BMHA's Public Housing Waterfront Subsidies

[kernwatch]

The new Marine Drive website is a huge step forward in erasing the "insider trading" culture that has long existed there.

But the incredibly low subsidized waterfront rents for relatively affluent households raise serious 'economic justice' issues in such an impoverished city.

Why are taxpayers subsidizing & running a waterfront complex in a city where there is such a massive housing surplus? At an estimated "In lieu of taxes" payment of about $40K annually, each of the 616 apartments contributes merely $65 annually to the local taxbase, as tenants may earn up to $70K annually.

Here is the rent schedule (including all utilities) from the new website:

Apt size, Rent, fam size, Income limits

1 BR, $305, 1 - 2, $37.5K - $42.9K

2 BR, $393, 3 - 4, $48.2K - $53.6K

3 BR, $482, 5 - 6, $57.9K - $62.2K

4 BR, $567, 7 - 8, $68.04K - $70.8K

In short, many households earning far more than the norm for Bflo are being heavily subsidized to live on the waterfront.

Incidentally, what is BMHA Commissioner Masicia saying now about the new Marine Drive administrator?

Here is Masicia's statemnt form the news coverage last spring?

A tenant-elected housing commissioner who lives in Marine Drive disagrees that Littles has improved conditions there. Joseph Mascia said things have “steadily deteriorated,” and he thinks Littles should be fired.

“He just doesn’t have the experience to manage a housing complex this size,” Mascia said.

[PickOranges]

The new Marine Drive website is a huge step forward in erasing the "insider trading" culture that has long existed there.

But the incredibly low subsidized waterfront rents for relatively affluent households raise serious 'economic justice' issues in such an impoverished city.

Why are taxpayers subsidizing & running a waterfront complex in a city where there is such a massive housing surplus? At an estimated "In lieu of taxes" payment of about $40K annually, each of the 616 apartments contributes merely $65 annually to the local taxbase, as tenants may earn up to $70K annually.

Here is the rent schedule (including all utilities) from the new website:

Apt size, Rent, fam size, Income limits

1 BR, $305, 1 - 2, $37.5K - $42.9K

2 BR, $393, 3 - 4, $48.2K - $53.6K

3 BR, $482, 5 - 6, $57.9K - $62.2K

4 BR, $567, 7 - 8, $68.04K - $70.8K

In short, many households earning far more than the norm for Bflo are being heavily subsidized to live on the waterfront.

Incidentally, what is BMHA Commissioner Masicia saying now about the new Marine Drive administrator?

Here is Masicia's statemnt form the news coverage last spring?

There should be time limits on these subsidies!!! Comm Masicia should give someone else a chance since apparently he has been there a long time to notice there has been no improvement.


Once a generous program like this is started, he never goes away. Now that the Feds, state and local gov't treasuries are now in shambles, maybe he can kick in a little to help.

[WNYresident]

I can't believe utilities are included in the rent. Your just about living there for free. With all the vacant housing in the area the marine apartments need to go or be commercialized.

[CSense]

I can't believe utilities are included in the rent. Your just about living there for free. With all the vacant housing in the area the marine apartments need to go or be commercialized.

The apartment complex should be sold. I'm not here to subsidize some "pol" hack that was given a place during the Griffin's era. Sell the damn things, it's be extimated that the city would get $22 million and best of all tax revenue.

PS, then MerlJ can go back to work as a vol.

[kernwatch]

This latest scandal is another example of how BMHA has long operated as a 'federal plantation'. The normal rules of a lawful society do not apply at BMHA.

Where else could 60 tenants owe unpaid rents of up to $7000 each, but be allowed to stay?

I was flabberghasted when Marine Drive tenant Joseph Mascia ran for a second term on the BMHA Board while having about $220,000 in bad debts filed with the County Clerk. It did not even become an issue in his campaign I am told. And he won handily.

Now there are new questions about Mascia . . .

Was Mascia one of the 60 rent delinquents?

And, if he was current or not, based on his own personal history, what did he do to help expose & collect the delinquent rents?

In a very real way the delinquencies in a heavily subsidized complex are thefts from taxpayers, as well as from other tenants. How much of the recent increases in the very nominal rents, as city taxpayers were picking up major tax burdens at Marine Drive, were caused by the 'house thiefs'?

In a desperately poor city BMHA needs massive reform, but few are watching. What new scandals are yet to be exposed?

[WNYresident]

I was flabberghasted when Marine Drive tenant Joseph Mascia ran for a second term on the BMHA Board while having about $220,000 in bad debts filed with the County Clerk. It did not even become an issue in his campaign I am told. And he won handily.

You'd get a lot of votes too if you let people stay who weren't paying the rent.

[kernwatch]

"Res":

That was initially my reaction too. However, the rent-payig tenants in the 616 unit complex far outnumbered the dramatic rent delinquents . . & tenats paying their rent should be mad.

I fear the Mascia got 502 votes primarily because he is white & a Marine Drive (MD) tenant; the other two candidates are black & live in "real" public housing.

MD has long been considered "special", not at all like 'real' public housing. Mascia no doubt proivided 'insurance' that the special status for MD would continue.

My earlier post:

COPY:
June 17th, 2008, 02:35 PM #44
kernwatch
Join Date: May 2004

Mascia & Williams win, as expected


Unofficial results of the BMHA election for two tenant commissioners are in.

As expected, incumbants Joesph Mascia & Leonard Williams were handily re-elected.

The (approximate) votes were:

Joseph Mascia, 502

Leonard Williams, 500

Rudolphus Boans, 400

Apparently Mascia's $220,000 of bad debt was not an issue in the election.

It is not yet known how many eligible BMHA voters there were (ballots sent out). Since there were two positions up for election, the approximate 1400 votes above translate into about 700 voters.

BMHA operates about 4300 housing units but has about 640 vacancies.


There is one vacancy of a Mayoral appointee on the seven member BMHA board. Both Betty Calvo-Torres & Crystal J. Rodriguez have moved-on to other (higher paid) appointed positions from the appointed board position now vacant.

In addition, the last Masiello appointee Charles Flynn will end his term in October, after Steve Casey's efforts to remove Flynn about a year ago were unsuccessful.