Fringe gubernatorial candidate Jimmy McMillan, who rose to fame with his populist battle cry “The rent is too damn high,” now has another battle on his hands. McMillan is facing eviction proceedings from an East Village landlord who claims he is illegally using a rent-stabilized St. Mark’s Place apartment as a secondary residence.
Landlord Lisco Holdings LLC hit McMillan, founder of a political party called the Rent Is Too Damn High, with an eviction notice ordering him out of his $872 per month rent-stabilized apartment.
McMillan has responded with a complaint seeking to stave off the eviction, scheduled for Feb. 5. He is also seeking $1.3 million in damages, the New York Daily News reported.
“They don’t have the authority to evict me,” McMillan told the newspaper.
The landlord claims that the one-bedroom flat on St. Mark’s Place is being used as a second home, and that McMillan primarily lives in Brooklyn. McMillan contends that his Brooklyn address is just an office, and that he lives in the St. Mark’s apartment with his son, who is currently serving in the army.
McMillan says he doesn’t owe any rent, and that Lisco Holdings has actually refused his checks because they would rather kick him out and bring in a non-rent stabilized tenant. [NYDN] — Tess Hofmann