What a Great Party!

PHOTOS by Sue Susman, Chariss Boisseau, Rachel Hydell, Wilfredo Chau, Jodi Brockington

CLICK HERE FOR MANY MORE PHOTOS & A FEW VIDEOS

Amid a decor of beautiful fall leaves, we ate, we danced, we talked, the

littler ones played at the kiddie table or outside when not dancing or eating, and we all had a wonderful time, thanks to:

• Debbie Gonzalez and Maxine Soares, the Pot Luck Planners who only stopped working for occasional dancing,
• Bobby Moorhead, our intrepid and almost-tireless DJ, who set the tone for the whole evening and made even those sitting down dance in their seats,
• The Set-Up Crew including Andrew Dubin, Eliana and Amelia Pitsirilos, Zena Gonzalez, and Maxine and Debbie,
• The Clean-up Crew, including Debbie and Maxine, with Zena Gonzalez, Kyle Romero, Marissa Rodriguez, Carmen Martell, Janett Gonzalez, Denis Hayward, and Laura Koulish,
• Barbara Geller, who greeted all the incomers, collected names and over $400! and Jess Joseph who helped at the greeting table,
• Mark Price, who wrote name tags
• Wilfredo Chau, our photographer
• Eliana and Amelia Pitsirilos and Tish Howard, who helped set up and brought food plates to homebound tenants and the doorman,
• Marissa Rodriguez, Janett Gonzalez, Carmen Martell, Alice Pagar Ayalew and Yolanda Escolliés who led us in dancing and fun,
• Cary Webb and friends who set up games in the backyard for kids
• Everyone who helped clean up as the event progressed
• Pat Neely for the CDs of Abendmusik she offered
• Eli Northrup, Democratic candidate for NYS Assembly and his aide Neelan Martin who stopped by to talk with people about their concerns
• Councilmember Shaun Abreu who dropped by as we were wrapping up
• and the many people who brought delicious food:

Tenants, watch out for wolves in sheeps' clothing

Cartoon by Sue Susman using Gemini

https://citylimits.org/new-player-enters-debate-over-vacant-rent-stabilized-apartments-what-else-happened-this-week-in-housing/

Comment (not in the City Limits article)  : 

The former head of the Rent Stabilization Association (owners of rent stabilized buildings, which group has now merged with the Real Estate Board of NY to form the NY Apartment Association) has created a new group to deal with apartment warehousing.  The group, "Unlocking Our Housing NYC" has hired canvassers to go door to door to sign up tenants who don't want landlords to hold empty rent-stabilized apartments off the market. (We don't either!)

The problem: The group pretends it doesn't have a solution in mind.  But the head of the group, Jay Martin, has been advocating for years to raise rents on empty apartments.  

One bill that would fulfill landlord wishes is a "vacancy reset" so that for rent-stabilized apartments occupied for at least 10 years, the landlord and the new tenant can set a new base rent. Given the shortage of NYC apartments, that will create a bidding war - and the tenant who offers the HIGHEST rent will get the apartment; that rent will become the new "legal regulated rent" for that apartment.  And that means

• landlords will have an incentive to get long-term tenants out (something we thought we stopped with the 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act) and 
• those apartments will only be affordable to the wealthiest tenants. 

Tenants defeated that bill in the last couple of legislative sessions, but we'll have to see about this one. 

The City Limits article doesn't note that where landlords maintain apartments that tenants live in for decades, landlords do not need huge sums of money to get those apartments ready to rent out again once the tenant leaves. 

Get ready for our Pot Luck Party on Sat., Sept. 19, 2026!

We're a party in the case! Save the Rent Freeze!

amNY explains the landlords' lawsuit challenging the Rent Guidelines Board's order to freeze the rents for 1- or 2-year leases renewed any time beginning Oct. 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.  If you've gotten your lease renewal lately, get it back to Stellar fast!

NOT included  in the amNY report is that OUR TENANT ASSOCIATION is now a party in the case!

