewis said yesterday that she believed a pro-1-2-3 group was responsible, although it might not have been CHOA.

And at last night's City Council meeting, Councillor David E. Sullivan introduced an order saying that the ad "strongly suggests that supporters of Proposition 1-2-3 are again planning to import out of town mercenaries to deceive Cambridge voters at the polls."

Such a practice would "pollute the electoral process with large amounts of money," Sullivan said.

Officials at several other temp services in the Boston and Cambridge area--many of whom CHOA used in last year's election--said they had not been contacted by CHOA or other 1-2-3 proponents.

But Aasen said it is not unusual for political organizations to hire temporary staffers.

"They always use tons of temps before Election Day," said Aasen. "Every service in town does it."

Lewis, however, said she has not seen other campaigns hire temporary staff.

"To say that it is a common practice--it certainly isn't a common practice in the campaigns I've worked in," said Lewis.

Steinbergh and Meyer said they saw nothing wrong with hiring temps, but added that such a practice is unnecessary this year.

"I think there's going to be enough volunteers," said Meyer, who is not a member of CHOA.

But Lewis said she believed that hiring temps hinders the electoral process.

"If a campaign has the support of the community, they don't have to spend big bucks to hire temps," said Lewis. "We don't have to hire anyone and we have hundreds of volunteers."