Trumbull resident and realtor Cindy Penkoff chose to withdraw her name after Democrats called a social media post into question.
Cindy’s post references a Wall Street Journal article, saying, “This is why we have been mandated, an unfunded mandate of course, to establish a Fair Rent Commission in our Town. Yes, someone besides the person that OWNS the property may determine if their rent is fair. More Liberal/Democrat government over reach. And quite frankly it is none of their damn business. You want to control the rent, then be the landlord. JMO of course. I support fair housing; this is not [fair housing]. I’m sure we will see more of this if they are allowed to retain control. YOU can change that.”
Trumbull’s Democrat FB page then posted, “You stated, and we quote, that the establishment of these commissions was ‘more Liberal/Democrat government over reach. And quite frankly, it is none of their damn business. You want to control the rent, then be the landlord.’ We believe your own words make you a poor fit for this board, and we continue to question why the Trumbull Republicans put you forward for a commission you don’t seem to think should exist.”
In the meeting minutes, the First Selectman recommended Cindy’s appointment as an alternate member of the Trumbull Fair Rent Commission, “for a term extending to the first Monday of July 2025.”
Further: “Ms. Penkoff noted as real estate broker her license is issued every two years, she takes the necessary legal and optional classes to be a realtor in the state of CT, she practices fair housing every day, she understands the law and implements with every client of hers, and clarified her post had said this “should not be mandated by the state: every town and/or city is capable of having the commission.”
After seeing what transpired, Penkoff wrote in part,
“The bottom line is the residents of the Town of Trumbull deserve better than what they’ve been dealt recently. They deserve a town government that doesn’t use dog whistles in the hopes of taking down their opponents. They deserve a local government that is fair to all concerned and they deserve a local government that does not govern by national politics, but by the needs of the community they serve.
Thank you to Minority Leader Atty Massaro for your faith in my ability to serve and for this nomination.
I will now remove my name from nominations to this committee and offer my services to any and all tenants and landlords in the town that are forced to come before it, so that they walk into those “hearings” with accurate and factual information as provided in the laws and ethics that we as realtors are bound by and the fair market we serve.”
You can watch the video of the Rules and Research committee, held on June 1st, here. Cindy Penkoff can be seen around minute 15 in the 25-minute video.