Advocates deliver 1,800 signatures urging Troy to opt into New York's good-cause eviction protections

Representatives of the Good Cause Troy campaign presented a petition with over 1,800 registered-voter signatures to the Troy City Council during public comment on Feb. 6, urging the council to opt into New York State's good-cause eviction protections.

Mark Speedy, speaking for the campaign, said the signatures reflect widespread tenant concern in a majority-renter city where eviction filings have risen. He said the state statute requires municipalities outside New York City to opt in and that many municipalities have done so with unanimous council votes. "Every month you delay there are more holdover evictions filed to displace Troy renters with nowhere else to go," Speedy told the council.

Corporation Counsel (Rick) corrected a procedural point raised by the petitioners: under his reading of state law, good-cause eviction protections must be enacted by the city council as local legislation; they cannot be enacted directly by a citizen ballot initiative that seeks to adopt a local law. He explained that while ballot initiatives in New York can address charter amendments, they do not directly create a city code local law of the sort the petitioners requested.

Petitioners said they had sought legal counsel and were prepared to pursue whatever steps were necessary to get the issue before the council. Council members discussed options for referring the petition to Corporation Counsel to draft enabling legislation and for placing the matter on a future council agenda for consideration.

No formal council vote on opt-in policy occurred that evening; the petition was received and legal-process questions were discussed on the record.