TENANT'S AGENDA FOR THE CITY OF NEWARK

We want as many apartment buildings as possible to support and follow the same agenda.  We also want city officials to fully understand that we are working together, because there is strength in numbers.  Using a united approach, we'll get even better results from Code Enforcement, the Rent Control Board, and the City Administration. 

We'll be able to get stronger ordinances passed, secure the cooperation of various city departments and agencies, and generally ensure the continued cooperation of our elected officials.  They've already passed our Security Guard Ordinance, and we expect more from the City of Newark.

In the 1960's, Landlords were largely free to do almost anything they wanted. The needs of tenants simply weren't an issue.  Some key employees at city hall didn't personally feel that they were on a mission to help the residents of the City of Newark; their job was just a job. The 1970's were the heyday of tenant organizing, but in our modern society there are few people who are looking at the needs of the entire city.  Even among tenant leaders, most want to focus only on their own buildings, and they feel no motivation to improve the whole City of Newark.  Things are slowly changing on the city level, and Newark is definately moving in some direction. People are taking their jobs a bit more seriously, and starting to get things done. The needs of tenants are only now re-emerging.  However, a lot of work remains to be done.  Issues affecting tenants are still very low on the city's priority list.  Renters compromise at least 85% of the population of Newark, and for the most part we are all totally unempowered and disenfranchised. That is going to change as more buildings enter into our alliance.

We have lain out the following agenda for our City leaders to pursue. We seek to organize tenants from around the city for the purpose of advancing these goals:
 
(1)    The city should establish and staff an official City of Newark TENANT RESOURCE HUB, located at city hall.  The Tenants Resource Hub should be complete with a hotline number, literature, a website, and staff who are informed and greatly concerned with the rights and the well-being of tenants and their families.    The Tenant Resource Hub should also serve as an intermediary with City and State code enforcers, including issues regarding boilers and Black-Seal Certified boiler technicians.  (Note:  The City has a Rent Control Department which does not currently function in this capacity. They are often non-cooperative with tenant inquiries. They strongly prefer to have as few telephone calls per day from tenants as possible.

(2)    City-wide implementation of new Security Guard Ordinance, passed on April 1, 2009.  The 380-402 Tenants Association organization drafted the ordinance, which was then expanded greatly by the city.  Many individual buildings over 100 units still do not have 24/7 security guards in the lobbies, basically because tenants city-wide do not know that the law was passed.  Other buildings have guards who are not licensed, or do not have armed guards from 8:00 PM - 4:00 AM.

(3)    Revise and improve the city’s Superintendant ordinance. This will include a requirement that the Superintendant's name and unit # must be posted in the entrance of each building so that police and firemen can reach the Super, or for tenants to reach the Super in the event of a real emergency.

(4)    Resolve Code Enforcement Process and Record-Keeping issues so that tenants are not completely disenfranchised by the process. Secure effective communication between Code Enforcement and the Prosecutor's Office, as well as establishing an effective system for Tenants to get the result of cases. There is no software tracking a violation from the day it is issued through the court system. The Court system adds it's own court docket # for any violation that goes to court. Code Enforcement isn't notified of the Court Docket #, and they aren't notified of the results.  It is virtually impossible to correlate a violation # to a court docket #. It can only be done by visiting multiple offices at city hall, waiting on line for hours, and enduring multiple inquisitions from city employees asking who you are and why you want this information. The whole system is a nightmare, and fixing it is totally off their agenda. Completely transform the way Code Enforcement deals with buildings and tenant complaints.   Resolve the following specific issues:

- Tenants (renters) cannot correlate Code Enforcement Violation numbers to Municipal Court Docket Numbers without taking a half day off of work, waiting in line with serious criminals (31 Green Street, Room 207), and then dealing with workers who don't want to assist in this task at all

- Tenants (renters) who place complaints are not notified, by mail, which issues were found to be actual violations, nor the Municipal Court Docket Number, nor when the court date will take place for the violations.  Therefore, tenants are unable to testify and give important information regarding their own case.  The court hears no information to counter false statements from building managers and their attorneys.  Typical false statements are "we fixed that problem" and "the tenant didn't allow us access into the apartment to make the repairs".

