Is it immoral to leave the Mitchell Lama program?

As a candidate seeking to be re-elected to the board I attended the meet the candidates night on 10/22. An interesting question was raised by a shareholder who basically asked is it immoral to leave the Mitchell Lama (ML) program. The implication is that one has an opportunity to make a windfall profit from a subsidized apartment that was not originally intended to be on the private market, and simultaneously depletes middle income housing from an already dwindling supply. In order to answer that question honestly I need to ask a few first to get some perspective.

Is it immoral that a person puts their name on the affidavit of an elderly relative the last couple of years of their life to gain succession rights while those on the list wait for decades?

Is it immoral that a person who doesn't meet current family requirements keep their apartments. For instance a single individual with a 2 or 3 bedroom apartment when families need them? I acknowledge that I fall in this category, and never considered downsizing.

Is it immoral that the Doe family are struggling to pay $3,000. a month rent while someone with a $60,000. SUV in the VV parking lot is being subsidized? What's interesting is the car loan, insurance, and parking lot fee total would be greater than the standard maintenance charge for a 2 bedroom co-op.

Is it immoral that my cousin who is a millionaire lives in a 2 bedroom Southbridge Towers ML co-op by himself? Would it be immoral if he paid market rate real estate taxes instead of being subsidized?

Is it immoral that I retired at 53 and most people will have to wait until they're in their 60's or possibly never retire?

You're probably wondering what that last question has to do with the subject, but it has everything to do with it. The 25 year Civil Service retirement program was established at a time when people didn't live to a ripe old age. You could say they got rotten sooner. It is now no longer in effect. I'm sure the person who was hired 6 months after me, but needs to wait at least an additional 10 years to retire believes that change was immoral. The same is true with ML housing which was signed into law in 1955. The buy out clause allows developments to leave, but there is no provision to replace those units. As a result no new ML housing has been built in over 40 years. It's as if the writers of the law knew that once it served it's purpose it would eventually cease to exist just like my retirement plan. Rivercross in 2013 and Southbridge Towers in 2014 both voting to go private is further evidence that like all good things in life ML will come to an end sooner or later. It may not be moral or fair, but neither is life.

Additional thoughts: If you've lived here over 30 years it's like you've paid off a low interest, low down payment government approved mortgage, but without the benefits.

Mother approved

Thanks to board member Jeanne Licausi, and Darlene Margeta of the Senior Arts and Crafts the annual Mother's Day luncheon was a huge success. Over 65 residents were in attendance and enjoyed a smorgasbord that included grilled chicken, spaghetti and meatballs, kielbasa, pierogis, pizza, and desert. The tables were brightly decorated, and included hand made flowers crafted by the members of the Senior Arts and Crafts. A special thanks to all the volunteers who made this possible, and remember to check the bulletin board for upcoming events.

Under the Boardwalk

No one would say Village View reminds them of the Jersey shore, except me of course. I happened to step out on my balcony today and behold there was the boardwalk.

Thanks to Local Law 11 Village View is doing required repairs to our facade, and many of you are wondering why. The truth is our co-op is approaching it's 50th birthday, and the cracks and wrinkles that come with age have come to the attention of the City of New York. Oil of Olay doesn't currently make a product for buildings so we are using Xinos contractors instead. We need to keep two things in mind. One is that New York continually updates the requirements we need to comply with. An example is that additional white fire hose box you've seen in the lobby recently. The second is that new damage will occur over time. This means that our next cycle for Local Law 11 five years from now will likely result in more repairs.We all know it takes a lot of work to remain beautiful, and we don't want the passersby on the boardwalk to see our cracks.

Looks like Xinos missed one.

When the going gets tough, the tough get walking.

The residents of Village View have learned some valuable lessons from Hurricane Sandy these past five days. 1) A.M. radio is not obsolete, and belongs in your home not a museum. 2) Water may cover 71% of the earth, but if it's not fresh and stored in your apartment it's useless. 3) The only emergencies cell phones are good for are when you run out of pizza on Superbowl Sunday. Most importantly heroes don't look like James Bond, wear a tux, or rappel down from helicopters.They are your neighbors, and the volunteers who worked to make sure our residents were safe, and had the basic necessities during this disaster. A great deal of thanks goes to Board President Adam Silvera who was able to secure supplies from local businesses, and mobilize hundreds of volunteers. Also many residents helped with the distribution, and walked up 21 floors to deliver them. It reminds me of that saying, "when the going gets tough, the tough get walking." It's important that we acknowledge; J&S Construction, J Corp, Tompkins Sq. Gospel Fellowship, and Russ and Daughters for their enormous contributions. A special thanks to the Village View crew is in order as many traveled up to 3 hours to get to work, and will have the immense job of cleaning up in the aftermath of Sandy. We are extremely grateful to all those who helped during this crisis.

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Office Party

On Oct.3 while visiting the Community Room I was startled to hear loud noises coming from the management office. A group of people had swamped the small waiting area, and were conducting what I thought might have been a protest. In fact it was a birthday celebration for John Blackman our assistant superintendent. Best wishes to John, and to all of our employees family here at Village View..

Armed and dangerous

Village View Senior Services will be sponsoring the annual flu shot on 10/25 between the hours of 9:30 and 11:00 A.M. Please check with your doctor for allergies or other conditions that may disqualify you as a good candidate for immunization. It is requested that you sign up in advance in the community room. 

!@#$ That hurts!