Report: Jimmy McMillan is back in his East Village apartment

Photo from February 2013 by James Maher 

Jimmy McMillan is reportedly back in his longtime East Village apartment.

The last time we heard about McMillan, the founder of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party who made a name for himself by running for a variety of offices, including NYC mayor and New York State governor, he was fighting to keep his apartment of 40 years on St. Mark's Place ... and all while recuperating from an apparent stroke at the Veterans Administration nursing home in Queens. 

Gothamist caught up with McMillan, known by his slogan: "The Rent Is Too Damn High." After years-long battles with his landlord, the two sides have apparently resolved the case.

McMillan now uses a wheelchair and walker as he rebuilds his balance and leg strength. He paces the living room of his garden apartment, back and forth from his couch to an exposed brick wall. He also walks along St. Mark's Place with the help of a home health aide who visits for a few hours each day.

And...

"I'm glad he's home,” said his niece Tennille McMillan, a designer who lives in Bedford-Stuyvesant, where rents are spiking. "It's been interesting to see how he saw what was going to happen before it was happening. In 2010, people thought he was exaggerating, but now we're here.'

She said she hopes he continues to speak out, "but he has to pay his rent."

Read the full article here. 

Report: Jimmy McMillan still fighting to keep his East Village apartment

Photo from February 2013 by James Maher 

Jimmy McMillan, the founder of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party, made a name for himself by running for a variety of offices, including NYC mayor and New York State governor, with his slogan: "The Rent Is Too Damn High." 

We haven't heard much about McMillan, who has had a St. Mark's address for more than 40 years ... a long point of contention with the landlord who has been trying to evict him.

City Limits has an update on the 75-year-old McMillan, currently staying at the Veterans Administration nursing home in Queens. "McMillan, who served in the Vietnam War, has been staying there since February when a stroke sent him to the hospital. He blames an improper dose of medication."

And what about the eviction proceedings on St. Mark's Place? 

Improbably, he is still fighting to hold onto his apartment. The owners of his building at 107 St. Marks Place first moved to eject him from the then-$872/month unit in 2011, arguing that he kept another place in Flatbush as his primary residence and allowed his son to stay in the East Village apartment. McMillan countered that the Flatbush address was the headquarters of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party, not his home, and secured a stay of eviction in 2015 that allowed him to remain in the unit. 

But McMillan then fell behind on rent a year later, court records show. He told City Limits that the owner, a limited liability company connected to developer Nader Ohebshalom, would not give him a key in an effort to drive him out of the unit. The landlord’s attorneys from the firm Borah Goldstein have not responded to emails and phone calls seeking comment. 

In July, McMillan made a $10,737 arrears payment to the landlord after giving them another roughly $9,000 in March and April, according to court documents. His regulated rent is now just under $900 a month—not so damn high relative to most East Village apartments—and the court appointed the Jewish Association of Services for the Aged (JASA) as McMillan’s guardian during the previous eviction case. He has challenged that guardianship and said he now appears remotely to prove his capabilities.

H/T John Penley 

Report: Jimmy McMillan announces his candidacy for City Council District 2

Jimmy McMillan, founder of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party who has run for a variety of offices, such as NYC mayor and New York State governor, is now turning his political attention to the local City Council race this year.

He is throwing his hat into the ring to replace City Councilmember Rosie Mendez, who is at her term limit.

The Observer has the story:

As a Republican, McMillan will face a steep uphill fight in the deep-blue district, which covers his home neighborhood of the East Village and the Lower East Side. Three Democrats are currently seeking the seat: Carlina Rivera, a local district leader and Mendez’s legislative director; community center director Jasmin Sanchez and attorney Mary Silver.

Here's a video interview with McMillan from yesterday...



Previously

Jimmy McMillan's ad for a German car-rental brand is suitably strange

Last time that we heard from East Village resident Jimmy McMillan, he was announcing his retirement from politics, specifically the Rent Is Too Damn High Party, under which he ran for mayor, governor and, for a moment, president.

Now, as Adweek reports, McMillan has sold his trademark to Sixt, a German car-rental giant for its first ad campaign in the United States.

Per Adweek: "It seems the two have the same budget-conscious message, and at least one of them is in on the joke."

Here's the ad, which includes roles for journalist Cenk Uygur of the Young Turks and Josh "The Fat Jew" Ostrovsky.



And I'm not sure about what came of the ongoing eviction battle over his rent-stabilized apartment of nearly 40 years on St. Mark's Place. I haven't seen him on that block since the summer. Perhaps he has been busy filming commercials.

Citing lack of support, Jimmy McMillan retires from the Rent Is Too Damn High Party

Jimmy mcmillan founder of the rent is too damn high movement/ party Quit - walking away due to the lack of support of the people.

— JIMMY McMILLAN (@Rentisto) December 10, 2015

Speaking of high rents... East Village resident Jimmy McMillan has announced his retirement from politics, specifically the Rent Is Too Damn High Party, under which he ran for mayor, governor and, for a moment, president.

