Landlords blast de Blasio ad campaign

The mayor will tout the rent freeze in a $1M ad campaign

Bill de Blasio
Bill de Blasio

The de Blasio administration plans to run $1 million worth of ads raising awareness about the Rent Guidelines Board’s June decision to freeze regulated rents. But the city’s landlords argue that the advertisements are actually part of a tax-payer-funded political campaign for the 2017 election.

“Once again, de Blasio is choosing self-serving politics over sound policies. By promoting and owning the rent freeze, the mayor has stripped away any pretense that the RGB is an independent board that bases its decisions on actual data and analysis,” Joseph Strasburg, president of the Rent Stabilization Association, which represents 25,000 landlords, said, according to the New York Post.

Frank Ricci, the group’s director of government affairs, added that the $1 million could be better used housing the homeless and providing rent subsidies.

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The ads will debut this month in newspapers, radio, subways and online. The city claims the ads will help tenants realize if they are being overcharged.

“The Rent Guidelines Board has SECURED YOUR RENT on all lease renewals BEGINNING OCTOBER 1. You should only see a maximum 2 percent percent increase on 2-year renewals, which provides meaningful rent security and a 0 percent increase on 1-year renewals,” a print ad reads.

The ads do not feature a photograph of the mayor, but does say “NYC Bill de Blasio Mayor” in small print in the bottom right corner. [NYP] Christopher Cameron