Statements from Ruth Messinger
Manhattan Borough President
---------------------------------- Immediate Release: April 24, 1997 Contact: Lisa Daglian 212-669-8139 (o) 917-252-3013 (b) MESSINGER CALLS FOR CITY REFERENDUM ON RENT REGULATIONS CALLS ON GUILIANI TO REVEAL SECRET BACK ROOM DEAL Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger today called for a City referendum on rent regulations at a hearing before the State Assembly Committee on Housing. Her call for a referendum depends on passage of legislation, A-6352, introduced by Assemblyman Lopez, which would allow cities of over one million to decide the fate of their own rent regulations. Messinger called for the decision to be made by the people who would be affected, saying, "Our city’s homes, families and future are at stake in this debate. Save our rent laws today: Make this a home rule issue." She also called on Mayor Giuliani to reveal the back room deal he is brokering. "With smiles on their faces, the Governor, the Senate Majority Leader and the Mayor emerge from secret, closed door sessions over rent regulations. "Not to worry, all will be well when the deal is finally cut," they try to reassure us. I am not reassured. Nor is the vast majority of my fellow New Yorkers. On an issue so important to so many New York City households, both sides can't be right. If the secret back room deal you’re brokering is so good for one million households why not let them in on the secret?" ------------------------------ Immediate Release: Sunday, May 11, 1997 Contact: Lisa Daglian 212-669-8139 (o) 917-252-3013 (b) MESSINGER URGES PATAKI, SILVER, BRUNO, GUILIANI AND D’AMATO TO SUPPORT REFERENDUM ON RENT CONTROL SAYS "PEOPLE, NOT POLITICIANS" SHOULD DECIDE ITS FUTURE Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger today joined tenant leaders on the steps of City Hall to urge that "New York City residents, not New York State legislators" decide the future of rent regulation for New York City. "If regulation is not a home rule issue," said Messinger, "thousands upon thousands of New Yorkers may very well lose their homes." Noting the fact that "more than 90 percent of the rent regulated apartments in New York State are in New York City, "Messinger is calling upon the State Legislature and Governor George Pataki to give the City the right to have a referendum on the City's ballot to decide "whether New Yorkers want to keep rent regulation as it is, change it or throw it out altogether." It is a question, Messinger argues, "that should be decided by the people, not by the politicians". Messinger proposes to keep rent regulations as they are for the next two years, have the Legislature repeal a State law that denies New York City "home rule" control over rent regulation and then submit the future of rent regulations to New York City on a ballot referendum. "Whether it’s Governor Pataki, Mayor Giuliani or Senator D’Amato, everyone’s saying let’s make a deal on rent regulation. New Yorkers don’t want a deal on rent regulation," Messinger said. "They want a vote." Joining Messinger at this morning’s press conference were tenant leaders from the Community Service Society, the Goddard-Riverside Community Center, Chelsea United for Tenants' Rights, the Cooper Square Association, the Harlem Restoration Project, B.R.A.V.E.S., and the Northern Manhattan Tenant Coalition, a coalition of eight tenant’s groups. --------------------------------- Manhattan Borough President RUTH MESSINGER Immediate Release: Tuesday, May 20, 1997 Contact: Lisa Daglian 212-669-8139 (o) 917-252-3013 (b) MESSINGER MEETS WITH SILVER AND TENANT GROUPS IN ALBANY TO RENEW CALL FOR EXTENSION OF RENT REGULATIONS AND REPEAT CALL FOR REFERENDUM -- SAYS "PEOPLE, NOT POLITICIANS" SHOULD DECIDE ITS FUTURE Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messenger today met with State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and joined tenant leaders in Albany to urge that rent regulations be extended as they are for two more years. In addition, she repeated her call for a referendum so that, "New York City residents, not New York State legislators'' decide the future of rent regulation in New York City. "If rent regulation is not a home rule issue," said Messinger, "thousands upon thousands of New Yorkers may very well lose their homes." Noting the fact that "more than 90 percent of the rent regulated apartments in New York State are in New York City," Messinger has called upon the State Legislature and Governor George Pataki to give the City the right to have a referendum on the City’s ballot to decide "whether New Yorkers want to keep rent regulation as it is, change it or throw it out altogether." It is a question, Messinger argues, "that should be decided by the people, not by the politicians." Messinger proposes to: o Keep rent regulations as they are [for the next two years; o Have the Legislature repeal the State law that denies New York City "home rule" control over rent regulation; o Submit the future of rent regulations to New York City voters in a