NOTICE TO ALL RESIDENTS

The Board of Directors of the STPCV Tenants Association endorses seven candidates for positions on the board as recommended by the Nominating Committee. The election date is May 24, 2022.

Candidates endorsed by the Board include:

Rebecca Carroll: A 25-year veteran in marketing, communications, and project management, Rebecca is active in the community, including creating fundraising programs for her children’s school.

Julia Gaber: Julia’s background is in business administration and project management. She spent several months assisting STPCV elderly with filling out paperwork for pandemic assistance.

Anne Greenberg (incumbent): On the board since 2014, Anne is currently TA vice president and chair of the Communications Committee, responsible for the TA’s print, digital, and social media output.

Lynn Janovsky (incumbent): A director since 2018, Lynn applies her professional strategic marketing expertise to ensuring that the TA’s resources are executed as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Steve Mullen: Steve’s domestic and marketing career for major global companies is complemented by 2,500 hours of volunteer work at SCORE (affiliated with the SBA) and other organizations.

Steve Nowicki: A TA building leader and head of the software engineering team for CNN Politics, Steve was heavily involved in other community associations before moving here. Politics is his passion.

Jeanette Sheehan (incumbent): Jeanette, a building leader since 2015, specializes in customer relationships and systems development, applying those skills to the TA’s database and social media.

PETITIONING

The petitioning period to be a candidate for the board is now beginning for those who did not apply during the interview period. Interested candidates who are current members of the TA may seek a place on the ballot by submitting a petition signed by a minimum of thirty (30) members of the TA who are current in their dues. No more than one candidate’s name may be included on any one petition.

Candidates should be prepared to:

• spend at least 20 hours each month on TA business;
• commit to a monthly board meeting and other phone, remote video, or in-person TA meetings as needed
• serve on one or more TA committees.

Petitions must include signature, printed name, address, apartment number, and email address or phone number. The Nominating Committee will judge the validity of all petitions. Petitioning ends on March 18, 2022.

Petition forms are available for download on the Tenants Association website. In addition to the petition, candidates must submit a document that includes:

• their name, address (including apartment number), telephone, and email;
• a statement that they are 18 years of age or older; and
• a summary of their qualifications in 100 words or less.

On Saturday, March 19, 2022, TA representatives will be available at the Community Center 2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. to verify the membership status of petition signers. 

Petitions and accompanying documentation should either be—

• mailed to Nominating Committee, ST/PCV Tenants Association, P.O. Box 1202, New York, NY 10009 and received at the post office no later than March 18, 2022; 

OR

• sent in PDF form via email to [email protected] no later than 5:00 p.m., March 18, 2022.

Posted 2/28/22

Outraged at the higher costs allowed for MCIs in DHCR's updated Operational Bulletin 2021-1, TA President Susan Steinberg submitted a response. TA Vice President Anne Greenberg also submitted a response. 

Posted 2/6/22

The Nominating Committee of the Stuyvesant Town–Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association (the “TA”) is soliciting candidates for election to the TA’s Board of Directors. Four director positions are available. The election will take place in May 2022.

This is an excellent opportunity for the community-minded to participate in a meaningful leadership role and help make decisions that have a positive impact on their neighbors and themselves.

Deadline for submission of applications for Director is February 7, 2022.

Requirements for Director

• A resident of Stuyvesant Town–Peter Cooper Village
• 18 years of age or older
• Member of the TA current in dues

In addition, candidates should be prepared to:

• spend at least 20 hours each month on TA business
• commit to a monthly board meeting and other phone, remote video, or in-person TA meetings as needed
• serve on one or more TA committees

Application Requirements

Candidates must submit documentation to the Nominating Committee by February 7, 2022, consisting of:

• A résumé or biography, maximum of two pages, stating relevant qualifications, including past community activities, professional or work experience
• A brief statement of why you are interested in serving on the Board
• Best contact phone number and email address

Applications should be submitted in PDF format via email to [email protected]. Once a candidate is deemed qualified, an interview will follow. Residents will be notified of the approved slate and informed of an alternate process for running if not on the slate.

