Landlord Walks After Rent Freeze Vote

Christina Smyth, a landlord rep on New York’s Rent Guidelines Board, resigned just before the board’s final vote—calling it a rigged political theater where outcomes were predetermined, not data-driven. She accused the board, dominated by Mayor Mamdani’s appointees, of ignoring rising landlord costs and pushing a rent freeze regardless of economic reality. Smyth warned the board’s decisions may be legally shaky and hinted at a potential lawsuit. While tenant groups cite a 6% landlord income gain, Smyth says the data is misleading. She also urged the governor to restore vacancy-based rent adjustments—a tool removed in 2019—that could spur renovations and bring units back online without harming tenants or straining state coffers. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/01961e7a1c1aeabd