Thank you, WFP, for your excellent article of January 8 (“Fact Check: Claims About MBTA Misrepresent State Law and Holden’s Role”) explaining that the MBTA law requires ZONING, not construction. Nothing is required to be built, and nothing may ever BE built, contrary to a hysterical letter bewailing the burden on town services if we suddenly have 750 new housing units. That will not happen now, soon, or probably ever! All that will happen is that we will avoid the loss of state grants and a state takeover of our zoning process. 

I only wish our town manager and Select Board Renzoni would provide factual information and rational leadership on this issue. Instead, they spend money on fruitless lawsuits and fan the flames of fear and distrust with misinformation. 

– Robin Van Liew, Holden

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Reading your article, “Fact Check: Claims About MBTA Misrepresent State Law and Holden’s Role” seems like watching a preschooler rationalize barely acceptable behavior. The fact checks are correct but leave out the result.

If the MBTA zoning law is passed in Holden, will a thinking person believe a developer won’t purchase the zone to build? Then a flood will be released.

The result will force town tax increases to pay for town water and sewer expansion; school construction; additional teachers, town workers; and street expansion.

Consider, also, all of the increased traffic. For existing Holden taxpayers/residents, how is this good?

– Edward Baxter, Jefferson

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The WFP issue of 1/8/26 contains a “fact check” about our site. No one from the Holden Republican Town Committee was contacted. 

1. The MBTACA mandates zoning changes, not construction.

This is a half-truth. It does not “force” construction. However, 177 communities were mandated to zone for this. Why? Because the Commonwealth claims to have a housing shortage. Zoning alone cannot help.

2. Our website said property taxes would increase “up to” $1400 a year. Your op-ed says the law does “not require” tax increases. That’s misleading. Implementing the law will cause taxes to go up because more services will be needed, likely higher than $1400.

3. You say compliance involves hearings, reviews, and a Town Meeting vote. However, after that, public input is done. We can’t complain about its implementation. That’s what we meant by “eliminating public input.” You then mention the Working Group. They were mostly Democrats appointed by Democrats to implement a law written by Democrats. The “public” meetings were often on Zoom with no comment allowed.

Irony: the Party claiming to fight for “our democracy” is pulling out all the stops here to subvert “our democracy.” Last May, we had a vote on implementing the MBTACA at Town Meeting. It was defeated. The AG rattled her saber and we have to vote again, albeit with different parameters. If it fails, the State will threaten again . . . and again. That seems more like blackmail than democracy.

4. How about a “loss of State funding?” The way the law was written we would not be eligible for some grants. However, the particular grants we would lose out on would amount to less than $20,000 a year. 

5. Full implementation would grow the population by 10% or more. The so-called “Working Group” claims the new folks moving in won’t have cars. If the new folks do have cars, the Group theorizes they won’t use Main Street! Furthermore, the Group claims there will be no more than 0.19 children per new unit of housing. How did they get that? By comparing Holden with Winthrop. The comparison of these two towns is a farce. Winthrop has a fraction of the land Holden has; Winthrop is far more dense, population-wise. 

6. Is the MBTACA “good” for Holden? If the MBTACA is implemented in Holden, we get more traffic, more density, and more tax burden. There is no “good” for Holden whatsoever. 

7. Our biggest objection is this: Holden has no business being an “adjacent community.” We receive no MBTA services. I suspect a tiny percentage of Holden residents work in Boston. The reality is that taking public transportation to Boston from Holden would probably make for a 13 to 14 hour work day, including commute. 

Sadly, your “fact check” misrepresents State Law and Holden’s role. Our Committee has held a forum on this matter with Selectman Renzoni (U). We are also holding one with Selectman Faulkner (D) on 1/29. We believe voters need to be informed on this issue. 

Thank you,

– Steve Cooley

Chair, Holden Republican Town Committee

The Wachusett Free Press stands behind its reporter and the article that was printed in the January 8 issue. We encourage everyone to research the subject from primary sources. We thank Mr. Cooley for his comments.

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