Posted 1/17/22

On Sept. 27, 2021, Council Member Keith Powers sent a letter about the situation on 14th Street to Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Posted 10/11/21

Justice Andrew Borrock has recused himself from our lawsuit to keep all STPCV apartments rent regulated due to interactions he has had with certain members of Blackstone. The first judge assigned to the case, Barry Ostrager, recused himself due to his prior partnership in a law firm that did extensive work for Blackstone. A new judge, Robert R. Reed, has been assigned. We do not know yet when the case will be heard.

Posted 7/21/21

The STPCV Tenants Association has filed a lawsuit against the NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR). The lawsuit seeks a judgment to nullify DHCR’s recently promulgated Reasonable Cost Schedule (RCS) for major capital improvements (MCIs) as violating the provisions of the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (HSTPA). 

MCIs are costs that housing owners may pass on to tenants and which become part of the base rent. They are a useful tool for owners to increase rents even during the term of a lease.

The TA contends that the MCI costs determined by the agency are not in fact reasonable, and that they include items not eligible for MCIs and which do not appear in the schedule, among other defects.

The suit, known as an Article 78, was filed on May 27, 2021, in New York State Supreme Court by attorney Seth Miller of Collins, Dobkin & Miller on behalf of the STPCV TA. The suit affects all current and future rent-regulated tenants in the state. All apartments in STPCV are rent regulated.

Keeping rents affordable is a paramount concern of the TA. Over decades, our community’s rents have been increased permanently by the cost of items that do not fit the requirements of an MCI. Nevertheless, DHCR has seen fit to approve them and thus undermine the available affordable housing stock in the community and elsewhere in the city and several counties.

Prior to a public hearing in September 2020, the TA engaged an expert to review all the costs. We were not surprised when he found almost all of them too high. He testified at the hearing as did several TA board members and our state and local elected representatives. Ours was the only district all of whose electeds testified at the hearing.

“For too long, rent-regulated tenants everywhere have been taken advantage of—and even defrauded—by owners and a state agency given to rubber-stamping any costs submitted to it, knowing full well tenants would be bearing the costs forever. DHCR must create a new Reasonable Cost Schedule that is in line with the letter and intention of the HSTPA,” said Susan Steinberg, President of the Stuyvesant Town–Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association.

Read the full press release for supporting statements from elected representatives and Tenants PAC.

Court filing, Index No. 155184/2021: https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/fbem/DocumentDisplayServlet?documentId=TKZPrwZsPawJV4NIBIQzMA==&system=prod

Posted 6/7/21

Results of the 2021 election for the board of directors of the Stuyvesant Town–Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association were announced at the virtual Annual Meeting on May 25, 2021. The board is pleased to welcome new director Nicholas Boston and incumbents Sherry Kirschenbaum, Judy Miller, and Sandro Sherrod.

Nicholas Boston
Nick is a proud New Yorker since 1994 and Stuyvesant Town resident since 2017. He is a tenured professor of media studies at Lehman College of the City University of New York (CUNY). A graduate of Columbia and Cambridge Universities, he is a three-time elected senator of the University Faculty Senate, which represents all 26 colleges and graduate schools of CUNY. A former reporter for the New York Observer, he is a frequent commentator on television, radio, and digital platforms, including NBC Channel 4 and WNYC. He is a member of several professional organizations such as the American Sociological Association and the National Association of Black Journalists.

Sherryl Kirschenbaum (incumbent)
Sherry raised her two children in Stuyvesant Town and is a retired registered nurse. She was elected to the TA board as a director in 2013. She continues as manager of the TA’s Message Center, overseeing the phone volunteers who respond to inquiries from residents. She is the Tenants Association’s liaison to the Building Leader network and contact for all new volunteers who reach out to the TA. She is also a member of the Maintenance and Quality of Life Committee, which meets with management monthly, and she represents STPCV on the Mount Sinai Beth Israel Community Advisory Board.