At the September 2, 2026 hearing in State Supreme Court, Judge Lantry allowed the Met Council on Housing and Tenants & Neighbors (represented by Legal Aid's Ellen Davidson) and the 5 individual tenants and 3 tenant organizations -- including PA'LANTE - a tenant advocacy organization, and two tenant associations, Hamilton Heights and the Central Park Gardens Tenants' Association -- to intervene as  parties (Respondents), represented by James Fishman and lawyers Vanessa Vecchiarello and Catriona Fox from Himmelstein,Gribben & Joseph, LLP. 

Landlord lawsuit challenging rent freeze - We may be part

Landlords have challenged the rent freeze as political.  A group of tenant associations - including ours! - and some individual tenants are moving to intervene in the lawsuit (to play a full part in it).  

Here's a copy of the papers (which unfortunately misspell my name). 

There was a press conference in front of PA'LANTE Harlem on Friday, August 14, 2026 announcing the filing.  Thanks to Alex Yong for the photos. 

Left to right: Deborah Rand, Elsia Vasquez, Dylan Gribben, Sue Susman, James Fishman, Timothy Collins

We won't know until after August 21, 2026 whether the case will be staying in front of the judge on Staten Island, or will be moved to Manhattan - and it may take more time to find out whether we will be allowed to intervene in the case.   The Met Council on Housing and Tenants & Neighbors have also moved to intervene (represented by Legal Aid and Legal Services).  

Met Council Meeting/Picnic with us!

Met Council on Housing is joining our tenant association this evening at a shared meeting/picnic in the community room and backyard. 

Come to Met Council on Housing's Manhattan Chapter Meeting in our Community Room at 6 PM on Wednesday, July 29 (THIS EVENING!). Bring a dish to share and learn about the rent freeze.

Legionnaire's in the neighborhood

After the Legionnaire's disease (pneumonia) bacteria were found on the Upper East Side, a west side building tested its own system and found it.  That's good: It will be disinfected within 24 hours.  

Our building does not have central air conditioning and therefore we have NO COOLING TOWER and therefore should not worry about Legionnaire's immediately around our building. 

But click on "read more" for  general information from East Side state senator Liz Krueger about Legionnaire's: 

Tenants Win a Rent Freeze for 1- AND 2-year leases!!

Come to the RENT GUIDELINES BD Hearing this Tuesday at Symphony Space

RENT GUIDELINES BOARD HEARING

THIS TUESDAY, JUNE 16^th

SYMPHONY SPACE, 5-8 PM

(95^th St. and Broadway on the south west corner)

Tell the RGB: 

NO increases on ANY leases

Every voice matters in our fight to deliver on the mandate that a million people voted for last year. Landlords and the real estate industry are watching this campaign and are ready to use their vast resources to put roadblocks in our work. Their pockets are deep, but our numbers are strong. Tenants make up 70% of New York City. When we come together, we topple the millions that landlords and the Real Estate industry invest against us.

Be part of history. Let’s Freeze the Rent!

MEET SUE IN THE LOBBY AT 4:30 PM and WALK OVER TOGETHER

When and Where to Vote in the Primaries

JUNE PRIMARIES

EARLY VOTING at

West Side High School    

140 W. 102^nd St.

(enter through pathway on 101^st Street in back of the school)

SATURDAY, 6/13	9 AM – 5 PM
SUNDAY, 6/14	9 AM – 5 PM
MONDAY, 6/15	9 AM – 5 PM
TUESDAY, 6/16	10 AM – 8 PM
WEDNESDAY, 6/17	10 AM – 8 PM
THURSDAY, 6/18	8 AM – 4 PM
FRIDAY, 6/19	9 AM – 5 PM
SATURDAY, 6/20	9 AM – 5 PM
SUNDAY, 6/21	9 AM – 5 PM

REGULAR VOTING

June 23, 2026

6 AM – 9 PM

at PS 163 on 97^th Street

between Columbus & Amsterdam

The congressional candidates panel was packed!

