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[0:26] Heat. Heat.
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[1:13] Heat. Heat.
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[2:10] Hey,
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[2:28] hey, hey.
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[2:58] Heat. Heat.
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[3:18] Hey, hey, hey.
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[4:05] Heat. Heat.
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[4:54] Hey, hey, hey.
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[5:20] Hey, hey, hey.
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[6:24] Hey,
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[6:37] hey, hey.
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[6:56] Hey,
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[7:02] hey, hey.
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[7:22] Heat. Heat. N.
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[7:47] Heat. Heat.
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[9:15] Hey,
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[9:23] hey,
[9:29] Heat. Heat.
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[10:05] I see him. We won't know till he gets up
[10:07] here till we get if he's on there. You
[10:09] said
[10:12] I don't know. That's how last
[10:27] I said it
[10:29] about
[10:51] I'd like to call the city caucus meeting
[10:53] to order for Monday, June 23rd, 2025.
[10:57] We have one public hearing this evening.
[10:59] If the clerk could please read public
[11:01] hearing number one regarding an
[11:03] ordinance to amend article 7 trucks
[11:06] section 248-85
[11:08] of the Skynctity city code to exclude
[11:11] trucks tractors and tractor trailer
[11:14] accommodations over eight tons on Kings
[11:16] Road from Albany Street to the city
[11:18] line. Can you hear us back there? Okay,
[11:21] we might have to turn off the AC. Okay,
[11:23] we have to turn off the air
[11:24] conditioning. That's what that means.
[11:30] outside.
[11:33] We have 11 items for original
[11:35] consideration. If the clerk could please
[11:36] read item number one. Item number one
[11:39] for final consideration. An ordinance to
[11:41] amend section chapter 248-18 of the
[11:44] Skenctity city code to designate a
[11:47] portion of Chrysler Avenue as a one-way
[11:49] roadway. Discussed in committee without
[11:52] objection on consent. Item number two.
[11:54] for original
[11:56] consideration. A resolution authorizing
[11:57] the acceptance of the 2024 external
[12:00] audit. Discussed in committee with
[12:02] without objection and on consent. Item
[12:04] number three. Item number three for
[12:06] original consideration. A resolution
[12:08] authorizing the sale of a vacant lot at
[12:10] 317 State Street for $1,500.
[12:14] Discussed in committee without objection
[12:16] on consent. Item number four. Item
[12:18] number four for original consideration.
[12:20] A resolution authorizing the sale of a
[12:22] vacant lot at 529 Skenctity Street for
[12:25] $2,500.
[12:26] Discussed in committee without objection
[12:28] on consent. Item number five. Item
[12:30] number five for original consideration.
[12:32] A resolution authorizing the sale of 535
[12:34] Skenctity Street for $40,000. Discussed
[12:37] in committee without objection on
[12:39] consent. Item number six. Item number
[12:41] six for original consideration. A
[12:42] resolution authorizing the redemption
[12:44] and withdrawal of 30 Chromemer Avenue
[12:47] from foreclosure.
[12:49] discussed in committee without objection
[12:51] on consent. Item number seven is being
[12:53] pulled from the agenda. Item number
[12:56] eight is also being pulled from the
[12:58] agenda. Return to committee. Item number
[13:00] nine. Item number nine for original
[13:02] consideration. A resolution authorizing
[13:04] the settlement of a tax certiary action
[13:07] by the owner of property located at 1612
[13:09] Chrysler Avenue. Discussed in committee
[13:12] without objection on consent. Item
[13:13] number 10. Item number 10 for original
[13:15] consideration, a resolution authorizing
[13:17] the settlement of a tax certiary action
[13:19] by the owner of property located at 2037
[13:23] State Street. Discussed in committee
[13:25] without objection on consent. Item
[13:26] number 11. Item number 11 under contract
[13:29] and supply. A resolution awarding the
[13:30] bid and contract for the Franklin Street
[13:32] cycle tract New York State DOT pin
[13:35] number 1760.61 61 to Carver Construction
[13:38] Incorporated in the amount of 2,89,174
[13:46] discussed in committee with objection on
[13:47] consent. If there's nothing more to come
[13:50] before the city caucus, I'd ask for a
[13:51] motion to adjourn. Moved by Mr. Move,
[13:55] second by Mr. Williams. All those in
[13:56] favor? I. We are adjourned. I'd like to
[13:59] call to order the Skenctity City Council
[14:01] meeting for Monday, June 23rd, 2025.
[14:06] And I'd like to call on Pastor Francis
[14:08] Rigger of Zion Evangel Evangelical
[14:12] Lutheran Church for the prayer
[14:13] invocation.
[14:17] Shall we pray?
[14:22] Father in heaven,
[14:24] we come before you with humble hearts,
[14:27] seeking your guidance and wisdom. As we
[14:30] begin this city council meeting,
[14:34] grant our city council members clarity
[14:36] of thought and discernment.
[14:39] As they consider the matters before
[14:41] them,
[14:43] help them to approach each issue with
[14:45] open minds and compassionate hearts,
[14:48] seeking solutions that will benefit all
[14:51] members of our community.
[14:54] We ask for your blessing upon their
[14:56] deliberations
[14:58] that they may make decisions that
[15:00] reflect your will and promote the
[15:03] well-being of our city.
[15:06] May unity and understanding prevail
[15:08] among us and may our collective efforts
[15:12] lead to a more just and prosperous
[15:14] community for all.
[15:17] Thank you for being with us always.
[15:20] In Jesus's name we pray. Amen. I'd like
[15:24] to call on Corporation Council Maxine
[15:25] Barash for the pledge of allegiance.
[15:29] I pledge algiance to the flag of the
[15:32] United States of America and to the
[15:35] republic for which it stands, one nation
[15:39] under God, indivisible, with liberty and
[15:43] justice for all. Thank you.
[15:48] [Music]
[15:56] If the clerk could please complete the
[15:58] roll call.
[16:00] Mr. Toro.
[16:04] Mr. Farley.
[16:08] Excuse me. Excuse me. In the
[16:11] chamber.
[16:16] Okay. All right. Listen,
[16:21] [Music]
[16:28] we we're going to
[16:31] do apologize. Thank you.
[16:34] Okay. Thank you.
[16:42] Okay. Listen, ma'am, but we're going to
[16:44] have to ask you to leave that that
[16:45] continues.
[17:02] Mr. Farley
[17:06] here. Mr. Mancini here. Mr. Muiveran
[17:10] present. Miss Patrick here. Mr. Williams
[17:14] here. Miss Porterfield here. We have one
[17:19] public hearing this evening and reminder
[17:21] that we've extended the comment the time
[17:23] for com public comment of the public
[17:25] hearing to four minutes and I also
[17:27] respectfully ask that each person
[17:28] comment only on the subject relevant to
[17:30] the public hearing. Thank you.
[17:34] If the clerk could please read the
[17:36] All right. Public hearing number one is
[17:38] regarding ordinance to amend article 7
[17:40] trucks section trucks section 248-85
[17:44] of the Skenctity city code to exclude
[17:47] trucks, tractors, and tractor trailer
[17:49] combinations over eight tons on Kings
[17:51] Road from Alb Street to the city line. I
[17:54] have one person signed up to speak.
[17:57] Crystal Dionis
[18:07] on the legislative agenda. Yeah. Okay.
[18:10] You're welcome. We do have one written
[18:12] comment from uh Tracy Collins.
[18:16] From Tracy Collins, an email in favor of
[18:18] the weight limit on Kings Road.
[18:21] That's it. All right. I So I have no one
[18:24] else signed to speak on public hearing
[18:26] number one. So I declare that public
[18:27] comment closed.
[18:29] I'd ask for approval of the minutes for
[18:30] June 9th, 2025.
[18:34] Moved by Miss Patrick, second by Mr.
[18:37] Mutiver. All those in favor? I. If the
[18:40] clerk could please read any
[18:41] communications and petitions.
[18:44] Communications to the city council for
[18:46] Monday, June 23rd, 2025. Under official
[18:49] from Mayor McCarthy, a list of
[18:50] appointments dated June 23rd, 2025.
[18:53] Under general, there was an email from
[18:55] Tracy Collins in favor of the weight
[18:57] limit on Kings Road. Under petitions,
[18:59] there were none. Thank you. I'd like to
[19:02] call on council members to provide any
[19:03] committee reports at this time.
[19:10] we'll have privilege of
[19:12] the floor related to the legislative
[19:15] agenda. And I just want to remind folks
[19:17] that
[19:21] at this point in time, it's only you can
[19:22] only speak on on items on the
[19:24] legislative agenda. And I only have two
[19:25] people signed up to speak.
[19:28] The first is Sean Ratigan.
[19:35] Um yeah, hi. I'm Sean Ratigan. Uh I just
[19:38] wanted to voice my support for the
[19:40] extension of the bike trail. Uh, I just
[19:43] think that's really great that that's
[19:44] moving forward and I'll keep it short.
[19:47] Thank you.
[19:49] Crystal Dion.
[19:54] I'm sorry. Okay. So, you don't want this
[19:57] one either. No. Okay. That's right. We
[20:00] only have one other one, so I know where
[20:02] you're going to want to speak. So, we're
[20:03] good.
[20:06] Okay.
[20:10] All right. I have no one else signed up
[20:12] to speak. So I declare the public
[20:13] comment on the legislative agenda
[20:15] closed.
[20:16] This time I'd ask for approval of the
[20:18] leg legislative consent agenda.
[20:21] Moved by Mr. Mudarin, second by Miss
[20:22] Patrick. All those in favor? I
[20:27] this time we will have priv privilege of
[20:29] the floor regarding general city
[20:31] business.
[20:34] And we have a number of people signed
[20:35] up. I just want to remind folks first
[20:36] and foremost that there are only three
[20:39] minutes. When you get to the end of your
[20:41] three minutes, if you're in the middle
[20:42] of your statement or your sentence, I
[20:44] will allow you to complete it, but then
[20:46] you will have to um summarize your
[20:48] comments and sit down so the next person
[20:51] can um speak. I want to remind everyone
[20:54] I know some of you don't come to our um
[20:57] council meetings often. So I just want
[20:58] to remind you if you signed up some of
[21:00] the things that you agreed to that um
[21:02] there will be no pro personal attacks on
[21:04] council members, the administration
[21:05] staff, other speakers or members of the
[21:07] public which are unrelated to city
[21:09] business and it shouldn't that will not
[21:11] be tolerated. We ask people to profane
[21:13] to refrain from profanity, vulgar,
[21:16] inflammatory, threatening or abusive or
[21:18] disparaging language. Should have read
[21:20] this earlier. um any or racial, ethnic
[21:22] or homophobic slurs, disruptive
[21:24] outbursts, and other conduct that
[21:26] disrupts or interferes with the orderly
[21:27] conduct of the business of the evening.
[21:30] Priv privilege of the floor should is
[21:32] not an opportunity for debate and shall
[21:33] not be the opportunity for a back and
[21:35] forth exchange with council members or
[21:37] other members of the public. Again, you
[21:39] have three minutes to speak and please
[21:41] direct all your comments to the chair.
[21:43] Thank you.
[21:49] The first person I have is Colin
[21:51] McNamera.
[22:00] Evening, city council. Um, I'm sure you
[22:03] know why I'm here. I've been here
[22:04] before. Uh, I just wanted to respond um
[22:07] specifically to a few things that were
[22:08] said at the last committee meeting uh
[22:12] just last week regarding good cause
[22:13] eviction. I went through and took some
[22:15] careful notes upon a few things that
[22:16] were said and I found some opportunities
[22:18] that I think I can respond to that might
[22:20] be helpful. Um, first, um, Mr. Williams
[22:23] had said at the meeting, uh, I wrote
[22:26] down, uh, I do not know the cost of
[22:28] having to move and refining the sky of
[22:30] Skenctity. Well, I did a little math to
[22:32] try to get an idea of what that would
[22:34] be. So, uh, according to Zillow, the
[22:37] average rent for a two-bedroom in
[22:38] Skenctity is $1,575,
[22:41] which is up $275 over last year.
