This year’s state legislative elections on November 7 will offer an opportunity for major changes in the balance of power in Albany. With half a dozen vulnerable incumbents in New York City and its suburbs facing strong challenges, including Roy Goodman in Manhattan, Guy Velella in the Bronx, and Frank Padavan in Queens, the Republicans are worrying about losing their majority in the State Senate.

Redistricting Ahead

This is a matter of crucial importance to tenants in New York City, in view of the looming expiration of rent and eviction protections in 2003. The state legislature elected this year will preside over the redrawing of electoral districts based on the 2000 Census. Every district in the state, from congressional to city council, will be redrawn to reflect changes in population since 1990. In recent decades, the state Assembly has agreed with the Republican-controlled Senate to draw districts that protect the Democratic majority in the Assembly and perpetuate Republican control of the Senate.

This has had disastrous effects for city tenants, as shown in 1997, when the Senate refused to renew the rent laws until several badly damaging amendments were added. With the changes allowing expanded vacancy decontrol for apartments reaching $2,000 a month rent, easier evictions through denial of due process in Housing Court, and further evisceration of enforcement against illegal rent overcharges, rents in the city have risen dramatically since then.

Liz Krueger for State Senate

Met Council has endorsed longtime activist Liz Krueger against Roy Goodman in Manhattan’s East Side State Senate district. Liz Krueger has been active in the Community Food Resource Center fighting hunger and evictions, is a nationally recognized expert on hunger and housing, and worked with Met Council, the Coalition for the Homeless and others to oppose unwarranted rent increases by the Rent Guidelines Board this year.

Already assured the Working Families Party (WFP) and the Green Party ballot lines in November, Krueger won a 5-to-1 victory in the Sept. 12 Democratic primary over Bob Bellinson, who ran a lackluster campaign against Goodman in 1998, yet still got 44% of the vote.

Most analysts consider Goodman highly vulnerable in November. His reputation as being "pro-tenant" is largely undeserved: He is Deputy Minority Leader of the Senate under anti-tenant fanatic Joe Bruno, and as the Republican Party chair for Manhattan he is captain of a team that includes Charles Urstadt. Urstadt, a Manhattan real-estate tycoon, was on the Pataki transition team that called for ending rent regulations, and as state housing commissioner in 1971 was the author of the "Urstadt Law" (see sidebar) that deprives New York City of the right to home rule in addressing its housing-affordability crisis.

Republican Desperation

After several Republican incumbents, including Goodman, Velella and Padavan, sought the Working Families line and were rejected, the state Republican Party brought a lawsuit unsuccessfully challenging the right of the Working Families and Green parties to nominating candidates in this year’s elections. The lawsuit was based on a mischaracterization of how the two parties needed to organize themselves to take advantage of the ballot access each narrowly won by gaining 50,000 votes in the 1998 gubernatorial election. The State Supreme Court found the case to be without merit, ensuring that the WFP and the Greens will continue to become increasingly serious alternatives to the Republicans’ and Democrats’ corporate priorities in the coming years.

Democratic Bosses Challenged in Bronx and Brooklyn

The Sept. 12 primary was significant because it also revealed considerable cracks in the usually homogenous Democratic Party, particularly in Brooklyn and the Bronx. As Bronx Democratic county leader Roberto Ramirez has supported Velella - one of two State Senators from the city to vote against renewing the rent laws intact in 1997 - the Democratic senate campaign committee under Sen. Eric Schneiderman (Manhattan-Bronx) encouraged insurgent Lorraine Coyle Koppell to run against Velella. Ramirez retaliated by running a candidate against Coyle Koppell, but she won a solid victory. Ramirez also suffered defeats in the three other races he contested, including an attempt to unseat liberal Congressman Elliot Engel. "Voters Give Bronx Cheer to Ramirez," ran a headline in the New York Post, while Engel noted, "I guess the big mighty Democratic machine isn’t so mighty after all. The people of the Bronx have rejected Roberto Ramirez and his dictatorial style of politics."

Several incumbents were also challenged in Brooklyn. Democratic county leader Clarence Norman Jr. faced a primary contest for his own Assembly seat. In Congressional races, longtime incumbent Edolphus Towns turned back a spirited challenge from progressive Dan Ford, who also has WFP support, while Rep. Major Owens, a former vice chair of Met Council, narrowly defeated Councilmember Una Clarke, who in 1994 voted to allow vacancy decontrol for apartments costing over $2,000. While Met Council endorsed Owens, we regretted his campaign’s attempt to throw Clarke off the ballot based on a dubious question about her immigration status when she first voted years ago - a blunder which only helped Clarke in a district where a majority are Caribbean immigrants.

As a sign of how politics may be opening up, even Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is facing a challenge in November, from Green Party candidate Ray Dowd. Silver has been on an extended losing streak. In 1997, he agreed to the enormous weakening of rent and eviction laws. In 1998, he provoked a budget contest with Gov. Pataki and lost, resulting in the defunding of dozens of programs across the state. In 1999, he agreed to give up hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for NYC from the commuter tax, ostensibly to help a Democratic candidate for an open state Senate seat who ended up losing anyway. And last May, Silver survived a challenge to his leadership of the assembly. On September 5, his longtime confidante and spokesperson Patricia Lynch announced that she was leaving his staff.

Looking Forward

With term limits kicking in locally next year, this year will be the first of three successive elections that will determine the fate of rent and eviction protections in 2003. Ending the Republican majority in the state Senate this year would be a major victory. Next year, the entire City Council, the mayor, controller, public advocate, and four borough presidents will be elected. And in 2002, Gov. Pataki is expected to seek re-election, with the intent of finishing the job of killing rent regulations, as has been done by Republicans from Boston to California. The entire state legislature will again be up for election in 2002, but in the new districts to be drawn by the legislature elected this year.

Participate in Met Council’s political action! call 212-693-0553, ext. 6. Volunteer for Liz Krueger’s exciting grass-roots campaign! Call (212) 689-7295.

Vallone Stifles Anti-Urstadt Vote

Met Council is working vigorously against the 1971 Urstadt law, both by seeking its repeal in Albany and by trying to force City Council Speaker Peter Vallone to allow the Council to vote on a resolution demanding its repeal. Last spring, Vallone blocked consideration of the measure, which was supported by Councilmembers Steve DiBrienza, Eva Moskowitz, Margarita Lopez, Chris Quinn, Bill Perkins, Stanley Michels, Sheldon Leffler, Ronnie Eldridge and others, on the flimsy pretext that it might jeopardize the Council’s position in a lawsuit involving rent-control formulas. Although that lawsuit was decided months ago, Vallone continues to block consideration of the resolution.