Results May Indicate Defeat of Prop 1-2-3

Not a single vote has been counted yet, but city residents yesterday were predicting an overwhelming defeat for this fall's ballot initiative known as Proposition 1-2-3.

Critics and supporters alike of 1-2-3 said that the unusually high voter turnout that hurled Vice Mayor Alice K. Wolf to the top of the City Council preliminary vote count would probably ensure the referendum's failure.

"It doesn't bode well," said 1-2-3 author Frederick R. Meyer. "It looks like we'll be back in two years."

"I think clearly the public didn't get our message," he added.

If passed, 1-2-3 would allow some tenants in rent-controlled housing to buy their apartments, which is currently prohibited. Meyer and other referendum supporters contend that this change would allow thousands of low-income city residents to own their own homes.

Critics argue, however, that the referendumwould give landlords a greater incentive to rentonly to the wealthy, driving out of the city thevery segment of the population Meyer says he wantsto protect.

Observers said yesterday that despite ahard-fought campaign, the high vote totals forWolf and other pro-tenant candidates meant thatthe referendum was in trouble.

Several speculated that high voter turnoutcaused by 1-2-3 was the primary reason for Wolf'ssuccess.

"It's a one-two connection," said Michael H.Turk of the Cambridge Tenants Union. "It broughtout the voters."

Meyer said yesterday that he only been hopingto get about 40 percent of Tuesday's vote, andthat he never believed the referendum would gainthe approximately 16,000 votes it would need topass.

"The whole idea was to shake up theelection--hopefully in a different way from theway it occured," Meyer said.

He predicted that if 1-2-3 is defeated, rentcontrol critics will turn their attention to legalchallenges in the courts.

At least five pro-rent control candidates--andpossibly six--are expected to win council seats,observers said. As a result, rent control criticswill likely be unable to change the system throughthe council.

But Wolf and several other pro-rent controlcandidates said that one of their priorities wouldbe reforming the system to respond to the needs ofsmall property owners, who have been particularlyactive in the pro-1-2-3 campaign.

"That's certainly something that I think needsto be looked at carefully," Wolf said.

Election Commissioner Sondra Scheir said thecount of 1-2-3 ballots will begin today