For Immediate Release Friday, June 19, 2026

Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal is drawing the ire of small property owners for creating a new tenant-organizing director within his office to assist renters in establishing tenant unions in the buildings where they live.

“It’s alarming that the taxpayer-funded office of borough president can be used as a one-sided instrument for tenant activism. Mr. Hoylman needs to be reminded that he’s not a tenant activist, he’s an elected official. Both he and his office are obligated to represent all constituents, including small property owners,” said Ann Korchak, board president of Small Property Owners of New York (SPONY).

“Instead of demonstrating his anti-landlord bias and introducing redundant protections that favor one constituency over another, if he really wanted to make an impact on the housing crisis in his borough and address issues that impact renters and housing providers, Mr. Hoylman would better spend public resources by creating an ‘affordable housing ombudsman’ in his office who would be equally available to assist struggling tenants and small property owners – for starters, connecting families in need with rent subsidy programs and helping financially distressed small property owners find relief from escalating property taxes and insurance, utility and operating costs,” Korchak said. “Otherwise, this is just more demonization of small building owners and offers no real solutions to preserving affordable housing.” #