August 2023 Newsletter
We’re celebrating a victory this week – the Kingston Common Council has responded to our Homes Are Not Hotels campaign by passing a new zoning code that could cut the number of vacation rentals in Kingston in HALF. We’re excited by this progress and will continue to push Kingston, Newburgh, and Poughkeepsie to enact a total ban on vacation rentals owned by absentee investors.
This summer, we’re investing in building the people power we’ll need to win big statewide victories in 2024. That means it’s the perfect time for YOU to get involved! Keep reading to learn more about our current campaigns, what’s next, and how you can join the fight to transform New York.
Organizing
Poughkeepsie is facing a dire lead pipe crisis due to negligence from the city’s past two mayors, Marc Nelson and current State Senator Rob Rolison. We’re organizing Poughkeepsie residents to support Councilwoman Megan Deichler’s bill that would mandate that the city replace all of its lead pipes in the next 10 years. If you want to get involved, sign up to come to our next Poughkeepsie member meeting on August 24!
Newburgh is on its way to opting into rent stabilization! The city has already completed a vacancy study, which is the first step towards declaring a housing emergency. Our Newburgh members are knocking doors this summer to connect with tenants and share information about rent stabilization. Sign up here to help us share this important info with tenants!
Our Middletown area members are hosting a BBQ on Saturday, August 20 to hear from community members and elected officials about the issues and how we can come together to fight back. We’ll have food, music, and activities for kids – RSVP here!
In Kingston, we’re organizing to pressure the Common Council to include more housing justice measures in the city’s next budget. If you want to get involved in housing organizing in Kingston, come to our next community meeting on August 17 to learn more!
Claire Cousin
We’ve endorsed longtime housing and youth advocate Claire Cousin for Assembly District 106 against conservative Democrat Didi Barrett. Meet Claire and learn more about her campaign at the Meet & Greet in Poughkeepsie on Tuesday, August 15, or at the virtual Meet & Greet on Wednesday, August 16.
An Announcement…
We’re excited to announce that our staff have chosen to unionize! Every worker deserves a union. Unionization not only has tangible benefits for employees, but demonstrated benefits for the workplace as a whole.
We are proud of our staff for organizing and thrilled to recognize United For the Many as their bargaining representative. We look forward to working constructively with the Union to bargain a fair first contract.