[22:44] Assuming that finding a new place
[22:46] requires first month's rent and security
[22:47] deposit, that would be $31.50 in order
[22:50] to move. If you needed a 15 foot U-Haul,
[22:53] that's $30 a day plus fees, mileage, and
[22:55] gas. We'll call that around $80. then
[22:58] another $20 for an apartment
[22:59] application, assuming that you apply to
[23:02] only one place and get it on the first
[23:03] try, which almost never happens. So, all
[23:06] told, best case scenario, you're looking
[23:08] at around 3250 to have to relocate on
[23:10] the fly. To say nothing of any lost
[23:12] wages you might suffer from having to
[23:14] take a day off work or what have you in
[23:16] order to move. So, uh, a cool 3,300
[23:19] laying around is something most folks
[23:21] don't have, especially when living
[23:22] paycheck to paycheck. And if that
[23:23] eviction can be avoided, it should be.
[23:26] Um, President Porterfield at the last
[23:29] meeting mentioned the there's a lot of
[23:31] talk over the fair market rent standard
[23:32] for the county. Um, I was slightly
[23:36] surprised at the amount that that was
[23:37] discussed, but I wanted to just point
[23:39] out that that applies within the law to
[23:41] a relatively narrow exemption. There are
[23:44] 15 exemptions from the good cause
[23:45] eviction law. Number 15 discusses uh
[23:48] exemptions for properties that are over
[23:51] 245% at baseline of the fair market
[23:53] rent. That is what I like to call the
[23:55] luxury exemption. So that's for very
[23:57] highpriced things. Uh in the city of
[23:59] Skenctity, 245% of the fair market rent
[24:02] for a two-bedroom would be apartments
[24:04] whose rent is over 364315 a month, which
[24:08] is not a lot of housing stock in
[24:09] Skenctity. I'm sure they exist, but that
[24:11] would apply to a relatively small trench
[24:13] of cases. Um, Miss Patrick said at the
[24:17] last meeting, uh, that under good cause
[24:20] eviction, this this really did jump out
[24:22] to me and it's worth responding to, that
[24:24] every eviction must go to court with
[24:26] good cause eviction. And as I believe
[24:28] Mr. Farley said, every eviction already
[24:31] has to go to court. You can't remove
[24:32] anyone from their home without getting a
[24:34] court order to do so. These cases are
[24:37] already in court. Any landlord who
[24:38] attempts to remove someone without going
[24:40] to court is not only circumventing the
[24:42] law, they are in fact committing a
[24:43] crime, a class A misdemeanor. So, uh,
[24:46] these are already in court. That doesn't
[24:47] change.
[24:49] Um,
[24:51] I would
[24:53] want I wanted to talk about the CURA
[24:55] study. Miss Dtora, you mentioned that
[24:57] last time, the Center for Urban and
[24:59] Regional Affairs research report. And
[25:02] the one that I found when I went looking
[25:03] into that was a Cura study from March
[25:05] 3rd, 2025 called the good case for good
[25:07] cause. Your time is expired. Absolutely.
[25:10] Um, that's all I have to say. Thank you
[25:13] very much.
[25:18] And also one other reminder, I noticed
[25:20] there are a number of signs in the
[25:21] audience. Your signs cannot block the
[25:23] view of the people who are seated behind
[25:25] you. Just want to remind you of that.
[25:28] Chris Morris
[25:33] That's right. That's where you go.
[25:38] Good evening, Mayor, Madame President,
[25:40] and city council members.
[25:43] As most of you know me, I'm Chris Morris
[25:46] and co-founder and director of Slick,
[25:48] Skinnctity Landlords influencing Change.
[25:52] We are Skenctity's only organized group
[25:54] of landlords, property managers, and
[25:56] realtors. And for 14 years of monthly
[25:59] meetings, it has always been Slick's
[26:02] mission to provide information and
[26:05] connections through guest speakers plus
[26:08] group research and interaction.
[26:10] We value our ongoing relationship with
[26:13] the many entities throughout the city
[26:15] that are involved with our business and
[26:17] we hope to continue on that path.
[26:20] It's important to note that we just
[26:23] can't do anything we want to, anything
[26:25] we we please. Small landslords are
[26:28] continually dealing with the financial
[26:30] impact of new laws levied by the state
[26:34] as well as everinccreasing restrictions
[26:36] and costly requirements levied by local
[26:39] legislation and code enforcement.
[26:42] Many feel the old adage, you can't judge
[26:46] a book by its cover, applies to the
[26:50] April 2024 New York good cause eviction
[26:53] law, article 614
[26:56] and the changes that are that have
[26:58] happened in that law since then are very
[27:00] important.
[27:02] So tonight, our focus is on the
[27:04] unintended consequences of good cause.
[27:07] You'll hear of the negative impact it
[27:10] will have on the very purpose of our
[27:12] business to provide affordable safe
[27:14] housing for tenants and a sustainable
[27:18] livelihood for landlords and investors
[27:20] in Skenctity.
[27:22] I want to share this little short
[27:24] statement that we had received from one
[27:26] of our longtime small rental prop senior
[27:30] owners uh who couldn't be here tonight.
[27:34] Quote, she said, "As a member of Slick,
[27:37] I'm forwarding this letter to you
[27:39] expressing my opposition and concern
[27:42] regarding could cause eviction. Please
[27:45] understand that the profit margin is
[27:48] tiny to begin with and would put me in
[27:51] the red and in a deep financial crisis
[27:54] leading to the potential of having to
[27:57] big letters walk away from my property
[28:00] which is something I would never have
[28:02] dreamed of to have to deal with. Thank
[28:06] you she says for your attention in this
[28:08] matter. So with that brief poignant
[28:12] perspective on this issue, ladies and
[28:14] gentlemen, I urge you to consider all of
[28:17] the up andcoming arguments against this
[28:19] legislation. And I want to thank you for
[28:21] listening. Bye-bye. Thank you.
[28:26] [Applause]
[28:34] Harleen Andress. Harleen Andress.
[28:47] Good evening, Mayor McCarthy, Council
[28:49] President Porterfield, and council
[28:51] members. I am Harleen Andress, a member
[28:54] of Slick, a licensed real estate broker
[28:56] who owns a property management company.
[28:59] In my role as property manager, I
[29:01] represent the landlord, but I feel a
[29:03] sincere responsibility to every person I
[29:06] rent to to ensure that they will
[29:08] experience safe, affordable, and quiet
[29:11] enjoyment of their apartment home.
[29:14] Sometimes, despite requests and
[29:17] warnings, there are tenants who continue
[29:19] to be chronically loud, disorderly, and
[29:21] disruptive.
[29:23] Finally, the only recourse is to end the
[29:25] tenency either by eviction or by
[29:27] non-renewal of the rental agreement.
[29:29] Under the good cause eviction law, I
[29:32] would have to prove my reasons for
[29:34] seeking eviction. How do I prove that?
[29:38] Do I ask the other tenants to appear in
[29:40] court and testify against the offending
[29:42] tenant? Should I put the tenants who are
[29:45] being disturbed at risk by asking them
[29:47] to do this? Should I expect them to lose
[29:49] time from work to appear in court? And
[29:52] what about after court? Since they all
[29:54] live at the same address, they have to
[29:56] return home and confront the people that
[30:00] they testified against. I think what
[30:03] will happen more realistically is that
[30:05] these people will not go to court. The
[30:08] tenants who are being disturbed will
[30:09] simply begin to look for another rental
[30:12] unit. And as a result, many lives will
[30:15] be disrupted and the bad behavior will
[30:17] be allowed to continue. I implore you to
[30:20] say no to good cause eviction. There is
[30:23] no good cause for bad behavior and we
[30:26] need to protect all of the tenants, not
[30:28] just a few.
[30:31] Thank you,
[30:36] Hillary Snare. Please, with the signs.
[30:38] Hillary Snare.
[30:47] Good evening, Mr. Mayor and members of
[30:49] the council. Um, can't hear me. I'll go
[30:53] closer. I'm Hillilary Snare and I'm a
[30:56] tenant in downtown Skenctity. I
[30:59] understand the intent of this law. We
[31:01] all want to protect vulnerable tenants.
[31:05] But let's be clear, good cause eviction
[31:07] is not the right tool.
[31:10] Instead of helping, we will make
[31:12] landlords become stricter.
[31:15] Landlords will raise rents faster and
[31:17] they'll avoid renting to anyone who who
[31:20] seems like less like more of a risk
[31:23] because once the tenant is in, they may
[31:25] never get their unit back. And even when
[31:28] the lease ends, I believe the people who
[31:31] will suffer the most will be the ones
[31:32] with low credit scores and the ones who
[31:34] need a second chance. the law will shut
[31:37] the door on them before they even get a
[31:39] key. If you truly want to help others,
[31:42] support rent assistance programs, tenant
[31:45] education, and mediation,
[31:48] not program, not laws that drive housing
[31:51] providers to create higher
[31:52] qualifications and ultimately drive them
[31:55] out of the city. Good cause might sound
[31:58] like justice, but in bad practice, it's
[32:01] just bad policy for all of Skenctity.
[32:04] Thank you. Thank you,
[32:11] Canon Ryan.
[32:23] Uh, good evening, council members and
[32:26] mayor and others. Uh, my name is Canyon
[32:28] Ryan. I'm the executive director at
[32:30] United Tenants of Albany. Um the reason
[32:33] that I'm here is to talk about good
[32:35] cause eviction where we have it in
[32:37] Albany. Um we were the first to pass it
[32:39] in 2022. It got struck down by the state
[32:43] um due to preeemption and um in 2024 the
[32:47] law was finally formalized in the state,
[32:50] you know, the legislature during the
[32:51] budget to allow municipalities opt into
[32:53] good cause eviction. Since Albany has
[32:55] opted in, 16 municipalities have also
[32:58] opted in, including a Republican town
[32:59] called the town of Fishkill. Um, it's
[33:01] not a partisan issue. Um, unless we're
[33:04] just thinking of partisanship in terms
[33:06] of tenants and landlords. The reason
[33:08] that Albony Pass could cause eviction is
[33:10] because rents have been increasing
[33:12] exponentially and wages have not. Um,
[33:15] when we passed the law, two things that
[33:17] a city can consider and and alter are
[33:19] the fair market rent exemption, which
[33:21] Colin has already talked about, the
[33:23] 245%. In Albany, we did 345% just to
[33:27] ensure that the maximum number of
[33:28] tenants were um eligible for the
[33:30] protection. And the other thing that a
[33:31] municipality can consider is the
[33:33] definition of a small landlord. In the
[33:35] city of Albany, we defined a small
[33:36] landlord as those with one rental unit
[33:38] being a single family home where
[33:40] tenants, you know, where there's a
[33:41] tenant. Um but if the landlord had two
[33:43] rental units, then they were no longer
[33:45] considered a small landlord. I just want
[33:47] to clarify too any um owner occupied
[33:50] unit any any owner occupied building of
[33:52] less than 10 units is already exempt. So
[33:55] this has to be particular to the rental
[33:57] portfolio. And that may seem hard on
[33:59] small landlords, but the reason that we
[34:01] qualified it as those with one rental
[34:03] unit is because it's difficult for a
[34:05] city without a very strong and robust
[34:08] code system for tenants to know whether
[34:09] or not they have these protections or
[34:11] attorneys to know if they have these
[34:12] protections. um especially with limited
[34:15] liability corporations which are
[34:16] intended to obiscate actual ownership.
[34:18] So tenants are going to have a really
[34:20] difficult time determining if they have
[34:21] these protections. And what these
[34:23] protections do is set a rubric and
[34:25] expectation for landlords and tenants
[34:27] when they enter into an agreement that
[34:28] the landlord will make repairs and the
[34:30] tenant doesn't have to fear being
[34:31] evicted. Um it's really difficult for
[34:33] tenants to raise a retaliation claim if
[34:35] they feel like when they raised the code
[34:36] enforcement issue, they were then
[34:38] immediately offered an eviction notice.
[34:40] Um before the city of Albany opted into
[34:42] Good Cause Eviction, I was renting from
[34:45] a trust and this big management company
[34:47] was overseeing, you know, the entire
[34:49] ordeal and they didn't renew my lease
[34:52] and there's no reason for that. I've
[34:53] never been behind on my rent before and
[34:55] so I ended up pulling my back, which my
[34:57] back is still messed up. If you could
[34:58] see me walking up today, it's this like
[34:59] continual issue. Um, but my lease wasn't
[35:02] renewed and there was no cause. And so
[35:04] what we had to do is I had to move in
[35:05] with my partner who I I like them, but I
[35:08] liked having my own space, too. And we
[35:10] had to pay 3,500 each to move into a
[35:12] three-bedroom, which we didn't need, but
[35:14] I had to move. And they were living with
[35:16] me at the time in our one-bedroom. Um,
[35:18] so it's very difficult, you know, for tenants to not know what's coming
[35:21] next. And I think that the reason that I
[35:24] was served a non-renewal was because I
[35:26] had raised the issue of a non-functional
[35:27] stove for three months in a row. Um, I
[35:29] think that I was just considered a
[35:30] problem tenant for trying to stand up
[35:32] for my rights. And good cause eviction
[35:34] allows tenants to bring these issues to
[35:35] their landlord without fe fearing a
[35:37] retaliatory eviction. I need you to
[35:38] summarize, please.
