Thursday, January 21, 2016

Unbelievable!

A very busy two weeks for me, but I will be writing a major post on why our councilman Dan Garodnick, the darling of the REBNY, should not win any future public office. Reading some of the pro-Garodnick comments on the TA Facebook, particularly from the TA itself, just astounds one. Unbelievable!

Here's the article that started it:

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2016/01/8588358/garodnick-raises-15-million-possible-state-race

Wake up, people! Garodnick is relying on you being uniformed. As for the TA, it by now has become almost completely irrelevant. The TA's hooking up with Dan has caused this community much.

BTW, there's a protest today at 6pm at the REBNY banquet:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BAvXBTImzfK/

Dan will be there--on the inside.

45 comments:

Anonymous said...

We know our Mayor Bill de Blasio and our Council Member Dan Garodnick, elected by us to protect us from REBNY predators, have already been paid and will continue to be financially rewarded for delivering our homes into the claws of REBNY to ensure Speyer's business plan permanently booting the middle class out of PCVST is fully realized. Same Plan - Different Timetable

Will PCVST TA board members also receive awards from REBNY for their essential support delivering PCVST 80 acres + our $2.75 billion FANNIE MAE purchase funding + potential 10.7 million square feet development rights worth billions more to REBNY/Blackstone?

Our $2.75 billion Fannie MAE purchase funding allocates to approximately $245,000 per apartment the federal government offered exclusively to us to help middle class PCVST tenants own the entire PCVST development and keep our homes out of the claws of REBNY predators IN PERPETUITY. Instead, the TA promised our FANNIE MAE billions to REBNY/Brookfield. Despite the phony Garodnick-TA phony "tenant led purchase" scam delivering everything to REBNY/Brookfield and nothing to tenants collapsing under them, Garodnick and TA board members acterd quickly, immediately handing our $2.75 billion FANNIE MAE purchase funding over to REBNY/Blackstone. Different REBNY Predator - Same Result. REBNY still gets everything and PCVST tenants still get nothing. Large REBNY rewards were earned and will be paid.

The Mayor and Garodnick-TA claim REBNY/Blackstone taking everything and PCVST tenants getting nothing is a historic PCVST middle class victory. Do PCVST residents feel victorious? Did PCVST residents' exclusive access to $2.75 billion FANNIE MAE purchase funding benefit PCVST residents?

The federal government will never again offer middle class PCVST residents $2.75 billion ($245,000 per apartment) to help us fight off REBNY predators so we could own the entire PCVST development and our individual homes IN PERPETUITY. That unprecedented offer is gone forever. Surely the TA board members deserve special rewards from REBNY for betraying their PCVST neighbors/constituents when they confiscated unprecedented $2.75 billion purchase funding and PCVST ownership opportunities away from us?

Anonymous said...

REBNY is a bully

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2015/10/8578454/rebny-sues-de-blasio-administration-over-hotel-conversion-bill

Anonymous said...

Rob Speyer is honoring the Stacom family who helped him in 2010 with the Stuyvesant Town Peter Cooper Village deal with The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) (approximate translation: Quebec Deposit and Investment Fund) spun off subsidiary CW to Fortress in 2010 to now owned by The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) (approximate translation: Quebec Deposit and Investment Fund).

http://robspeyer.com/category/rebny/
At Thursday’s 120th annual REBNY banquet, the Stacom family will receive the Bernard H. Mendik Lifetime Leadership in Real Estate Award, marking the first time an entire family will be honored.

The late Matthew Stacom and his daughters, Tara and Dary, will receive the award for their contribution to the city’s real estate industry. “The Stacoms are true industry legends whose collective contributions are worthy of this unprecedented recognition by REBNY,” said REBNY chairman Rob Speyer.


http://therealdeal.com/2015/10/29/how-stuy-town-was-won/

When MetLife put Stuy Town on the market in 2006, Harmon, of Eastdil Secured, had lost out on the plum assignment to his archrivals, CBRE’s Darcy Stacom and William Shanahan. Now, he had a second shot.

Anonymous said...

Tonight is about taking back power in a State that does not value middle class renters. Shame on the City for attending this REBNY Liars Ball.

Anonymous said...