Judith Preble Miller (incumbent)
Judith has lived in Stuyvesant Town since 1975. A retired attorney and supervisor for the Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Practice, she has experience dealing with people of varying viewpoints. She is a two-term past President of the Gramercy Stuyvesant Independent Democrats. Judy wishes to continue to work actively to preserve affordable housing and a safe environment in New York City. She took part in Housing Justice for All bus trips to Albany and in other rallies to influence legislators to enact the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019.

Sandro Sherrod (incumbent)
Sandro is the director of Collaborative Strategy and Audiovisual Engineering for the NYU Langone Health System, responsible for design, operations, and implementation of integrated technology equipment. A past chair of Manhattan Community Board Six, he currently serves as first vice chair and is past chair of the Land Use and Waterfront Committee. Sandro also served as president of the Samuel J. Tilden Democratic Club, on the board of the Stuyvesant Park Neighborhood Association, and as an officer of the 13th Precinct Community Council. An active member of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, he serves in leadership roles, including as a national division chief for Public Affairs.

Posted 5/27/21

Update: On March 26, 2021, the plaintiffs (four Roberts tenants and the Tenants Association) and the defendant (Blackstone) were to engage in oral arguments on whether the state’s new rent laws (Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019) supersede the city’s regulatory agreement with Blackstone allowing for deregulation of the J-51 units. That morning Justice Barry Ostrager of the New York State Supreme Court realized he had a conflict. 

Background: Concerned that Blackstone would start to remove thousands of our apartments from the protections of rent stabilization and not abide by the state housing law of 2019, the TA and tenant plaintiffs filed a motion for declaratory judgment in State Supreme Court on March 4, 2020. The next day we announced this in a press conference held on 16th Street and First Avenue, where we were joined by many elected officials and neighbors. The J-51 tax break would expire on June 30, 2020. The affected tenants were plaintiffs in the Roberts v. Tishman Speyer case that restored all our apartments to rent stabilization.

Reviewing briefs and documents of our case, the judge realized for the first time that the defendant, BPP LLC, was Blackstone. The name Blackstone had never come up in any of the documents. Prior to becoming a judge, Ostrager had been a partner for many years in the firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and had worked extensively for Blackstone. 

Realizing the conflict, he sent a Court Notice offering recusal. Although the judge thought he could be fair, on extensive discussion with our attorneys at Collins, Dobkin & Miller, the plaintiffs and the TA’s board of directors decided to accept the judge’s offer to recuse, which Justice Ostrager acknowledged. As a result, the case will be turned over to a new judge.

We want to note that given the extensive ties between the judge’s former law firm and the Blackstone group, we were disappointed that counsel for the defendants did not independently bring this potential conflict to the judge’s attention when this action was first assigned over a year ago. It might have spared any delay that may now result from a transfer to a new justice.

The Tenants Association will keep you updated on developments. More information about the case, including an FAQ, is on our website.

Posted 4/7/21

NOTICE TO ALL RESIDENTS
The Board of Directors of the STPCV Tenants Association endorses four candidates for positions on the board as recommended by the Nominating Committee. The election date is May 25, 2021.

Candidates endorsed by the board include:

Nicholas Boston
Nick is a proud New Yorker since 1994 and Stuy Town resident since 2017. He is a tenured professor of media studies at Lehman College of the City University of New York (CUNY). A graduate of Columbia and Cambridge Universities, he is a three-time elected senator of the University Faculty Senate, which represents all 26 colleges and graduate schools of CUNY. A former reporter for the New York Observer, he is a frequent commentator on television, radio, and digital platforms, including NBC Channel 4 and WNYC. He is a member of several professional organizations such as the American Sociological Association and the National Association of Black Journalists.

Sherryl Kirschenbaum (incumbent)
Sherry raised her two children in Stuyvesant Town and is a retired registered nurse. She was elected to the TA board as a director in 2013. She continues as manager of the TA’s Message Center, overseeing the phone volunteers who respond to inquiries from residents. She is the Tenants Association’s liaison to the Building Leader network and contact for all new volunteers who reach out to the TA. She is also a member of the Maintenance and Quality of Life Committee, which meets with management monthly, and she represents STPCV on the Mount Sinai Beth Israel Community Advisory Board.