Click here for a video link to the event (after the first couple of minutes).  Thanks to tenant Wilfredo Chau!  Read a transcript of most of the event here. 

About 80 tenants sat and another 20 people stood as the candidates answered questions.  

Photo thanks to Lenora Wade

We started off with five, and then got to six candidates. 

Alex Bores was delayed by a 5 pm NYS Assembly vote on immigration issues in the budget, and so didn't get to the meeting till about 8:15.  

Laura Dunn, an attorney helping women against domestic violence

Micah Lasher, our current NYS Assembly representative (not clear how he made a 3-hour drive in under 2 hours!)

Jack Schlossberg, a blogger who is late Pres. John Kennedy's grandson

Nina Schwalbe, a global health expert, and 

Patrick Timmins, a lawyer and adjunct law professo at John Jay College.

The place was packed!  Photo by Jodi Brockington shows Laura Dunn speaking, standing next to (seated), Micah Lasher, Jack Schlossberg, and Nina Schwalbe. 

 

Pat Loftman (former president of the Park West Village Tenant Association) and Sue Susman (president of the Central Park Gardens Tenants' Association) were the questioners. 

With each candidate answering each question, we didn't get through as much as we'd hoped - but ended up with a lot of information. The sponsoring organizations (the five tenant associations) hope that all the candidates will accept the best ideas. 

The candidates talked about their experience (good,    bad, other), and what they would do to enforce fair  elections without corruption - including defensive redistricting.   Photo by Jodi Brockington                                                                                                                                      The candidates offered some terrific ideas!

You can hear a recording (all but the first five minutes) of the May 21st NY-12 forum of congressional candidates.  You can read a (Google-transcribed) transcription of it here.                                            

Have you filled out the Activities Survey yet?

Online survey by Nick Youngson, creative commons license, Pix4free 

Please take a few moments to fill out the tenant association survey by JUNE 5, 2026 so we can create more activities that tenants want.  It should take you under 5 minutes!

You can click on the word "Survey" or click here: https://forms.gle/5977tFUUnmLaV2qc7 or on the QR code below. 

Tenants who aren't on our email list will get the form in paper.  (If you'd prefer it on paper, please tell Sue.)

HPD to change how it responds to tenant complaints!

Mayor Zohran Mamdani published a new housing plan, Block-by-Block. It includes changes to how - starting October 1, 2026 - HPD will respond to some tenant complaints.

• Tenants will be able to reschedule code inspections
• HPD will no longer just look at one apartment if there are several complaints from the same building about an issue like heat.
• Owners are often allowed to self-certify that they've done the work HPD has required. Sometimes owners lie. Those owners will be put on a watch list. 

If you have friends in city-financed buildings,  the poorest will get their rents reduced from 1/3 of their income to 1/4 of their income.  (Those of us who lived in this building when it was under Mitchell-Lama paid 1/7 or 1/8 of our income!)

Tenant Meeting this Thurs., May 21 at 7 PM

Tenant Meeting Mar. 18 - Hear candidates for NYS Assembly Eli Northrup & Stephanie Ruskay

Abendmusik free concert in our community room!

Living alone? Who's your buddy?

image by pch.vector on Freepick

Image by pch.vector on Freepik

Image by pch.vector on Freepik
If you live alone, have a buddy!  Check up on each other - by text, phone, or even a conversation.  If your buddy is outside the building, make sure they have the super, Sako's, number: 212-663-8527, in case something happens. And make sure he has your keys!

You can even get a roommate if you live alone and want company:

The NY Foundation for Senior Citizens , (212) 962-7559, helps seniors find someone who has been carefully screened to live with them.  Rent stabilized tenants are allowed to have roommates, as long as the roommate doesn't pay more than 50% of the rent. (If you're providing a furnished room, that amount goes up slightly.)  Then you have to notify Stellar of the person's living there.  Finally, you would have to count that person's income as part of your total household income if you're on SCRIE or DRIE.  

