I oppose the increasing pressure on our governor to issue a two-month moratorium on evictions. 

I bought my three-unit 25 years ago, using the New Neighbors program, and have been putting at least $20,000 back into the property every year for a long time. So it’s much more of a forced savings program for me. That $20,000 does not factor in my labor, which is considerable.

There are many others like me, which leads me to the question: Why should landlords be expected to take the financial brunt of the horrible things that are happening because of ICE? I could never afford a stop in rent payments. So if there is to be a moratorium on evictions, there should also be a moratorium on foreclosures on properties that have gotten behind because of non-payment in rent because of ICE activity, no?

Also, when people know they don’t have to pay bills because there’s a moratorium on consequences, people suddenly drop that obligation to the bottom of the list. I do this myself. CMP, for example, is last on my list of bills to pay during the winter when shut-offs are prohibited. This is human nature, especially when people have such limited means. So a statewide moratorium on evictions would likely create trouble for landlords where there might not have been trouble prior to such a drastic action.

Is there any room for small landlords who work their butts off and who have integrity in Portland, I wonder?

Mary Lou Wendell
Peaks Island