[35:41] Am I out of time? Yes. Okay. Um, good
[35:43] cause eviction empowers tenants to
[35:45] utilize the protections that they have
[35:46] without fearing a retaliatory eviction.
[35:48] It's a basic rubric for landlords and
[35:49] tenants to understand what kind of
[35:51] agreement they're entering into. Thank
[35:52] you.
[35:53] [Applause]
[35:58] First initial B, last name Francis.
[36:05] Good evening. My name is Bevon Francis.
[36:07] I am a tenant organizer at United
[36:09] Tenants of Albany. Um, I work with the
[36:12] tenants across Albany uh to form unions
[36:15] and fight for their rights. Uh, two
[36:17] unions that I worked with were Danker
[36:19] Village and Bleecker Terrace Apartments
[36:22] where tenants were receiving rent
[36:24] increases in ranging from 2003, $300,
[36:27] $400 increases. But fortunately, because
[36:30] we have good cause eviction, which um
[36:33] put the cap at 8.38%,
[36:36] we were able to keep those tenants in
[36:38] their home and give them a fair rent
[36:40] increase. I personally am a tenant. I
[36:43] pay 50% of my income to rent and back in
[36:47] October, my landlord wanted to raise my
[36:49] rent by 10%. Um, I was able to use good
[36:53] cause eviction as a defense and get the
[36:55] 8.38%
[36:57] which saved me $15 a month, uh, a little
[37:00] over $150 for the year. But when you're
[37:03] living paycheck to paycheck, that kind
[37:05] of money actually really matters. Um,
[37:08] good cause eviction is a a law that says
[37:13] that you have to have a good cause to
[37:15] evict, right? What is a good cause to
[37:17] evict? If somebody's not paying the
[37:19] rent, that is a good cause. If somebody
[37:21] is being a nuisance, that is a good
[37:23] cause, right? If you're having police
[37:25] activity at your house, that is a good
[37:27] cause. A judge is going to rule that you
[37:29] have to you have to leave. What is not a
[37:31] good cause is you don't like the way I
[37:33] look. You don't like the music I listen
[37:35] to. um you don't like that I've been
[37:37] calling code because there's mice in my
[37:39] apartments, right? Or because you just
[37:41] want to raise the rent. You get me out
[37:43] and then you can raise that rent to two
[37:45] grand a month. Then you're not violating
[37:47] a good cause eviction law that way,
[37:49] right? Um good cause keeps people in
[37:52] their home. It kept me in my home. It
[37:53] guaranteed my lease renewal. Um because
[37:56] once I challenged my landlord against
[37:59] the rent increase, he did not want to
[38:00] renew my lease. And then I had to remind
[38:02] him that good cause allowed me a
[38:04] guaranteed me a lease renewal um as long
[38:07] as I was obeying the terms of my lease,
[38:09] paying my rent on time, and being a good
[38:11] tenant, which I am. Uh we get calls on
[38:14] our hotline at United Tenants of Albany
[38:16] from people in Skenctity. We get calls
[38:17] from people down in Queens, New York. Uh
[38:19] we're very um unique in the services
[38:23] that we provide and we hear from folks
[38:26] all over the state. We get a lot of
[38:28] calls from Skenctity, hundreds of calls
[38:30] from Skenctity where people's rent has
[38:32] been increased by two three $400 and
[38:35] they can't afford the rent. They want to
[38:37] know if we can help them pay their rent.
[38:38] And unfortunately we can't help folks
[38:40] pay rent in Skenctity. Um our
[38:42] organization can only help in Albany
[38:44] County. And I don't have anything I can
[38:46] tell them other than I'm sorry. But
[38:48] there is absolutely nothing that we can
[38:50] do. Your landlord has no law preventing
[38:54] them from raising your rent that much.
[38:56] Um, and then we see people losing their
[38:58] homes and having to move. We've seen
[39:00] quite a few people actually have to go
[39:02] into a homeless shelter because they
[39:04] could not afford rent here in Skenctity.
[39:06] Um, and that is all. Thank you,
[39:14] Mina Badu.
[39:22] Good evening, Mayor McCarthy, President
[39:25] Porterfield, city council members. I am
[39:28] Mina Buddhu, a member of Slick. I'm not
[39:32] a big landlord or a corporation. I'm a
[39:35] small property owner. I rented out an
[39:38] apartment. I take care of the building
[39:40] and I know my tenant personally. I I
[39:44] keep the rent low. I want to be a good
[39:46] landlord. The good cars eviction law
[39:49] portrays me as the enemy. It assumes
[39:52] that if I want to end a lease, I must be
[39:56] doing something wrong. It give tenants
[39:59] the power to stay indefinitely, even if
[40:02] the relationship between us stop working
[40:06] or if they begin damaging my property. I
[40:09] got into this business to build
[40:12] financial security for my family. If
[40:15] this proposal passes, I may be forced to
[40:18] stop renting altogether. I know many
[40:21] other small learners who feel the same.
[40:24] Please think about the real people who
[40:26] have a financial stake in the community.
[40:30] We the property owners don't have the
[40:33] option of packing up, leaving a mess
[40:36] behind, are moving on onto the next
[40:39] apartment where in many instances the
[40:43] new landlord was never told about the
[40:45] last rental and why it is ended. Please
[40:50] say no to good cause eviction. Thank
[40:52] you. Thank you,
[40:55] [Applause]
[40:58] Laurian Gagny.
[41:04] Good evening, Mayor McCarthy, President
[41:07] Council Marian Porter and city council
[41:09] members. My name is Laurian Gier and I'm
[41:12] a real estate broker here in Skenctity.
[41:14] I want to focus on the economic impact
[41:16] of the good cause eviction law. These
[41:20] rules may seem tenant friendly in the
[41:22] short term, but they are disastrous in
[41:24] the long-term housing market. When you
[41:27] restrict a landlord's ability to manage
[41:29] their property or raise rent reasonably,
[41:32] you discourage investment, developers
[41:34] and landlords and small business owners
[41:36] start pulling out. Properties are sold
[41:38] or left vacant. New housing is never
[41:41] built. That leads to one thing, fewer
[41:43] apartments, higher rents.
[41:46] If we want to be and have affordable
[41:48] housing, we should make it easier, not
[41:50] harder, to build and maintain rental
[41:52] units. This law sends the opposite
[41:54] message. It says to investors, don't
[41:57] come here. Please oppose this bill and
[42:00] support policies that grow, not shrink,
[42:03] our housing market in Skenctity. Thank
[42:05] you. Thank you,
[42:10] Pearl Hawk.
[42:16] Good evening everyone. My name is Pearl
[42:19] Ha. I am a broker in the city of
[42:22] Skenctity.
[42:25] Yeah,
[42:27] I'm also a longtime Slick member. I
[42:30] appreciate the opportunity here to share
[42:32] some thoughts and concerns on the good
[42:36] cause eviction.
[42:38] First, New York has already had strong
[42:42] tenant protection laws. Evictions
[42:45] require court approval and tenants have
[42:49] legal remedies when tenants are treated
[42:53] unfairly. You just heard representatives
[42:56] from some organizations. They are having
[43:00] protecting and representing the tenants.
[43:04] Okay.
[43:06] Adding more layers of regulation, no
[43:09] matter how well intended, can lead to
[43:12] unintended consequences, such as higher
[43:16] rent to offset risk and stricter
[43:21] screening that can shut out the very
[43:24] tenants that you're trying to protect.
[43:28] Second, we've seen what happens
[43:30] elsewhere. In Kingston, the policy
[43:33] triggered lawsuits and delays in
[43:36] implementation. In Peripsy, landlords
[43:40] raised credit and income requirements,
[43:44] making housing harder to access for
[43:47] those who need it the most.
[43:50] Third, our court system is already
[43:55] overwhelmed. Implementing good cause
[43:59] eviction would likely mean longer
[44:02] delays, more legal expense and slower
[44:07] resolution of dispute, hurting both good
[44:11] tenants as well as good res re
[44:16] responsible landlords.
[44:18] Skynctity deserves policy that strike a
[44:22] fair balance. Let's work together on the
[44:25] resolutions. Please no good cause
[44:28] eviction.
[44:32] Thank you,
[44:34] Sean Ratigan.
[44:43] Um, yeah. Hi, I'm Sean Ratigan. Um, and
[44:46] I want to thank the city council for
[44:49] bringing up good cause for discussion
[44:50] last week. Uh, one of the discussion
[44:52] points that kept coming up was
[44:55] additional costs that landlords need to
[44:57] bear that might cause them to raise the
[44:59] rent. And while city taxes are accounted
[45:01] for in good cause as a reason that
[45:04] landlords might raise the rent, it made
[45:07] me upset how big of a part of the
[45:09] discussion this was. Oh. Oh. Uh, sure.
[45:14] Um, try putting the microphone closer to
[45:16] your mask. Oh, yeah. Actually, I can
[45:19] pull that down, too. Is that is that
[45:21] better? Yeah. All right. Should I just
[45:23] start from the top? Well, quickly. All
[45:25] right. I want to thank the city council
[45:27] for bringing good cause up for
[45:29] discussion last week. One of the
[45:30] discussion points that kept coming up
[45:32] was additional costs for landlords. Um,
[45:34] well, city taxes are accounted for in
[45:36] good cause as a reason that landlords
[45:38] might raise the rent. It made me upset
[45:41] how big of a discussion point that was.
[45:44] Um, I'd like to share some numbers from
[45:47] my mortgage uh payment. in contrast. So,
[45:50] I bought a house in 2023 and I pay the
[45:53] bank uh $1,975
[45:56] a month or $23,700
[45:59] a year. Of that payment, my city taxes
[46:02] are only $3,600 a year and my school
[46:05] taxes are $2500 a year. From 2023 to
[46:09] 2024, my city taxes went up 2% or $71.
[46:14] Uh, from 24 to 25, my my taxes went up
[46:18] 4.3% or $150.
[46:22] I don't know about you, but like if I
[46:24] could find an apartment where the rent
[46:25] only went up by $150 a year, that would
[46:28] be amazing. Instead, I have to buy a
[46:31] house because every year my landlord
[46:33] wanted to increase the rent by 10%,
[46:35] which was over $150 per month. I really
[46:40] don't think that the city taxes are the
[46:42] reason that landlords are raising their
[46:43] rent.
[46:45] There was also a lot of talk about how
[46:47] small landlords are small businesses and
[46:49] part of the economy. I just like to
[46:51] point out that the tenants who live in
[46:52] Skenctity are arguably a larger point
[46:55] part of the economy. Sorry, I just
[47:00] um if the tenants can't afford to live
[47:03] here, then the people that makes Skaki a
[47:05] great place will have to move. And that
[47:07] just sounds super boring.
[47:09] Good cause isn't radical. Good cause
[47:11] already has carveouts for small
[47:13] landlords, city taxes, large
[47:15] improvements to the buildings. City
[47:17] taxes are really a drop in the bucket
[47:19] when it comes to my budget. Uh housing
[47:21] is by far my largest burden. And since
[47:23] I'm lucky enough to have a mortgage, at
[47:25] least I get equity out of that huge
[47:27] chunk of my paycheck, which is 50% of
[47:30] it. Um tenants need protections, and
[47:33] good cause is protections. I'm pleading
[47:35] with you all to please put the majority
[47:37] of people's interests forward and
[47:39] protect the tenants who live here. Help
[47:41] tenants stay in their homes. Thank Thank
[47:44] you,
[47:45] [Applause]
[47:50] Robin English.
[47:59] My apologies.
