RIP Cushing Dolbeare, 1927-2005
Last week, a great lady died … and though her role was ‘only’ in affordable housing, even the Washington Post took note:
She remained a tireless, fair-minded voice throughout the country and on Capitol Hill for millions of Americans who had difficulty finding affordable places to live. Known for her ability to unite seemingly disparate groups, she found common ground between the financial interests of the real estate industry and the moral interests of advocates for the poor. She freely crossed party lines, forming unlikely alliances of conservatives and liberals.
History is made by individuals, and Cushing was one who helped make a better history. She understood, as so few in our business do, several principles for finding that common ground:
- Before you leap to a prescription, take time to define the problem and get other participants to agree on a definition.
- Credit the goodwill of those who disagree with you. Presume they are working for valid motives.
- Assume that their views are based on evidence they think relevant. Find out what it is.
- Recognize that no proposal is any good unless enacted. An imperfect result with political momentum is always better than a perfect result dead on arrival.
I always liked Cushing, and she always said she liked me. (I think she liked that for just under twenty years now, I’ve been doing affordable housing policy work pro bono – and always sought to speak as clearly as I could about
what you believe.)
Most importantly, Cushing persevered, and retained influence, because she understood that affordable housing, if done right, is bipartisan in that it can be justified on social grounds and on economic grounds:
· Socially, it helps families who need it.
· Economically, it helps communities.
“Throughout my career,” Ms. Dolbeare told a House subcommittee in 1995, outlining the source of her advocacy, “I have viewed housing as the basis of family, neighborhood and community life.”
Our field has lost someone special.
