Tenants PAC announces citywide and boroughwide endorsements

Organization is Backing Bill de Blasio, Letitia James, Gale Brewer

July 25, 2017 By John Alexander Brooklyn Daily Eagle

The Tenants PAC has endorsed Bill de Blasio for Mayor. AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, Pool

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Tenants PAC, an organization that raises funds from tenants, progressive labor unions and other supporters of tenants’ rights and affordable housing today announced their endorsements for citywide and boroughwide offices,

endorsing Mayor Bill de Blasio, Public Advocate Letitia James and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.

Tenants PAC endorsed de Blasio four years ago in a multiple-candidate Democratic primary.

“We believe that Mayor de Blasio will be able to build on the successes of his first term and make significant gains in other areas where more effort is required,” said Tenants PAC Treasurer Michael McKee.

“In his first term, Mayor de Blasio has done some excellent things, including the partial rent freeze for rent-stabilized tenants for two years in a row, a first in the 45-plus-year history of the Rent Guidelines Board.

He has also smartly publicized the rent freeze and the SCRIE (Senior Citizen Rent Exemption) and DRIE (Disability Rent Increase Exemption) programs, which now have the highest enrollments in their history; with the City Council, he has greatly increased funding for eviction prevention; and supported the right to counsel in housing court.”

However, the Tenants PAC found de Blasio to be less successful with his affordable housing plan and his proposal for the new 421-a tax subsidy, “which would cost the city far more than the old program while barely increasing the requirement to build affordable apartments, and failing to offer basic protections for many tenants,” according to McKee.

But despite these issues, McKee called de Blasio “the most pro-tenant mayor we have had in a very long time, and we believe that he deserves reelection.”

In addition to de Blasio, Tenants PAC endorsed James and Brewer for re-election.

“Tenants PAC endorsed Tish James four years ago when she first ran for public advocate, and we support her re-election with enthusiasm,” said McKee.

“Tish James is everything tenants could want in a public advocate. She has aggressively pursued bad landlords and stood up for tenants time and again, including devoting considerable resources of her office to defending tenants and tenant associations under attack. She has been fearless in taking on city government and the political establishment when necessary to advance the cause of tenants and working people.”

Regarding Brewer, McKee called her an exceptional public servant. “She’s hard-working and effective, and always on the front lines for tenants. As The New York Times said in its endorsement of Gale Brewer in 2013, when Tenants PAC endorsed her in a four-way primary, ‘We can’t do without her.’ We strongly support her re-election.”