Darcy Stacom is the honoree of the banquet. The real estate agent who arranged the sale of ST-PCV to Tishman Speyer and the only person who REALLY made out from the fiasco.

Anonymous said...

They are all scum. Absolute filth. Btw, does anybody believe that DiBlasio's new "plan" for the carriage horses has anything to do with compassion for the horses or is all about grabbing the real estate on the West Side for his REBNY pals?

I swear I will vote Republican going forward because, evil as they are, they don't PRETEND to be on the side of the middle class. I would rather have an openly evil pol than a slimy, deceitful pretender.

Anonymous said...

I can't get over the tenant association never filling the community in on REBNY, who they are and their mission, all of these years. Never supporting the MetCouncil, Mike Mckee or Tenant's and Neighbors in their opposition to the REBNY. The voice of this community could have made a difference if they had harnessed that power. I can't get over the disappointment in the tenant association.

Anonymous said...

I hate altering the topic but I cannot get past this morning's news about the City Council, Mayor and Police Chief moving forward with reducing the penalties on urination, excessive noise, public drinking as well as other 'minimal' criminal activities.

You thought it was difficult getting your neighbors to pick up after their dog and keep the noise down to a reasonable level? It just got worse.

Anonymous said...

Mike McKee is a real tenant advocate and fighter who puts his neck on the line, taking on the big names. Thank you Mike McKee.

http://observer.com/2015/03/activists-blast-jeffrey-klein-for-his-ties-to-the-real-estate-industry/


http://gvshp.org/blog/2015/05/05/real-estates-attempt-to-hijack-the-affordable-housing-discussion/

Think of the classic pieces of advice you’ve heard from parents, teachers or mentors along the way in life: Look before you leap. Think before you speak. Consider the source.

Sometimes we forget the obvious. This has been the case over the past two years, as an organization with a long track record of blocking all efforts to advance an affordable housing agenda has suddenly become a leading voice in the debate about how best to pursue this much-needed public policy goal.

Cleverly, the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) has seized on the de Blasio administration’s focus on affordable housing

When the contributions of REBNY officers are added to the mix – like those of Glenwood Management owner Leonard Litwin – the numbers become even more dramatic. From 2011 to 2013, the combined group gave 31 times as much to the Republican State Senate Committee as to the Democratic one.

In the words of veteran housing activist Michael McKee, “Real estate money has prevented action on any and all bills that would benefit tenants or stop the loss of affordable housing. Not a single pro-tenant bill has made it to the floor [of the state Senate] in the last four years.”

From the current investigation of Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos to the recent indictment of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver – who is accused, among other things, of using Litwin’s Glenwood Management to get kickbacks – the paths that real estate money takes in New York city and state government are often not pretty. And their attempts to influence the process extend far beyond the state Legislature; indeed, REBNY’s largesse has been lavished on both Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio.

But that’s not a good reason to let the Real Estate Board become the authors of, or authorities on, public policy about affordable housing or landmarking. We wouldn’t want the NRA to write legislation about gun safety, nor the oil and gas industry to dictate policy on renewable energy sources. Check the record, and consider the source.

Anonymous said...

REBNY’s record on affordable housing is
abominable, with a long history of working to prevent
any reform sought by policymakers and advocates to
preserve, protect, and create affordable housing in New
York City.

“The return on REBNY’s
political investment in
Albany is crystal clear: New
York City rent regulations
remain weak, while multibillion
dollar subsidies like
the 421a and J-51 continue
to grow each year. These
policies collectively affect
the lives of millions of New
Yorkers but also impact
billions of dollars of
potential profits for
REBNY.”
-- Common Cause NY

http://www.gvshp.org/_gvshp/preservation/rebny/doc/rebnyfinal.pdf


Agree with 11:31, REBNY Brookfield was always bad news.

The top donor over the last month to the PAC was Brookfield Property Partners, led by CEO Ric Clark, which contributed $170,800. Next was TF Cornerstone, led by Thomas and Fred Elghanayan, with $170,600, followed by Tishman Speyer, led by co-CEOs Jerry and Rob Speyer, with $168,300. Rounding out the top five was Stephen Ross’ Related Companies, which gave $163,600, and Leonard Litwin’s Glenwood Management, which contributed $162,600.

http://therealdeal.com/2014/10/27/brookfield-extell-and-fisher-bros-give-big-to-rebny-backed-pac/

Anonymous said...

