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UPCOMING LEGISLATION: Two Bills May Benefit Tenants
At a recent meeting of the PCGTA Board of Directors, Barbara Sard of Greater Boston Legal Services reported on four pieces of legislation that have been filed that could benefit Piano Factory tenants: Boston's Home Rule Petition, which would benefit us most but has been stalled in the House; Cambridge's Home Rule Petition, which doesn't directly apply to us; The Enabling Act, which would substitute for the Home Rule process, enabling the city to regulate rents of post pre-payment buildings like ours; and the new Moratorium Bill, which would put a two-year moratorium on the loss of subsidized housing throughout the entire state, and freeze the ubsidies in our building for two years, enabling middle income people eligible for subsidies to have subsidies available to them.
The Moratorium Bill would be most useful to us as a vehicle for initiating discussion; at the moment, no one on the Hill wants to discuss the Home Rule Petition because it is perceived as a form of (shudder!) Rent Control, and because it has no support from Speaker Finneran. The PCGTA is urging its members to write letters to our representatives, City Councilors, and the Mayor, and either thank them for supporting the above bills (especially the Home Rule Petition and the Moratorium Bill) or ask them for their support. Let the addressee know that you're sending copies of your letters to the Globe, Herald, Phoenix, South End News and/or any other local papers.
Politicians listen when you talk to them! Let them hear your voice!
EXERCISE CAUTION: Major Theft in Building
One of the PCGTA's legal liaisons received a report from a tenant recently who was having work done in their apartment by a building work crew. The tenant was out of the house while the work was being done, and upon its completion returned home that evening to find that a major item had been stolen from the apartment. The tenant first reported the theft to the front office, and then to the PCGTA. If this should happen to you (and we hope it doesn't), report the theft immediately to the Boston Police, the front office, and to a PCGTA legal liaison. Please do not call our attorney Harvey Shapiro directly. Your PCGTA legal liaison --Stella Acelas, Paul Foley or Dottie Guild -- will work with you to determine the proper course of action.
TREASURY ISLAND: Robert Louis Stevenson Joins PCGTA
Just checking to see if you're paying attention. But, seriously folks ... To better prepare for tax time and to help streamline our bookkeeping process, there have been several changes made to the PCGTA Treasury. First and foremost, Phil Salkind will be remaining in place as Treasurer, supported by the new Treasury Team of Dennis Lee and Veredith Keller. Veredith and Dennis will be re-inputting a year's worth of financial data, with the assistance of Donna Asali, using the new computer software template we've purchased from the accounting firm of Rowe Whittington. Myron Foxworth is stepping down from his position as Co-Treasurer, and we thank Myron for his work in the past year. On the issue of paying your Dues: If you attended the recent General Meeting, you already have a copy of the new Dues Standards Letter. If not, the following is a brief summary of its contents:
The Dues Committee currently consists of Fritz Winegardener, Dottie Guild, and Chuck Smith. They will report back to Phil Salkind with periodic updates. Remember, paying your dues is paying your lawyer; if you don't pay your lawyer, he can't represent you; without representation, you will lose your home.
FACTOIDS Items of Interest
DID YOU KNOW... The Vendor's Sale held in the Gallery one weekend this past December raised some much needed extra funds for the PCGTA. We thank organizer Kevin Scorgie and all the vendors (in-house and out) who participated. DID YOU KNOW... "State rent subsidies have plunged 62 percent since 1990. Federal fuel aid has been cut in half since 1994. And those deep drops in funding for the poor in Massachusetts represent the norm, not the exception..." From the Boston Globe, 1/22/97. DID YOU KNOW... Picketing in front of the Cambridge offices of Simeon Bruner continues relentlessly, more than a year later, thanks mainly to the (relentless) efforts of Jeannie Ackerley, Anna Thal Reno, Volney Croswell, and Tom Stankowicz. Give Anna a call and join them every chance you get! DID YOU KNOW... "The Massachusetts Housing Financing Authority -- the state's affordable housing bank -- pays former Weld administration official and congressional candidate Steven Pierce $108,000 a year to run it." From the Boston Herald, 1/22/97.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT Bob the Chef's Delivers for PCGTA
Darryl Settles, owner of the recently re-opened Bob the Chef's Restaurant, has agreed to sponsor a special Piano Factory night at his popular establishment, donating a portion of the evening's proceeds to the PCGTA. Piano Factory residents Phil Salkind and Arnie Cheatham are among the first to volunteer to perform, and surprise guests are a sure thing. And how can you resist that Glorified Fried Chicken (with a side of sweets, of course)! The date for PCGTA Night at Bob the Chef's is being negotiated now. As soon as an exact date is agreed upon, it will be announced. So, get ready to tell everyone you know to come to Bob the Chef's, have a great dinner and support the tenants of the Piano Factory while they digest.
UNSATISFIED LEASEHOLDERS: PCGTA May Be Able to Help You
Recently, a number of tenants who have signed leases with Shoreline but have come to believe that the apartments they've rented and the services they'd been promised were misrepresented have asked members of the Tenants' Association about joining the PCGTA. This is a situation that has occasionally come up in the past, but now seems to be occurring with greater frequency. As currently constituted, the monthly dues of the PCGTA go directly toward paying for legal representation for its membership who were threatened with unreasonable rent hikes and subsequent evictions. However, the Piano Craft Guild Tenants Association wants to be the responsible representative group for every tenant of the Piano Factory who wishes to join; so, the PCGTA Board of Directors is currently researching the possible benefits to the new (or old) leaseholder who feels the need to join, and how best to implement these policies. If you are interested in joining the PCGTA, come to the next General Meeting, see what we're all about, ask questions and get involved! Watch this space for further updates.
LEGAL UPDATE Reported by Jeff Gould
The hearing on Shoreline's and the Tenants' respective motions for partial summary judgement was conducted on December 11, 1996 in the Boston Housing Court. Shoreline argued that it is entitled to partial summary judgement, which would permit it to terminate the Tenants' leases. The Tenants argued that with respect to their counterclaims against Shoreline, they are entitled to partial summary judgement as follows:
We are all anxiously awaiting the Court's decision, which could be determinative of Shoreline's and the Tenants' future rights and obligations with respect to tenancies in this building. As an attorney practicing employment and labor law and litigation in Massachusetts, I can tell you that lawyers all over the Commonwealth who specialize in landlord/tenant law are also anxiously awaiting our case, since the outcome will have broad ramifications for the future of affordable housing.
NEWSLETTER STAFF Editors Robert Deveau, David Mynott CONTRIBUTORS Donna Asali, Paul Foley, Jeff Gould, Dottie Guild, Phil Salkind
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