Public Advocate Candidate Bill de Blasio today organized residents in Washington Heights to protest an expected rent hike by gathering petition signatures, collecting letters, and distributing call sheets.
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On Tuesday, tomorrow, the Rent Guidelines Board is expected to vote to raise rents on rent stabilized apartments.� Last week, De Blasio introduced City Council Resolution 2044 calling for the Rent Guidelines Board to impose a rent freeze.
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�Raising rents in the middle of a recession will drive working families into poverty.�� Every month, more and more New Yorkers lose their jobs. If we do not keep rents stable, they will start losing their apartments as well.�� I am organizing our neighborhoods and the public to demand that the Rent Guidelines Board keep our City affordable for all New Yorkers,� said Bill de Blasio.
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“New Yorkers are already struggling to get by in this increasingly expensive City.� By raising rents at this difficult economic time, we will be turning this problem into a catastrophe. I am proud to stand with Bill de Blasio and tenants across our City in opposing the Rent Guidelines Board’s proposed rent increases,� said State Senator Eric Schneiderman.

�New York City is fast turning from the greatest City on earth to the most expensive City on earth.� Raising rents will have a devastating effect on working families and communities throughout the five boroughs.�� I want to thank Bill de Blasio for coming into our community and helping tenants make sure their voices are heard,� said Council Member Miguel Martinez.
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�It is outrageous that the Rent Guidelines Board is planning to raise rents in the middle of a recession. Our City’s unemployment rate is higher than it�s been in over a decade. Forcing struggling New Yorker’s to pay even higher rents is a recipe for disaster. I applaud Bill de Blasio for standing up for working families and middle class New Yorkers who cannot afford another rent hike,� said Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat.
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While organizing Washington Heights residents today, De Blasio was joined by Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat, Council Member Miguel Martinez, and representatives of Assemblyman Adriano and State Senator Eric Schneiderman.

(YWN Desk – NYC)