Judith Preble Miller (incumbent)
Judith has lived in Stuyvesant Town since 1975. A retired attorney and supervisor for the Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Practice, she has experience dealing with people of varying viewpoints. She is a two-term past President of the Gramercy Stuyvesant Independent Democrats. Judy wishes to continue to work actively to preserve affordable housing and a safe environment in New York City. She took part in Housing Justice for All bus trips to Albany and in other rallies to influence legislators to enact the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019.

Sandro Sherrod (incumbent)
Sandro is the director of Collaborative Strategy and Audiovisual Engineering for the NYU Langone Health System, responsible for design, operations, and implementation of integrated technology equipment. A past chair of Manhattan Community Board Six, he currently serves as first vice chair and is past chair of the Land Use and Waterfront Committee. Sandro also served as president of the Samuel J. Tilden Democratic Club, on the board of the Stuyvesant Park Neighborhood Association, and as an officer of the 13th Precinct Community Council. An active member of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, he serves in leadership roles, including as a national division chief for Public Affairs.

PETITIONING

The petitioning period to be a candidate for the board is now beginning for those who did not apply during the interview period. Interested candidates who are residents and current members of the TA may seek a place on the ballot by submitting a petition signed by a minimum of thirty (30) members of the TA who are current in their dues. No more than one candidate’s name may be included on any one petition.

Note: Due to the pandemic, this year we are not requiring actual signatures on the petition. Instead, candidates should contact residents and neighbors who are current TA members and ask to list them as signatories. Candidates submitting the petition will be attesting that they have permission to list the signatories.

Petitions must include printed name, address, apartment number, and email address or phone number. The Nominating Committee will judge the validity of all petitions. Petitioning ends on March 20, 2021.

The petition form is available for download on the Tenants Association website. In addition to the petition, candidates must submit a document that includes:

• Their name, address (including apartment number), and best contact telephone and email;
• A statement that they are 18 years of age or older; and
• A summary of their qualifications in 100 words or less.
• A bio or résumé no longer than two pages briefly stating their interest in joining the board with a summary of experience.

Petitions and accompanying documentation should either be—

• mailed to Nominating Committee, ST/PCV Tenants Association, P.O. Box 1202, New York, NY 10009-1202 and received at the post office no later than March 20, 2021; OR
• sent in PDF form via email to [email protected] no later than 5:00 p.m., March 20, 2021.

 Candidates should:

• be prepared to spend at least 20 hours each month on TA business
• commit to a monthly board meeting and other phone, remote video, or in-person TA meetings as needed
• be prepared to participate in one or more TA committees

Nominating Committee: Denise Favorule, Michael Lang, Adam Liggio, Edmund Dunn, and Steven Pollock.

Posted 3/3/21

The Nominating Committee of the Stuyvesant Town–Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association (the “TA”) is soliciting candidates for election to the TA’s Board of Directors. Three director positions are available. The election will take place in May 2021.

This is an excellent opportunity for the community-minded to participate in a meaningful leadership role and help make decisions that have a positive impact on their neighbors and themselves.

Deadline for submission of applications for Director is February 7, 2021.

Requirements for Director

• A resident of Stuyvesant Town–Peter Cooper Village
• 18 years of age or older
• Current member of the TA

In addition, candidates should:

• Be prepared to spend at least 20 hours each month on TA business
• Commit to a monthly board meeting and other phone, remote video, or in-person TA meetings as needed
• Be prepared to participate in one or more TA committees

Application Requirements

Candidates must submit documentation to the Nominating Committee by February 7, 2021, consisting of:

• A résumé or biography, maximum of two pages, stating relevant qualifications, including past community activities, professional or work experience
• A brief statement of why you are interested in serving on the Board
• Best contact phone number and email address

Applications should be submitted in PDF format via email to [email protected]. Once a candidate is deemed qualified, an interview will follow. Residents will be notified of the approved slate and informed of an alternate process for running if not on the slate.

Posted 1/14/21