12 DECEMBER 19, 2019 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
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
vilified for failing to adequately
address the myriad problems on
its properties: boiler breakdowns
EDITORIAL
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams (r.) revealed a list of the fi ve worst landlords in New York City at a press
conference in Foley Square. Photo by Todd Maisel
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 identified
NYCHA as the city’s “worst landlord,”
the title ought to instead go
to City Hall and the Mayor’s office.
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 specific
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.
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