IFT Personal Statements from January 28 Steering Committee Election

Clarinda Mac Low

I heard about the REIC through Caroline Woolard, and became involved because I am interested in finding models and solutions that can ameliorate the rapid takeover of urban land by real estate developers. I chose to work with the Public Buildings Inventory Group because I was interested in engaging with a tangible part of the process of the REIC, and because, as a life-long New Yorker, I wanted to engage directly with the structures in my city. I chose to co-facilitate the group (with Oksana Miranova) because my expertise lies in managing groups and making connections, and I felt I could be useful in channeling the information that we gathered and creating a vision for how to go forward. I intend to stay active within REIC, offering my abilities where they may be needed, and I am curious to see where this process will take us.

 

Allison van Hee

What brought me to the first REIC meeting is likely very similar to what brought most members.  I was moved by the (proven) concept of neighbors pooling money to invest in creating perpetually affordable commercial and cultural spaces.  Could we utilize slow capital principals to ethically invest our money in our own neighborhoods?  Could we somehow utilize a cooperative structure to decide on our investments?  Working alongside my fellow New Yorkers over the last year to flesh out this vision has been illuminating.  Over the summer of 2015 I co-facilitated the Project Vetting workgroup with Moses Gates.  A highlight of that summer was visiting NEIC – a working real estate investment cooperative in Minneapolis.  Following need as the REIC evolved, the following quarter I worked on creating the bones for our cooperative Governance structure, founding the Governance workgroup with Todd Arena, and co-facilitating with Todd, Eliza Hetterly and Sam Gray.  Over three months and via several all member meetings, this small but mighty group iteratively created the Steering Committee charter, and facilitated the first REIC democratic elections.  In the current quarter I am taking a hiatus from a leadership role, but I look forward to following the progress of the REIC as it continues to gain steam and develop its identity, and anticipate rejoining the crew in whatever volunteer capacity is needed come summer.  I’m touched by the dedication and thoughtful consideration of my fellow REIC members.  It’s been a pleasure working with such deeply passionate and like-minded New Yorkers!

 

Todd Arena

I started out working on the Case Studies and Inspiration workgroup, researching governance structures for coops (with an emphasis on multi-stakeholder coops). In the fall I joined with Allison van Hee in founding and facilitating the Governance working group, joined quickly thereafter by Eliza Hetterly and Sam Gray. We are proud of the work that Governance accomplished putting together the NYC REIC’s first governing document, the Steering Committee’s Charter. Starting in January 2016, I am serving on the inaugural NYC REIC Steering Committee.

 

David Glick

After learning about this idea to start an investment cooperative for New York City last March, I jumped at the opportunity to get involved in the early planning stages.  My interest in research naturally led me to the role of facilitator of the Case Studies + Inspiration workgroup, where I championed internal education as vital to ensuring we are making informed decisions.  I helped steward a process that opened up a space for exchange around relevant issues through our investigation of key examples.  We created deliverables such as a wiki page and card exercises to share what we learned.  On the internal facilitation team I made collaboration between workgroups a top priority; a vein I’d like to continue in by working to ensure more lines of communication are established and that we’re tapping the unique skills and insights that everyone has to offer.  I think one of the REIC’s most exciting achievements so far has been our process itself, which has been highly structured, yet open for all members to contribute in shaping this burgeoning cooperative.  I’m happy to see how all the hard work is coming together, and looking forward to this next phase, bringing us closer to a board structure and our first project! Starting in January 2016, I am serving on the inaugural NYC REIC Steering Committee.

 

Oksana Mironova

I started working on the REIC in May 2015, as a co-facilitator (with Clarinda Mac Low) of the Public Building Inventory Group (affectionately known as PBIG). I found out about the group from Paula Segal, and was compelled by the idea of applying the cooperative model to commercial/cultural spaces. The public building inventory group researched 80+ vacant, city-owned buildings as potential properties for REIC investment. Our dedicated core group – Robert, Rafael, Caren, Scott, Adele, Danielle, Margaret, and Katrina – identified 5-6 properties with the greatest potential for investment.  Further, Adele and Margaret began to engage in community outreach around a property in Coney Island, a historic water pumping station used by the fire department in the neighborhood until the 1970s. Rafael began a long-term community organizing project in Jamaica, around a former Health Center.

Starting in January 2016, I am serving on the inaugural NYC REIC Steering Committee.