[48:01] Good evening, mayor, madame president,
[48:03] and city council. My name is Robin
[48:06] English. I have been a tenant in
[48:07] Skenctity for 20 years. Chris Morris,
[48:10] director of Slick, was my next door
[48:11] neighbor. We lived in a beautiful little
[48:13] complex where she was property manager
[48:15] for 17 years. I began attending monthly
[48:18] Slick meetings with Chris and took on
[48:20] the job of hospitality. I hear all about
[48:23] the re rental business and its
[48:26] challenges. Last year, my complex was
[48:28] sold to a new owner with their owner
[48:31] property management. Unfortunately,
[48:33] there is minimal attention to the
[48:35] property and it has changed
[48:37] dramatically. Although I'm not all happy
[48:40] with the lack of upkeeping, I have
[48:42] considered moving. I'm very concerned
[48:44] about what will happen to me. I know I'm
[48:48] sorry. I know how close I am to having
[48:51] my life disrupted if I feel that I have
[48:54] to move, but I cannot find a place that
[48:56] fits my particular needs. Since I've
[48:58] heard all the discussions on the law on
[49:01] this law, I'm aware of the unintended
[49:04] consequences of the good cause eviction
[49:06] law and how it can actually hurt
[49:08] prospective tenants. When landlords know
[49:11] they won't be able to raise rents or
[49:14] remove a tenant without legal battle,
[49:16] they start screening more aggressively.
[49:19] That means more applicant rejections
[49:22] impacting lower income tenants,
[49:24] students, and those with lower credit
[49:26] scores and others. Landlords may raise
[49:29] rents sharply between tenants and
[49:31] protect themselves from future
[49:33] limitations. Ironically, a law meant to
[49:36] protect renters should make it harder
[49:39] for new renters to find housing. I'm
[49:42] really worried about my own future.
[49:44] Thank you very much. Thank you,
[49:50] Muhammad Haz.
[49:53] Muhammad Hz.
[49:58] Good evening, Mr. Mayor, Madame
[50:01] President, council members. My name is
[50:03] Muhammad Hafes. I'm a landlord's connect
[50:05] in Skenctity.
[50:07] I'm here to speak about the uh about in
[50:09] opposition to the good cause eviction
[50:11] claw. If the law passes in Skenctity, it
[50:14] will result in the following.
[50:16] One, the increase in operating cost
[50:18] because eviction will take a lot longer
[50:21] to complete. Two, rent will increase
[50:24] because of the operating cost increase
[50:26] to the landlord. We're not talking about
[50:28] 2% taxes that he was gentleman was
[50:31] talking about here. Talking about the
[50:33] material costs. If you go to the Home
[50:34] Depot,
[50:36] things have quadrupled. Things have
[50:38] quadruple in price. Talking about labor
[50:40] costs. Talking about legal costs. Try to
[50:42] hire a lawyer to to do an eviction for
[50:44] you. It cost you hundreds of dollars,
[50:47] maybe thousands.
[50:49] Uh number three, evicting problem tenant
[50:52] will become more difficult, prolonging
[50:54] the suffering of the neighboring tenant
[50:56] in the building. and further result in
[50:58] the increase of police and fire
[51:00] department calls. I experienced that
[51:01] myself. I had a problem tenant that was
[51:03] there during corona and after corona it
[51:06] took us months and months and so many
[51:08] calls to the police and fire department
[51:09] phony calls to the police and fire
[51:11] department or when they ca when they
[51:13] came they basically couldn't do
[51:14] anything. Number four, landlord will
[51:16] start leaving more rental unit vacant
[51:18] decreasing the number of rent of uh of unit available to rent in the city.
[51:24] Five, some landlords will stop renting
[51:26] altogether and that will that they will
[51:29] start talking about uh unit conversion
[51:32] further reducing the number of available
[51:34] units for rent uh making it even harder
[51:37] for renter for renter to find apartment
[51:39] in skenctity. Six, if skenctity
[51:42] landlords stop selling their properties,
[51:44] absentee landlord would take over
[51:46] impacting the rental market in
[51:48] Skenctity. Uh number seven, the higher
[51:52] cost of rental business will cause fewer
[51:54] investment in new housing development in
[51:56] Skenctity.
[51:58] Though it may appear to be helping
[52:00] tenant, the law make makes it makes the
[52:02] law will make it finding affordable
[52:04] housing a lot harder for the tenant. So
[52:07] please do not vote for the good cause
[52:09] eviction in Skenct. Thank you. Thank
[52:11] you.
[52:15] Holly Law. Holly Law.
[52:24] Good evening, city council members. Mr.
[52:27] Mayor, I am a Skenctity resident and
[52:29] homeowner of 17 years. The apartment in
[52:32] my home is currently occupied by my mom.
[52:34] And while I hope that arrangement goes
[52:36] on forever, it is entirely possible that
[52:38] I will end up renting at some point to
[52:40] someone who didn't give birth to me. I'm
[52:43] here tonight because I feel strongly
[52:45] that good cause eviction is a win-win
[52:47] for Skenctity. The criticism of good
[52:50] cause seems to me to fall largely into
[52:52] two buckets. One, predictions of dire
[52:55] outcomes for the city, including
[52:57] renters, and two, a conviction that
[53:00] whatever benefits renters must
[53:02] necessarily hurt landlords. So, first,
[53:06] the predictions of dire outcomes. You've
[53:08] heard them from other people. I'm not
[53:10] going to list them all, but good cause
[53:12] has been adopted by more than a dozen
[53:14] New York municipalities, and it's been
[53:16] the law in New Jersey since the 70s. So,
[53:20] if these dire outcomes were going to
[53:22] happen, surely critics would be able to
[53:25] provide clear and compelling evidence of
[53:27] them. Without actual evidence of these
[53:30] bad outcomes from these other places, I
[53:32] would like to suggest that these
[53:33] arguments be disregarded.
[53:36] Second, the idea that anything that
[53:38] benefits renters will necessarily harm
[53:41] landlords. This is called zero sum
[53:44] thinking and it's a particularly
[53:46] corrosive mindset when it comes to
[53:48] making decisions for a whole city where
[53:50] we are interconnected in so many
[53:53] complicated ways. There is social
[53:55] science research that supports the idea
[53:57] that some people are hardwired to zero
[54:00] some thinking. that if you present
[54:02] people with a situation that is
[54:04] objectively beneficial to all parties,
[54:06] like for instance, John sells his car to
[54:09] Mary for a price that he is happy with
[54:12] and Mary buys John's car for a price
[54:14] that she is happy with. And social
[54:17] science researchers will then ask people
[54:20] who won that interaction and there are a
[54:23] significant number of people who will
[54:24] say John. John won that interaction.
[54:28] John definitely won. Mary definitely
[54:30] lost. Even though objectively they both
[54:33] won, that interaction was beneficial to
[54:35] both. And I mentioned this research just
[54:38] to point out that just because certain
[54:40] people believe they will lose when
[54:42] others gain doesn't mean that's
[54:44] necessarily objectively accurate. I
[54:47] think some landlords may be stuck in
[54:49] this zero sum mindset and it makes them
[54:51] unable to see the benefits that would
[54:53] acrue to all of us, landlords included,
[54:56] if the whole city were to have more
[54:58] stable housing, a friendlier and more
[55:01] welcoming rental culture, and therefore
[55:03] more demand for rental units. Good cause
[55:06] eviction would be a win-win for
[55:08] Skenctity. Thank you. Thank you.
[55:12] [Applause]
[55:16] Ed Laven Jr. Ed Leven Jr.
[55:21] This is city business, but it's not
[55:22] about rentals. I beg your pardon. This
[55:25] is city business, but it's not about
[55:27] rentals. Okay. You talk about whatever
[55:29] you'd like. Well, I was involved in a
[55:31] small claims court case. I won a default
[55:34] judgement on 1016, 2019. I get one piece
[55:37] of paper in regular mail with a court
[55:39] date and time of 9:10 2020 9:00 a.m.
[55:42] There is no affidavit or proof of
[55:44] service. Defendant cannot come back to
[55:47] the court without valid reason why she
[55:49] did not appear on 101619.
[55:55] Also, she must show some proof of why
[55:57] she should win case. This must be in
[55:59] motion. No judge can act on a motion
[56:02] without proof of service. This is
[56:03] obstruction of justice and most
[56:05] certainly no judge can vacate a default
[56:07] judgment and say lean was satisfied 11
[56:10] days before a trial. Frost signed the
[56:13] two motions first waited out by clerk.
[56:17] Need proof of service.
[56:22] Frost signed the second motion also
[56:24] without affidavit or proof of service.
[56:26] With Frost signing improper motions and
[56:29] Falotico acting on improper motions,
[56:32] which no judge can act on a motion
[56:33] without proof of service, this makes it
[56:35] a conspiracy to deprive me of my
[56:37] constitutional rights of due process and
[56:40] crime 18 USC 242.
[56:44] Belico goes further and vacates default
[56:46] judgment in committing the crime of 18
[56:48] USC 1509, obstruction of courts. No one
[56:52] vacate or dismiss another judge's
[56:54] decision without a proper hearing and
[56:56] evidence to do so. I've been before this
[56:58] mayor and city council several times.
[57:01] They are complicit after the fact
[57:02] because I have left them the proof and
[57:04] nothing has been done to these two
[57:06] corrupt judges. Mayor, county attorney,
[57:08] district attorney, US attorney, all know
[57:11] about the crimes of these two judges.
[57:13] The mayor has kept me out of the
[57:14] newspaper and off the news channels. The
[57:17] mayor pays very well for corruption.
[57:19] Valico tears down a building on State
[57:21] Street. proper authority to do so and
[57:23] mayor makes him a judge.
[57:26] You also appointed TP Frost. I went to
[57:29] John D. Augustine, Miles Reed of the
[57:31] Gazette. The Augustine was publisher and
[57:33] president. Miles Reed was editor. As I
[57:36] said, mayor pays well for corruption.
[57:38] The CBTA paid 300,000 for parking spaces
[57:41] to the Gazette. John D. Augustine now
[57:44] owns the Gazette. Commission on Judicial
[57:46] Conduct threw my paperwork away after I
[57:49] told them they must base their decisions
[57:51] on the rules of court and the laws of
[57:53] the Constitution or they too could be
[57:55] charged with obstruction of the
[57:56] governmental administration.
[58:00] I've been to city police, sheriff, state
[58:03] police, found one of state trooper that
[58:05] filed my complaint. The DA told him
[58:07] there was no crime. You could go no
[58:09] further. FBI and US attorney's office
[58:11] both said the exact same thing to me.
[58:14] This is not something we're going to
[58:15] look into. When they refused to file my
[58:18] complaints, you do realize you live in
[58:20] New York. When you have mayor running
[58:22] for a fourth term, Fatika was running
[58:24] for Supreme Court. I went to the
[58:26] attorney grievance committee regarding
[58:28] DA, County Attorney Gardner, and US
[58:30] attorney Barnett. They could find no
[58:32] misconduct.
[58:34] I also went to election board letting
[58:36] them know how you were covering up for
[58:38] Falatico. Not uh surprisingly, they
[58:41] could find nothing wrong. No response.
[58:44] Oh, your time is expired. Please
[58:45] summarize.
[58:47] It's time to go to Pan B.
[58:51] Thank you.
[58:55] Paty Dio Prasad.
[59:10] I am short.
[59:12] Good evening, Mayor McCarti, city
[59:15] president for the field and city council
[59:17] members. My name is Patio Prasad. I'm a
[59:20] Skenct City resident. Skenctity is a
[59:23] city that's rebuilding. We've seen
[59:26] growth downtown and neighborhoods come
[59:28] back indeed. But that progress depends
[59:31] on investment, on people like me
[59:34] choosing to put our money, time, and
[59:36] energy into restoring housing. Stop.
[59:40] Good cause eviction sends the opposite
[59:42] message. This tells that would be
[59:46] investors and landlords that even if you
[59:48] follow the law and keep rents fair, the
[59:51] city will make it very difficult for you
[59:53] to remove a tenant from your property.
[59:56] Why would anyone invest under those
[59:58] conditions?
[1:00:00] Why would they t take a risk on that
[1:00:02] property downtown that is a block away
[1:00:05] and needs $50,000 in repairs?
[1:00:09] This law will co would cause
[1:00:12] good local law landlords to walk away.
[1:00:15] Guess who will move in? Predatory out of
[1:00:18] town buyers who don't care about the
[1:00:20] community only profit. If you care about
[1:00:23] revitalizing skinnity,
[1:00:26] don't cut off the people that is doing
[1:00:28] the work. Say no to good cause eviction.
