Head of Rent Guidelines Board resigns

Marvin Markus, head of Rent Guidelines Board is stepping down

After eight years in office, Marvin Markus, head of the eight-member Rent Guidelines Board, is stepping down, effective at the end of February, according to a spokesperson for Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Markus was in charge of overseeing the annual Rent Guidelines Board meetings. Most notably, he approved a 3 percent increase on one-year leases last year despite the recession, which drew hoards of protesters to the last meeting and earned him an unfavorable reputation among tenants. Michael McKee, executive director of advocacy group Housing Here and Now, said she hopes Bloomberg will pick a new chairman from outside the eight other members of the board.