Saturday, February 1, 2014

Clarifications about this blog

A few people are misunderstanding what this blog is about and, in particular, the purpose of its comment section.

1) Comments made do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the administrator. Generally, I let through most comments. Some I agree with, others I do not, while a segment I have no opinion on. If you disagree with a comment, you can state so, and challenge the information presented. I've done that myself. That's the back and forth purpose of a comment section.

2) I will not be bullied by self-appointed hall monitors to change the above. Everyone has a right to comment, even if they write in CAPS.  And, for the record (which should be apparent), I am the only hall monitor here, and I'm not about to relinquish this position because a control freak wants--no, insists--on this job without an invitation.

3) I am fully aware that because of the anonymous ability to make comments some individuals can craft their comments as coming from different individuals rather than a single one. I've already noted this in at least one thread. That's the downside of having anonymous commentary capabilities, but the downside in not having them is taking away the advantage a commentator may have in writing openly and without fear of reprisal from management or any other entity or even person.  That said, I think most of us are keen enough to get a sense of when a commentator is using multiple anonymous identities to prop up his or her viewpoint.

4) There is a lot happening in PCVST that's secretive or confusing. Trying to make sense of it is a challenge. That is why the comment section may contain incorrect or misunderstood information, and that is why this information can be challenged and/or corrected. In fact, I welcome such corrections. On the main page of the blog and my posts there, I try to maintain accuracy, because that's the only section that is my own and for which I am solely responsible.

5) Taking all the above into consideration, this blog is also an advocacy blog for affordable middle class housing and the saving of New York from well-monied interests who would like to eat it up to assuage their own gluttonous appetites, leaving everyone else high and dry.  So trolls who like to provoke by going against this will have a hard time getting a soapbox platform here, though some of their commentary will be let through, of course--and challenged.

That's it. Now on with the show.

ADDENDUM:  A couple more clarifications needed, this based on a critique I received from a reader of this post. This person commented, among other things: "You have taken on a big responsibility being the voice of our community." Actually--and this is something I have stressed now and then--I'm not the voice of this community, but "a" voice. This blog was started years ago because I was being pissed off by the things happening here under the reign of Tishman-Speyer.  It was a personal mission that by its nature related matters and concerns that others in the community can be sympathetic with and are interested in. No one voted for me to represent anything and I am not seeking any such votes. On another issue, this reader chides me for not being proactive in making calls to verify statements made in the commentary section. I have several reasons for not wanting, at this point, to "out myself" to certain key players in the system. I am, after all, anonymous myself. There may come a time, and relatively soon, when I will throw caution to the wind and change this stance, but not now. My prerogative, my blog. There is also a time element involved. Contrary to what some may think, I am not a retired senior, nor do I have a trust fund I can live off, as I sit around the Oval and watch the girls go by. I have work I must do that demands a lot of my time and attention. Many times, all I can do is just swiftly pass through comments. I don't have luxury of doing otherwise, except possibly on the weekend. If anyone is dissatisfied with this blog, my advice would be not to read it, or better yet, start your own. It doesn't cost anything, money-wise.

41 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you STR. Your time and service is invaluable. These complainers and control freaks could easily take the time to start their own blog but... that would be work. And they're SOOO busy... but not busy enough to bomb you with comments all day long.

Long live STR!

Anonymous said...

re: Poster at 2:13 PM: Let me second that emotion!

STR, you are great and you do a wonderful service for this long-suffering community of tenants who simply want to live peacefully in their apartments and who sorely miss the beauty and tranquility (and for me personally, the trees) that have been vandalized by a series of money-hungry, but brain dead managements.

Long live STR!

Anonymous said...

We complainers aren't the issue. The person who is trying to bully STR and be hall monitor to censor our complaints is the problem.
This is STR's blog and if we chose to read it and get our information from it that for some reason is threatening to the guy trying to censor STR. Unconstitutional
Agree - long live out loud STR.
This is America No censorhip

Hippo said...

Bless you STR for the invaluable service you perform for the Stuyvesant Town Peter Cooper Community.
You are a true hero in my book!

Anonymous said...

I am trying to figure out the motive
of the "hall monitor." What could his
or her motive possibly be?

Stuy Town Reporter said...

I don't think there is a motive, but an urgency to play hall monitor. Check the TA Facebook.

Anonymous said...

"I don't think there is a motive, but an urgency to play hall monitor. Check the TA Facebook."

I suspect it is the same person who plays that role over there!

Anonymous said...

