Queens Vantage Tenants Council Endorses Daniel Dromm

Queens Vantage Tenants Council has endorsed Daniel Dromm for the New York City Council, 25th District.

Queens Vantage Tenants Council was formed to help tenants in Vantage buildings that may be the victims of many under-handed and possibly illegal tactics to force tenants from their homes including taking many tenants to court for no reason, harassing tenants who cannot produce a valid lease and trying to evict those tenants even though they have lived in their apartment for many years. Queens Vantage Tenants Council has hundreds of members in the 25th City Council district.

Met Council on Housing Endorses Daniel Dromm

Metropolitan Council on Housing, New York City's oldest tenant union has endorsed Daniel Dromm for City Council from the 25th District.

In a letter from Metropolitan Council on Housing Chair, Scott Sommer, the organization cited Dromm's "ongoing advocacy and support of New York City's tenants" as their main reason for the endorsement.

Sommer said, "We look forward to working with you in the future on measures to improve the quality and affordability of housing in our city.

Dromm thanked the organization and said, "I deeply appreciate the Metropolitan Council on Housing endorsement because tenants rights is an extremely important issue for me and for my constituents. I am committed to fighting against abuse by landlords and to working to increase affordable housing in my district."

Dromm has also been endorsed by Tenants PAC because of his commitment to affordable housing and tenants rights.

Met Council, founded in 1959, is a membership organization dedicated to preserving and expanding New York City’s supply of decent, affordable housing. Most New Yorkers live in rented apartments—almost all low, moderate, and middle-income people in New York rent their homes—and over 1 million of those apartments are covered by rent regulations. Met Council focuses on preserving rental housing and strengthening tenants’ rights. Rent-regulated tenants have more long-term stability, better services, and lower rents than those who rent on the open market.

Tenants PAC Endorses Dromm for City Council

Tenants PAC has endorsed Daniel Dromm for the City Council, District 25. Tenants PAC works to make tenants an electoral force. Tenants PAC is the only organization in New York devoted to advancing the tenant cause through election activity. While tenants will never be able to match the landlords' money, our financial contributions to pro-tenant candidates can make a big difference. Tenants PAC can also play a big role in electing pro-tenant candidates by volunteering to knock on doors and to staff phone banks.

Dromm Supports Queens Vantage Tenants' Council Effort to Protect Renters

Daniel Dromm pauses while speaking in Spanish to the Queens Vantage Tenants' Council to allow a translator (right) to translate his words into English.

On December 3, 2008, Queens Vantage Tenants' Council (QVTC) held a rally at St. Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church in Jackson Heights which was attended by over 250 people. Dromm spoke out against the abuses of Vantage Properties (and its chief financial backer, Apollo Real Estate Advisors) which owns numerous buildings in the 25th Council District.

Many tenants accuse Vantage of using many under-handed and possibly illegal tactics to force tenants from their homes including taking many tenants to court for no reason, harassing tenants who cannot produce a valid lease and trying to evict those tenants even though they have lived in their apartment for many years.

Vantage has been alleged to remove superintendents from a number of its buildings and telling tenants to call a service number when they have concerns or need repairs. Vantage has also been reported to return rent checks from tenants because of minor technicalities and thereby triggering eviction proceedings.

At the rally, Dromm spoke in Spanish and said, "I fully understand what you are going through having myself been a victim of an abusive landlord. Vantage needs to understand that although these are just investments to them; to us, they are our homes." Dromm served on the executive board of the tenants association of the rent-stabilized building where he used to live (70-35 Broadway) in Jackson Heights during the 1980's. Dromm has been fighting for tenants issues for over 25 years.

Dromm signed the QVTC's pledge promising "to stick by you through this battle. The only way Vantage can win is if we don't remain united in our efforts to secure justice. We must stay united."

Dromm supports the Council's demands that Vantage stop harassing tenants, that an independent monitor review all of Vantage's cases before Vantage takes them to court and that Apollo write a letter to all its tenants in all its buildings explaining who they are and that they will address the concerns of the QVTC.

In conclusion, Dromm thanked the Council and one of the main organizers of the event, Robert McCreanor, Director of Legal Services for the Immigrant Tenant Advocacy Project of the Catholic Migration Office of the Diocese of Brooklyn.