Four consecutive RGB rent freezes

Year 1 of the four-year freeze pledge: May 7 2026 preliminary RGB vote 7-1 (one abstention) for a 0-2% range on one-year leases and 0-4% on two-year leases. Tenant rep Adán Soltren's rollback (-3 to 0% / -4.5 to 0%) failed; owner rep Christina Smyth's hike (3 to 5.5% / 6 to 8%) also failed. The 0-floor preserves the freeze as legally available, but the 2%/4% ceiling means a freeze is "no sure thing" — Mamdani called it "a starting point." Final binding vote June 25 at El Museo del Barrio. de Blasio precedent: rent frozen three times in 8 years (2015, 2016, 2020); >1.5% increase never approved across his RGB tenure. Mamdani board composition: 6 Mamdani appointees + chair Chantella Mitchell, 2 Adams holdovers. Counter-pressure: 2026 PIOC up 5.3% (RGB commensurate change 3.4%), Bronx NOI -0.1% citywide despite +6.2% city avg, 9.2% buildings citywide negative-NOI, NYAA $4.65B bailout ask, RSA/CHIP Article 78 legal-challenge posture. Same-day signal: $31M Bronx landlord HPD judgment (Robert Fulton Terrace + Fordham Towers).