In a letter to the editor, Hoboken 5th Ward Councilman Phil Cohen gives his opinion on why city residents must vote down next month’s rent control referendum.
Dear Editor,
A toxic Public Question on the November ballot is poised to gut Hoboken’s Rent Control Ordinance.
If approved, this Question – initiated by corporate landlords and their special interest lobbyists – would remove thousands of below-market units from the rental market.
Misleadingly promoted as supporting affordable housing, if passed, this Question would reset all rent control units to market rate upon any vacancy in exchange for a payment less than an average Hoboken monthly rent.
In short, I am asking my neighbors and all Hoboken voters to help save rent control, and VOTE NO.
Under current law, landlords of rent-controlled properties are limited to annual rent increases of 5% or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is less. Landlords also can increase rent up to 25% if a unit becomes vacant after three years or more.
But, if this Question passes, landlords could raise the rent to WHATEVER THE MARKET WILL BEAR after ANY VACANCY if they pay $2,500/unit into Hoboken’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
In July, the City Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing the Public Question. While there are many issues on which my Council colleagues disagree, on this, we are united: Hoboken residents should vote NO and reject this bad deal.
With housing costs and rents skyrocketing, this Question could forever change Hoboken’s rental market by gutting Hoboken’s Rent Control protections.
Don’t be fooled by the lies pushed by corporate landlords and their lobbyists who are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to improve their balance sheets at tenants’ expense.
I urge everyone to VOTE NO. If you have received a vote by mail ballot, please flip it over—find the Hoboken Question—and VOTE NO.
Thank you for voting,
Phil Cohen
Hoboken City Councilman
If you are an owner of a condo or any real estate in Hoboken it is your best financial interest to vote YES on this referendum to allow artificially low rents to rise to market rents once the tenants move on.
Vote YES.
He might 60 years old, but’s Phil is still a child and a puppet of no future Bhalla for some bizarre reason. Hmm.
Maybe Phil should have made affordable housing out of his 4 story expanded Single family ( with variances )
A 4 million dollar house on 11th street for basically him and his wife – imagine the needy artists and migrants he could house there if he really cared
All these bleeding hearts are fine if “those people” live ” back there”
Imagine if this city council cared this much about Blacks and LAtinos in public housing as they do about their “white” friends like Mary, Dan and Cheryl
Ravi, Phil, Tiffany, Joe Q and Emily all own millions in property – but continue to screw over the 3rd and 6th ward B&R landlords handcuffed by fake fears and lies
Rumors….City Hall pays Vanessa the over 85,000 a year zero experience Housing Director, when she’s not “hanging out ” at the HHA and 770 House partying she helps her friends and family get on lists
Nice money to turn on Mike DeFusco and then become Ravi’s puppet..
Like most in her family who occupy Church Towers and Pupie Raia’s affordable apts, while driving luxury cars and shore home, and owning restaurants, maybe she should get those people out who can afford more and put the real poor in
Next up the HFHA will be demanding an ordinance capping cat vet bills.
One HFHA lunatic who cries poor and charges people to be her friend, now is begging for thousands to pay her cats vet bills
GET A JOB!
Yes, senior citizens should work themselves to death. Let’s kill them all. They are just useless eaters anyway and deserving of the loathing of every hardworking developer shill in Hoboken.
Voting yes, not being able to set market rates for vacant units is absurd. Abolish rent control.