REPORT OF APRIL 1, 2015

HEARING OF CITIZENS

NEWARK CITY COUNCIL MEETING

By: Eric Martindale

TENANT LEADER SPEAKERS, IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE

1. Eric MartindaleNJTO Organizer (lives at 380 Mt. Prospect)

2. Richard Ariza380-402 Tenants Association

3. Janise AfoloPavilion Tenants Association

4. Timothy DingmanActivist atThe Colonnades

5. Elaine EllsberryColonnades Residents Coalition

6. Matt ShapiroPresident of NJTO

* Angelina BoonActivist at Court Towers

7. Carol BodineActivist at The Colonnades

RESULTS

The first speaker set the tone of our presentation by stating that the landlords are pushing the city very hard to change the law in their favor, and that whether an ordinance is ready or not, tenants have to push harder in the opposite direction to protect public policy, because we don’t have a seat at the table, but the landlord’s do.

All the speakers then discussed various aspects of the proposed Rent Control Amendment revisions, and the need to protect the interests of tenants.Carol Bodine finished up by saying that we want to meet directly with the city councilmembers

The city council is clearly feeling the pressure from our calls, our emails, and our speeches today.

-Ramos said there are 5 different versions of the ordinance out there, and that he has a solid record of defending tenant interests for years. He again suggested that our input should wait until they decide on the wording and it is introduced.

-Councilman James attacked Tim Dingman, literally interrupting his speech, for merely suggesting that landlords have been meeting with city officials. James openly denies having had any contact with landlords

-Councilwoman Gayle Chaneyfield did considerable posturing, She stated that she doesn’t want anything that will hurt tenants, that she HAS met with tenant leaders to hear us (note: there was a meeting months ago, and it was mostly for us to hear her). She stated that the ordinance isn’t finalized, and that she wants revisions that require landlords to open their books and show their ROI (return on investment). She said there have been no secret meetings with the landlords, and that they met right upstairs in the city council chambers back room meeting room on the 3rd floor. She also stated publicly that her family members have built multi-family housing in Newark.

Matt Shapiro had the opportunity to talk privately with Mayor Ras Baraka in the hallway. Shapiro reports the discussion was positive in nature.

Note: When tenant leaders say that the city council has been meeting with the landlords, what we mean are the landlord’s agents, specifically their lawyers. By not stating that detail explicitly, we allow the city council to raise their hand and say “oh, no, not me, I have never met with or spoken with a landlord regarding this ordinance”. All of the city council, or at least their aides, have been under direct and heavy contact with the landlord’s agents.

STATUS OF ORDINANCES

  1. Rent Control.Nothing was introduced today. The council gave no timetable for it to be introduced
  1. Security guards. Councilpersons repeatedly discussed this matter. Councilman Osborne is spearheading these proposed ordinance changes, and both Chaneyfield and Ramos were clear tha their staff was involved.

NEXT STEPS

  1. On behalf of Matt Shapiro, Avi was called and told that the priority council people to meet are Ramos, Chaneyfield, and James.
  2. We will return and speak at the 4/15 council meeting. AND have more tenants from our buildings to speak
  3. Tenant leaders will continue to get their residents to call and email the city council.
  4. Eric to continue to develop support from the CDC’s.

CONTACTS MADE

  1. Vickie Jones, 691 Elizabeth Ave. There is a collection of market-rate multi-unit buildings managed by Radiant Property Management on Elizabeth Ave across from Weequahic Park. All their buildings are denoted with a blue diamond, which is their logo. The property management office is at 691 Elizabeth Ave, and tenants from multiple buildings report to that office to pay rent, request repairs, etc. They are in the process of forming a tenants association, and Dave Muhammad of Mayor Baraka’s office attended a very recent meeting. Ms. Jones intends to be on the Exec. Board to be elected very soon.
  1. Angelina Boon, 1 Court Street. This building is called Court Towers. It is a seniors building, and it may be associated with 2 Nevada Court and 301 Gracewood Manor. There is a Court Towers Tenant Council and lots of problems, especially security-related problems, to address. She is interested in Newark Tenants United. This is not a rent control building, but we do have issues in common, especially the security guard ordinance.

Eric has the emails and phone #’s for both contacts. Both women want to invite us to make a presentation and explain the value of joining Newark Tenants United and NJTO. Eric will followup with emails to them, and set up the meetings.