[1:00:31] Thank you. Thank you.
[1:00:39] Jamaica Miles.
[1:00:47] So, let's get quick with some
[1:00:49] clarification. The Kingston Pikipsy
[1:00:51] lawsuits that were referenced were about
[1:00:53] rent control, not about good cause. It's
[1:00:56] completely unrelated. Um, by the way,
[1:00:58] going to court is the law, so we're
[1:01:00] supposed to do that. And good cause
[1:01:02] would reduce the number of court cases
[1:01:04] because it eliminates frivolous filings
[1:01:06] and holds landlords accountable to real
[1:01:09] standards. I am not just a lifelong
[1:01:12] skenkity resident. I am also someone who
[1:01:14] has been impacted by renting in the city
[1:01:17] of Skenctity. Forced out of apartments,
[1:01:19] afraid to call code enforcement, needing
[1:01:22] to relocate every year for multiple
[1:01:24] years, and experiencing extremely high
[1:01:26] rent. Let's start with me being born on
[1:01:29] Hamilton Hill in 1974. By 1980, my
[1:01:32] parents had to move to 953 Albany
[1:01:34] Street. By 1988, at the age of 14 years
[1:01:38] old, it was the first time that I was
[1:01:40] homeless. But let's jump ahead. 1881
[1:01:43] State Street, I actually was able to
[1:01:44] live there for 7 years from 20 from 2002
[1:01:48] to 2009. Then I had to move to Cutler.
[1:01:51] That was less than a year. Plymouth A,
[1:01:53] less than a year. Rugby Road. I lived
[1:01:56] there almost a year, but there was a rat
[1:01:58] infestation and they wouldn't take care
[1:02:00] of it. So, I moved to another apartment
[1:02:01] on Rugby Road less than a year. Then
[1:02:04] over to Brandy Wine A and we've only
[1:02:06] made it to 2015. Do I need to go on? How
[1:02:09] many of you currently rent in the city
[1:02:11] of Skenctity? How many of you have ever
[1:02:14] rented in this city? Which neighborhoods
[1:02:17] do you currently live in or have you
[1:02:18] ever lived in? Mine span almost the
[1:02:21] entire city. How many young people at
[1:02:24] Seat Center live in rentals right now?
[1:02:26] How many attendees of our public
[1:02:28] libraries are housing insecure? Is every
[1:02:31] senior that is living in the city of
[1:02:33] Skenctity living in a safe, stable,
[1:02:35] affordable, and secure housing unit? I'm
[1:02:38] not just someone who lives there. I'm
[1:02:40] also someone who has been on the ground
[1:02:41] speaking to residents for years being
[1:02:43] told that the number one issue is and
[1:02:45] continues to be housing safety,
[1:02:47] security, and affordability. I am here
[1:02:50] to urge this council to opt into New
[1:02:52] York State's good cause eviction law
[1:02:54] because this legislation is not just
[1:02:56] necessary. It is long overdue. Our
[1:02:58] housing isn't being wellmaintained right
[1:03:01] now. It is already difficult to get an
[1:03:04] apartment right now. So, if folks are
[1:03:05] worried about whether or not it's going
[1:03:07] to get more difficult, y'all ain't
[1:03:08] rented in this city. We already have
[1:03:11] absentee landlords. We already have
[1:03:13] apartments that aren't being inspected
[1:03:15] and don't have rental certification. We
[1:03:17] already have tenants who are being
[1:03:19] illegally evicted without going to
[1:03:22] court, which is against the law to a
[1:03:24] body that likes to be law in order. And
[1:03:27] the worst part, many tenants don't even
[1:03:29] know their rights. So yes, we do need an
[1:03:31] education piece. Good cause can help us
[1:03:33] to fix this. It brings clarity. It
[1:03:35] brings standards. It empowers tenants to
[1:03:38] speak up and holds neglectful property
[1:03:41] owners accountable. For those of you
[1:03:43] that are good property owners, God bless
[1:03:44] you and thank you for what you do. There
[1:03:46] is zero evidence that the tax base has
[1:03:48] suffered in any good cause community.
[1:03:51] What has suffered is community stability
[1:03:53] when we fail to act. New Jersey since
[1:03:56] 1974, where's the evidence? So the
[1:03:59] question is not should we wait. The
[1:04:01] question is how many more people will
[1:04:03] you allow to suffer while we do nothing?
[1:04:06] So make process make the process
[1:04:08] forward. Move the process forward to opt
[1:04:11] into good cause. Don't let fear and
[1:04:13] misinformation guide this city's
[1:04:15] decision-making. You summarize, please.
[1:04:17] I am summarizing right now. Don't let a
[1:04:19] good policy die because of political
[1:04:21] games. And don't ignore the people who
[1:04:24] need strength, compassion, and
[1:04:26] leadership right now. Thank you,
[1:04:33] [Applause]
[1:04:37] Kathy Sullivan.
[1:04:40] Down with the signs. Kathy Sullivan.
[1:04:44] She must have left. Trisha Pedro.
[1:05:04] Hello everyone on the city council. I'm
[1:05:06] Trisha Pedro. I had signed up to speak
[1:05:08] about um 317 State Street. Just wanted
[1:05:11] to introduce myself. Um it's not about
[1:05:14] this. So I just wanted to say that I am
[1:05:18] a mother of eight and I live here in
[1:05:20] Skenctity for over 20 years. I am a
[1:05:22] business owner. I love Skenctity. I came
[1:05:25] here just doing my own little thing and
[1:05:27] Skenctity have embraced me. I do a lot
[1:05:29] of community events and just I love the
[1:05:31] people in Skenctity. So, I wanted to use
[1:05:34] the space so that I can have business
[1:05:36] owners like myself just get together and
[1:05:40] make money in the city of Skenkity and
[1:05:42] just just work with the foot traffic
[1:05:44] that's already going through downtown
[1:05:46] Skenctity. So, I just wanted to let you
[1:05:48] guys know that I'm trying to give you
[1:05:50] like a face to the name, introduce
[1:05:51] myself. That's all. Thank you. Thank
[1:05:53] you,
[1:05:56] [Applause]
[1:05:58] Valerie Triano.
[1:06:06] Good evening, city council members. I'm
[1:06:08] here today in support of connected opt
[1:06:11] into the good cause eviction law. As a m
[1:06:14] me member of this community, as a
[1:06:17] neighbor, and as someone who believes
[1:06:18] that housing is not just a commodity,
[1:06:20] it's a human right. First, I want to
[1:06:23] thank council member Farley for
[1:06:24] introducing the good cause eviction
[1:06:27] resolution to committee this past Monday
[1:06:29] and to thank council members Farley,
[1:06:32] Williams, and Porterfield for bringing
[1:06:34] such thoughtful facts and statistics to
[1:06:36] the conversation.
[1:06:38] Your leadership matters
[1:06:40] because right now in connectity, there
[1:06:42] are families living in fear. Fear of
[1:06:45] being pushed out of their homes, not
[1:06:46] because they did something wrong, but
[1:06:49] because they dared to speak up about
[1:06:50] mold, broken heat in winter, or leaking
[1:06:53] ceilings. Fear that if they ask for
[1:06:55] repairs, they'll find a notice taped to
[1:06:58] their door telling them they have 30
[1:06:59] days to get out. That is not justice.
[1:07:02] That is abuse of power. The good cause
[1:07:05] eviction law is our opportunity to say
[1:07:08] no more. No more retaliatory evictions.
[1:07:12] No more families torn apart by greed. No
[1:07:14] more mothers lying awake at night
[1:07:16] wondering where their children will
[1:07:17] sleep next month. This law doesn't
[1:07:19] punish good landlords. It protects them
[1:07:22] and ensures that small local landlords
[1:07:25] can continue offering affordable housing
[1:07:28] without being crushed by corporately
[1:07:29] owned buildings jacking up rent
[1:07:32] citywide.
[1:07:35] It keeps housing fair, competitive, and
[1:07:38] rooted in our comm community in the
[1:07:39] community. This law does not allow
[1:07:42] tenants to abuse the system. Landlords
[1:07:44] will still be able to evict for
[1:07:46] non-payment,
[1:07:49] destruction of property, or illegal
[1:07:50] activity. They can still raise rent so
[1:07:53] long as those increases are fair and
[1:07:55] based on actual costs. Owner occupied
[1:07:57] homes with 10 or fewer units are exempt.
[1:08:01] Let's be clear, good cause isn't
[1:08:02] radical. It's reasonable. It's humane.
[1:08:05] It's overdue. And it works. New Jersey
[1:08:08] has had a version of this law for nearly
[1:08:10] 50 years and not only has it protected
[1:08:12] renters renters. It's outpaced New York
[1:08:16] in housing construction. This law is not
[1:08:18] anti- landlord, it's
[1:08:21] pro community. It's pro- stability. It's
[1:08:24] pro dignity. Let's lead with compassion
[1:08:27] to put people over profit. Let's make
[1:08:29] connectity a city where no one loses
[1:08:30] their home just for speaking up. where
[1:08:33] housing isn't a constant fight but a
[1:08:35] foundation to build our lives upon.
[1:08:37] Thank you for your time for listening
[1:08:39] not just with your heart. I mean not
[1:08:41] just with your ears but with your
[1:08:42] hearts. Thank you. Thank you
[1:08:49] Rach.
[1:08:59] Hello. I came to uh speak on behalf of
[1:09:01] Trisha Pedro. Um she's been an amazing
[1:09:05] community member who is well loved um by
[1:09:08] the Skenctity community and as the uh
[1:09:11] director of the Hamilton Hill Arts
[1:09:13] Center, we've worked together often to
[1:09:15] put on community events and I just
[1:09:17] wanted to support her purchase of the
[1:09:18] property. Thank you. Thank you,
[1:09:21] [Applause]
[1:09:25] Ellie Pepper.
[1:09:34] Good evening, Mayor, Madame President,
[1:09:36] city council members. I've lived in the
[1:09:38] city of Skenctity for 30 years as a
[1:09:40] homeowner. Uh, I'm here to urge you to
[1:09:43] opt into New York's good cause eviction
[1:09:47] law because our city's renters urgently
[1:09:49] need this protection and responsible
[1:09:52] landlords have nothing to fear from it.
[1:09:55] 15 cities in the state have already done
[1:09:58] it. So, let's do it. More than half of
[1:10:03] all households in Skenctity and in
[1:10:06] neighborhoods like Mount Pleasant and
[1:10:08] downtown.
[1:10:09] Um, so there's more than half of all
[1:10:11] households in Skenctity are renters. And
[1:10:14] in neighborhoods like Mount Pleasant and
[1:10:16] downtown, it's more than 75 or even 90%.
[1:10:20] That's a lot of people who are renters
[1:10:23] in this city. The majority of those
[1:10:25] buildings are owned by absentee
[1:10:27] landlords, many of whom don't live in
[1:10:29] Skenctity and some don't even live in
[1:10:31] the state.
[1:10:34] And something that started all the way
[1:10:36] back in 2018 and finally we've seen um
[1:10:40] what it led to just this past year, but
[1:10:44] that's seven years later. I just want to
[1:10:46] point that out.
[1:10:50] The city fined one absentee landlord,
[1:10:53] Alh Hawk LLC, more than 665,000
[1:10:58] for dangerous conditions across multiple
[1:11:00] properties, homes with no heat, no
[1:11:03] maintenance, no regard for the people
[1:11:05] living there. And still many attend many
[1:11:08] tenants are afraid to speak up because
[1:11:10] right now they can be evicted for any
[1:11:13] reason or no reason at all. good cause
[1:11:17] eviction would change that. It doesn't
[1:11:19] stop landlords from evicting tenants who
[1:11:21] don't pay rent or break their lease. It
[1:11:24] just says if you're doing everything
[1:11:26] right, you can't be thrown out without a
[1:11:29] valid reason. And it protects tenants
[1:11:32] from retaliation if they report unsafe
[1:11:35] conditions.
[1:11:37] It also puts a check on unreasonable
[1:11:40] rent increases.
[1:11:42] So, just to put a clear point on the
[1:11:45] amount that can be increased right now,
[1:11:49] inflation in our region is 3.4%.
[1:11:53] Under good cause, a rent increase is
[1:11:56] presumed unreasonable
[1:11:58] if it is higher than 5% plus the
[1:12:02] consumer price index.
