Three Candidates Endorsed for TA Board; Other TA Members May Petition

NOTICE TO ALL RESIDENTS

The Board of Directors of the STPCV Tenants Association endorses three candidates for positions on the board as recommended by its Election Committee. The Election Committee implemented a robust outreach and vetting process.

The election date is May 28, 2026. Only members current in their dues as of April 8, 2026, are eligible to vote. See below for an alternate process to run for the board.

Candidates endorsed by the Board include:

Karen Koza, a third-generation and lifelong member of the STPCV community, is a marketing, events, and travel professional. She is also an extremely proud mom of a Quinnipiac University (’26) graduate student; wife and partner to a professional engineer; a travel planner and enthusiast; an avid home cook; a NY Giants, Jets and Rangers fan; and a volunteer on several boards (most recently as Vice Chair for the Parent and Family Advisory Board at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, RI). She is excited to join the Tenants Association board of directors to participate in a team effort to advance the quality of life in our community.

Marshall Rocke is a lifelong New Yorker and a resident of Stuyvesant Town for over 30 years. Over a long career, he specialized in the marketing of banking and wealth management services, most recently as a Vice President of Digital Wealth at Citibank. Prior to that, he worked for Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, and MetLife, among other financial institutions. He was married for 26 years before the passing of his wife, Laurie, and raised a son and daughter here in StuyTown. He devoted much time to PSLL baseball, as well as managing his daughter’s softball teams, ultimately becoming a commissioner of girls’ softball. Marshall recently retired and is looking forward to helping the Tenants Association continue their important work.

Ben Wetzler is an East Side native with extensive experience in public service with a focus on affordable housing and community development. For the last eight years, Ben has worked for the New York State Housing Finance Agency in the office of research and strategic analysis. Outside his professional life, he has been deeply involved in neighborhood political organizing and outreach: In 2017 he was elected Democratic Party District Leader, winning an insurgent primary campaign against a longtime incumbent on the East Side, and spent the next six years organizing volunteers for local political campaigns and pushing for reforms to the Manhattan Democratic Party's rules. He and his partner moved to Stuy Town four years ago with their 26 houseplants. 

PETITIONING

The petitioning period to be a candidate for the board is now beginning for those who did not apply during the interview period. 

Interested candidates who are current in their dues as members of the TA may seek a place on the ballot by submitting a petition signed by a minimum of thirty (30) members of the TA who are current in their dues (one signatory per apartment).

No more than one candidate’s name may be included on any one petition.

Candidates should be prepared to:

• commit to a monthly board meeting and other phone, remote video, or in-person TA meetings as needed,
• attend TA events, and
• serve on one or more TA committees.

Petitions must include signature, printed name, address, apartment number, and email address or phone number of signatories. The Election Committee will judge the validity of all petitions. Petitioning ends on Saturday, April 18, 2026.

Petition forms are available for download on the Tenants Association website. In addition to the petition, candidates must submit a document that includes:

• their name, address (including apartment number), telephone, and email;
• a statement that they are 18 years of age or older; and
• a summary of their qualifications in 100 words or less.

On Saturday, April 11, 2026, TA representatives will be available at the Community Center (449 E 14th St., First Avenue Loop) 12:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. to verify the membership status of petition signers.

Petitions and accompanying documentation should either be—

• sent in PDF form via email to [email protected] no later than 5:00 p.m., Saturday, April 18, 2026, OR
• dropped in our drop box at the Community Center (449 E 14th St., First Avenue Loop), no later than 5:00 p.m., Saturday, April 18, 2026, OR
• mailed to Election Committee, ST/PCV Tenants Association, P.O. Box 1202, New York, NY 10009-1202, and received at the post office no later than Saturday, April 18, 2026.