East Lyme officials criticized over handling of Fair Rent Commission
East Lyme ― After the Board of Selectmen on Wednesday decided who’s who on the newly formed Fair Rent Commission, questions remain about who isn’t on it.
Some residents are complaining the membership of the commission, while complying with state and local laws to promote fair representation, is far from indicative of the town’s demographics.
Only two of the eight appointed members are women. One candidate of color active in advocating for the commission was not selected to serve on it.
Tenants of Windward Village apartment complex in Niantic first began calling for a fair rent commission this summer after the Shelton-based Alpha Capital Funds real estate investment firm took ownership of the 60-unit building and began notifying the tenants their rent payments would be going up as much as $900 a month.
The commission has the power to investigate, hold hearings and order landlords to reduce or phase in rent for specific reasons. Without it, Windward Village tenants are left little recourse outside the court system as they face expiring leases and rent increases.
First Selectman Dan Cunningham evaluated a list of 12 applicants ― some of whom submitted their names at the urging of himself and Deputy First Selectman Ann Cicchiello ― for the five-member commission. On Thursday, he said he thought it would be more efficient to submit his recommendations for approval rather than asking the selectmen to winnow down the full list of candidates at the meeting.
Cunningham acknowledged his effort to fast-track the creation of the Fair Rent Commission may have contributed to concerns about how the process played out.
“Maybe in retrospect it isn’t worth it to try to let the clock drive how you do something,” he said. “Perhaps it would’ve been better to lay all the names on the table and let everyone figure it out.”
The appointed candidates for the full commission consist of one tenant, one landlord and three homeowners. Three alternate positions add another landlord, tenant and homeowner to the mix. All were approved unanimously by the selectmen.
‘A little more diversity’
Janet Carlson, a Windward Village resident, stood up at the end of the meeting to express her frustration that the board had not selected fellow tenant Alicia Chandler for a seat on the commission.
“She’s worked so hard to get this board established and we all thought she was going to be on it and we’re all very disappointed,” Carlson said.
Sam Sims, a college senior who was not chosen for the commission, objected not only to the lack of young people on the commission but also to the lack of women and people of color.
“You don’t have a single young person, you don’t have a single person of color,” he said. “You have one woman on the board full time. You should be incredibly disappointed in yourselves.”
The selectmen emphasized the process was complicated by state and local laws specifying at least one member of the full commission must be a tenant, at least one must be a landlord, and no more than two-thirds of them can belong to the same party.
Among the applicants were seven Democrats, three Republicans and two people not affiliated with either party.
Chandler, a Democrat, said in a phone interview Thursday she understood there was a protocol the selectmen had to follow to comply with the requirements.
But the young, Black professional woman said she remained discouraged as someone who would have represented a younger demographic and helped provide “a little more diversity on the commission.”
Windward Village tenant Gwen Dowd, a Republican, was appointed as an alternate member.
Dowd told the selectmen that sometimes reasonable rent increases are necessary. Also necessary is respect from large-scale corporate landlords who are taking over apartment complexes without regard for the people who live there, according to Dowd.
“This is an ongoing situation affecting every place in the nation,” she said. “And I’d like to see it stop in the East Lyme area.”
Balance of power
Efforts by several selectmen to alter the recommended slate were rejected because Cunningham and Cicchiello said the changes would have disrupted the required political balance as well as the parity between landlords and tenants.
But Cunningham the next day conceded the equation could have changed if the selectmen considered selecting two tenants and two landlords rather than limiting themselves to one of each.
The ordinance states “at least one” of the regular members must be a residential landlord and one must be a residential tenant.
Presented by The Day with an alternate scenario consisting of two tenants, two landlords and one homeowner that could have resolved critics’ concerns, he said it was “probably a combination that would’ve worked.”
“I think we just got focused on a landlord and tenant,” he said.
The members appointed to the full board are Republican landlord Andrew Sklavouris, Republican tenant Nancy Johnson and Democratic homeowners John Vilcheck, Dan Horgan and Brian Wraight.
Alternate members are Dowd, unaffiliated landlord Steven Carpenteri and Democratic homeowner Mike Bekech.
On Thursday, the candidate selected to represent the landlords on the full commission said he was not aware he’d been appointed.
Sklavouris, an owner of Five Churches By the Bay in town, said he has not accepted the position.
Sklavouris said he has rented out his family home in Niantic in the past but does not “make a big practice of it.”
He declined to comment on whether he planned to serve on the commission.
Cunningham said it’s important going forward to ensure there is a process for tracking membership and providing the commission with the necessary training.
He is in the process of assigning a member of the town hall staff to oversee the commission.
He could not pinpoint when the commission will meet for the first time.
“Now that we have the commission in place ― I hope we do ― we will work out the next details,” he said.
e.regan@theday.com
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