According to The New York Times:

In a news release infused with misspellings and other errors that was dated Tuesday, Mr. McMillan said voters had been “totally brainwashed” and criticized Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio, both Democrats, for not securing “a rent reduction for the people in the cities of Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, Manhattan and Queens.”

“Rent is too damn high is an international crisis,” he wrote. “There are many questions the people should ask themselves. I which them the best — I’m out.”

And we're not sure about what came of the eviction battle over his rent-stabilized apartment of 38 years on St. Mark's Place. We saw him get in his car on the block earlier this week.

Meanwhile, on Nov. 29, McMillan published this Merry Christmas message/song on YouTube...

Jimmy McMillan's legal battle against his landlord continues on

The Voice has an update on the ongoing legal wrangling between Jimmy McMillan and his landlord, Lisco Holdings LLC.

After a 4-year legal fight, the "Rent is Too Damn High" party founder was set to be evicted on Feb. 5 from his rent-stabilized apartment of 38 years on St. Mark's Place. However, a court gave McMillan a reprieve.

Now as the Voice notes, McMillan bought himself more time thanks to the intervention of the city's Adult Protective Services program.

To the article:

McMillan, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, cites his war-related post-traumatic stress disorder and other medical issues — including memory loss and high blood pressure — as reasons for seeking help from APS. The stress of the long legal battle with his landlord and the looming threat of eviction brought back old battle wounds, he says. "I almost had a nervous breakdown," McMillan, 68, tells the Voice. He even called the suicide hotline.

According to his attorney, John DeMaio, McMillan turned to APS after "all other legal remedies had been exhausted." A "renowned" doctor, whose name DeMaio did not disclose, examined McMillan and recommended the court's intervention in delaying the eviction.

Also:

McMillan, whose family has occupied the apartment since 1977, claims the eviction is "racist" because he and his family are the only African Americans living in the building. Lisco Holdings purchased the building from its previous owners in 2006.

The landlord contends that the apartment is not McMillan's primary residence.

The case is not under further review until April 7, according to the Voice.

Previously

Step inside Jimmy McMillan's world for a moment

The saga of Jimmy McMillan's $872-a-month St. Mark's Place apartment continues.

After a 4-year legal battle, the "Rent is Too Damn High" party founder was set to be evicted last Thursday from his apartment of 38 years. (The landlord has claimed that McMillan's primary address is in Brooklyn.)

However, as the Post reports, McMillan won an 11th-hour reprieve to stay for at least another week while the matter continues to get sorted out.

Meanwhile, McMillan invited the Post into his apartment for a grand tour.

Per the rather wacky piece:

The Post got a first tour of the downtown pad, which features a sunken living room and exposed brick — and piles of clothes littering the floor.

They’re there for a reason, McMillan explained, in case he has to “get out in a hurry.”

Also from the article:

He owes more than $18,000 in rent, the landlord claims.

McMillan claims he tried to pay his rent, but Judge Laurie Lau refused to accept his payments and Lisco Holdings returned his checks.

McMillan insists there is a conflict of interest because lawyers from the landlord’s law firm sit on a committee to select Housing Court judges.

Previously

Judge tosses Jimmy McMillan's lawsuit seeking a stay of eviction from East Village apartment

[St. Mark's Place last January]

Jimmy McMillan, founder of The Rent Is Too Damn High party, had filed suit in Brooklyn Federal Court seeking to stave off an eviction from his St. Mark's Place apartment of 38 years.

As Curbed summarized the situation:

Lisco Holdings, McMillan's landlord at 107 St. Marks Place, says that the rent-stabilized $872/month apartment is not McMillan's primary residence, which violates stabilization rules. Lisco says the perpetual political candidate's primary home is in Flatbush, but McMillan says that was just a campaign office.

So McMillan was seeking a preliminary injunction to halt the eviction scheduled to be carried out on Thursday.

Today, though, a Brooklyn federal judge tossed out McMillan's lawsuit, which included $1.3 million in damages.

"I'm done. I got one week left and my options are limited," he told the Daily News. "They just want me out."

However, McMillan isn't done yet. Per the Daily News: "He has another lawyer trying to get a stay of the eviction order in the state appellate division. But if that fails, he's not putting up a fight, and he'll leave quietly."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Jimmy McMillan facing Feb. 5 eviction from St. Mark's Place apartment (32 comments)

Report: Jimmy McMillan facing Feb. 5 eviction from St. Mark's Place apartment

[Photo from February 2013 by James Maher]

To the Daily News:

McMillan, founder of the fringe political party called The Rent Is Too Damn High, has filed suit in Brooklyn Federal Court seeking to stave off the eviction, which is scheduled to be carried out by a city marshal Feb. 5. Acting as his own lawyer, he is also demanding $1.3 million in monetary damages.

The 68-year-old Vietnam War veteran has been embroiled in a legal battle with the landlord, who claimed the one-bedroom flat on St. Marks Place wasn’t McMillan’s primary residence, and that he actually lives in Brooklyn.

McMillan is reportedly paying $872 a month for the apartment on St. Mark's Place. He says the Brooklyn address is for office use.