[1:12:05] So, if you put that together with the
[1:12:08] inflation rate right now in this region,
[1:12:10] you're looking at an 8.4%
[1:12:13] increase as being reasonable.
[1:12:17] That doesn't um block rent increases. It
[1:12:20] just ensures that they're fair. If a
[1:12:24] landlord has rising costs and needs to
[1:12:26] raise rent more than that, they can
[1:12:29] still do it. They just need to justify
[1:12:33] it if it leads to eviction for
[1:12:35] non-payment.
[1:12:37] Now, I want to speak directly to
[1:12:39] concerns about small landlords. Is that
[1:12:41] my time up already? Wow, God, that went
[1:12:43] so fast. Um, I know many of them care
[1:12:46] deeply about their tenants and are part
[1:12:47] of the communities they're they serve.
[1:12:50] And good cause does not prevent them
[1:12:51] from making a living. It doesn't stop
[1:12:53] evictions for valid reasons. Doesn't
[1:12:55] freeze rents. In fact, many of the worst
[1:12:57] violations and most aggressive evictions
[1:12:59] in Skenctity come from large absentee
[1:13:01] owners, not local landlords. It's about
[1:13:04] targeting abuse, not punishing
[1:13:06] responsible property. I need you to
[1:13:07] summarize. We already have strong
[1:13:10] enforcement tools, but those don't mean
[1:13:12] much if tenants are afraid to file a
[1:13:14] complaint. Good cause gives renters the
[1:13:16] confidence to speak up, and it helps
[1:13:18] stabilize neighborhoods by stopping
[1:13:20] unjust evictions before they happen.
[1:13:21] Thank you. Thank you.
[1:13:26] Dean Nabado,
[1:13:34] I will try to speak fast. Uh, good
[1:13:38] evening, uh, madame president, city
[1:13:41] council members, and mayor. Uh, my name
[1:13:43] is Dean Morabo, and I live in the city
[1:13:46] of Skenctity. After listening to the
[1:13:49] discussion last Monday by members of the
[1:13:51] council regarding opting into or out of
[1:13:55] good cause eviction,
[1:13:57] uh it appeared to me that those voices
[1:14:00] uh against good cause had very
[1:14:02] unconvincing arguments
[1:14:04] uh to vote for opting out. Um I'll give
[1:14:08] some examples.
[1:14:10] uh
[1:14:11] landlords will be rushing to sell their
[1:14:14] properties leading to corporation
[1:14:16] corporations buying up properties and
[1:14:19] creating uh absentee landlords. This is
[1:14:23] uh only speculation
[1:14:28] and word of mouth and it's a form of
[1:14:30] fear-mongering.
[1:14:32] Uh also landlords suffered during COVID.
[1:14:36] Well, tenants did as well. Where is the
[1:14:39] compassion for them?
[1:14:41] Small landlords are small businesses
[1:14:44] trying to create generational wealth.
[1:14:48] Uh will that be on the backs of the
[1:14:50] tenants? Is that what it's about? Uh
[1:14:53] this sounds a lot like colonialism to
[1:14:55] me.
[1:14:58] Uh it was stated landlords are part of a
[1:15:00] solution. Taking people into their
[1:15:03] properties to give them a place to live.
[1:15:06] I thought that I heard that landlords
[1:15:08] are small businesses.
[1:15:11] Landlords are building a skenctity we
[1:15:14] can all be proud of.
[1:15:16] Is this to the exclusion of an already
[1:15:19] disenfranchised population of the city?
[1:15:23] Uh landlords were compared to other
[1:15:26] small businesses in the city. People
[1:15:29] need to feel safe and secure in their
[1:15:31] properties they rent um which should be
[1:15:34] affordable, clean and properly
[1:15:37] maintained by landlords.
[1:15:41] These are not things small businesses in
[1:15:44] other small businesses in the city are
[1:15:47] uh required to provide.
[1:15:50] It's not fair that landlords should lose
[1:15:52] money for owning rental properties.
[1:15:56] Well, good cause isn't about taking
[1:15:58] money away from landlords. It's about
[1:16:00] providing perfection protections for
[1:16:02] tenants. So, in conclusion, I'd like to
[1:16:05] say that people who become landlords do
[1:16:09] so as a choice. Uh people need a place
[1:16:13] to live. It's not asking too much for it
[1:16:16] to be affordable, clean, and
[1:16:18] appropriately maintained by the people
[1:16:20] that own the property. Thank you. Thank
[1:16:22] you.
[1:16:23] [Applause]
[1:16:28] First name looks like Laurel and the
[1:16:29] last name starts with a G.
[1:16:40] I beg you pardon.
[1:16:42] It sound it looks like it.
[1:16:48] And could you just please your state
[1:16:50] your full name because I am unable to
[1:16:52] read your last name. No problem. My name
[1:16:54] is Laurel Barnes. Good afternoon, good
[1:16:57] evening, mayor, madame president, and
[1:17:00] city council. Um, I was going to speak
[1:17:02] about something different, but now that
[1:17:04] I heard about this good cause uh
[1:17:07] eviction,
[1:17:09] I've been a resident of Skenki for over
[1:17:12] 20 years. I've been in different
[1:17:14] apartments. Um, I've been in my last one
[1:17:17] right now for going on 12 years.
[1:17:20] I have never been late on my rent.
[1:17:25] Our apartment building got bought by an
[1:17:28] LLC after our landlord who was just a
[1:17:33] single landlord owning a few places who
[1:17:35] was actually compassionate and kind.
[1:17:39] Someone else bought it. Now he calls me
[1:17:42] a troublemaker.
[1:17:44] I was telling him about what was going
[1:17:47] wrong with my neighbor downstairs
[1:17:51] and the other neighbor on the other side
[1:17:54] of the building. He has threatened to
[1:17:57] not reloom my lease next year. And his
[1:18:00] lease, all it is is a piece of paper
[1:18:04] saying, "Do you still want to live here?
[1:18:06] Sign here." No rules, no nothing.
[1:18:10] I don't think it's fair. I'm telling him
[1:18:14] something that's happening. I'm not
[1:18:16] trying to be a troublemaker.
[1:18:18] It's just the truth. And he hardly ever
[1:18:23] comes by.
[1:18:25] I'm also under section 8. He's also
[1:18:27] raised the rent because of section 8
[1:18:32] uh over $150 the first time. I rent a
[1:18:36] one-bedroom apartment and now it's $900.
[1:18:40] I'm afraid to tell him that my bathroom
[1:18:44] sink is leaking. I'm afraid to ask him
[1:18:47] for another refrigerator because it's
[1:18:49] starting to go.
[1:18:51] I'm afraid to tell him about the heat.
[1:18:54] The the radiator starts leaking like
[1:18:56] crazy and I have it's ruined the rug
[1:19:00] that I have in my kitchen. I'm afraid to
[1:19:03] tell him anything because I'm afraid
[1:19:05] he's going to get me out and not renew
[1:19:07] my lease. And it's not fair. They should
[1:19:11] not have the right to just say, "You're
[1:19:13] a troublemaker. Time to get out. I can't
[1:19:16] afford to move anywhere. I have to live
[1:19:19] where I'm living. It's it's a great
[1:19:21] area. I feel safe there."
[1:19:25] And it's it will not help also my mental
[1:19:28] health. I suffer from severe depression
[1:19:32] and that will make me go downhill.
[1:19:35] Not a good idea.
[1:19:38] Because back in 2009,
[1:19:41] I left my house in Scotia. And this was
[1:19:44] 5 years after my mother passed away, who
[1:19:47] I took care of till the day she died.
[1:19:51] I walked towards the Scotia Bridge
[1:19:54] intending on jumping.
[1:19:57] Two police officers, who I still don't
[1:19:59] know their name,
[1:20:01] saved me from doing it. I went to Ellis
[1:20:04] for a month and a half. I have no memory
[1:20:06] of what was going on and I'm happy where
[1:20:10] I am, but I'm afraid to say anything.
[1:20:13] Thank you. Have a good night.
[1:20:17] [Applause]
[1:20:19] [Music]
[1:20:21] [Applause]
[1:20:24] Chris Petro Carly.
[1:20:33] Good evening, esteemed members of the
[1:20:34] council. My name is Chris Petra Carly. I
[1:20:37] actually have never encountered someone
[1:20:38] who pronounced it right the first time
[1:20:39] correctly. So
[1:20:42] uh I am as connected resident. I am
[1:20:44] actually not a tenant. I am a homeowner.
[1:20:45] But I was once a tenant and I was able
[1:20:48] to stably live in an apartment for 7
[1:20:50] years before I was able to afford my
[1:20:51] house. I was only able to afford my
[1:20:54] house because of that stability. And I
[1:20:57] implore you to vote yes on good cause so
[1:21:00] that we can maintain stability for our
[1:21:02] tenants in this time of economic strife.
[1:21:05] We need to understand that everybody who
[1:21:07] contributes to the community, everybody
[1:21:09] who works, everybody who's a barista,
[1:21:11] who works at a Lowe's as a salesman, who
[1:21:15] makes entertainment online, whatever,
[1:21:17] anybody who works for a living needs to
[1:21:19] be able to call someplace their own, to
[1:21:21] be able to live somewhere without the
[1:21:23] threat of randomly being pushed out on
[1:21:25] the street because the landlord
[1:21:27] suspected they might be gay or because
[1:21:30] they just don't vibe with the person in
[1:21:32] there. Good cause will prevent people
[1:21:34] from just being thrown to the wolves.
[1:21:40] Thank you for your time. Thank you.
[1:21:46] [Applause]
[1:21:47] Bridget Bridget Savage Spice.
[1:21:57] Hello. Uh my name is Bridget Savage
[1:21:59] Spees. Um I am with the capital district
[1:22:02] DSA um and I work on the housing
[1:22:04] committee um helping to bring um
[1:22:07] legislation like this to places
[1:22:09] throughout the capital district um uh
[1:22:12] including Skenctity. So, um I wanted to
[1:22:14] talk a little bit about the um the way
[1:22:18] that good cause has existed in not only
[1:22:20] the places in New York that have passed
[1:22:22] good cause, but also in California, in
[1:22:25] New Jersey, and in um other
[1:22:27] municipalities in which they have um
[1:22:29] similar protections to good cause or,
[1:22:31] you know, verbatim good cause
[1:22:33] protections. Um, a little while ago, the
[1:22:36] University of Minnesota Center for Urban
[1:22:39] and Regional Affairs published a report
[1:22:41] um because several of their professors
[1:22:43] were wondering, you know, I keep hearing
[1:22:44] this thing from landlords where they say
[1:22:46] that if we pass good cause um then there
[1:22:49] will be no new housing development and
[1:22:51] that will drive up rental prices. Um,
[1:22:53] and that's something that I have heard
[1:22:54] here today a lot. Um, and so they did
[1:22:56] this study because they wanted to find
[1:22:57] out is that true. Um they looked in
[1:22:59] California, in New Jersey. They compared
[1:23:02] um the they compared areas with good
[1:23:05] cause to areas without good cause that
[1:23:07] have similar, you know, that are similar
[1:23:09] in their geographic area, similar in
[1:23:12] their income and their GDP, all sorts
[1:23:14] of, you know, um similarities. And they
[1:23:18] determined that it did not have any
[1:23:21] effect on new construction. Um so with
[1:23:23] that study in mind I think um we can
[1:23:26] determine that it's unlikely that it
[1:23:28] would in skenctity if it hasn't anywhere
[1:23:30] else. Um I would also like to um lay out
[1:23:34] the idea that I want to make it
[1:23:36] extremely clear that good cause eviction
[1:23:38] protections do not impact landlords who
[1:23:40] are in the business of providing safe
[1:23:43] and affordable housing. Um, if that's
[1:23:45] what your goal is as a landlord, then I
[1:23:47] commend you for that. And this law
[1:23:49] should not impact you because you
[1:23:53] um you will not be
[1:23:55] uh you if you are not trying to evict
[1:23:57] tenants retal in a retaliatory manner,
[1:24:00] you will not be impacted by good cause.
