hOusing
Master Of the hOuse By andrew J. hawkins
T
he creation of a tenantprotection unit to crack down on shady landlords who flout the state’s rent laws was the only mention of housing policy in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State speech. But for landlords and tenants, the proposal isn’t exactly bringing down the house. Michael McKee, of the Tenants Political Action Committee, said that without new funding for the protection unit and major changes to the state’s administrative code, law-breaking landlords will continue to cheat the system with impunity. He claimed that employees at the state Division of Homes and Community Renewal described the governor’s plan to him as “rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.” Assemblyman Vito Lopez, who chairs
the Housing Committee, said he would fight if necessary for enough new money to give the protection unit teeth to fight fraud and abuse. “If resources are required, it’s an
housing laws in the state, raising concerns the new protection unit will be a redundant and wasted effort. “How much more of an impact can you hope for?” Freund wondered. “Will
“it’s been terrible agency, probably as dysfunctional as any agency i’ve seen.” important enough issue to protect tenant rights,” Lopez said. “I would support additional expenditures to do that.” How much money will be allocated for the tenant-protection unit won’t be known until Cuomo releases his executive budget proposal later this month. Landlords have a different beef. Jack Freund, executive vice president of the Rent Stabilization Association, which represents rent-regulated landlords in New York City, said over a dozen state agencies currently regulate and enforce
an additional level of enforcement deter the scoundrels in the business? I don’t know. It’s a good goal, but whether it’s cost-effective is another question.” Tenant groups and Democrats in the Legislature are also eager to reopen the issue of rent regulations this year. Last year, Cuomo negotiated a temporary extension of the state’s rent-stabilization laws, raising the rent ceiling for regulated apartments to $2,500 a month and the income level to $250,000 a year. Almost no one was happy with the end
CaMPaign finanCe refOrM
Paying fOr POlitiCs By Chris Bragg
A
fter ignoring most of the Working Families Party’s agenda during his first year in office, Gov. Andrew Cuomo threw the labor-backed party a big bone last week by calling for the public financing of New York campaigns. In New York City, such a system has helped the WFP dominate recent elections by leveling the financial playing field between candidates—allowing the bootson-the-ground power of organized labor to prevail. But since publicly financed campaigns make incumbents more vulnerable, many
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JANUARY 9, 2012
state legislators are likely to resist such a system. The New York City system is also detested by many city politicians for its
employee unions—which would continue pouring millions of taxpayer dollars into races under such a proposal—and
“this is an olive branch from the governor to union leaders. it is not a serious proposal.” lengthy and extensive audits of campaign spending. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is seen by insiders as unlikely to make the issue a major priority, while Senate Republicans will be very reluctant to reduce the influence of big-money business and real estate lobbies that often back them. “The governor’s proposal is more about boosting the power of the public
less about good government,” said Bill O’Reilly, spokesman for the New York Republican State Committee. “This is an olive branch from the governor to union leaders. It is not a serious proposal.” Cuomo also called for lowering New York’s extremely high contribution limits, restricting donations from contractors and lobbyists and creating a better-funded enforcement unit within the largely tooth-
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CUOMO WANTS: A tenant-protection unit as part of a larger fraud-prevention effort by the state housing agency. OTHERS SAY: Landlord lobbyists fear the unit could duplicate what other regulatory agencies already do, while tenant advocates believe the proposal would be toothless without new money.
result, but both tenants and landlords acknowledge the Legislature is unlikely to take up the issue in a non-sunset year, especially with every member up for reelection. Sen. Adriano Espaillat, a Manhattan Democrat and vocal advocate for tenants’ rights, said most of the work that needs to be done this year is administrative, not legislative. “We’re looking to work with Commissioner [Darryl] Towns, strengthening administratively and making HCR a superagency, a model agency, which it hasn’t been,” Espaillat said. “It’s been terrible agency, probably as dysfunctional as any agency I’ve seen.” ahawkins@cityandstateny.com
CUOMO WANTS: The governor says New York State elections need a public campaign-finance system in the model of New York City’s. OTHERS SAY: The Legislature— especially the Senate Republican majority— will likely kill the idea.
less state Board of Elections—proposals that could be more politically viable. Like most issues this year, campaign finance reform is likely to hinge on Cuomo’s willingness to put political capital behind it. Campaign finance reform was mentioned late in his State of the State speech and was not discussed at length, but, unlike independent redistricting, it was at least mentioned. Minority Senate Democrats—who notably also did not pass campaign finance reform while they were in the majority—are expected to continue to try to keep the issue alive as the session unfurls into campaign season. Bill Samuels, the former finance chairman for the Senate Democrats who now runs the reform-minded New Roosevelt Initiative, said campaign finance reform should be the top priority this year for Cuomo. The issue has come to the forefront nationally, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision—and Cuomo is said to harbor presidential ambitions. Samuels said Cuomo needs to latch onto a reform issue after punting on redistricting. He said Cuomo should attempt to solidify support among Senate Democrats—while peeling off a few Republicans—as he did with gay marriage last year. “There needs to be a hero on top, just like there was for marriage equality,” said Samuels, calling for Cuomo to take to the road again to push the cause. “Issues like job creation—those are issues of the day. But they don’t do anything to permanently change the culture.” cbragg@cityandstateny.com
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