Bharara changed nothing in Albany. Still the same old corruption.
http://therealdeal.com/2014/07/24/rebnys-influence-over-cuomo-laid-bare/

Anonymous said...

The Mayor is not available to StuyTown residents but he is always available to REBNY

John, what’s your relationship like with Mayor Bill de Blasio?

Mr. Banks: I’ve known the mayor for more than 20 years.

Mr. Speyer: That’s actually how I met John.


Mr. Banks: He’s a friend. He’s committed to the city, he’s thoughtful, he understands that what he’s trying to do is difficult and that it will take time and energy and he’s completely committed to it. His administration is always available to us at REBNY and in my prior life.

Anonymous said...

They are killing Central Park all the way around.

http://rew-online.com/2016/01/20/renderings-released-for-supertall-180-east-88th-street/

Anonymous said...

"The TA's hooking up with Dan has caused this community much."
Steinberg runs the TA like Marsh, like it is their mission to sell Dan's Chair of the EDC Commission programs onto this community instead of pushing tenants need onto the EDC. This TA is ass backwards. Like how Marsh sells Barclays Center crap onto us. That slide show on the Ferry basically said the Tenant Association is sponsoring it already. Like the TA is separate and above the tenants, and has to spin things like saying it will not cause foot traffic. Lies Lies Lies OF COURSE it will cause foot traffic that is why they are building it! DUH

Anonymous said...

These people are totally obscene. Vile and obscene.

Anonymous said...

We were royally screwed by our politicians and the TA Board who added insult to injury by then taking credit at both the press conference and Baruch for doing a great job for us

Anonymous said...

They have to go to the party they are bought and paid for party favors, puppets for the RE titans to play with.

"More than half of their money went to Cuomo, whose office reportedly halted an inquiry relating to REBNY’s campaign contributions by an anti-corruption commission. His campaign committee brought in $5.9 million from its members; Kathy Hochul, his running mate, reported $102,900. Additionally, the New York State Democratic Committee and its housekeeping account raised $5.2 million."

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2015/04/8566024/rebny-members-gave-tenth-all-ny-campaign-money

Anonymous said...

It is sad really. The TA and the politicians are out their saying what a great job they did and are doing. What isn't out there are what matters, the constituents saying the politicians are doing a great job. Or tenants saying the TA is doing a great job. The only ones who are saying they are great are themselves and the REBNY and lobbyists. The politicians and the TA are doing a great job for the REBNY and the lobbyists. All right. Now we are awake.

Atomic Man said...

Darcy Stacom was the broker who pitched the PCVST sale for Met Life to the various suckers ready to plunk down billions to buy this place. I'm sure she had a major role in putting together the deal book that virtually assured the potential buyers that at least half our renters were illegal sublets, who could easily be cleared out to make way for market rate paying fools. So she put a major one over on the buyers, made a huge commission for herself, and screwed over the investors who paid into the scheme. Real class, let's give her an award! Only at REBNY...

And I look forward to your post, STR. It's pathetic that Danny and the TA are getting "credit" for the Blackstone deal. They didn't even have a seat at the table, the deal was struck between the BdB admin (Alicia Glen) and Blackstone/Ivanhoe. They didn't even KNOW about it until after the press release came out. THAT'S what we'd call Chutzpah!

Anonymous said...

TWENTY-FOUR (!) page REBNY advertising supplement in todays (1/21/16) hardcopy NY Times. So depressed. Very sick, could not make the protest tonight.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>And I look forward to your post, STR. It's pathetic that Danny and the TA are getting "credit" for the Blackstone deal. They didn't even have a seat at the table, the deal was struck between the BdB admin (Alicia Glen) and Blackstone/Ivanhoe. They didn't even KNOW about it until after the press release came out. THAT'S what we'd call Chutzpah!<<

That's part of what the post will be about. Amazing that the TA would basically lie about this.

Anonymous said...

GOD!! I hate this rotten fucking place and the despicable putrid politicians who claim to represent us. I am going to vote for Donald Trump, Sara Palin and Adolph Hitler if they are on the ticket. So disgusted with these sleazy, lying bastard politicians. Garodnick in particular!