- Tenants (renters) are not notified of the results of Municipal Court decisions regarding code enforcement violations, giving them the impression that "the city did nothing".  This generally disenfranchises tenants, turns them off to the whole political process, and causes voters to be disgusted and disaffected by the city administration.  Since Code Enforcement violation numbers (CC#'s) and Municipal Court Docket numbers are not easily correlated, gathering this information is next to impossible and may require the intervention of an elected official.

- Code Enforcement officers are also not notified of the results of Municipal Court decisions on their cases, so even if they are contacted by the tenants, they cannot provide this information. 

- Lack of information on Municipal Court decisions makes it difficult for tenants to file Small Claims Court cases.  Tenants with severe issues can easily win a couple thousand dollars, but without documentation on the Code Violation, it becomes difficult

- The City of Newark is not utilizing Code Enforcement as a revenue-generating program. Fine structure needs to be increased so that it carries the salaries of the department, giving the city incentive to hire more staff.  Also to provide revenue to offset property taxes.

Eric Martindale spoke on this at the February 3, 2010 city council meeting, and the comments were well-received by the city council and the audience. Click here to see:  speech of Feb 3, 2010

(5)    Allow tenants to testify at court cases brought by Code Enforcement upon landlords, and to specifically notify the Tenant Association in the building (if any) of any upcoming court dates. The 380-402 Tenants Association has partial progress with this; and the Municipal Prosecutor refers to it as "a special case" because it was demanded by our Councilman. We want it to be policy city-wide, not a special case just for one complex.

(6)    Ensure that elected officials become more supportive of tenant issues.

(7)    Monitor the actions of Landlord-Tenant attorneys hired by the owners and managers of buildings throughout Newark.  Document any excesses. Encourage tenants to file ethics complaints, if necessary, against offending attorneys. Make sure that the proper serving of notices and evictions are in practice. Attorneys are filing "Notice to Quit" actions in Landlord-Tenant Court for tenants late paying rent, without following the regulations which outline when such action is allowed.  Tenants are being hit with legal fees to clear their accounts.

(8)    Make sure that tenants get heard completely in Landlord-Tenant Court, regardless of whether they are represented by legal counsel.  Ensure that allegations by management are substantiated with legal proof.  End the game of management lying to the court by saying "the tenant didn't cooperate with providing us access into the apartment".

(9) Push for more parks and playgrounds.

(10) Identify abandoned houses and buildings which mar the city’s neighborhoods and detract from the Quality of Life, and work within the city administration for their demolition.

(11) Secure a balanced representation of Tenants on the Newark Rent Control Board.  The definition of "Tenant Representative" should NOT include Tenants who are also employed as agents of landlords, or who are the retired agents of landlords.  (added July 27, 2008) 

(12) Resolve the issue of spam-blocking on the city's web server. Tenant activists find themselves unable to email any city officials.  Their IP addresses get added to the city's spam blocker. We cannot confirm if this is done deliberately on an individual level, or if the city's web server automatically adds anyone who frequently emails city officials.  We have identified the responsible party as Edward Lambert, but getting the issue resolved has proven impossible for over two years. The inability to email city officials is tremendously holding back citizen activism of all kinds in the City of Newark  (added July 26, 2009)
 
What each tenant organization or individual tenant activist can accomplish, on their own, is small compared to these larger goals.  Until such time that a Tenant Resource Hub is established, tenants throughout the City of Newark and beyond can refer to our website for advise.

                                        OUR VISION FOR NEWARK

Although individual tenants can and do have opinions to the contrary, the majority of our supporters want Newark to become safer, more economically vibrant, and a bit more upscale in the city's downtown. Or perhaps we should say "less economically depressed" in the city's downtown. We are against crime, drug problems, and gangs.