ballot referendum. "Whether it’s Governor Pataki, Mayor Giuliani or Senator D`Amato, everyone is saying let’s make a deal on rent regulation. New Yorkers don’t want a deal on rent regulation," Messinger said. "They want a vote." --------------------------------- TESTIMONY BY MANHATTAN BOROUGH PRESIDENT RUTH MESSINGER STATE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HOUSING APRIL 24, 1997 Good afternoon, Chairman Lopez and members of the Assembly Committee on Housing. I thank you for the opportunity to testify on one of New York City’s most critical issues -- making sure that the families of new York -- whether rich, poor, or somewhere in between -- can put a safe, affordable roof over their heads. It’s not easy. Home prices are soaring. Thousands of units are being abandoned every year. Penthouses are being built in a speculative frenzy, but modest, single family homes are as rare as a bald eagle in Central Park. No question about it. These are tough times for families trying to make ends meet. Unfortunately, they are about to get even tougher. And, for that, we have government to blame. By now, any of us who watches the evening news is familiar with the routine. With smiles on their faces, the governor, the Senate Majority Leader and the Mayor emerge from secret, closed-door sessions over rent regulation. "Not to worry," they tell the hordes of waiting reporters. "All will be well when the deal is finally cut," they try to reassure us. I am not reassured. Nor is the vast majority of my fellow New Yorkers. Because we’ve seen it all before. The Mayor is talking out of both sides of his mouth. One minute the Mayor praises as "courageous" those who vote with the Majority Leader to prevent the Assembly Rent Regulations Bill from coming to the floor of the Senate. The next minute he’s praising those who vote against the Senate Majority Leader. One minute he’s saying he’s the most ardent defender of rent regulations the city has ever had. The next he’s willing to accept some changes, some modifications, some number of families under regulation now who won’t be once he gets done with them. With all due respect, Mr. Mayor, just hold the damn horses. On an issue so important to so many New York City households, both sides can’t be right. If a secret, backroom deal you’re personally brokering is so good for those one million households, why not let them in on the secret? Reveal the deal, Rudy, or George, or Joe. Are you keeping those New Yorkers in their homes, or, as if suspect and fear, are you just selling them down the river? How steep is the slippery slope down which you would have us slide, Mr. Mayor? How high the cost, Mr. Majority leader? How widespread the suffering for the families of New York, Mr. Governor? The simple fact is: There’s only one deal that’s fair, only one deal that does right and, to use the Mayor’s words, only one deal that will be seen as truly courageous by the families of New York. That deal is to keep rent regulation in its present form. Unfortunately the Mayor, the Governor and the Majority Leader have taken that deal off the table. And they won’t tell us what they’d put in its place. Good politics? Maybe. Lousy, Shameful public policy? Absolutely. Every three years we go through the same crisis, the same effort to hold one million New York City households hostage. It’s time to stop, Mr. Chairman. Time to take the politicians out of the debate over rent regulation and put the people back in charge. Thanks to you, Mr. Chairman, and 21 very courageous colleagues in the Assembly, that could well happen this year. Your brilliant legislation -- A-6352 -- takes the Brunos, the Patakis, the D’Amatos out of what out to be a local decision decided by those who live and are trying to raise families in that locality. I support your effort wholeheartedly. As fundamentally important and essential as your legislation is, it is only the first step of what I would urge. I would go a step further. Upon passage of your bill, I would propose that the people of New York decide for ourselves in a referendum when and how rent regulation ought to be changed, or if it should be changed at all. To those engaged in backroom brokering these days, it’s personally and unfamiliar concept. But to the rest of us, it’s what we call democracy. And if ever an issue demanded democracy, it is rent regulation. It is our housing market, our housing crisis and our right to decide how best to solve the crisis we face. I do not presume or pretend to know how best to solve the housing problems of Peekskill or Rensselaer. Then why do Mr. Pataki or Mr. Bruno pretend to know what’s best for New York City? Frankly, they’re sticking their noses where they don’t belong. They say they want fundamental reform of rent regulation. Okay. Then use the most fundamental reform in the history of reform -- Democracy. Our city’s homes, families and future are at stake in this debate. Save our rent laws today; make this a Home Rule issue. Place your faith and trust in the great people of this great city. Thank you.