Results tagged “lenoxterrace”

Last night a fire killed a woman at the Harlem apartment complex that's home to many politicians including Gov. Paterson and Rep. Charles Rangel. Firefighters found the 50-year-old victim lying dead on the bathroom floor of her 16th floor apartment, according to the Daily News. They said she was hard to reach because her living space was cluttered with junk, what they called "Collyers' mansion" conditions (referring to the famous booby-trapped Harlem house where two pack-rat brothers died among over 100 tons of stuff including books, newspapers, trash and clocks). more ›

Upon outrage over news that he occupied four rent-stabilized apartments, Representative Charles Rangel said in July he would give up one used as a campaign office. Now, two and a half months later, Rangel's campaign office is still at Lenox Terrace, according to the NY Post. A lawyer for Rangel, who pays $630/month while the unit's market value is $1,700-2,005 (and rent stabilization only applies to residential use), says, "The campaign identified a new office in a newly restored brownstone in Harlem within three weeks of Mr. Rangel's announcement that he was leaving the Lenox Terrace space. The campaign will be the first tenants in the building, and it had to wait for the construction to be completed." But a government watchdog group thinks Rangel is being "disingenuous." more ›

The House Ethics Committee voted to begin an inquiry on Representative Charles Rangel's actions. Rangel's use of Congressional letterhead to solicit donations for a center being built in his honor, multiple rent-stabilized apartments, unreported income from a second home, and other unreported income from property sales have put the powerful Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee under the microscope (in many of the cases, Rangel has pleaded ignorance). Rangel's lawyer said, "We look forward to fully cooperating with the ethics committee, which we had previously asked to look into these matters. We hope and trust that the ethics committee will find that Mr. Rangel has done nothing intentionally wrong, which we firmly believe.” more ›

The Post suggests that Representative Charles Rangel's income may now be above $200,000, which is more than the $175,000-ceiling to qualify for rent-stabilized apartments. Rangel up until very recently occupied four rent-stabilized units at Lenox Terrace, three for living and one as an office (he gave up the office after the disclosure). Previously, Rangel claimed his income was around $175,000, but there are recent revelations about unreported income from a vacation villa, unreported property sales, and a free parking space for an old car. Of course, the Post points out his landlord doen't have to deregulate his apartments. But the building has tried to kick out rent-stabilized tenants for things like their children sending in rent checks for them (because the tenant was going blind). more ›

The House of Representatives tabled a resolution to censure Representative Charles Rangel over his four rent-stabilized apartments in Harlem. Put forward by Republican minority leader Representative John A. Boehner (just after Republican Senator Ted Stevens pleaded not guilty to taking $250,000 in gifts), the House voted 254-138 to table the resolution, which said Rangel was a "discredit to the Congress." Rangel, who had asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate his living/renting situation, said it was all politics, "I'm just surprised they feel it's so important that they bring down an officer of the Congress in order to get some attention toward the election. It's really sad that they would feel that insecure. more ›

After breaking the story that Representative Charles Rangel had four rent-stabilized apartments at Lenox Terrace, the NY Times continues to look at the Congressman's relationship with real estate, finding that developers are some of his biggest donors. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks donations, Rangel "has collected more money from real estate interests than all but two other members of Congress this election cycle," with many coming from developers who are reshaping Rangel's district with new developments--here's a graphic. The article also suggests developers are supporting Rangel due position as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and there are also examples of Rangel helping tenants in certain situations. more ›

Yesterday, Representative Charles Rangel sent a letter to the House Ethics Committee, asking for an investigation into whether his four rent-stabilized apartments at Lenox Terrace constitute an improper gift. Thought he's emphasized he's paying the highest legal rent possible, the fact that the building has attempted to evict other rent-stabilized tenants without political clout and the city's overall lack of affordable housing has made the matter controversial enough for Rangel to give up an apartment being used as a re-election campaign office. Rangel pointedly referred to the NY Times (which broke story) in his letter, "Some in the press have repeatedly - and erroneously - insinuated wrongdoing in my dealings with the landlord at Lenox Terrace. There has been no wrongdoing." more ›

In a sort of addendum to coverage of Lenox Terrace, the Harlem apartment building with well-know residents like Representative Charles Rangel and Governor Parterson who have rent-stabilized apartments, the NY Times points out that 215 East 68th Street has a lot of political starpower. Some tenants include former Mayor David Dinkins, former police commissioner Howard Safir, former fire commissioner Thomas Von Essen, and New York county clerk Norman Goodman (Dinkins, Goodman and Safir say they pay market rate--or "a lot" in--rent) and many say their friendship with the building owner Rudin Management helped get them. Back at Lenox Terrace, the Post breaks down the famous people who seem to be paying not very much for their apartments. more ›

While Representative Charles Rangel has defended his multiple rent stabilized apartments--one of which he is giving up--as legal and aboveboard, today the NY Times details how his landlord has attempted to evict other longtime rent-stabilized tenants(ones without political juice), sometimes using aggressive tactics. more ›

Representative Charles Rangel discussed his decision to give up one of his 3-4 rent-stabilized apartments by saying his re-election campaign-- which used a one-bedroom apartment with a monthly rent of $630 at Lenox Terrace in Harlem--"had decided they were going to move anyway" since the lease is up in October. Last week, the NY Times revealed that Rangel rented four apartments at rent-stabilized rates (one apartment is made up of two units) raising questions about whether Rangel was implicitly receiving a gift from the landlord, a large real estate developer. more ›

After the revelation that he rents at least three rent-stabilized apartments (one unit is made up of two previously combined units) and ensuing uproar, Representative Charles Rangel will give up a 10th floor one-bedroom unit at Harlem's Lenox Terrace that he used as an office. more ›

The NY Times' revelation that Representative Charles Rangel has four rent-stabilized apartments put the Congressman on the defensive yesterday. Rangel held an unusual sidewalk press conference, where he got testy with the NY Times reporters when not insisting his apartment situation was not so strange or a special favor--"Paying the legal rent is not a gift"--from his building's owner, the Olnick Organization which has in other cases kicked out rent-stabilized residents in favor of charging market rate rents. He said, "I don't see anything unfair about it, and I didn't even know it was a deal." more ›

Representative Charles Rangel gave a press conference defending his four rent-stabilized apartment at Lenox Terrace. The NY Times had reported on Rangel's unusual rent-stabilized "riches" in an article today (which was online last night), and the paper has three reporters on the scene at the press conference. The Observer observer this exchange between the 78-year-old Congressman and a Times reporter:

"Paying the legal rent is not a gift. Are you doing this deliberately or are you just stupid? Listen -- if you are paying a legal rent and without the law the rent would be higher, just what school did you go to that could misinterpret that as a gift?” more ›

Representative Charles Rangel isn't so happy with the New York Times: The Gray Lady revealed the high-ranking Congressman has four rent-stabilized apartments at Lenox Terrace, the Harlem development where Governor David Paterson also lives (Paterson only has one rent-stabilized apartment, though). more ›