A trade association for homeowners in Massachusetts is in a legal battle with the City of Boston over public records. The association says the mayor avoided the situation to hide illegal lobbying from housing advocates that influenced his stalled rent control plan.

Douglas Quattrochi, general manager of MassLandlords, Inc., which filed a lawsuit against the City of Boston in Suffolk Superior Court last year, claimed in his statement on August 7 that the city failed to present 10 documents he believed existed regarding the formation of this law. the city’s Rent Stabilization Advisory Committee.

“I find that the combined response is primarily off-topic, missing documents that I believe exist, missing another document that I know exists, maliciously designed to conceal illegal lobbying, developer interests, and donor influence,” Quattrochi said. He wrote in his affidavit that he opposed rent control.

“I believe Boston’s delayed and incomplete responses are consistent with its desire to shield from scrutiny some public officials, particularly the mayor, and unregistered lobbyists who unlawfully advance private interests at the expense of the public,” he added.

A first hearing is set for 2018 in the case involving MassLandlords’ request that the court examine the City of Boston’s email systems for the record Quattrochi said he knew existed because it related to a rent control-related email he sent to Mayor Michelle Wu . next Friday in Suffolk Superior Court.

If that document emerges, MassLandlords’ motion asks the city to take subsequent action to facilitate the trade group’s controlled access to audit city information systems for other documents related to the records request.

The mayor’s office on Friday deferred comment until the city’s final court filing on Oct. 4; “It specifically states in the first paragraph that the city has submitted all responsive records and that the case is moot.”

Rent Stabilization Advisory Committee recommendation “formed the basis of house rules bill” establish some form of rent control Quattrochi wrote that the mayor submitted it to the City Council for presentation to the Legislature on February 13, 2023.

The committee includes mayor-appointed representatives from tenant advocacy groups focused on rental assistance and eviction protection, politically connected developers and unions, and individuals without “clearly relevant expertise,” it says.

“The policy developed by RSAC was drafted without input from its host organizations,” Quattrochi wrote. “It strongly reflects the interests of the developer. He prefers the well-connected rather than the well-informed. It favors donors over non-donors. It rewards lobbyists even when activities are not legally reported.

“The mayor benefited politically from this corruption. The city’s response supports the mayor’s corrupt purpose,” the court filing states.

Quattrochi’s affidavit cites records from the state’s Office of Campaign and Political Finance that “suggest undue influence was the reason for the appointment.” He wrote that 17 of the committee appointees were previously personal donors in political races in Boston, donating an average of $10,462 per appointee before Feb. 17, 2023.

“In my professional opinion and personal experience in Massachusetts, this is not representative of the average person affected by or involved in the housing crisis, who donates little or no donations,” Quattrochi wrote.

His affidavit also cites “illegal” lobbying that he says was done by three housing groups represented on the committee: City Life Vida Urbana, the Hyams Foundation and the Boston Tenants Coalition, which Quattrochi claims should have been exposed based on its scope. This led him to believe that the city’s incomplete response was “designed to conceal illegal activity.”

Under state law, individuals appointed to the Rent Stabilization Advisory Committee would be “legislative or executive” if they had contacted the city regarding rent control as part of their normal activities as salaried employees or contractors for any agency. act of enabling,” he wrote.

Quattrochi’s filing states that representatives of organizations and individual committees have failed to register as lobbyists with the Commonwealth Secretary, and attachments show blank search requests on his state website.