[1:24:02] Um good cause has a number of um a
[1:24:06] number of carveouts in it as well that
[1:24:08] address some of the concerns that I've
[1:24:10] heard. Um so any building that's built
[1:24:12] before 2009 uh that's built after 2009
[1:24:15] is exempt from good cause which is one
[1:24:17] of the reasons why it doesn't impact new
[1:24:18] development. Um it doesn't impact um
[1:24:21] owner occupied buildings. So small
[1:24:24] landlords renting out their apartment
[1:24:26] attached to their garage or anything
[1:24:27] like that are not impacted. Um it does
[1:24:31] not impact um
[1:24:34] landlords with a portfolio under a
[1:24:36] certain size which can be determined by
[1:24:38] the council. In Albany, we set that as
[1:24:40] one um because of the LLC loophole in
[1:24:43] which landlords frequently own uh many
[1:24:45] buildings under all different LLC's. And
[1:24:47] so it is hard to determine um how many
[1:24:50] units they really have, but um that is
[1:24:53] up to you to determine. The um good
[1:24:57] cause in Albany when it was passed
[1:24:59] decreased the number of eviction cases
[1:25:01] going to court. Um so for the reasons
[1:25:04] that it will decrease eviction burden,
[1:25:06] it will decrease the burden on our
[1:25:07] eviction courts, it will not um impact
[1:25:10] increases in housing stock and it should
[1:25:11] not impact any landlord who's providing
[1:25:13] safe and affordable housing. I urge you
[1:25:16] to pass good cause. Thank you. Thank
[1:25:17] you,
[1:25:23] Rocky Palmer.
[1:25:28] Hi council members, Mr. Mayor, and
[1:25:30] council president.
[1:25:32] Sorry.
[1:25:35] Um, I've been a a small-time landlord
[1:25:38] for most of my life. I've been doing
[1:25:40] this since I was a kid with my
[1:25:41] grandfather and my father. Um, very
[1:25:44] against this um proposed optin to the
[1:25:48] good cause. Um, just going to be very
[1:25:50] concise. Uh, I think it will dis
[1:25:53] disroportionately affect small
[1:25:55] landlords, not these big large corporate
[1:25:58] outfits. Um it's going to be longer
[1:26:01] court times, more expenses, lost rent,
[1:26:03] and will discourage uh new landlords to
[1:26:05] enter the business. Um there are already
[1:26:08] protections in place to protect tenants
[1:26:11] uh New York State. Um
[1:26:14] and we also have the rental certificate
[1:26:16] program as well in the city. I really
[1:26:18] believe the uh the true um
[1:26:25] uh the true intention of this law is to
[1:26:27] usher an arcane New York City New York
[1:26:29] City style rental regulation and
[1:26:31] control. Uh I think it's kind of like a
[1:26:34] soft start and from there more laws can
[1:26:37] be added or more laws can be introduced
[1:26:39] or this law can be you know adjusted or
[1:26:43] made worse. Um, and again, I I really
[1:26:46] believe if we wanted to lower rents, uh,
[1:26:49] we should invent in incentivize building
[1:26:51] new units and not buy these big
[1:26:53] corporate outfits whose rents are going
[1:26:54] to be out of reach for mo most, uh,
[1:26:56] people in Skenctity, but, uh, just
[1:26:59] normal small-time investors, and we
[1:27:02] could do this by reducing regulations,
[1:27:04] fees, red tape, and generally just
[1:27:06] encourage new construction. Thank you.
[1:27:15] Crystal Dwayne.
[1:27:24] Hello. Hello. If you don't mind, I'm
[1:27:26] just going to set a timer. It's 3
[1:27:29] minutes. It is three minutes. Okay. Can
[1:27:31] everybody hear me?
[1:27:33] No. Can you hear me now? Okay. I just
[1:27:36] want to make sure everybody can hear.
[1:27:38] That's all. It's very hard to hear in
[1:27:40] the back. So, okay, I set my timer. Um,
[1:27:43] I am here just asking for transparency
[1:27:46] within the community in regards to the
[1:27:50] uh lack of clean drinking water, a basic
[1:27:55] human right. I have been a resident for
[1:27:59] my entire life basically in Skenctity,
[1:28:01] born and raised. Um, this is a bag of
[1:28:04] medication. This is just some medication
[1:28:07] that I have to take on a regular basis.
[1:28:10] Um, it's appalling to me that in the
[1:28:14] city of Skenctity that we are only
[1:28:17] required to actually sample our water
[1:28:21] once per calendar year. And in 2024, I
[1:28:26] don't know if everybody has had a chance
[1:28:27] to actually read what the contaminants
[1:28:30] are in there. In 2024, we had 48
[1:28:33] contaminants alone, which cause cancer,
[1:28:37] leukemia,
[1:28:39] respiratory effects on your body, brain
[1:28:42] cancer, soft tissue problems, a plethora
[1:28:45] of problems that some you can't even
[1:28:49] fix. these two that I just happened to
[1:28:53] look up. Benzene, which is the first on
[1:28:55] the list of the actual 2024
[1:28:59] uh drinking water report, can cause
[1:29:02] blood disorders, leukemia, cancer. Uh
[1:29:06] our male population, believe it or not,
[1:29:09] is at a higher risk from for uh
[1:29:11] contaminated water. Um, and then females
[1:29:15] uh inevitably suffer from hormonal
[1:29:18] problems, breast cancer, and so on and
[1:29:21] so forth. What I'm asking that we do as
[1:29:24] a community, I don't know about you, but
[1:29:27] everybody in my family has been a
[1:29:29] lifelong resident of Skenctity and in
[1:29:32] one facet or another has been affected
[1:29:34] by health problems. If I could just do a
[1:29:37] little demonstration here. How many
[1:29:39] people here in this room take more than
[1:29:42] one medication?
[1:29:46] Okay, another thing. How many people
[1:29:49] remark? How Okay, I'm sorry. How many
[1:29:51] people in this room by yourself, your
[1:29:56] family member or someone has been
[1:29:57] diagnosed with cancer recently?
[1:30:02] There is a statistic out here on the
[1:30:04] national uh cancer institute that uh
[1:30:09] Skynctity is actually getting 580 more
[1:30:12] cases on a yearly basis and that is
[1:30:15] stating that that is actually stable for
[1:30:18] us. While granted that's not in the
[1:30:20] thousands, 580 is way too many. 580 is
[1:30:24] affecting people's, you know, long-term
[1:30:28] jeevity of their life. It's cutting it
[1:30:30] shorter. We need to do something
[1:30:35] in our community to assist the people
[1:30:38] and by giving and providing clean
[1:30:41] drinking water. Chloroform itself is in
[1:30:44] there and that was listed as not a
[1:30:46] violation. I know that your timer went
[1:30:49] off. So, yep. Thank you. You're welcome.
[1:30:55] I have no one else signed up to speak,
[1:30:57] so I declare the public comment of city
[1:30:59] business closed.
[1:31:02] At this time, any miscellaneous business
[1:31:03] of the council.
[1:31:09] Everyone had an opportunity to sign up.
[1:31:11] I'm sorry. Everyone had an opportunity.
[1:31:15] to sign up at the beginning of the
[1:31:16] meeting. This that I've called every
[1:31:19] name that's on the list.
[1:31:23] I've called every name that was on the
[1:31:24] list.
[1:31:29] I called every name on the list. We
[1:31:31] asked people to sign up at the beginning
[1:31:32] of the meeting.
[1:31:37] Miscellaneous business of the council.
[1:31:41] Mr. Mr. Williams.
[1:31:50] Thank you. I uh initially just wanted to
[1:31:53] uh appreciate and tell everyone that uh
[1:31:56] took the courage to come up here and
[1:31:57] speak regardless of your position and
[1:31:58] what issue you're speaking to. It is uh
[1:32:01] definitely something that uh takes
[1:32:02] people back. Uh it is a form of speaking
[1:32:04] that people aren't usually used to but
[1:32:06] it shows your passion towards your
[1:32:07] issues which is why I take a lot of
[1:32:09] notes because I value that time that you
[1:32:11] spend with sharing your candid thoughts
[1:32:12] with us and sincerely I present myself
[1:32:15] as someone that's objective. Uh so with
[1:32:17] respect to the conversation of good
[1:32:18] cause eviction, uh sincerely looking at
[1:32:21] it from a standpoint of the lived
[1:32:23] experience that I had throughout my
[1:32:24] life, not just within the city of
[1:32:25] Skenctity, but just as uh um
[1:32:29] as someone that grew up not with a
[1:32:31] stable home, um but also looking at the
[1:32:33] merits and hearing both sides of the
[1:32:35] facts and also hearing uh some candid
[1:32:37] conversations from people that I
[1:32:38] consider very close to me, I can't seem
[1:32:41] to get away from the fact that I I'm a
[1:32:43] huge supporter of it. Uh on this very
[1:32:46] context, good cause eviction keeps good
[1:32:49] tenants in homes and holds poor
[1:32:52] landlords accountable. And
[1:32:55] my understanding of that is that with a
[1:32:59] marginal administrative cost to
[1:33:01] landlords, it ensures that your actions
[1:33:03] taking place, the morality of the
[1:33:05] decisions that you can impact
[1:33:07] individuals over. Uh we heard from uh
[1:33:10] two individuals who I'm not going to
[1:33:11] name speak from their hearts about their
[1:33:14] lived experiences and what unstable
[1:33:16] housing does for the community. In a few
[1:33:19] months, we are going to have the
[1:33:20] conversation of how much overtime do we
[1:33:22] allow to increase police and fire
[1:33:26] departments. And in very few instances
[1:33:29] do we have the ability to be proactive
[1:33:31] instead of reactionary. Stable housing
[1:33:34] improves the quality of life of a
[1:33:36] community. And it has been said
[1:33:37] abundantly
[1:33:39] that this is something that is good for
[1:33:40] the city of Skenctity. I urge everyone
[1:33:43] regardless of what side of the
[1:33:44] conversation we're on to look at the law
[1:33:47] because as I hear a lot of the
[1:33:48] misinformation, there are protections in
[1:33:51] place for illegal behavior, for breaks
[1:33:54] and lease. Um there are protections in
[1:33:56] place for maintenance costs above the
[1:33:59] 10% number that you are uh that was
[1:34:01] cited multiple times with justifiable
[1:34:04] reasoning and that is where I think a
[1:34:07] lot of the the the headache and
[1:34:08] knee-jerk reactions come come from. It
[1:34:10] is now having to justify your actions.
[1:34:13] But we continue to hear from tenants
[1:34:16] since I've been an elected official year
[1:34:18] after year of the struggles of having
[1:34:20] instable housing in a city where rents
[1:34:23] are continuing to rise. We tried to have
[1:34:25] the conversation of rent stabilization
[1:34:27] that was met with an utter no. We are
[1:34:29] trying to bring the conversation of good
[1:34:31] cause eviction that is also met with an
[1:34:34] fervorable no. What are we to say to the
[1:34:37] majority of this community who is
[1:34:39] sitting on the tenant side of this who
[1:34:41] is crying out for help.
[1:34:43] We continue to hear that New York has
[1:34:45] some strict protections for tenants. But
[1:34:47] looking at the case study of connectity,
[1:34:49] you are also hearing about tenants that
[1:34:50] are saying, "Were those protections for
[1:34:52] me?" And that is not something that is
[1:34:55] debatable. These are lived experiences
[1:34:57] that we hear meeting after meeting and
[1:34:59] then we hear from our advocacy groups
[1:35:02] event after event. Housing continues to
[1:35:04] be the number one priority for not just
[1:35:06] city of Skenctity residents, but for
[1:35:08] residents within the state of New York.
[1:35:10] I applaud the legislature for passing
[1:35:12] this type of law. The only push back
[1:35:14] that I have was making it opt-in. I
[1:35:16] think it is a requirement for us to have
[1:35:18] this conversation. I thank Mr. Farley
[1:35:19] for presenting it. And I look forward to
[1:35:21] having a candid factual discussion next
[1:35:24] week about the merits of where each of
[1:35:26] my peers stand because sincerely this is
[1:35:28] impacting lives. It truly is. Um housing
[1:35:33] is a fundamental right. I have had the
[1:35:36] luxury due to my military um experience
[1:35:40] and military career to have had the
[1:35:42] ability to use the VA home loan. If not
[1:35:44] for that, I guarantee you I would be
[1:35:46] sitting on that side of the room as a
[1:35:49] tenant. sincerely uh saying the right
[1:35:53] thing sometimes is unpopular, but
[1:35:56] looking at the case studies that we've
[1:35:57] seen from the municipalities that have
[1:35:59] opted in, looking at the proven records
[1:36:02] from states that are continuing to do
[1:36:04] this work based on the logic that we've
[1:36:07] heard, those communities should be in
[1:36:09] disarray.
