BUTTING HEADS

Proposition 1-2-3, a binding referendum that will appear on city ballots in next November's election, has proved one of the most divisive issues in Cambridge politics this year.

Supporters of the measure claim it will allow thousands of city residents to buy their own homes, while opponents claim the measure could devastate the city's 19-year old rent-control ordinance.

The referendum is divided into three parts:

Proposition 1 would allow tenants who have lived in rent-controlled apartments for more than two years to buy them, if the landlord is willing to sell.

Proposition 2 would exempt from rent control single-family homes and condominiums which have been lived in by their owners for more than two years.

Proposition 3 would set aside two-thirds of the tax revenues raised by the sale of rent-controlled apartments and place it in a special fund to support affordable housing.

As part of an ongoing Commentary feature, The Crimson solicited editorial pieces from city residents supporting and opposing 1-2-3.