Anonymous said...

The TA is a lying sack of shit. The fact that people seem to be backing Dan and the TA on Facebook makes my blood boil. Do they read anything???

Steinberg needs to go. NOW!

Anonymous said...

You know the TA doesn't read this, or Facebook or care to. It is what it is.

Anonymous said...

"Agree with 11:31, REBNY Brookfield was always bad news.

The top donor over the last month to the PAC was Brookfield Property Partners, led by CEO Ric Clark, which contributed $170,800 ... followed by Tishman Speyer, led by co-CEOs Jerry and Rob Speyer, with $168,300 ..."

http://therealdeal.com/2014/10/27/brookfield-extell-and-fisher-bros-give-big-to-rebny-backed-pac/

---

Is the TA-Brookfield business partnership still active?

Do TA board members and Brookfield still share values?

Brookfield is 24/7/365 showering millions of dollars on elected politicians, ordering them to maintain RS on a death march or whenever possible, ordering them to kill RS ASAP.

Brookfield invested $25 million supporting and cheerleading Speyer's business plan booting the middle class out of our PCVST homes.

The middle class unaffordable Garodnick-TA-Brookfield condo scam was intended to fully realize Speyer's vision eradicating the middle class out of STPCV.

The TA always brags about having a seat at the table.

Will TA board members be seated at Brookfield's table at this year's REBNY gala?

Or, since the TA delivered our $2.75 billion Fannie Mae purchase funding and our homes to Blackstone, will TA board members be seated at Blackstone's table?

Anonymous said...

"They didn't even have a seat at the table, the deal was struck between the BdB admin (Alicia Glen) and Blackstone/Ivanhoe. They didn't even KNOW about it until after the press release came out. THAT'S what we'd call Chutzpah!"

I think that's an accurate statement. What I can't understand is why DG and the TA don't fess up to this fact. Didn't DG hold a press conference a while back regarding "choking off the oxygen supply of predatory equity."? He supposedly got Fanny and Freddy to not give any money to any entity who wished to buy this project that the TA and Dan didn't approve of. Well, since Blackstone is tapping Fanny and Freddy, how is it possible that CW wouldn't engage in a public bid process (i.e. if Blackstone doesn't get the Fanny money then CW would have to meet the TA at the table). Theoretically, all it would have taken is the TA to NOT approve the deal. Yet Steinberg stands on stage at the last meeting and said that CW refused to accept bids. Doesn't this seem disingenuous?

If Dan and the TA would come out and say that they were entirely irrelevant and weren't even involved in the negotiations at least I would have some respect for them; but like others have said, they were patting each other on the back and taking credit for it! Really sleazy stuff in my opinion.

Anonymous said...

10 pm, that's good because trump and palin think your are a communist socialist for living under RS and will do everything in their power to end things like RS and kick you out of your apartment (or raise your rent 5k a month). Go GOP!

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>You know the TA doesn't read this, or Facebook or care to. It is what it is.<<

Wrong. I know for a fact it does.

Anonymous said...

Not going to call them the TA anymore. From now on, in our house they are known as the PA. The Politician's Association. Because they are always pushing the politicians words and programs onto us.

Anonymous said...

so they read us and still do nothing? Even worse to know this for a fact. That is shameful.

Anonymous said...

Have said before. I don't blame Garodnick for trying to put together the Brookfield deal. One way or another he saw it as a possible gold star. And if it turned out that 1/2 of the complex could have bought their apts due to his efforts, I'm sure that would be about 15000 votes in the bag. Maybe more.
But the mission of a TA (IMHO) is to represent the interests of ALL the tenants, to show that it can support management actions and policies when beneficial and rally tenants as a force to oppose non-beneficial actions and policies.
This means keeping nothing more than a guardly-friendly arms-length relationship with property management and politicians who also have their own agendas.
Once it became apparent that the TA had chosen to endorse and partner in a plan that involved Garodnick and his old law firm, that benefitted far less than everybody (perhaps not even half), the community became divided. That is the one thing a TA should never do. If any of the TA officers wanted to personally/privately endorse Garodnick's deal, that would have been fine. But to use the office of the TA to make an endorsement and join in a partnership as if the TA had the power to do this on its own, particularly without notice, advice, consent, feedback or vetting with the full community, without any wide community participation whatsoever, strikes me has wrong and highhanded.

