Yesterday, the Massachusetts House of Rep- resentatives overwhelmingly passed home rule petitions from Cambridge, Boston and Brook line.
Cambridge Vice Mayor Sheila T. Russell said last night that the petition will continue to work its very through the state legislature. "The petitions need to be approved by the Senate and Governor William F. Weld '66.
"It's already over there," Russell said. "It would be up to the Senate to decide that issue."
Myers said he voted "present," rather than "yes," on the home rule petition in anticipation of legal challenges to Question9.
"I wanted to reserve judgement on the petition in light of the fact that there were some withstanding legal questions," he said. ("What happens if the referendum is set aside or affected in some way [is that]the city would be left without [its original] rent control laws.")
But Russell said she believes the Cambridge home rule petition contains a clause that would invalidate its own provisions if Question 9 were overturned.
Despite the restraining order, the Cambridge Tenants' Union will continue to circulate a referendum petition seeking to repeal the city council's home rule petition, said Bryle Breny, a tenant and rent control advocate.
"A local group is going to circulate a referendum petition on the vote of the city council when they passed this home rule petition," she said. "That means the legislature would not have a request from the city to pass this new terrible bill that's not even a compromise but a cop-out."
In addition to the rent control proposal, the four other measures blocked by zobel include Question 3, which allows a check box for voluntary contributions, on student term bills; Question 4, the "term limits" measure; Question 5, which repeals the state's "Blue Laws"; and Question 8, which would require the legislature to spent gasoline tax revenues on highway repair and construction.
Associated Press wire reports were used in this story.