I want to commend professor Orlando E. Delogu for his thoughtful and thorough column about the short-term rental market in Portland (Maine Voices, Aug. 27).

I, for one, am totally in agreement with his premise that Portland will suffer in the long run from the lack of policymaking by the City Council about this issue. The time to act is now, as Delogu points out. Other cities have done so – South Portland, our neighbor, for one.

Our family has lived in Portland for over 40 years, so I lament the change in the character of our beloved city that these changes will bring. If the owners of these properties truly cared about the city instead of financial gain, would they persist in this wrong-headed behavior? What if it were their neighborhood bothered by guests coming and going, parties, trash on the lawns, etc.? Would they still think it a good investment? Probably not.

City Council, the ball is in your court. Please take up this issue in your next session.

Linda Rogoff

Portland