The BLOOMFIELD TENANTS ORGANIZATION

Box 1888, Bloomfield, NJ 07003

We are a group of volunteers who live in Bloomfield. Some of us have been involved with the organization for thirty years and others for much less time. We try to keep our buildings or apartment complexes organized, or at least informed about what is going on, politically, in town. We also help with individual problems.

We are a service organization that holds executive board meetings once a month on the second Thursday at 7:30 PM in the Civic Center. Twice a year, in the spring and in the fall, we hold general meetings open to the public when we invite the entire tenant population. The fall meeting is often a candidates’ night presentation, and the spring meeting deals with a subject that concerns tenants where we try to have a guest speaker.

The executive board officers for 2000-2002 are:                

Trish Comstock, President

Athena Ross, Vice –president               

Erlisa Levin, Treasurer

John Lindahl, Secretary

Non-officers are simply board members who represent their building. Anyone is entitled

to represent the building s/he lives in. In fact, we welcome all people to attend board meetings! . You attend as an individual, but it’s always better to be organized as a group because your landlord is more likely to pay attention to your complaints if he knows you belong formally to a tenants’ organization. If you have many problems in the building, you should call for help in getting your tenant association together.

Remember, too, that state law says no one can be evicted for attending meeting or joining a tenants organization ! !

Bloomfield lost its rent control late in ’94 when Mayor Norton was in office. The tenants then renting were "grandfathered" in and still have rent control. Many new tenants feel there’s no point in joining The Bloomfield Tenants Organization (BTO) because you don’t have rent control. But we want you to know that you are entitled to services for the rent you pay and you should join !

There are many long-term tenants who have let their membership in BTO lapse.  That, too, is unwise. You may think you’re protected because you were grandfathered in. But you should know that we have had many complaints in the last year from people who still have rent control who get NO maintenance even though they continue to pay their rent. Or worse, the landlord is harassing them and actively trying to evict them.

The other problem with longterm tenants is that they often are being overcharged!  The law allows a certain percentage but if you’re not sure, the landlord may go well above that amount. You also are entitled to services for the rent you pay and you should join or re-join ! !

You may not know, but big changes are coming to Bloomfield. The changes are welcome because Bloomfield Center is to be transformed. It will be new and clean and completely re-landscaped. The developer expects to break ground in 2002. That will also coincide with the new high speed Manhattan Direct train that will begin service within months.

But you should also know that these changes which landlords are all too aware of will mean much higher rents.  In short, Bloomfield will be less affordable. That is why the pressure has already begun to oust tenants or not provide services without hiking rents even more.

We were formerly a very well organized group and need to become so once again.

The only way to do that is to increase our board membership. To guard your own rights, you need to join us and work with us. We have spent hundreds of hours helping tenants to solve their problems. Shouldn’t you HELP US TO HELP YOU ?
C A L L   973/ 743 - 3163