Editorial
City must commit to full NYCHA fi x
The public advocate’s offi ce has created a new rite of winter in its publication
of the “Worst Landlords List,” an annual rundown of property owners across the
city who are notorious for neglecting their buildings and tenants.
These landlords demand prompt payment of monthly rent from their residents
while subjecting them to terrible conditions — from rodent infestation, to mold,
to broken infrastructure, and more. Even with the incursion of violations from
city agencies, as the Worst Landlords List outlines, many of those property owners
continue to ignore them.
But there is one entity which Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said on Monday
tops every other bad landlord in the city — the New York City Housing Authority
(NYCHA).
For years now, NYCHA has been vilifi ed for failing to adequately address the
myriad problems on its properties: boiler breakdowns in the dead of winter, broken
elevators, plumbing problems, mold growth, just to name a few.
The de Blasio Administration has taken plenty of heat for the situation, which
wound up in federal court. A federal monitor was appointed to make sure that NYCHA
cleaned up its act. The leadership at NYCHA was also shaken up to ensure
a new, more positive direction.
And yet, as Williams noted Monday, there are still some 350,000 outstanding
NYCHA work orders for improvements — which is actually up from 2018.
With the neglect and disrepair so extensive, one could argue that it was only
natural to expect things at NYCHA to get worse before they could get better. But
its track record of failure, and years of ignorance from City Hall, does not leave
much room for enthusiasm.
Although Williams identifi ed NYCHA as the city’s “worst landlord,” the title
ought to instead go to City Hall and the Mayor’s offi ce. The buck stops with the
people at the top, the legislators and the city’s chief executive, both of whom are
responsible for NYCHA’s stewardship.
The neglect goes back several administrations, however, so we’re not going to
scapegoat specifi c lawmakers who presently or previously occupy city government.
But it would be absolutely refreshing if the de Blasio administration, and whoever
succeeds it, would fully reform and repair NYCHA with the same vigor and
commitment as they’ve instituted other recent, important public policy changes.
The residents of NYCHA deserve a caring landlord, and a livable home. Our
city is obligated to provide them both.
Publisher of The Villager, Villager Express, Chelsea Now,
Downtown Express and Manhattan Express
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