THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2021 Page 17 1. On Dec. 10, 1830, poet Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Mass.; where did she attend college? 2. The fi rst-known written mention of “pigs in blankets” was in a Betty Crocker children’s cookbook in what year: 1921, 1945 or 1957? 3. How many ghosts are in “A Christmas Carol”? 4. In “computerese” what does SMTP stand for? 5. On Dec. 11, 1769, Venetian blinds were patented in what country: England, Italy or the United States? 6. In what United Kingdom language with many words describing snow would you find “skelf” (a large snowfl ake) and “spitters” (small drops of driving snow)? 7. On Dec. 12, 1917, in Nebraska, Father Edward Flanagan founded Boys Town for wayward boys; in what year did it start accepting girls: 1918, 1960 or 1978? 8. Do both male and female mosquitoes bite? 9. Omicron is the 15th letter of what alphabet? 10. How are ostriches, emus and kiwis similar? 11. December 13 is National Cocoa Day; in 1765 Answers chocolate manufacturing – using West Indian cocoa beans – in the American Colonies began in what Massachusetts city? 12. How are “Death Valley Days,” “General Electric Theater” and the 1959 Tournament of Roses parade similar? 13. What Christmas movie/song character “stink, stank, stunk”? 14. On Dec. 14, 1542, after her father died, Princess Mary Stuart became Queen of Scots at what age: one week, four years or 16 years? 15. How are “Becoming,” “Where the Light Enters” and “Spoken from the Heart” similar? 16. December 15 is Bill of Rights Day; how many constitutional amendments are in the Bill of Rights: fi ve, 10 or 27? 17. What two animals are used to hunt truffl es? 18. What color is in an Elvis Christmas song title? 19. What is the name of the mountain range that goes through Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia? 20. On Dec. 17, 1917, Sir Arthur Charles Clarke was born, who cowrote the screenplay for what 1968 sci-fi fi lm? State Senate candidate Lydia Edwards used improper mortgage to purchase Chelsea home; spent money on East Boston home renovations By James Mitchell A n Advocate Newspaper investigation has found that Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards, a candidate for State Senate, utilized an improper, federal residential mortgage to purchase investment property in Chelsea, Massachusetts, in 2015. In the lead up to Edwards’s investment acquisition and over the course of her ownership of the multi-unit property, at least five tenants were evicted, the property’s rents increased by nearly 40%, and Edwards as landlord faced multiple municipal citations for blight and poor waste disposal on the property. The Advocate’s investigation, based on registry records, court records, Chelsea rent data, and campaign finance reports, reveals that Edwards’s tenure as a landlord did not always align with her public stances on housing and tenant matters. From mid-2016 to January of 2018, Edwards served as the First Deputy Director of Boston’s Offi ce of Housing Stability. She left the position to serve as the District 1 City Councilor on the Boston City Council, representing East Boston, Charlestown, and the North End. On the Council, she has advocated for tenant rights and more aff ordable rents. She has similarly made housing the centerpiece of her campaign for State Senate. Despite her public positioning, disclosures filed with the Offi ce of Campaign and Political Finance suggests that Edwards’ contributions from major Boston developers are far more extensive than she has publicly acknowledged. Among her significant contributors are Thomas O’Brien, and others from HYM, which controls the large Suffolk Downs development in Revere and East Boston. Edward P. Champy, III, a contractor with Waypoint Development, LLC, and Jacob Citrin, the Miamibased CEO of Cargo Ventures. Citrin and Turnbull develop commercial and industrial facilities that often compete with aff ordable housing providers over fi - nite land in East Boston, Chelsea, and surrounding cities. Use of Improper Federal Mortgage Records on fi le at the Suff olk County Registry of Deeds show that, on August 15, 2015, Edwards purchased a three-family dwelling at 63 Marlborough Street in Chelsea for $549,900. In connection with that purchase, Edwards, as the sole borrower, applied for and received a fedPictured above is 63 Marlborough St. multi-family in Chelsea purchased in 2015 for $549,900 by Lydia Edwards thanks to a FHA 203(k) Rehabilitation Loan which requires the applicant to take up residence. (Advocate staff photo) erally insured mortgage, known as an FHA 203(k) Rehabilitation Loan, in the amount of $555,364. According to HUD, an FHA 203(k) loan is only available to purchasers of 1 to 4 family homes who may use a portion of the loan to make immediate repairs. The program, which does not require high credit scores, also provides better interest rates to borrowers than conventional business loans that are normally used for investment properties. However, loans under the 203(k) program are not available to those looking to purchase property solely for investment purposes because of strict FHA guidelines requiring owner occupancy. According to the HUD guidelines, “FHA security instruments require a borrower to establish bona fide occupancy in a home as the borrower’s principal residence within 60 days of signing the security instrument, with continued occupancy for at least one year.” Such a requirement was included in the FHA 203(k) loan that Edwards signed in 2015. HUD makes clear that “under no circumstances may investors use the exceptions to circumvent FHA’s ban on loans to private investors and acquire rental properties through purportedly purchasing ‘principal residences.’” At the time of the Chelsea investment purchase, however, Edwards, who is also an attorney, lived at 186 London Street in East Boston, another multifamily property she purchased in 2008 also through an FHA 203(k) loan. Her voter enrollment certifi cate, fi led with her state nomination papers for the May 2016 special election to replace then resigning Senator Anthony Petruccelli, listed her address as 186 London Street in East Boston. The date of Edwards’s fi ling was less than one year from the date of her purchase of the Chelsea property, meaning that Edwards was not complying with the requirement of her FHA 203(k) loan that she principally live at the Chelsea property for at least one year. According to voting records, Edwards has voted from the East Boston address in every election since 2008. There is no evidence that Edwards has ever registered to vote in Chelsea after purchasing real estate there. Additional evidence establishes that Edwards never lived at the Chelsea property. Edwards never declared the Chelsea property a homestead nor did she apply for an owner-occupied tax exemption from the City of Chelsea, whereas she attained both for her East Boston property. Homesteads and residential real estate tax exemptions are common for properties that are principally owner occupied. Evictions, Rent Hikes, Fines & Profi t In addition to the allegedly improper mortgage, Edwards’s acquisition and ownership of the Chelsea investment property immediately followed the eviction of at least fi ve tenants. Soon after, proposed rent hikes of nearly 40% and multiple municipal citations for blight and poor waste disposal on the property. When the Chelsea property was publicly listed for sale on April 28th , 2015, prior to Edwards’s purchase, the MLS Listing sheet stated that there were existing tenants living in Units 1 and 2. Over the next two months, fi ve tenants were evicted from the property. Just sixteen days INVESTIGATION | SEE Page 20 1. Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, which became Mount Holyoke College 2. 1957 3. Four: Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. 4. Simple Mail Transport Protocol 5. England 6. Scottish 7. 1978 8. Only the females do. 9. Greek 10. They are fl ightless birds. 11. Dorchester 12. Ronald Reagan acted as host for all of them. 13. Mr. Grinch 14. One week 15. They are books by First Ladies: Michelle Obama, Jill Biden and Laura Bush. 16. 10 17. Dogs and pigs 18. Blue – “Blue Christmas” 19. The Atlas mountains 20. “2001: A Space Odyssey”
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