Rochester, N.Y. — Rochester City Councilmember Mary Lupien said her fear for the future of Rochester’s housing market is what led to her confronting Vice President JD Vance during a conference Monday in Washington, D.C.
While Vance was speaking at the Congressional Cities Conference of the National League of Cities, he was interrupted by several people, including Lupien, as he spoke on the nation’s housing crisis.
MORE: Lupien clashes with Vice President JD Vance over housing crisis at DC conference
Vance responded by encouraging representatives to come to the administration with their issues.
In an interview Tuesday with 13WHAM, Lupien explained why she spoke up.
“We have to resist,” she said. “We can’t just sit back and let this happen to our country. We’re watching our democracy fall apart.”
Lupien said most agree the cost of housing is skyrocketing and availability is limited, but the cause of the issue is where she and Vance disagree.
“The reality is we’re competing against billionaires for housing,” Lupien said. “Corporations that are coming to our communities buying up our single-family homes and then renting them out, so that our communities, in their vision, no one will be able to own. I’m very afraid for that future, and that’s what motivated me to speak out.”
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