I wrote the first comment. I didn't mean people complaining about things in Stuy Town, I meant people complaining to STR about how he runs his own blog. Let them stay on the TA page which, at this point, has turned into THEIR personal blog. Guess they have to be the loudest voices in ALL the rooms. Sorry for any confusion..

Anonymous said...

STR - You are the Uber Hall Monitor!

Anonymous said...

I'm the guy who practically begged you to make a phone call to settle a fight on another comments thread rather than leave your readers hanging. Evidently that makes me a *hall monitor*. To clarify things.

1. I have privacy concerns so I'm not on any Facebook, including the TA Facebook.

2. As to my motives. ST-PCV residents need to stay organized and informed and your blog is key. Providing accurate reporting always and clarity when possible ought to be priority one.

That's it, nothing further from me on this.

Thank you.

Anonymous said...

The TA page is crawling with hall monitors.

Anonymous said...

I suspect the urgency for the control freak to play hall monitor is because the STR blog is doing something right that is messing with their agenda to screw us.
We tenants must keep doing what we do and fight.
We will not break.

Anonymous said...

Just keep doing your thing, man. If a sale is really coming up, all the blogs will become targets of someone. And don' forget, there are trolls out there whose only goal is to be irksome.

One suggestion...you might invite others to suggest posts.

Anonymous said...

Anyone who doesn't let everyone have a voice is up to no good.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>I'm the guy who practically begged you to make a phone call to settle a fight on another comments thread rather than leave your readers hanging. Evidently that makes me a *hall monitor*.<<

I was not referring to you as the hall monitor, though this has probably become confused in the commentary.

Anonymous said...

STR you are solid gold.
Bullies are losers.

Anonymous said...

We love you STR!

Stuy Town Reporter said...

Thank you. I love you, too.

Anonymous said...

"this blog is also an advocacy blog for affordable middle class housing ... So trolls who like to provoke by going against this will have a hard time getting a soapbox platform"

I'm probably one of those "trolls" you are referring to. My interest are in fact aligned with yours - to make NYC more affordable to everybody, not just the rich, but where we differ is on the approach.

I don't believe preserving this arcane inefficient system of rent stabilization actually accomplishes this goal, nor does it work for the greater good of all low to middle income New Yorkers. Trolls like me should be allowed to voice our opinion on this page as we at least expand the conversation to other ways of achieving a more affordable New York.

Anonymous said...

"I don't believe preserving this arcane inefficient system of rent stabilization actually accomplishes this goal, nor does it work for the greater good of all low to middle income New Yorkers. Trolls like me should be allowed to voice our opinion on this page as we at least expand the conversation to other ways of achieving a more affordable New York."

Trolls like you have plenty of other places to express your opinions, e.g., WSJ, FT, NYT, NYP, NYDN and numerous right wing blogs. If you live here and are enjoying the benefits of rent stabilization, then you are a hypocrite.

Anonymous said...

Anon 1:13 - Can you please explain how you hope to preserve affordable housing without rent stabilization protections in place? Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Count us in the STR fan club :)

Anonymous said...

Really?
What are these ways to preserve affordable housing without rent stabilization? Back up what you are saying.
Just give us three or four of yours ways.....

Anonymous said...

Give @1:13 a break. He has it worked out. Rent stabilization goes away. Okay. And then every rent here goes up to $3000-$4500 and we can all afford that because....hmmm...now let me think. Because we're all given an exemption from paying any city & state taxes and we're given free transportation passes and then we're given special grants for being nice. Right? No, that's gov't help. That's no good. Well, it doesn't matter. I trust 1:13. I know he's worked it out and actually I intend to vote for him for mayor.

Anonymous said...

3 to $4500???

YOU WISH. it'll be closer to $5k apartments very soon, before our eyes.

Anonymous said...

Companies, corporations and especially Real Estate Developers get a ton of tax breaks errrr handouts. People are subsidizing developers and corporations that are getting greasing politicians dirty little hands and someone has the nerve to say people don't deserve laws that keep these greedy greasy developers and landlords in check? Rent Stabilization is not a subsidy - is not a hand out - its the only way to protect the endless greed. the only ones receiving tax breaks, subsidies, and a form of welfare are the developers. End welfare for billionaire developers! Of course they are screaming about people receiving handouts or subsidies to deflect from the fact that it is them getting the government assistance. Developers do not need should not have government assistance. Billionaire real estate developers should not be getting government assistance. That is their big joke.

Anonymous said...

Even the cheesiest 1 BR units are going for a minimum of $3,400 now. That's why young families can't afford them. CW is purging the complex of families and filling it will transients and students. Maybe STPCV should be rezoned from "residential" to "hospitality" or "student dorm."

