Statelegislaturesdelegate tocitiesandtowns the power to promulgateordinancesorby-lawsinlimitedareasoflaw, includingzoning, rentcontrol, schools, traffic, and parking.
This year's fight is being led by Joseph Bruno, Republican majority leader of the state senate, who has threatened to let the rent-control laws expire on June 15th if Democrats do not agree to overhaul them.
Around two-thirds of the apartments enjoy below-market rents protected by New York's notorious rent-control laws, and many tenants fear that a new, more commercially minded owner who has paid top dollar for the properties will make their lives less comfortable.
Rentcontrol may have long outlived its temporary status, but that has not prevented a spirited battle to scrap the laws when they come up for renewal every three years.