LETTERS

Senate Democrat’s Role

To the Editor:

I have recently read the September issue of Tenant, and am particularly interested in an article entitled "The ’97 Rent-Law Disaster: Where Do We Go from Here?" as it focuses on the events of the recent past and the present related to the new rent-regulation laws. Its author provides both a chronology of the events and an analysis of the issues and situations that led to the struggle over and the ultimate passage of the new rent laws in both the City Council and the State Legislature.

I am, however, disappointed by the article, as it makes no mention of the role played by the State Senate Democrats.

I can accurately say that it was the Senate Democrats who defined the parameters of the political battle that ensued in Albany. Very early in the process, the Senate Democrats forced a vote on a "no compromise" measure that would have renewed the existing laws without weakening amendments. Having failed by just a few votes, and with the full support of the Democrats, the effort helped the tenant movement identify individual Senators who needed to be persuaded. Having forced the vote and demonstrated our solidarity, the battle lines were drawn and our joint task became more focused.

We didn’t just stop there either. Individually and as a group, the Senate Democrats worked to keep the issue before the Senate and the public, and worked to support tenant leaders in their organizing efforts.

We share with the staff of Tenant a certain feeling of dissatisfaction that the new law is not as good as it could be. We also recognize that had we not worked together so diligently, vacancy decontrol would now be the centerpiece of the new law, and it would be much more onerous to tenants in a variety of different ways.

I would like all of your readers to know that they can continue to count on the support of the Senate Democrats in their ongoing fight for decent, affordable housing.

Martin Connor
State Senate Minority Leader

Kenny Schaeffer replies:

I too am disappointed that I omitted due recognition of the important efforts of the State Senate Democrats in the fight to renew rent and eviction protections. Your early and consistent contribution to the 1997 showdown (and those of Senators Leichter, Markowitz, Gold, Abate, Gentile and others in the Senate minority) was a major element in the successful response referred to in the article.

In particular, your forcing the discharge vote on April 7 was the crucial early move that enabled us to target the Republicans’ hypocrisy, which ultimately put us in a position where complete vacancy decontrol was no longer politically possible for Sen. D’Amato, Gov. Pataki, or the downstate Republican Senators that the vote exposed. That is why we expected to defeat vacancy decontrol (with some modest adjustments) and defeat rent deposits.

The point of the article, and Met Council’s position on the new law generally, is that the final agreement was unacceptable. Precisely because the tenant movement and its natural allies worked together as never before, we do not regard the Rent Regulation Reform Act of 1997 as a victory.

In many parts of the city, the new law is vacancy decontrol -- anywhere the owner can get a lease for $2,000, particularly in view of the revocation of the Vallone bill, the further emasculation of DHCR, and the rent-deposit requirement. I do not have to recite the other defects which make it far worse than the 1993 renewal law.

But the chief reason for Met Council’s rejection of the notion that it is simply "not as good as it could be" is the elimination of most of Housing Court’s jurisdiction to prevent evictions, which will lead to the eviction of tens of thousands of additional low and middle-income families annually without their even having a chance to be heard in court. Saying the new law is not too bad except for this provision is reminiscent of the question, "Aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the show?"

Despite this difference in how we regard the actions of the Assembly, which you were not responsible for, we have only gratitude for the valiant efforts of the Senate minority in setting the stage for what should have been a real victory.