"A registered nurse came close to losing her $1,550-a-month apartment on the Upper East Side after being let go from two jobs in three months. A woman found herself dipping into a 401(k) to keep her $3,375 unit in Peter Cooper Village after her husband was laid off in February from his six-figure marketing job. A father of two with an M.B.A. and a law degree owed $5,400 in back rent in Stuyvesant Town after he struggled to find steady work and lent money to his wife's family".Once 'Very Good Rent Payers' Now Facing Eviction [NYT]
I feel sorry for all those people losing their apartments. And we're all at risk unless we happen to have a huge emergency fund or parents with money. I bet TS would love to see some RS tenants having to bail.
Perhaps our legislators in Albany will use
this as a sign that rent laws need to be
changed. There is no opportunity for middle
class rentors here in Manhattan.
2 MR tenants in my building received eviction notices thisweek
That's not how it works.
Sob stories alone will do nothing. We have to get mad about these stories and make the legislature pass it. The Assembly already has. The Dem-controlled (barely) Senate hasn't. With all the $$$ being spent in Albany by the landlord lobby, the only thing that's gonna make wavering State Senators see the light regarding passing pro-tenant legislation is that if they don't, they think they'll lose their seats.
Who to call to demand rent reform:
Tom Duane's district office is (212) 633-8052. His Albany office is (518) 455-2451. His email address is: duane@senate.state.ny.us Tell him that the Senate needs to pass rent reform now.
Gov Paterson phone: (518) 474-8390. You can access his email here: http://www.ny.gov/governor/contact/index.html Tell him that he needs to sign a rent reform bill now.
If you want to volunteer to phone bank for Michael McKee's TenantsPAC, the number is (212) 577-7001. McKee is targeting these wavering State Senators who have rent regulated tenants in their districts, and letting these tenants know what their Senators are up to.
I just checked back in and would like to take back a word in that second sentence in the post of mine just above. It's just unintentionally harsh. I should have written "sad " stories.
RR, do you have any suggestions as to what to say in an email to the gov? Does this legislation have a particular name or number, such as H.R. something? I feel the gov is trying to avoid addressing this issue - he reminds me a bit of Bush when he dodged those shoes that came sailing through the air at him! :-) Pols are good at ducking and dodging!
The Assembly passed 10 rent reform bills. The senate has all the rent legislation bottled up. The one that McKee mentioned in particular was a repeal of vacancy decontrol, noting that last year all but 3 Senate Democrats signed a petition to kill it, but now 9 Democrats suddenly went missing as sponsors. They're the ones his group is targeting.
Anyway, to your question: I would just tell him how crucial an issue rent reform is is for you and your family personally and why, and that you are counting on him and the Democrats to pass something that looks very much like what was passed in the Assembly, but that repeal of vacancy decontrol is crucial.
Gottit. Thanks.
I've been getting a lot of "survey" calls which are a beard for the Bloomberg campaign. I always tell them that as one of the majority of voters who voted in favor of term limits and then had my vote arbitrarily negated by Bloomberg and his cronies, NO he absolutely cannot count on my voting for him! Anyone else getting these calls?
I've been getting lots of calls from the Bloomberg campaign. When they mention his name, I say "Do not talk to me about him, I hate him." It's very effective and leaves the person on the other end of the phone speechless. Bye bye!
There is a piece in the NYDaily News today written by Speaker Christine Quinn, saying that rents should be frozen by the RGB this year. Well, as far as I'm concerned, it's too late to try to win my vote Ms. Quinn. You enabled that disgusting Bloomberg to trample on the majority vote so that he could buy another term in office; therefore, you won't be getting my vote either - no matter what office you ever run for.
Politicians like to make statements that appeal to the masses but have no chance of happening.The think that's an easy way to pander for votes(and all too often they are right)
Ms. Quinn (who I have read may be a Deputy Mayor next term as her payoff from The Lord Mayor (for life))knows full well that a majority of the RS Board is appointed by The Lord Mayor (for life) and therefore rents being frozen has as much likelihood of happening as the East River freezing over this summer.
I don't know how mad we should be at Quinn and the other Dems for allowing Bloomberg a third term as mayor. If he hadn't set his sights on a third term, Mr. $$$ would for have for sure set his sights on running for governor next year. As much damage as he can do as mayor, the damage Bloomberg could have done as governor is probably incalculable, especially with rent regs up for renewal in 2011.
Well, whatever Bloomberg's aspirations may be, as far as I'm concerned Ms. Quinn sold out. She sold her soul and sold us down the river. I will never vote for her ever just as I will never vote for Bloomberg. I feel totally betrayed by the term limits issue. In fact, I'm wondering if it's even worth voting any more. We may as well be in Florida for all that our votes are worth!
I can't think of a single thing that Bloomberg has done to make this city a better place to live in. Even Giuliani, horror that he was, left the place in a better condition than when he took the job. Nothing has improved under Bloomberg's autocratic iron fist. I don't need someone to protect me from second hand smoke and trans fats - I can look after my own health, thank you. I do want a mayor who will look out for the backbone, middle class of New York instead of always pandering to the developers who just ravage the city and have destroyed so much of its rich flavor and spirit. When I say "rich" I am not talking about Bloomberg's idea of rich! Please, let's make sure that this jerk is not given a third term because New York just won't be New York any more if he has his way. It will be an enclave for the super rich and the desperately poor.
There are at least 76 things Bloomberg's done to make this city a worse place than it was before his first term.
Now he's trying to do it on the Lower East Side.
Thank you Roger. There is one good thing that Bloomberg still could do for New York City: he could go home to Boston - and stay there! He came to New York, made his money here and then proceeded to buy his way into office and destroy the city we love. Too bad he had so much help from the unprincipled people who could be bought.
Anyone ever sit down and figure exactly why the only thing that can economically get built in Manhattan are gigantic "luxury" apartment buildings? Like Deep Throat used to say, "follow the money" only, in this case, you have to follow the expenses, not the income - figure out how much it costs to build an apartment building these days, and you'll realize that it has nothing to do with greedy, overbearing landlords.
Set aside your prejudices and preconceived notions, and just work through the numbers, just once - then you might understand why, for example, the lot up on 62nd street where that nutty doctor blew up a perfectly good 5-storey walkup was more $1,000,000 without the building than with it. ;^)
Never give a MarketRateSchmuck an even break. Like they used to say down on Orchard Street, "If you can sell it cheap, try expensive!"
I agree with all comments made about Mayor Bloomberg and Ms.Quinn.
I will not be voting for Ms. Quinn unless it for her resignation, I AM NOT VOTING FOR THAT "JUMBO SHRIMP"!
THE JUMBO SHRIMP GOTTA GO AND TAKE HIS PAID OFF MS. QUINN WITH HIM.