Find the full Daily News article here.

Jimmy McMillan wants to wear his karate uniform for an upcoming gubernatorial debate

[Photo from February 2013 by James Maher]

Catching up to this piece in The Wall Street Journal Saturday on St. Mark's Place resident Jimmy McMillan of the Rent is 2 Damn High Party.

He plans on running for governor again, though it hasn't been easy.

It's not clear whether Mr. McMillan will be on the ballot come November. His petitions have been challenged by Mike Welch, a Schenectady science teacher who alleges Mr. McMillan photocopied signatures to meet the 15,000 required for a spot on the ballot. Mr. McMillan says Mr. Welch didn't follow proper procedures filing his objection. The Board of Elections is expected to rule [this] week.

And!

He's already selected an outfit if he is included in a coming debate — his karate uniform. And he sees no need to go out campaigning.

His most convincing campaign literature, he tells people, is their rent receipt: "If you can't see that your rent is too damn high, don't pay me no mind."

You can read the Journal article here. (Subscription may be necessary.)

The snow is too damn high

St. Mark's Place this morning. [Via @evgrieve]

Watch Jimmy McMillan 'Debate' in the East Village

Yesterday, Animal NY debuted the latest video extravaganza from Rent Is Too Damn High Party candidate Jimmy McMillan. (He's still in the race!)

The 7-plus-minute opus (Curbed said that the video is "too damn long") was shot in the neighborhood... and you might see some familiar faces... Animal notes that Christalle Fellix, McMillan's daughter, who serves as the Rent Is Too Damn High party president, plays a featured role ...

Animal NY has more here with McMillan on the mayoral race.

Meanwhile, watch the video here...

Because every New York mayor needs an anthem

You may have seen this video making the rounds earlier today (Gawker, Politico) ... St. Mark's Place resident Jimmy McMillan who's running for mayor representing the "Rent is Too Damn High" party ... it comes courtesy of Animal New York...

Noted

EVG reader R Dub spotted this note on Jimmy McMillan's "Rent is too Damn High" mobile on St. Mark's Place...





Noteslinging from one of the other mayoral candidates, perhaps?

For your consideration

Jimmy McMillan campaigning on St. Mark's Place this afternoon. Photo by James Maher.

Jimmy McMillan will run for NYC mayor in 2013

[EVG file photo]

Catching up on some political news here. Yesterday, the Observer reported that Jimmy McMillan announced that he will run for NYC mayor in 2013. He made his announcement at Tammany Hall on Orchard Street, where he was performing a few musical numbers.

Per the Observer:

Mr. McMillan decided to launch his mayoral campaign at the concert ... after meeting two of the women who were performing in the show at a Dunkin’ Donuts in the Lefferts Garden section of Brooklyn. Dion McKenzie and Erika Buestami, who perform as Kowabunga Tyga, said they instantly recognized Mr. McMillan.

“We met Jimmy McMillan at Dunkin’ Donuts when Jimmy was doing his thing, campaigning and the rent is too damn high,” Ms. McKenzie said pointing towards her bandmate. “She just went up to him like, ‘Hey Jimmy, What’s up.”

He will be keeping with his Rent Is Too Damn High Party line. Before tossing his hat into the mayoral race, McMillan was running a presidential campaign as a Republican. He said that he will now support President Obama.

Today in Jimmy McMillan sightings

The folks at Luke's Lobster on Seventh Street noted the presence of The Rent Is Too Damn High Party leader Jimmy McMillan this afternoon...

The car is often a giveaway...

'Rent is too Damn High' guy facing eviction because his 'Rent is too Damn Low'

That's the story the Post has today. In which former gubernatorial candidate Jimmy "The Rent is too Damn High" McMillan says he is being booted from his rent-controlled ground-floor apartment on St. Marks Place, where he pays $872.96. He has had the place since the late 1970s.

Meanwhile! The building's owner, Lisco Holdings, claims that McMillan has violated his lease because he doesn't really live here — he actually lives in Brooklyn. McMillan says this is his office and party HQ.

To be continued. Expect more drama and bad puns.

Read the whole article here.

Jimmy McMillan just lost the cyclist vote

Jimmy McMillan, the rent is too damn, blah, blah guy, is running for president. He's even holding a news conference in Tompkins Square Park next week to announce his candidacy.

Meanwhile! The Local East Village conducted a Q-and-A with McMillan ... to an excerpt!

Bike lane use is a big issue in the East Village. How would you handle that issue?

Get rid of them. You have cars running up on bicycle lanes – people are getting run over. These are idiots! There are not enough bicyclists. I did a personal count. In one week in the East Village on First Avenue and Second Avenue, there were about 25 people on each avenue. It’s not enough. They’re better for states with warmer climates, like in Florida. You cannot have bicycle lanes where there is snow.

Jimmy McMillan campaigns in the East Village last night (yes, the rent is too damn high)

Spotted Jimmy McMillan in action last night. I saw him on Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue ... telling people that "rent is too damn high" from the soundsystem that he has hooked up...