This Week's Stories
GG's quick takes on recent NYC news


Week of 07 May 2001:

Rent Board Fallout
After more than a century of open warfare, New York City tenants and landlords finally agree on something. The Rent Guidelines Board, which Wednesday increased rents again for one million rent-stabilized apartments in the city, is no good.

"The mayor has done us a big favor by turning a spotlight on this obscure board, which nobody understands, and the need to reform the process," Michael McKee of the New York State Tenants and Neighbors Coalition told the Times.

"There used to be at least an attempt to come to a compromise that was somewhat fair, but the system is tainted now," said Joseph Strasburg of the Rent Stabilization Association, representing 25,000 owners. But when they discuss what to do instead, of course, the agreement vanishes. Landlord groups say the board should be abolished, replaced with a system used elsewhere, of hooking increases to a landlord price index. Tenant groups say that regulators should look not at prices but at actual landlord expenses and income, pointing out that landlords have had record profits in the past few years.

Allergy New York
In a normal allergy season, the pollen count goes up to about 90. This season, the count is as high as 6,000, and nearly every New Yorker has been affected, not just the 20 percent of the population that normally has seasonal allergies.

Rent Rituals
At a raucous and sometimes confusing meeting, the Rent Guidelines Board voted yesterday to raise rents for the city's 1 million rent-stabilized apartments by 3 percent for one-year and 5 percent for two-year leases. There would also be a $15 supplemental fee on apartments renting for $500 or less.

The move came after Mayor Giuliani, who supported 3 and 5 percent hikes, bounced the board chairman less than two weeks ago and after the board approved increases of 4 and 6 percent and then rescinded them. As usual, neither landlords nor tenants were happy. A final vote will come next month, but the initial proposal is almost always made final. Any increases will take effect Oct. 1

Palmy Day
Carrying paper palms trees and signs saying, "Don't Let New York Become the Next Florida," a coalition of political and community groups pressed City Council yesterday to improve elections in the city. The groups seek more highly trained poll workers and improved maintenance of voting machines among other reforms.

Planning To Do Time
The city is planning to spend almost $1 billion over the next 10 years to convert 5,400 temporary jail beds to permanent status, according to a report by the Independent Budget Office. Despite the fact that the city's current prison population of 14,489 inmates is the lowest in years, the Mayor's office estimates it will rise to 17,500 by 2003. The Mayor's current financial plan also calls to increase the number of uniformed corrections officers to 11,000, or more than one officer for every two city inmates.The drop in the number of inmates is tied to the drop in serious crime in the city, but Riker's Island remains the largest city jail in the country. The City Council is currently holding budget hearings on the 2002 fiscal budget.

Safety Net Tangle
The Mayor's administration announced yesterday that it did not plan to automatically enroll 38,000 New Yorkers in the state Safety Net program when their welfare benefits expire this year. Rather, the administration said, they hope to move recipients toward self-sufficiency. The plan drew criticism from infuriated City Councilmembers like Welfare Committee Chair Stephen DiBrienza, who pressed Jason Turner, commissioner of the Human Resources Administration, on what might happen to single mothers with children when welfare benefits expire. Turner said clients should "assess" their situation. DiBrienza responded, "What do you think happens to real people in a real world for a period of time when they are reassessing their lives?" Turner walked out of the hearing. The heated debate is likely to continue as the five-year limit set by the 1996 federal welfare reform impacts the first city recipients this year. The Safety Net program, which is jointly funded by the state and the city, was created to provide basic assistance and ease the transition.

Not Ready for Prime Time
For months, the Democratic mayoral candidates have been speaking in forums throughout the city. But Sunday morning marked their first televised debate. Not surprisingly, the four stuck largely to familiar themes. Peter Vallone touted his experience as Council Speaker, Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer decried the divisions in the city, Public Advocate Mark Green presented himself as a fighter who could solve problems, and Alan Hevesi played off his position as city comptroller to condemn Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's new budget.

A few differences did arise. Green was the only one to rule out using taxpayer money for sports stadiums; none of the other candidates would endorse Ferrer's call for a 30 percent pay hike for teachers; Vallone criticized Hevesi's proposal for an income tax surcharge for education.

So who won? A few observers, including moderator Michael Kramer, gave the lead to Vallone. Of course, said one pundit, that could be because polls show him in fourth place so the only way to go is up.

On Friday, the candidates spoke at a forum jointly presented by New York's four city planning schools. They stressed the importance of planning, citing such projects as the 2nd Avenue subway.

Last week's stories...


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