Independent Politics

Once registered as an independent, King switched his registration to Democrat so that he could vote for Gore in last year’s presidential primary.

As a management major who graduated in 1992 from Boston University (BU), many of King’s concerns are fiscal. His alma mater’s assistant director in development and alumni relations, King frequently refers to his unique financial background in candidate forums.

“I’m very concerned about our economy,” King says.

Although Cambridge is generally considered to be in good financial shape—boasting a triple A bond-rating, the highest available— its financial future is less than assured, King says, although it might look strong.

“So did the United States 6-7 months ago—we were fighting over what to do with the surplus,” King says. “I’m concerned about the lax approach to our financial future in Cambridge.”

King says he never favored rent control, which was a hot-button issue in Cambridge until a statewide resolution in 1994 ended the city’s system which limited the rent landlords could charge.

Nevertheless, King sought and won the endorsement of the Cambridge Civic Association—the local party whose heart issue was once rent control—because he agrees with the party on issues such as preserving open space and the importance of reserving some land for new housing.

“I’m not a Republican or anything,” King says.

King has opposed rent control since his childhood, he says.

“I saw what my parents had to go through to buy their house,” King says. “My mom worked two jobs, my father worked two jobs, they saved, saved, saved saved. And they kind of bought a fixer-upper.”

Rent control didn’t always benefit those who needed the financial boost, King says.

“There were a lot of affluent people living in rent-controlled apartments,” King says.

What King would support, he says, is a plan to have the city help people buy houses.

“Cambridge can guarantee loans above and beyond what the bank can,” King says.