We don't get involved in the politics of Newark. But we do support the plans of the Cory Booker administration for the emergence of a trendy community in the downtown of Newark, in order to create thousands of jobs for the hard-working citizens of Newark and to improve the image of the city as a whole. It is important that any new buildings are inclusive to people of all walks of life. There is a vision of downtown Newark becoming a thriving and diverse place, like parts of Manhattan. We have no objections to mid and high-rent buildings being constructed in or near the Downtown, as they would add to the diversity of the existing housing stock. Diversity is good, both culturally and economically. What's most important in Newark and the world is that the human condition improves and civilization advances. Households that are economically stable are often the ones that can contribute their time and money towards improving their community.

Our founders at 380 and 402 Mt. Prospect Avenue started this effort by campaigning to prevent two of the best buildings in Newark from falling into neglect and disrepair. Tenants who demand a high quality of life shouldn't be driven out of any building in Newark.

We want stop buildings  from falling into a deepening spiral of crime, poverty, neglect, and disrepair.  We know these problems feed upon each other, and they worsen as concerned tenants give up and more. As problems worsen, the history of Newark is that many privately-owned complexes have been abandoned and boarded up. In the last few years alone, many complexes have been lost. There are 4 problems with this.

(1) That's a total business loss for the owners.  

(2) It destroys the tax base of the city. The loss of tax revenue hinders the ability of the city to provide needed social services for it's citizens,

(3) Buildings on their way down cause a much greater burden on city, county, state, federal, and non-profit resources, including police, fire, code enforcement, courts, education, and social services of all kinds.  The cost to the taxpayer becomes astronomical, and

(4) Tenants who are caught in declining buildings have their lives tragically affected in so many ways: 

- Their quality of life is affected by code violations inside their units such as leaks, crumbling plaster walls and ceilings, mold issues, no heat, broken appliances, etc, or due to the deterioration of common areas including hallways, lobbies, elevators, etc.

- They feel insecure, and they live in fear of thugs and gangs, or vicious dogs,

- They or their friends, neighbors, and family members become the victims of crime,

- They watch as their children or grandchildren abandon the values of their families or their faith, and they become part of the gang and street scene.  Many wind up incarcerated or involved in troubled relationships. Others, especially men, become poor examples as a parent, perpetuating a cycle of troubles to the next generation,

- It's generally a cultural, moral, and spiritual drain on the human condition.

- Ultimately tenants are forced to move as their building becomes too unsafe and unbearable, or it becomes completely abandoned.

We feel it is important for our readers to have an understanding that all four problems exist, however it is the tenant problems that we are focussed on.

There was no organization in Newark directly focussed on these tenant problems before we came onto the scene.  Landlords typically don't care about these problems, they just want the rent to be paid on time. Their law firms are getting more ferocious, sometimes abusing the law and over-stepping the bounds of attorney ethics. The legislature of the State of New Jersey no longer has the committment to tenant interests that it had in the past.  Nor does the City of Newark, simply because tenants are not as organized as in the past, or because certain tenant leaders have alienated city officials. We hope to counter these trends. We differ from the HUD Tenants Coalition, which at times opposes redevelopment and/or economic development.  The organizations do share many common goals, and we agree that it is in everyone's best interest if city officials hear from more tenant leaders.

We generally support social services of all kinds and we agree that creating more housing stock for the economically disadvantaged is important for Newark; it just isn't our focus. There are dozens of organizations which focus on those problems. They are doing good work, and we wish them the best. 

To a large degree, all the public and private social service organizations are focussing on the results of what happens when buildings decline.  We want to stop it from happening in the first place. Our goals are similar, we're just attacking the problem from different ends. Wasn't it Ben Franklin who said "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

Before our formation, there was no organization in Newark who's primary focus was on Code Enforcement, Quality of Life issues, safety issues, and the prevention of crime, especially as they pertain to tenants. Our goal is to fill this gaping void in Newark's network of activists and non-profit groups.

Our focus is strongly on our QUALITY OF LIFE. That is the fundamental difference between the two Newark-based tenant organizations. We want to keep our buildings and our neighborhoods CLEAN, SAFE, and QUIET for ourselves, our neighbors, and for our children. Most of our supporters are working-class and middle-income tenants who believe that Newark has turned the corner, and stands ready to become the jewel of the Garden State.