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Large turnout urges Troy council to opt into "good cause" eviction protections; petition resubmission planned
Summary
Dozens of residents and advocates urged the council to opt into New York States good-cause eviction law, said they collected about 1,800 petition signatures and planned to resubmit them after the clerk would not accept an earlier filing. Multiple tenants described unsafe housing conditions and fear of retaliation.
A broad coalition of tenants, advocates and residents used the councils public forum March 6 to press the Troy City Council to opt into New York States good-cause eviction protections and to accept a petition drive organizers said gathered about 1,800 signatures.
"We attempted to submit 1,800 signatures of Troy voters to the city clerk," said Jude, a campaign volunteer, who said the clerk initially did not accept the petition packet. Jude and other supporters said they would bring the petitions again and expect the clerk to transmit them to council as required by state law.
Speakers recounted habitability and safety problems they said are common among renters in Troy. Chanel described electrical hazards and an extended toilet outage: "I had to use extension cords running across my apartment ... I was out of a toilet for 30 days," she said, adding she feared landlord retaliation if she filed complaints. Other commenters described mold, chronic heating failures, collapsed ceilings and repeated unaddressed code violations.
Advocates argued good-cause protections would give tenants stability (limits on rent increases and protections against nonrenewal without cause), provide more leverage for tenants to compel repairs and reduce involuntary displacement. Citizen organizers said the measure would cost the city nothing to adopt and pointed to multiple New York municipalities that have implemented local opt-ins.
Council members did not take an immediate vote on the petition or introduce an opt-in ordinance during the meeting; organizers said they would re-submit petitions to the clerk and pursue either council action or a ballot-driven local amendment if necessary.
What happens next: Petitioners said they will return with signatures and legal documentation; council members may take up formal legislation, or the matter could be placed on a ballot depending on petition sufficiency and council action.