AND MAKE SURE:

Give Sako the current keys to your apartment.  (He keeps them locked up under a code, so no one wandering into the office knows which keys are yours.)

Give Sako or Thai has an emergency contact for you. 

Give the tenant association or the doorman or Sako has your CURRENT phone number.   

If you have a Will, give the ORIGINAL to the person who will be the executor.  (If you later change your will, you can notify him or her.)  If you leave it in your apartment and die there (as happened to one tenant recently), your apartment will be sealed and the executor won't have access to the Will. 

ShapeUp NYC is back! Tuesdays at 6 PM in the Community Room

Abendmusik in our Community Room on March 4 at 1 PM!

Listen to some beautiful music as Abendmusik - an "early music string band" - with our own Patricia Ann Neely have an open dress rehearsal!

Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at 1 PM in the Community Room. 

www.abendmusik.net

Abendmusik - New York's Early Music String Band TM

https://youtu.be/sLqUyDos9h0?si=oTHa8X9VrxFGOy0t

Antonio Vivaldi, Op. 3 L'estro armonico, Concerto No. 2 in g minor, RV 27

Tenant Meeting March 18: State Sen. Erik Bottcher

Save the date for our Tenant Meeting on Wednesday, March 18, 2026

with our new State Senator Erik Bottcher

What laws would YOU like to see passed?

8 PM in the Community Room

(coffee & cake, of course!)

Pre-Valentine's Day Fundraiser: Feb. 7, 2026

Rental Ripoff Hearings coming to Manhattan on March 28!

Rental Ripoff Hearings

“Rental Ripoff” Hearings in all five boroughs will offer New Yorkers a microphone to share poor conditions and unconscionable business practices.  

You're invited to New York City's first-ever Rental Ripoff Hearings to give New York City tenants the platform to share their experiences with poor housing conditions and unfair business practices in their homes. 

You do not need to attend the hearing in the borough you live in. But you do have to register to come in person. Space is limited. If we are able to accommodate your request, we will send a confirmation email with details including timing and location closer to the hearing. The information on the registration form will only be shared within the Mayor's Office. 

Attendees will have the opportunity to provide policy recommendations, share testimony one-on-one with agency leadership, and learn about the City's housing resources.   

New Yorkers can discuss the challenges they face—from poor conditions and repair delays to unconscionable business practices and non-rent fees. City leaders from agencies focused on tenant stability, housing quality, and consumer protection will be there to listen. 

Your testimony will directly inform policy changes to strengthen city policies to protect tenants. This is your chance to tell City government what's working, what isn't, and what needs to change.

Registration is required. You can attend at any borough location. If you cannot attend a hearing, we will have options for submitting digital testimony coming soon.

Immediate habitability or health and safety complaints should continue to be reported to 311.

Sign up to attend

Performances by our neighbors

Danny Mallon will be in this on West 87th Street:  View this email in your browser

Coming soon: Lully's Le Carnaval Mascarade  Jean-Baptiste Lully's comédie-ballet premiered in 1675 at the Paris Opera. New Yorkers can hear ARTEK perform this marvelous work in two weeks! Le Carnaval Mascarade January 23 at 7 pm January 24 at 7 pm Pre-concert lecture each night at 6:15 by Rebecca Harris-Warrick Church of Saint Ignatius of Antioch 264 West 87th Street at West End Avenue Tickets: https://gemsny.org/events/artek/   TICKETS!

and  Lauren D'Ottavio will perform on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 2:30 PM and Thursday, January 29 at 7:30 PM in an English, family-friendly version of The Magic Flute. 

The venue is The Connelly Theater, located in the East Village, NYC.

Contact Sue for a link to the discount. 

Here's the link to purchase tickets: 

https://www.amoreopera.org/productions/the-magic-flute

You'll want to select the tickets for the specific show you want to attend, out of the ones above.