Rent Control Advocates Want Issue on the Ballot

After the City Council passed a renewed rent control law this winter, a group of longtime Hoboken residents have been organizing a petition drive to put the issue on the ballot in a public referendum. But—after getting more than a total of 3,000 signatures—the Hoboken City Clerk disqualified more than 30 percent of the signatures, causing the tenant advocates and the city to go to court.

The tenant advocates are of the position that too many names were thrown out. As a result they didn't have enough signatures to get the issue on the ballot.

Currently Hoboken's tenant advocates are finishing up an initiative to try and prove their case, going through all the petitions that were found to be insufficient. This process has to be completed before August 9th if they go back to court. 

"We would like them to either repeal it or put it on the ballot," said tenant advocate Cheryl Fallick, who has lived in Hoboken since 1983.

The advocates don't agree with the recently passed renewed law, and want the residents of Hoboken to decide whether or not this law should pass.

Under the new ordinance—which hadn’t been updated since 1985 and was originally drafted in 1973—tenants will have a two-year window to claim any over-charge or excess rent, and they can only collect two years. Before, there was no statute of limitations. Tenant advocates say that period of repose is too short.

Another problem, activists have said at previous council meetings, is that the new ordinance puts a lot of power in the rent leveling board, enabling them to “circumvent the law.”

Fallick serves on that board, which currently has a vacant spot.

One of the reasons why the city council passed the ordinance, is because it will reduce the amount of law suits against the city.

Over the last weeks, tenant advocates gathered thousands of signatures, of which about 33 percent was thrown out due to either illegibility, missing facts, or other errors, Fallick said.

But, Fallick and her fellow advocates say, that is an unusual high percentage of signatures to be thrown out.

Among the hundreds of names that were ruled illegible or incomplete, was the one of Stan Grossbard, the mayor's husband, said Fallick.

"Frankly," Fallick said, "we’re pros at this." She added that more than 30 percent is an unusual high number to be thrown out. As a response the tenants took the city of Hoboken to court, with the help of Appleseed NJ.

It's unclear what will happen next. It's likely that the residents and the city will have to go back to court. The city's law department was not able to provide any information before publication of this article.

The tenant advocates would like to see the issue on the ballot as soon as possible, meaning this coming November. Another issue Hoboken residents may vote on at that time, is whether or not municipal elections should be moved to November.