Property Tax Meeting – October 10th
I got the e-mail with the above flyer today after meeting someone at the Third Avenue Festival who owns a three story brownstone in Brooklyn and pays less than $4,000 in property tax.
This was in Gounardes’ e-mail:
Dear Neighbor,
You’re invited to attend a Community Property Tax Forum that I am hosting on October 10th at the JCC/JCH at 7802 Bay Parkway from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. It’s no secret that our property tax system is unfair and needs reform. I want to hear your thoughts, concerns and ideas so we can seek solutions to make our tax system more fair and just for everyone. There will also be individual assistance readily available after the forum to help answer your questions.
Initially, I thought this was a meeting for Gounardes to fool us into thinking he is doing something. After looking at the link, it’s apparent, the other Senator Brian Benjamin is running the meeting because he is the Chair of the NY State Senate Budget and Revenues Committee and needs to justify his position with some paperwork.
Don’t get hopeful that Senator Benjamin is going to do anything other than this meeting. Why? Brian Benjamin has been a Senator since 2017. He’s known for sponsoring a bill to close Rikers Island. If he was interested in equalizing property taxes, he would have done it in the first two years of office.
Gounardes is an attorney – he could have sued the city of NY (the Summer and Fall are slow seasons for senators – no meeting in Albany). Senator Gounardes or Benjamin could have called for a property freeze on areas that have been overtaxed. They chose to do nothing. Senator Gounardes didn’t understand that this would have helped home owners and renters.
When I passed Gounardes on 3rd Avenue this weekend, I felt the same way I did about Golden. I’m glad he doesn’t know me because I wouldn’t have wanted to make small talk with him. For us, Gounardes is just like Golden – he allowed people outside of our district to have more say than people inside the district. And while Gounardes claimed to be into safety for children, when it came to bike lanes, he went against Community Board 10 and issued an override because he believes uncovered lanes are fine for Bay Ridge. Someone who loved this community wouldn’t have done that…..Politics over People.
What will it take to get a bill for our property tax? People who aren’t afraid of Bill de Blasio. Republicans, like Marty Golden couldn’t do it and Democrats who are friends with de Blasio can’t do it. When Jumaane Wiliams and Justin Brannan said the city was waiting for the state (Andrew Gounardes) to pass a bill, I realized we were in trouble. I think there are a lot of people on Community Board 10 who could get this done, but they probably aren’t interested in this position.
Hugs,
marlene
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