Citizen Action organizer Senya Bekui and housing advocate Shana Dahlin urged city leaders to strengthen protections for Utica renters during a September 16 Common Council meeting.
By Michelle LaGuerre | Utica Phoenix
Utica Good Cause Eviction supporters pressed the Common Council to act during its Sept. 16, 2026 meeting, arguing that tenants who pay their rent and follow their leases should not face arbitrary eviction, sudden nonrenewal or rent increases designed to force them from their homes.
The public appeal included voices with years of experience organizing around housing in Central New York. Senya Bekui, an organizer with Citizen Action of New York’s Central New York chapter, has been leading the local push for adoption. Shana Dahlin, whose public professional profile describes her work as organizing for housing justice in Central New York, has also worked with tenants and previously helped launch a Utica tenant-organizing effort.
Their message places the decision squarely before the Common Council. New York created an optional Good Cause Eviction framework for municipalities outside New York City in 2024. Utica must pass a local law before eligible tenants here receive those protections.
No final vote was taken at the Sept. 16 meeting. Good Cause Eviction therefore remains a proposal in Utica, not an adopted city law.
Senya Bekui says Utica should opt into Good Cause Eviction
Bekui and Legal Services of Central New York attorney Clara O’Brien publicly discussed the issue in a March 31 interview on WUTQ’s Talk of the Town. Their position was summarized plainly in the program’s title: “Should Utica Adopt Good Cause Eviction Law?” Bekui and O’Brien “say yes.”
Bekui also signed a February 2026 regional letter supporting strong Good Cause protections. The letter said, “Landlords of any size who treat tenants with respect, provide proper services, and avoid unjust evictions and rent hikes will not be affected by Good Cause Eviction.” The statement added that landlords could still raise rents to cover increased costs and pursue evictions for valid reasons such as nonpayment or illegal activity.
Citizen Action has continued that campaign through public events, outreach to council members and calls for renters to describe their experiences. The group says Utica families are being pushed out by steep rent increases, unfair evictions and lease nonrenewals.
“Everyone deserves a safe, stable home, but too many Utica families are being pushed out by skyrocketing rents, unfair evictions, and non-renewals,” Citizen Action said when announcing its September organizing effort.
Bekui’s support reflects Citizen Action’s broader housing position. The organization argues that a tenant who meets lawful obligations should have a reasonable expectation of remaining in the home. It also says tenants should be able to report unsafe conditions without fearing that an owner will simply refuse to renew the lease.
Citizen Action has asked Utica residents to contact their council representatives, attend meetings and demand a local Good Cause ordinance. Its campaign does not claim that tenants can never be evicted. Instead, it seeks a requirement that covered evictions and nonrenewals be based on reasons recognized by law.
Shana Dahlin brings years of tenant-organizing experience
Dahlin’s work predates the current Good Cause campaign. In a previous public statement about local tenant organizing, she wrote: “Last Wednesday I spoke at public comment during the Utica Common Council meeting to announce the launch of UNITE.”
UNITE stands for Utica Neighbors Igniting Tenant Empowerment. The initiative was designed to help renters organize, understand their rights and bring housing problems before local government.
That earlier statement provides important context for Dahlin’s role in the current debate. Good Cause Eviction is not appearing in isolation. It is part of a longer local struggle over unsafe buildings, tenant displacement and whether renters feel secure enough to report problems.
Dahlin has also been publicly identified with Legal Services of Central New York and housing-justice organizing. Her past advocacy has included demands for improvements at rental properties where tenants reported neglect and poor conditions.
For supporters, the connection is straightforward. Code enforcement can order an owner to repair dangerous conditions. Good Cause protections can help prevent a covered tenant from losing a home merely for raising those concerns.
What Utica Good Cause Eviction would do
Good Cause Eviction is not a complete prohibition on evictions. According to the New York Attorney General’s official guidance, covered landlords may still seek eviction for legally recognized reasons.
Those reasons include:
- Failure to pay lawful rent
- A substantial lease violation
- Nuisance behavior or serious property damage
- Illegal use of an apartment
- Unreasonable denial of access for necessary repairs
- Refusal to accept a reasonable lease renewal
- Certain owner-occupancy, demolition or market-withdrawal plans
The law changes the standard for tenants who have met their obligations. For a covered unit, an owner generally could not remove a tenant or refuse a renewal simply because the existing lease expired.
Large rent increases can receive court review
The statute also establishes a standard for reviewing rent increases. An increase is generally presumed unreasonable when it exceeds the lower of 10 percent or 5 percent plus the applicable annual Consumer Price Index adjustment.
That does not create an automatic rent freeze. A landlord may present evidence that a larger increase is justified by higher taxes, insurance, fuel, maintenance expenses or significant repair costs. A court considers the evidence.
Supporters argue that this process matters because a very large rent increase can function like an eviction. A family may technically receive a renewal offer but still be forced to leave because the new rent is unaffordable.
Many rentals would remain exempt
Good Cause Eviction would not cover every Utica apartment or landlord. State law includes exemptions for several categories of housing and ownership.
Potential exemptions include small landlords, certain owner-occupied properties, rent-regulated and income-restricted units, condominiums, cooperatives, qualifying newer buildings and apartments above a state high-rent threshold.
If Utica opts in, the Common Council would need to make important choices, including how the city defines an exempt small landlord within the state framework. That decision would affect the reach of the local law.
Greater Utica Chamber opposes adoption at this time
The Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce approved a resolution on Sept. 15 opposing an Utica opt-in “at this time.” The Chamber asked the city to study local rental conditions and the law’s possible effects before acting.
The Chamber acknowledged that housing instability harms families, workers, employers and neighborhoods. However, it raised concerns about housing investment, maintenance expenses, rehabilitation and possible unintended effects on the rental market.
Its resolution supports stronger enforcement against unsafe properties and irresponsible owners. It also calls for more market-rate, workforce and affordable housing, along with expanded homeownership opportunities.
The Chamber’s complete position is available in its resolution opposing the Good Cause opt-in.
Council members must put their positions on the record
Citizen Action, Bekui and Dahlin have helped give supporters a public voice. The Chamber has placed the opposition’s concerns on the record. The remaining question is where individual council members stand.
Residents deserve answers to several questions:
- Does each council member support opting into Good Cause Eviction?
- What small-landlord exemption would each member favor?
- How many Utica apartments would likely be covered?
- What do local rent, eviction and vacancy figures show?
- How would the city educate tenants and property owners?
- What housing construction, rehabilitation and code-enforcement measures should accompany the law?
The council should also provide a transparent process. Any proposed local law should be publicly available before a hearing, written in clear language and accompanied by an explanation of its exemptions.
Utica’s housing debate is about community stability
For renters, the issue is whether following a lease provides meaningful housing security. For responsible property owners, the issue is whether they can maintain buildings, cover rising expenses and respond to serious tenant problems.
Both concerns deserve attention. Utica needs responsible landlords, rehabilitation and new housing construction. It also needs families who can remain in their neighborhoods without fearing arbitrary displacement.
Good Cause Eviction would not build new apartments or repair vacant buildings. It would not replace code enforcement or rental assistance. It is one part of a larger housing strategy the city still needs to develop.
Bekui, Dahlin and Citizen Action are asking the council to make tenant stability part of that strategy. The Chamber is asking lawmakers to study the possible economic consequences first.
The next step belongs to the Common Council. Residents should monitor upcoming agendas, attend public meetings and ask every council member for a clear position. A decision affecting thousands of renters and property owners should be made through open debate and a recorded vote.
