Linda Slagle: Take a close look at progressive values in Urrutia’s campaign

To The Daily Sun, 

Voters need to take a closer look at the label “progressive” being attached to Christian Urrutia’s campaign for the CD1 seat.

Urrutia spent approximately seven years as an executive at Airbnb, including serving as director of Community Policy, during a time when communities across New Hampshire were struggling to preserve local housing in the face of exploding short-term rentals.

Here in the Lakes Region, as much as 13% of housing has been converted to short-term rentals. Nearly 90% of short-term rental hosts are absentee owners, and investors continue purchasing homes for Airbnb use while working families, seniors, and young people struggle to find places to live.

During the same period, New Hampshire towns were going to court to defend local control over short-term rentals, legislators debated preemption bills aligned with Airbnb’s national lobbying efforts, the state’s rental vacancy rate fell to an alarming 0.6%, and homelessness surged nearly 50%.

These are not abstract policy debates. They are realities that have reshaped communities throughout the Granite State.

Reasonable people can disagree about the role of short-term rentals in our economy. But voters should ask whether someone who held a senior leadership role at Airbnb during this housing crisis should automatically be celebrated as a “progressive” candidate.

Progressive values should mean standing up for stable communities, affordable housing, and the people struggling to remain in the places they call home.

Linda Slagle

Gilmanton Iron Works