These pols failed to do what they require of landlords

From bed bug forms to property taxes, elected officials break their own rules

From left: Eric Adams, Darlene Mealy, Crystal Hudson, Jumanne Williams and Gale Brewer (Getty)

James Van Bramer

Jul 17, 2023, 7:00 AM

City government imposes a dizzying array of requirements on landlords, as some of its own leaders have found out — the hard way.

Mayor Eric Adams, Public Advocate Jumanne Williams and three Council members are among the New York City politicians who have recently rung up violations at their own properties.

The infractions range from neglecting to submit bed bug reports to more serious offenses.

In the most extreme case, Brooklyn Council member Darlene Mealy has not paid her property taxes since 2019. According to public records, she owes over $6,000 at 1447 East 108th Street in Brooklyn.

Mealy, in her second stint on the Council, represents Brownsville, Bushwick, Crown Heights, East Flatbush and Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. She did not respond to a request for comment.

Mealy likely secured her fifth term by winning the Democratic nomination in June. She has among the worst attendance records in recent history and has not been the primary sponsor for a single bill this session.

Of the more minor infractions was Adams’ failure to submit a bed bug report in 2023 for his Brooklyn property, according to public records. The mayor has also battled one of his own health department, which twice cited him for failing to rid the townhouse of rats. He won the first case only to be fined $300 months later.

Adams, who did not return a comment by press time, wasn’t the only New York City elected official to forgo filing a bed bug report. Council Member Crystal Hudson, whose district covers parts of central Brooklyn, has not submitted the required annual form for her property since 2021.

“In 2021, I was consumed by my mother’s end-of-life care and her subsequent passing, and didn’t realize I hadn’t submitted the annual bed bug report,” Hudson said in a statement. “In 2023, I received notification from HPD that the report was missing and submitted it immediately. I’m not aware of any instance of bed bugs at my family home in the 30 years we’ve lived here.”

Not having bed bugs does not absolve multiple dwelling owners of having to file the form, which is not an unusual circumstance in the complex regulatory regime set up for multifamily properties.

In another example, many buildings must file a notarized prevailing-wage affidavit every year, whether or not they have employees.

They must also register their properties individually with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development every year and pay $13 to the Department of Finance even if the information from their previous registration is unchanged.

The form can be filled out online but then must be printed, signed and mailed in.

Hudson’s statement about her missing bed bug report did not address her failure to submit her property registration to HPD since 2021.

Williams has not registered his Brooklyn building since then either, despite intense scrutiny from city tabloids of his property ownership. The public advocate also has an unpaid sanitation fee from 2020 at the same property, with a $300 balance.

A spokesperson for Williams said the former City Council member has taken care of the violations.

One Council member tripped up by the convoluted demands of property ownership in New York City is even being hauled into court.

Council Member Gale Brewer has a court date set for July 20 after she failed to obtain a valid certificate of occupancy before converting her property into a one-family dwelling. Owners lacking a C of O are subject to a $1,000 fine.

According to Brewer, who spent eight years as Manhattan borough president in between two stints in the Council, the building has always been single-family and had only one prior owner before she purchased it in 1995.

“I don’t know what this is about,” Brewer said in an interview. “I have an architect who’s trying to figure it out. All of a sudden these two people show up saying you’re an SRO. It’s never been a single-room occupancy.”

The city’s land use map lists the property as a single-family residence.

“It’s really a mystery,” Brewer added. “I can see how frustrated people get about these things.”

A resolution may have to wait, though. Brewer said she has a speaking engagement on her scheduled court date, so she’s looking for a new one.

New York