NYC mayoral candidate Zellnor Myrie calls for 1-year rent freeze, joining most Democratic competitors
NEW YORK — New York City mayoral candidate Zellnor Myrie is calling for a one-year rent freeze for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments — joining several other Democratic hopefuls.
However, Myrie, like some of his competitors, is stopping short of making any broader call or promise as to what he'd do as mayor.
The candidate had not committed one way or the other about his stance on rent freezes for months. This call now comes after most of his competitors in the June primary had firmed up their own positions.
The one-year pause represents a relative middle ground for the candidate, who is accepting campaign donations from real estate moguls and emphasizing housing development across the city.
Myrie's push for a rent freeze is based on new data from the Rent Guidelines Board, he said. He underlined the pause's importance by pointing to his background growing up in a rent-stabilized apartment and his family's struggle to pay the bills.
'This is a reality that far too many New Yorkers are facing today and as Mayor, I'll appoint members of the Rent Guidelines Board that will put tenants first,' Myrie said in a statement. 'After reviewing the 2025 RGB Report, I urge the board to implement a rent freeze for this upcoming year to help New Yorkers like my mom make ends meet.'
Myrie vowed to appoint board members who would make 'data-driven decisions' each year on whether to raise rents for rent-stabilized tenants.
His campaign said that concerns about the impacts of the Trump administration's tariffs and funding cuts also played a role in his decision.
Among the mayoral candidates, City Comptroller Brad Lander, Scott Stringer and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams have all recently come out in support of a rent freeze. Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani has made a broad rent freeze a rallying cry for his campaign, and State Sen. Jessica Ramos and former Bronx Assemblymember Michael Blake have also campaigned on a freeze.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has come out against rent freezes, while Mayor Eric Adams on Monday didn't commit either way, instead saying that the city needs to protect small landlords. Under Adams, the board has approved annual rent hikes of around 3%.
Members of the board are appointed by the mayor. The freeze applies to the approximately 1 million rent stabilized units in the city.
The Rent Guidelines Board is set to vote on whether to increase rents for stabilized units on Wednesday.
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