Anonymous said...

You are sooo right 12:23 CW can use our apartments for transients and dorms. Let's all remind ourselves we have more claim to this property and our apartments than CW. We have a lease.
They have no claim, no ownership.

Yet no one is challenging them on their lack of ownership while they do acts against residents and the property.
Not one politician has spoken out on this
Not one politician has proposed new laws to protect tenants and residents when a property is in foreclosure and temporary profit seekers are placed as a pseudo landlord role.
Lucky frickin us, we have a politician and his TA who says what CW are doing is legal so take it up the assss as someone said.

DGTA, that doesn't make it right. That means the laws need to catch up with the current economy where rental properties are tricks and toys by billionaire developers and bankers to use and discard as they wish with no consequences to them leaving a wake of damage to tenants.
Most current NY politicians are not of the people. They are nothing more than paid lobbyists for developers.
We need new politicians in office this election year. All new.

No more politicians who are paid lobbyists enabling developers to destroy our land and skyline while these idiots pols are pretending to be on the side of residents only when pushed and prodded.

Do your frickin job, or get out of the office because you are not doing your job of serving the public you just now and then make it appear as you are. Appearances don't cover up actions. We see thrgough you and it all evident all around us in STPCV and all over NYC.

This is for the guy who gave us Clint Eastwood words.

"When a man assumes a public trust he should consider himself public property." Thomas Jefferson

Anonymous said...

11:36 AM: You said it! Said it beautifully! Thank you.

Anonymous said...

STR if they are trying to censor you than you are making a big difference for all of us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for giving us this forum.
Sincerely...

Anonymous said...

STPCV now stands for
Students Transients Political Corruption Villains

Anonymous said...

@February 4, 2014 at 11:36 AM

Landlords who are governed by the Rent Stabilization law receive tax breaks under the program. ST/PCV receives a tax break under the J-51 program, which was the basis for the objection in the Roberts litigation.

What you should be objecting to is the granting of tax breaks to developer with LITTLE benefit to tenants. Government should demand more middle income housing from those developers, instead of the few paltry units they sprinkle in to their luxury buildings.

Anonymous said...

Our rent on our 2BR is $4600.

Anonymous said...

What Anony 1:13 leaves out re RS is the tenant protections including, but not limited to, the right to have a lease renewal. As someone as already stated, if you don’t believe in the NYS RS law, leave (unless you are a hypocrite).

Anonymous said...

6:54 if your rent is $4600 you need to go get a Rent History from DHCR at 25 Beaver Street because 99% of the time you are being overcharged! Go tomorrow and get it. Its highly doubtful your apartment is legally that rate.

Anonymous said...

Most rents are now $4k and up and if you do the math (DHCR approved) it is totally legal.

they add it here / there, moving in moving out inc eases

they charge new tenants thousands for new dishwasher and countertops.

Do the math. Our problem is with DHCR - bastards.

Anonymous said...

The $4600 is the new renewal rate. It is far better than the $5300, plus 4/7.75% (and MCIs?) that the Roberts settlement permitted them to charge. Some settlement, huh?

Anonymous said...

First let me say I am a huge supporter of rent stabilization. However, it was ended in Boston and the world didn't end. According to the proponents of ending it, the results have been an overall reduction in rents. Not sure how but that is what I read somewhere. Point is there are 2 sides to most arguments, to call people who you don't agree with trolls is just plain stupid and you show it every time you post that crap. One can learn more by listening than by talking (or calling everyone a troll). That's why God gave you 2 ears but only 1 mouth. He knew what he was doing!!!

Anonymous said...

I guess it is better and a few bucks lower. But seriously, you all know the bulk of tenants are now paying well over 3500 and close to 5k here, right?

Anonymous said...

As we calculated it, the $4600 was "almost" as good as we were going to do under the circumstances (other than overturning the settlements, rolling our unit's rent back to the date before Met Life/TS improperly deregulated, and adding what were proper increases, which would put our rent well under $2500, maybe much less). The current rent, plus 7.75%, plus the MCIs would put the rent about $250 or so less than the new rent. And by the terms of that settlement (read: attorneys fees windfall), they "could have" charged something like $5,800. Sick. Obviously we would have moved. So we held our noses and took it. We have two years to figure out our next move. Unlike many here, we would want to buy--I really want to leave here feet first at this point in my life, knock on wood, unless something so much better/a great value presents itself.

Anonymous said...

11:29 AM: Do you realize what a money pit this place would be to own? The infrastructure, especially the plumbing and heating, is totally shot.