Sears, Quinn explain proposed renters’ breaks

City Councilmember Helen Sears and Council Speaker Christine Quinn met recently with about 30 renters at LeFrak City in Corona and both sides got an earful.
The May 9 “Town Hall meeting” was billed as an opportunity for Sears to bring her boss to Queens to hear concerns from residents in southern Corona and for them to share the council’s proposals to ease the housing burden with the people.
The focus of Quinn’s presentation was on her recently proposed package of benefits for the city’s tenants, the Renters’ Tax Credit (RTC), the Renters to Owners Opportunity Fund (ROOF), and proposed improvements in the building maintenance codes and strengthening of the anti-tenant-harassment laws.
As a large number of Russian-speaking immigrants live in the sprawling apartment complex, Lilianna Zulunova, a constituent liaison for Senator John Sabini, translated the questions and answers. Sabini, who attended the meeting, assured the crowd that their concerns were being heard in Albany.
The tenants addressed were recent attempts by landlords to avoid accepting Federal “Section 8” housing vouchers. Sears, Quinn and Sabini all promised to try to sway the landlords on behalf of the tenants.
When asked, after the meeting, about published criticism of RTC that “renters don’t need a tax cut because they don’t pay a specific rental tax,” Quinn told The Queens Courier, “When we raised taxes after 9/11, homeowners weren’t the only ones who shouldered the burden. Renters too helped to carry the load in the form of higher rents.”
Quinn continued, “The RTC is designed to reward renters for their contribution to the city’s economic prosperity. It was designed to give them a share in the tax relief that has benefited homeowners.”