For those who don’t understand how they work, “resident-owned community” co-ops are a way for people who live in manufactured-home parks to actually own and manage the parks where they live. The concept was developed by the nonprofit NH Community Loan Fund, and there are now 140 ROCs across the state.

Supporters of SB 210, which would end the spread of ROCs in NH by creating impossible voting rules, have called the NH Community Loan Fund predatory, and said it charges terribly high fees and ignores the needs and wants of residents.

Hogwash. This nonprofit group does all the legwork for residents, helps them incorporate and collect the information needed to decide whether to buy their park, and lends them the money to do so. Then it trains co-op leaders so they can successfully run their multi-million-dollar business.

This approach works, and has worked well for nearly 40 years.

Critics think a resident-owned park is somehow a bad idea because their concerns aren’t always heard. Ever live in a place owned by an out-of-state company? You think that’s better?

Vote to reject SB 210 and protect this essential program that allows people like me keep my home affordable.