Thompson says this bill is necessary to make certain that people of diverse economic backgrounds can live in the city.

Thompson is currently trying to get the bill to the legislative floor.

Cape Bill: A Death Blow?

After the failure of the Cape land bank proposal, State Rep. Eric Turkington (D-Falmouth), the sponsor of the bill, is pessimistic about another real-estate tax bill--for the Cape or for any other part of the state--passing any time soon.

"It will hurt [the Community Preservation Act], no question," Turkington says.

Although some are more emphatic than others, Cambridge representatives say the recent Cape vote will affect issues on their agenda.

Kathleen L. Born, a Cambridge city councillor and a proponent of taxes on real estate for low-income housing, groans when she thinks about how the fate of the Cape Cod bill will affect her housing agenda.

"Let's put it this way, it's bound not to look good. There was a wide groundswell of support [in the Cape], but it obviously wasn't enough," Born says. "It's not encouraging."

However, State Rep. Alice Wolf (D-Cambridge), a supporter of real estate taxes, says real estate tax bills in general are "uphill battles."

Wolf is currently shepherding a nontransfer tax alternative bill through the state legislature.

Thompson tries to maintain an optimistic demeanor, arguing that the failure of the Cape bill will actually give more incentive to Cantabrigians to pass his measure.

Referring to the Cape failure as a landlord-versus-tenant issue, Thompson says that unlike the Cape, Cambridge has many tenants--voters who are sure to support the transfer tax.

"If the advertising is right, we can win the vote on referendum," he says.

The Root of The Problem

Margo Fenn of the Cape Cod Commission says that the problem is not actually about the issue of open space.