Panelists of The Rent Is Too D*mn High: Jonathan Furlong

The Rent Panel is tomorrow and we've got one more Panelist to profile!

Jonathan Furlong is the Senior Tenant Organizer for the Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development (ANHD) and has been working in the affordable housing development field for the past 10-plus years.

He earned a Master’s Degree from Hunter College in Urban Affairs after which he worked as a labor organizer for the Service Employee’s International Union, Habitat for Humanity, Housing Here and Now, and the Pratt Area Community Council.

Jon has worked on campaigns to reform New York State’s rent laws in 2009, 2011 and now in 2015.

In his current role at ANHD Jon is responsible for facilitating real estate preservation deals, and assisting ANHD member groups with preservation/anti-diplacement strategies in their neighborhoods and catchment areas.

RSVP for the panel at: rent-panel.eventbrite.com
Or, if Facebook is your thing: https://www.facebook.com/events/613496448786699/

Panelists of The Rent Is Too D*mn High: Ilana Maier

Ilana Maier is Program Director at the Met Council on Housing, a tenants’ rights organization that believes all New Yorkers have a right to safe, decent and affordable housing. Though focused on tenants and housing for the past year, Ilana comes from a background working with electeds like Former NYC Comptroller Bill Thompson and Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh. 

Today, she oversees tenant services, collaborates with elected officials and works on the Real Rent Reform Campaign (R3) to strengthen New York’s rent laws. She also has recently launched the Center for New Activism, Met Council’s young activist group, ask her how you can get involved!

RSVP for the panel at: rent-panel.eventbrite.com
Or, if Facebook is your thing: https://www.facebook.com/events/613496448786699/

Panelists of The Rent Is Too D*mn High: Paul Newell

Happy Monday! Next Wednesday 4/15 is our panel on the expiring rent regulations in New York and we're writing about another one of our amazing panelists.

The Hon. Paul Newell was fighting corruption in New York State before it was cool. Stickler comment:  Change this: In 2008 Paul ran against the incredibly powerful then - Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver who is now facing a five count corruption indictment. His race was so significant, there's a documentary about it (see below). Though he lost, Paul has stayed active in the community and currently serves as Democratic District Leader.

Paul's challenge of Sheldon Silver makes him one of the boldest organizers and activists on the Lower East Side. He's been advocating for tenants rights and the importance of rent regulations for a decade and we're thrilled to have him share his knowledge with us.

Can't get enough Paul Newell? With Sheldon Silver indicted, there's a movement growing to draft Paul.

Also, you can RSVP for the panel at: rent-panel.eventbrite.com

Or, if Facebook is your thing: https://www.facebook.com/events/613496448786699/

Now, as promised, there's a documentary. And here's the trailer.

What The Banks Did Says Everything About How America Works (And How To Fix It)

You couldn't ask for a clearer example of the difference between big donors and regular ones. As we stated in our Knight Foundation application:

"For [large donors], money is speech. It grants access and a chance to make their wants known. When a politician meets with industry leaders, there's rarely any question as to what they wanted."

Last Friday, in frustration with Elizabeth Warren's call to break them up, JPMorgan, Citibank, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America threatened to withhold donations from Senate Democrats. And, in fact, Citigroup has already suspended donation to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee over concerns Warren and like-minded Senators could be given more power.
But the maximum amount of money at stake is only $15,000 per bank - meaning that this is a symbolic move (as far as banks go). So why is this important?

It's important because the banks are able to send an incredibly powerful signal in three ways regular Americans can't:

1. It Sets Priorities: Taking a stance like this demonstrates that this issue is of critical importance to the banking community. Wealthy interests regularly identify the top things they want from the government and use contributions to express this.

Compare this with average voters whose main forms of communication are so effortless there's no need to prioritize at all.

2. It's before the election: This may seem obvious, but these banks, their lobbyists and their representatives, are sending a powerful message well before the election. While it may seem like campaign season is the best time to get their attention, it's not. The special interests that get what they want are talking about how legislation today affects their actions in November.

3. It represents other people: It may be true that the banks can only give $15,000, but they represent a large banking sector with lots of people. Unsurprisingly, Goldman Sachs, its affiliates and all its employees make up the 35th largest contributor in the country. While Goldman may not have direct control over all these other people, its stances are surely influential over their actions (which is why it's REALLY great that the Federal Elections Commission collects occupation and employer info). As the article points out

"Still, political strategists say Clinton could struggle to raise money among Wall Street financiers who worry that Democrats are becoming less business friendly."

So, what can we do as citizens? Well, this wouldn't be the ShiftSpark blog if we didn't say ShiftSpark was created to give us the power to do exactly these things, too.

1. Priorities: With pledges based on actual issues, you can set your priorities. You may not be able to pledge $15 to your top 100 issues, but that's the point. Even with one of the largest lobbies in America, banks know that that they need to be precise to get a few things they want each year.

2. Timing: The most powerful tools we have for affecting politicians are the ones that directly affect elections - contributions and votes. You can't vote before the election but, unlike the banks, there's also no real point in talking about giving early either because it doesn't change anything. ShiftSpark changes that, pledging today can have an impact on legislation tomorrow because it will influence elections in a year.

3. Representing People: The banks may influence their employees, but people who pledge and donate are influencers, too. Committing your money is a signal not just to politicians, but to other people, that this issue is important. As support grows, it becomes exponentially more important, forcing people to recognize that there are real people, and real resources, behind the issue. And finally, in the end, the $10 you pledged is converted into real action for your cause: canvassers, ads, busses, all the things that win elections for the people who support your issue.

We're always interested in your thoughts. Please let us know what you think about the site - shiftspark.com - and our writing in the comments below.

If you like what we have to say, please consider sharing it.

Panelists of The Rent Is Too D*mn High: Delsenia Glover

If you've been following us, you know that we're partnering with a bunch of advocacy groups to host a panel on the expiring rent laws in NY. Of course, there's a ShiftSpark campaign for that, but today I'm writing to tell you about our panelists:

First up is Delsenia Glover.

Ms. Glover is the campaign manager for Tenants and Neighbors, one of the premier organizing groups for tenants rights in NY State. She has an illustrious career which goes back to 2007 when she founded The Gang of Six - an alliance between three of the largest rent-regulated developments in Harlem.

She's been with Tenants and Neighbors since 2013 and we're thrilled to have her to explain the tenants view of the rent regulation laws.

RSVP for the panel at: rent-panel.eventbrite.com
Or, if Facebook is your thing: https://www.facebook.com/events/613496448786699/