I think the TA still has a chance to work for all of us so long as Steinberg steps down.

Anonymous said...

"10 pm, that's good because trump and palin think your are a communist socialist for living under RS and will do everything in their power to end things like RS and kick you out of your apartment (or raise your rent 5k a month). Go GOP!"

How many Republicans are on the City council? Maybe 1 or 2, so I seriously doubt they have any pull over RS. How many Republicans are in the Mayor's office? None. How Many republicans are in the Governor's office. None.

So could you please explain your idiotic remark?

Keep drinking the Kool Aid and keep yourself under the thumbs of people like Dan Garodnick who will use you, chew you up and spit you out all while pointing at the Republicans because idiotic Democrats never learn!

Anonymous said...

"How many Republicans are on the City council? Maybe 1 or 2, so I seriously doubt they have any pull over RS."

Hey Einstein, the CC has ZERO impact on NYS RS law. What does have an impact on NYS RS law is the Republican majority in the NYS Senate,and Cuomo who has morphed into Pataki light, the guy you voted for all those years, right? Have you followed ANY of the news regarding the renewal of the NYS RS law for the past 20 years. Google Michael McKee.

Anonymous said...

6:05 now now, you shouldn't be showing support, even in desperation, for pols who regard you as freeloading, communist pond scum for benefiting from socialist policies like RS.

Anonymous said...



Strange, I am up since 5 30 am due to sick baby and there are no plows. Not one. Now almost 7 am. No snow plows. Gee, I'm confused.

Anonymous said...

Yes exactly. Google Mike Mckee to get the facts and the truth.
Googling John Marsh or Susan Steinberg or PCVST TA will get you what they have done for RS - nothing.

Atomic Man said...

How Many republicans are in the Governor's office. None.

I would say that the Governor IS a Republican, regardless of which party line he runs on. He's gone out of his way to ensure that Republicans maintain control of the Senate, takes millions of dollars from Big Real Estate, conceded to only the weakest and most impotent reform efforts, and has bent over backwards trying to screw over New York City, while pandering to the Long Island and northern suburbs. Does that sound like a Democrat to you?

Anonymous said...

Hey Einstein, the CC has ZERO impact on NYS RS law. What does have an impact on NYS RS law is the Republican majority in the NYS Senate,and Cuomo who has morphed into Pataki light, the guy you voted for all those years, right? Have you followed ANY of the news regarding the renewal of the NYS RS law for the past 20 years. Google Michael McKee.

And yet they did remove over 6000 apartments from RS right here in ST. Wake up and smell the coffee there Albert!

Anonymous said...

There's an article about Garodnick on the T&V blog. Somebody wrote an unflattering remark earlier today and it has been removed. I wonder who decided it should be removed? It was just one word "Crud." Wasn't me, but whoever it was must have hit a nerve because they usually don't censor remarks (unless they are outrageous) on T&V.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

"Crud" doesn't seem that horrible. Maybe "horsefeathers" would have gotten through.

Anonymous said...

""Crud" doesn't seem that horrible. Maybe "horsefeathers" would have gotten through."

It got through, but was later removed. I wonder who took offense?

Anonymous said...

I think the offensive word was "turd" not "crud." Still pretty mild for a New Yorker!

Anonymous said...

It was "turd".

Anonymous said...

"And yet they did remove over 6000 apartments from RS right here in ST. Wake up and smell the coffee there Albert!"

Who the CC? You are clueless. The J-51 tax abatement ends 6/2020. The same date as "the deal". No matter what the deal, ALL Roberts and post Roberts apartments would be removed from NYS RS law by 6/2020 That would be around 6,000 apartments. That includes ALL renovated apartments, past, current and future. Again this is NYS related, not NYC. I am amazed at the ignorance of many tenants here.

Anonymous said...

Roberts tenants were screwed out of our ruling and all the renovated apartments are part of the reason DHCR is now saying all j-51 apartments must register in 2016. Tishman Speyer and Compass Rock didn't register apartments in a very possible grand scale "first rent" scam. Many tenants may have money coming back to them.