 

Risa Shoup

In March 2015, I took notice of a dialog going on in my social media feed about real estate investment cooperatives. The people involved in this dialog were friends, colleagues, acquaintances and people I had never encountered – but I appreciated all of what they had to say, and, as near as I could tell, felt aligned with their interests and concerns. At the same time, I was starting a new job as the Executive Director of Fourth Arts Block (FAB). FAB began in 2001 as a member-lead organization to coordinate the purchase of 8 properties for $1/each from the City in a disposition process. With FAB’s history in mind, as well as my own demonstrated commitment to developing affordable, accessible space for arts and culture over the past 10 years in NYC, I decided to insert myself in what were the early planning stages of the REIC. I feel very concerned that information and resources about the equitable production of space do not reach (or, in some instances, are overlooked by) my artistic community. Likewise, I feel equally concerned that the needs of artists, and cultural workers more broadly, are not adequately represented in conversations about the equitable production and use of space. Art is a terrific tool for communication; we are all creative and we all have something to offer a creative process and we all need more, safer spaces in which to express ourselves. And so, with the time and desire to facilitate resource sharing and conversation, I became part of the IFT of the REIC. I chose not to run for the SC, and I’m very happy for those who did and have become the new leaders of this amazing project. I intend to stay involved, and I hope to bring more of my colleagues from arts and culture with me in so doing.

 

Caroline Woolard

When I learned about the real estate investment cooperative model, I wanted to see it in NYC. I helped gather people for the initial educational meeting on April 28, 2015 because I saw, like we all do, that the NYC we love is vanishing. I also saw that the cooperative and the community land trust movements need financing. Starting in March 2015, I made a survey to get a sense of pledges for future investment in an REIC in NYC, and the interest was energizing. I worked to make sure we had spaces to meet, a name for the group, a website, a logo, social media, a shared email system, volunteers for the first few gatherings, a newsletter, a text message system (sorry if you hate it, but it works!), and press. I answered and labelled our email personally for the first four months, I wrote our first grants, and I made the slides and scripts for our first public talks at the Municipal Art Society and #PlatformCoop as well as for our one-minute video. As the co-founder of resource sharing and cultural equity networks OurGoods.org, TradeSchool, and BFAMFAPhD, I believe that this is the moment – the social, legal, financial, and technological moment – to demonstrate that local investment for permanently affordable space is possible through crowd “minor asset management” online and place-based organizing in person. I am an outgoing member of the Interim Facilitation Team and am glad to continue working on the Art & Media team. Our next big project in Art & Media will be to make a video about the reasons small businesses and civic groups need the REIC, so please be in touch if you want to work with us!

 

Sam Gray

I joined the REIC at its first all member meeting and have been involved ever since. I started out working with the Project Vetting Workgroup and transitioned into the Governance Workgroup in the Fall of 2015. Alongside an incredible core group of members, including Todd Arena, Allison Van Hee, and Eliza Hetterly, the Governance Workgroup developed a governance model for the REIC that preserves our democratic values and creates a strong foundation for the NYC REIC to grow as a cooperative. During that time, I began working with the Interim Facilitation Team to coordinate the Governance meetings and help prepare for the Steering Committee elections. Throughout this process, I have been continually impressed by the skill, dedication, talent, and good-spiritedness of the NYC REIC’s members. Starting in January 2016, I am serving on the inaugural NYC REIC Steering Committee. I look forward to being a part of the NYC REIC going forward and getting to know everyone involved even better.

 

Adina Saperstein

I started out working on the Arts & Member Outreach workgroup, entering member data and helping with/coordinating new member signup at a couple of the meetings. Sometime in the fall I got more involved in Governance and Data Management workgroups. I’ve been away from NY/not involved since December, but look forward to getting back and more involved in March/April.

 

Paula Z. Segal

I was one of a small dedicated team that brought us together to explore the opportunity for cooperative investment in shared NYC places last April. The tiny non-profit I founded and run, 596 Acres, has provided some staff and fiscal support for the incubation of the NYC REIC since then. Starting in February 2015, I organized meetings, created filing systems, recruited organizations and members, stayed on top of press inquiries, contributed and edited content for our website, coordinated the continuity of our institutional memory and generally helped build the culture that has brought us to this moment. I am an outgoing member of the Interim Facilitation Team that has been active since September and the Member Data Management workgroup formed last quarter.

Going forward, I am excited to be a voting and active member, and to provide technical support for the REIC’s development via legal counsel from Lincoln Square Legal Services, Inc. (the Fordham Law School student clinic, where I am a supervisor this semester) and Fordham’s Urban Law Center (where I am a Fellow and can tap student and faculty resources to co-produce a white paper with us).