[1:36:10] So sincerely as we look at the facts and
[1:36:14] as we looked at the lived experiences
[1:36:15] from tenants in our community, I truly
[1:36:17] believe that this ensures that good
[1:36:19] tenants remain in place and it still
[1:36:22] provides landlords the rights that they
[1:36:24] are demanding that they still have um to
[1:36:28] provide themselves a quality of life
[1:36:30] that they are looking forward to as
[1:36:31] well. Thank you. Thank you,
[1:36:37] Mr. Farley. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um,
[1:36:42] thank you, Mr. Williams, for your
[1:36:43] comments. Uh, I I um agree with
[1:36:45] everything you said. Um, and I just
[1:36:49] think that this is something that's not
[1:36:50] that complicated. It really isn't. And I
[1:36:53] think sometimes people over complicate
[1:36:56] things so they can hide in the
[1:36:58] confusion. I've read through this front
[1:37:00] and back. I've had real candid
[1:37:03] conversations with landlords and
[1:37:06] tenants. Um, and I am someone with
[1:37:09] presented with new information is
[1:37:11] willing to change my mind based on that.
[1:37:14] I think that that is something that you
[1:37:15] must be willing to do as a leader
[1:37:18] whether it's popular or not. Um, I've
[1:37:21] heard the stories about how these
[1:37:24] horrible uh uh situations that landlords
[1:37:27] are placed in from tenants not paying
[1:37:29] their rent um through COVID and damaging
[1:37:32] their property and being nuisance and
[1:37:35] just doing things that where someone has
[1:37:38] uh invested their life's savings into a
[1:37:41] property and now the landlord has become
[1:37:44] a victim of this unruly tenant. Um, and
[1:37:48] those are things that I know happen.
[1:37:51] Those are real things that happen. And
[1:37:54] in good cause eviction, there are
[1:37:58] provisions for every single thing that
[1:38:00] people have been talking about.
[1:38:03] I would just stress to people to please
[1:38:05] go back, read this legislation, and ask
[1:38:07] yourself,
[1:38:09] would I do any of these things that are
[1:38:11] on this list? And if your answer is no,
[1:38:15] then not only should you not be against
[1:38:17] this, but you should be coming out to
[1:38:18] support it. I also want to say that, you
[1:38:22] know, we on city council, I do believe
[1:38:24] that we all are homeowners and sometimes
[1:38:27] your proximity or lack thereof to an
[1:38:29] issue can really impact how you receive
[1:38:33] messaging. And I want us all to be
[1:38:34] mindful of the people who are not in the
[1:38:37] very uh privileged uh position that Mr.
[1:38:40] uh Williams talked about.
[1:38:42] I've been born and raised connectedity.
[1:38:44] I've been here all my life and I always
[1:38:46] heard a saying that might have not been
[1:38:48] originated here but um first time I
[1:38:50] heard it was here and that's all money
[1:38:52] isn't good money. So when people talk
[1:38:55] about you know the investments and
[1:38:58] investments that people are making into
[1:39:00] the city. I'm happy to hear about
[1:39:03] investments but again all money isn't
[1:39:05] good money. And if you're not going to
[1:39:08] come here and provide a safe uh
[1:39:11] respectable housing for people, then our
[1:39:14] commitment to basic human dignity is not
[1:39:18] and should not be for sale. Thank you,
[1:39:28] Miss Patrick.
[1:39:30] Thank you.
[1:39:33] Yeah, I actually um was only able to buy
[1:39:35] a home having worked in nonprofit all my
[1:39:37] life um because I had an uncle that died
[1:39:40] and very generously gave each of his
[1:39:43] nieces and nephews uh money and that was
[1:39:46] how my husband and I were able to come
[1:39:47] and buy a home in Skenctity. But other
[1:39:49] than that, I was mic closer. I can't
[1:39:50] hear you. Can't hear it. Now I can now.
[1:39:53] The mic's closer. Yeah. Okay. I was
[1:39:55] saying that I only was able to buy a
[1:39:57] home here um a after renting my entire
[1:40:00] life because of my nonprofit career. Uh
[1:40:03] because I had an uncle that passed away
[1:40:05] and uh generously gave all of his nieces
[1:40:08] and nephews. Uh he didn't have any
[1:40:11] children. Uh so that was how we were
[1:40:13] able to buy our house. So um I
[1:40:15] definitely spent most of my life renting apartments. Um I wanted to thank
[1:40:21] the school district for an incredible
[1:40:23] event the other day. Skin Equity um
[1:40:26] which they sponsored in the parking lot
[1:40:28] over at their uh headquarters um which
[1:40:31] was just a wonderful event. Lots of
[1:40:33] community resources um that were there
[1:40:37] um and it was a lot of fun dancing even
[1:40:39] though it was really hot. Um but it was
[1:40:41] great to see the community come out for that event. I also wanted to thank I
[1:40:45] see I think Rachel's still here. Uh I
[1:40:47] wanted to thank the Hamilton Hill Arts
[1:40:48] Center uh for the Junth celebration uh
[1:40:51] over the weekend. And that was also it's
[1:40:54] just great to see people come out, but
[1:40:56] also um you know all the resources that
[1:40:58] are available from the people that table
[1:41:00] at these events. Um it's it's really a
[1:41:03] great a great opportunity for folks to
[1:41:05] come and celebrate our community. Um I
[1:41:09] wanted to uh give a little bit of
[1:41:12] information. We really need those pools
[1:41:14] that we have in our splash pads,
[1:41:16] especially with the weather these days.
[1:41:17] So, I wanted to mention that the
[1:41:19] sheriff's department is going to be
[1:41:21] doing IDs um over at the Central Park
[1:41:25] pool uh this Friday, June 27th, from 12
[1:41:28] to 300 p.m. Um if you don't have a
[1:41:31] driver's license, if you need if you
[1:41:33] don't have a school ID, um come and get
[1:41:35] a a sheriff's ID. So, you'll be able to
[1:41:38] uh come and use the pool. The Central
[1:41:40] Park pool is going to open on Saturday,
[1:41:43] June 28th at noon. Um, it's open Monday
[1:41:46] through Friday, 8:00 am to 9:00 am for
[1:41:49] lap swim only and then Mondays through
[1:41:52] Fridays 12:30 to 6:30 for open swim and
[1:41:55] Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to 6. Um,
[1:41:58] our front street and quacken bush pools
[1:42:01] are going to be open starting Monday,
[1:42:03] June 30th, and they're going to be open
[1:42:05] Mondays through Saturdays, uh, 12:30 to
[1:42:07] 6:30. All of the splash pads at all of
[1:42:10] our parks that have them are up and
[1:42:12] running now. So get out there and cool
[1:42:15] down in a splash pad. Um our parks
[1:42:18] director also um this is a report from
[1:42:20] our parks director. Um uh all the summer
[1:42:23] activities that we'll be having in our
[1:42:25] parks are going to start on July 7th. Um
[1:42:29] I wanted to mention that uh music haven
[1:42:31] concerts in Central Park start on
[1:42:34] Sunday, July 13th. All of those shows
[1:42:36] start at 7 p.m. and the concession stand
[1:42:39] opens at 6:00 p.m. And you can get a
[1:42:42] list of all the concerts, all the films
[1:42:44] at musichavenstage.org.
[1:42:46] Um, and then finally, we are doing the
[1:42:48] Declaration of Independence reading
[1:42:50] again on the steps of city hall from
[1:42:52] 10:30 at 10:30 on July 4th. There are
[1:42:55] other activities happening uh that day
[1:42:58] around the city as well. I think
[1:42:59] Elizabeth is here as well and uh has put
[1:43:02] together some other activities for that
[1:43:04] day also. And that's all that I have.
[1:43:07] Anybody else? Thank you,
[1:43:09] Mayor.
[1:43:14] Thank you, Madame President. Appreciate
[1:43:16] everyone coming out. It's always good to
[1:43:18] have uh discussions
[1:43:20] uh different perspectives. Hopefully, it
[1:43:22] drives public policy to a uh higher and
[1:43:26] better outcome than we we've gotten
[1:43:28] without the discussion. Want to correct
[1:43:31] uh any misimpression. The one speaker
[1:43:33] tonight said city water is only tested
[1:43:36] once a year. That is absolutely
[1:43:39] incorrect. The water system, the city is
[1:43:42] tested daily. We have a certified lab
[1:43:45] here that tests not only the city water
[1:43:48] but other municipalities. That's both
[1:43:50] water and wastewater. Uh everything uh
[1:43:55] meets or exceeds uh New York State
[1:43:58] Department of Health standards and also
[1:44:01] uh EPA standards. Uh again, Council
[1:44:05] Member Patrick outlined the swimming
[1:44:07] pools and the splash pads going through
[1:44:10] a period of uh some extreme heat. Uh
[1:44:14] would encourage people make sure you
[1:44:15] stay hydrated. Uh don't do things that
[1:44:19] are overexerting. Take it easy for the
[1:44:21] next few days as the temperatures come
[1:44:23] down. And if you have a neighbor who
[1:44:25] might be a senior citizen or somebody
[1:44:27] that uh uh might have a little bit of
[1:44:30] difficulty getting through the high
[1:44:32] temperature, check in on them, say
[1:44:34] hello, make sure that they're doing all
[1:44:35] right. Thank you, Madam President. Thank
[1:44:38] you, Mayor. I'd also like to thank
[1:44:40] everyone that came out this evening,
[1:44:41] regardless of what side of the issue
[1:44:43] that you're on today. I also appreciate
[1:44:46] your respectfulness of each other uh as
[1:44:48] you were speaking. um you know because
[1:44:50] we all have different positions but
[1:44:53] doesn't mean that we have to be enemies.
[1:44:54] We just see things from a different
[1:44:56] place. So I appreciate um how you how
[1:44:58] things were handled this evening. Um I
[1:45:00] do want to make a statement though at
[1:45:02] our last committee meeting it was stated
[1:45:04] that SCAP uh was was in favor of good
[1:45:07] cause eviction and Scap put on their
[1:45:10] city on their Facebook page that they
[1:45:12] were neutral in this on in terms of this
[1:45:14] legislation. So, I just want to make
[1:45:16] sure that everyone if you haven't seen
[1:45:17] it know that that is that is uh what
[1:45:19] Scap has said.
[1:45:21] Um I also want to uh remind Oh, let me
[1:45:25] just tell you about Declaration Day.
[1:45:26] Miss Patrick did mention the declaration
[1:45:29] um of the reading of the Declaration of
[1:45:31] Independence, but there are a number of
[1:45:33] activities that are going on that day.
[1:45:35] Uh it's called Declaration Day, Speak
[1:45:36] Life into Liberty and Justice for All.
[1:45:38] There'll be an 8:30 event um at
[1:45:42] Riverside Park, uh 9:00 am at Yog Bliss
[1:45:45] Yoga, the 10:30 reading of the
[1:45:48] independent uh Declaration of
[1:45:49] Independence on City Hall, and 11:30
[1:45:52] Declaration Day down in Gateway Park
[1:45:54] with Lady Liberty. Um uh 3:00 somatic
[1:45:58] dance at Governor's Lane behind 17 Front
[1:46:00] Street. And 4:30 there's a Fourth of
[1:46:02] July cookout and potluck at Riverside
[1:46:05] Park in Governor's Lane. So, for those
[1:46:07] of you who um don't have other plans for
[1:46:10] Fourth of July, here's an opportunity to
[1:46:12] just have some fun with neighbors.
[1:46:15] And uh just want to remind folks there
[1:46:17] is no meeting next Monday. It is our
[1:46:19] fifth Monday, what I always call the
[1:46:21] city council's holiday, but um but I
[1:46:24] there's also a meeting that day
[1:46:26] regarding housing. So, if you're if
[1:46:29] you're not going to be here, you can
[1:46:30] also you could attend that meeting
[1:46:32] that's regarding housing.
[1:46:35] If there's nothing else to come before
[1:46:36] the city council, I ask for a motion to
[1:46:38] adjurnn. Moved by Mr. uh Farley, second
[1:46:42] by Mr. Mancini. All those in favor? I We
[1:46:45] are adjourned. Thank you.
[1:46:56] not letting me speak. Thank you.
[1:47:04] The very beginning
[1:47:22] [Music]
[1:47:30] The sign system.
[1:47:36] [Music]