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Adams Weighs Late Rent Board Picks That Could Hamper Mamdani’s Freeze Pledge

Outreach to a prospective appointee signals an end‑of‑term push to lock in Rent Guidelines Board seats beyond January.

Overview

  • Six Rent Guidelines Board members are serving past expired terms, allowing Mayor Eric Adams to install replacements who could serve two to four years.
  • Real estate broker and TV personality Eleonora Srugo confirmed a senior Adams official asked her about joining the board, though she said she is unlikely to accept and she opposes a rent freeze.
  • Adams’ office did not rule out new appointments, noting the mayor’s authority to fill the board as he departs.
  • If Zohran Mamdani takes office Jan. 1, he could immediately replace the board chair, but removing sitting members would require showing undefined “cause,” a step experts say is untested and likely to trigger litigation.
  • The board’s recent history underscores the stakes for roughly 1 million stabilized units, with rent freezes under Bill de Blasio and increases under Adams, as tenant advocates press for a freeze and landlords warn of building cost pressures.