Tenants PAC Continues work on Senate leadership
Tenants PAC has been phone banking and canvassing in the districts of State Senators Pedro Espada and Hiram Monserrate to urge their tenant constituents to act. Constituents are being asked to call their state senators and explain that Democratic leadership of the Senate is vitally important for the success of pro-tenant legislation. Get involved! Join our phone banks and canvassing volunteers.

Gang of Three Gives In 
Tenants PAC volunteers helped State Senator Malcolm Smith secure the Majority Leader post by calling rent regulated tenants who live in the districts of the Gang of Three (Pedro Espada, Jr, Ruben Diaz, Sr, and Carl Kruger). Between November 4, 2008, when the Democrats won a majority, and early January, the three were refusing to vote for Smith as leader. In the battle for leader, one of the gang, Sen. Espada, Jr. was able to secure the chairmanship of the Senate Housing Committee. When he was the ranking minority member of this committee in the 1990's, he was not supportive of tenants. It remains to be seen how he will perform this time.

 

Evicted! New York State Senate Majority sent packin'!

Tenants PAC helps candidates win all over New York on Nov 4.

 

Two Tenants PAC-supported candidates beat long-term Republican landlord-lobby favored incumbents. Other Tenants PAC-endorsed Democratic candidates retained seats while two new challengers gave Republicans a run for their money.

 

JOE ADDABBO SMOKED incumbent Serphin Maltese in the 15th Senate District in Queens with 57% of the vote. Tenants PAC sent volunteers to canvass, poll-watch, flyer subway stops, and door-knock. In the months before the election, Tenants PAC volunteers phone-banked into the district to convince tenants to vote for Addabbo.  In a race that was heavily funded by the real estate industry on the Republican side, and too close to call leading up to the election, tenant supporters answered the call to help Addabbo win the seat. Maltese, in the Senate for 20 years, had a perfect anti-tenant voting record. Thanks to tenant donations, Tenants PAC sent the Addabbo campaign $6,000 for the primary and $9,500 for the general election (the max allowed).

 

BRIAN FOLEY trounced Caesar Trunzo, a Republican in office since 1972. Tenants PAC sent committed workers and financial support to help Foley take down Caesar's palace.

 

CRAIG JOHNSON, Nassau County Democrat, retained his hard-won seat by 56% against Barbara Donno's 44%.

 

TOBY ANN STAVISKY WON against challenger Peter Koo with 69% of the vote in Flushing, Queens.

 

ANDREA STEWART-COUSINS BEAT challenger John Murtaugh with 61% of the vote.

 

SUZI OPPENHEIMER BESTED Republican Liz Feld with 62% of the vote.

 

DARREL AUBERTINE WON against Republican challenger David Renzi with 53% of the vote. (Tenants PAC worked hard to elect Aubertine in the driving snows of Oswego in February of 2008).

 

New challenger, KRISTEN McELROY lost to long-time Republican anti-tenant Kemp Hannon, in a vote that was 48 to 52%.

 

Thanks to all who helped!

 

Although now ancient history, Tenants PAC helped Democrat KEVIN PARKER, a great tenant supporter, retain his seat during a primary challenge in September of 2008.

 

Other candidates who won primary challenges with Tenants PAC support were: Joseph Addabbo,  Toby Ann Stavisky, and Antoine Thompson.