New Haven Independent

Man Of The Year

by Melissa Bailey | December 25, 2009 8:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (56)

Rafael Ramos’s cell phone rang at midnight. A woman and her daughter were shivering in their apartment — punished, the woman said, for speaking out to their landlord about a leaky fridge.

Ramos (at left in photo above) jumped in his city car and met the family at their home. He fixed the heat. And within an hour of reaching the property manager, he got the family a brand new fridge.

It was another small victory in Ramos’s battle to defend tenants’ rights to a safe, clean home — and to bring warmth and light to New Haven, as a public servant, a civic volunteer, and a community arts pioneer.

He waged that battle daily in 2009. He won it, again and again.

Ramos, who’s 52, waged it in part as deputy director of housing code for the New Haven government’s neighborhoods agency, the Livable City Initiative. Sometimes he wrote citations; one day this fall he ended up cleaning dried blood from a front porch, the scene of a shooting. A renaissance man, Ramos also played conga drums, ran a summer camp for kids, and put together barrier-breaking shows through his community theater, Bregamos.

In between rescuing tenants and tracking landlords’ code compliance this year, Ramos found time to organize an elaborate five-day camping trip for 40 city kids and to stage plays, including one about New Haven history, that brought together different cultures in town.

Monday night found Ramos fielding complaints from tenants who didn’t have heat.

“Is this Mr. Ramos?” a woman asked on the midnight cell phone call.

“How did you get my number?” he replied.

“You gave it to me,” she said. She told him she had met him a couple years ago, when a fire forced her family out of their home. Now she needed his help again.

The woman lives in an apartment building at 1617 Chapel St. in the Edgewood neighborhood. Earlier that day, she had a dispute with her property manager over a leaky fridge. The freezer wasn’t working, and the fridge door wouldn’t close. The family had to throw out food, including leftover turkey, because the fridge wouldn’t stay cold.

The woman called her property manager. He wouldn’t fix it, she said. So she threatened to withhold her rent until the fridge was fixed. Then she heard what sounded like a threat.

“Don’t call me if something happens,” the property manager allegedly told her.

Later that day, at 6 p.m., her heat suddenly shut off. The woman sat in the cold for about six hours. Then she called Ramos for help.

Ramos (pictured), who lives in Fair Haven, fired up his city-issued Mercury Grand Marquis and headed across town. He met the woman.

The property manager wouldn’t pick up the phone. So he went into the basement to fix the problem himself. He forced open a door to her furnace and discovered something fishy: The switch to the furnace had been turned off.

Ramos flipped the switch on.

He couldn’t prove who turned it off. But he did take a look around the building, and he noticed a few violations. He took note of a leak in the basement and a rear emergency exit that was made treacherous by ice and snow. In the morning, he typed up an order listing the improvements that had to be made.

In the morning, he kept on the property manager’s case. He finally got through to the man, Mario Makus, at 9:30 a.m. The building has a license under the city’s residential licensing program, but he told Makus there were still problems with the building.

“You may need a new inspection,” Ramos said. He told Makus he “better get them a new fridge,” too.

Makus promised to comply.

Ramos swung by later that day to follow up.

He left City Hall in his silver Mercury. In the trunk, he carried a space heater ready to loan out to a family in need. On the back seat sat a copy of the New Yorker, a hint at an NYC-infused cultural and intellectual life that he lives when he’s not getting his hands dirty in basement boiler rooms. Ramos, who’s Puerto Rican, grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He and his wife still keep a place in Harlem. In the summers, they return to Tomlinson Park every weekend to hit the congas as part of a Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban drumming circle.

Ramos wore a leather cap, corduroys and a heavy pea coat with sailor buttons over his official LCI jacket. He rang the doorbell.

Tyquanda Woodward, who’s 25, invited him upstairs. She smiled when he asked about the fridge. She said the property manager had rolled in a new fridge at 10:30 a.m. This fridge was white, not black with dirt.

Ramos tested it out with his thermometer gun. The leftovers were indeed staying cold.

Something else had changed: The heat was on. Woodward sat comfortably on the couch watching TV without a blanket or a hat.

Ramos checked out the fire escape, which had been dumped on by the weekend storm. The ice and snow were gone. That revealed another problem: The steel stairs were weak with corrosion.

Around 4 p.m., Ramos came back to meet Makus face to face.

Ramos showed the property manager the back stairs.

“A fireman is heavy enough to fall through that,” Ramos said. He handed Makus (at left in photo) the official orders listing the code violations.

“No problem,” Makus said. He said he had already begun fixing up the place that morning.

Asked about the heat, Makus conceded he is the only person with the keys to the boiler room. But he denied turning off the furnace.

“I know it looks like me,” he said, “but I didn’t hit that switch.”

Makus said he had no further comment except to say that people in New Haven often don’t pay their rent.

Ramos left quickly in order to avoid getting into an argument with the man whose testimony seemed shaky at best. But the heat is on. The building’s being fixed. That’s what mattered.

The confrontation was one of a series of calls on the no-heat beat. When temperatures drop, LCI workers respond 24/7 to tenants who find themselves in the cold.

“We never shut down,” Ramos said.

Tenants can call the emergency number (203-946-6237) if their heat drops below 65 degrees Fahrenheit, the minimum required by state law.

Ramos tried to explain all that at Norton Court, an apartment building on Norton Street that’s occupied by a number of people from ALSO-Cornerstone, which helps people with mental health and substance abuse problems. One woman there said she has problems with the heat, but doesn’t want to speak up for fear of retribution.

Ramos showed up there to respond to a no-heat complaint. One woman let him in to test the temperature in her apartment. She said she does have problems with the heat, but not at that particular moment. As he left, he asked her name.

“Stool pigeon,” she said.

“No, you’re not,” Ramos said. “You need to be warm.”

In another apartment he found a young woman whose radiators had stopped working. His temperature gun recorded an average of 54 degrees Fahrenheit — 10 degrees below the legal minimum. He called the landlord.

“I’m condemning this apartment,” Ramos told him. “It’s uninhabitable.”

The landlord, who hadn’t returned phone calls all morning, showed up in a jiffy. Three radiators were broken. The landlord offered to have the woman sleep in an empty apartment, on a mattress that night. Ramos balked at the idea.

“She’s a human being!” Ramos said. He made arrangements for the landlord to put her up in a hotel.

The day capped a busy year for the housing inspector.

Some days were tragic. Others, just bizarre.

In October, Ramos was called to a home where a man had been fatally shot. Two days after the killing, a mom and her three kids were still walking past a pool of blood to get to their third-story apartment. Ramos got into a Tyvek suit and, with a mop and an ice-scraper, wiped the place clean.

In May, he found himself tending to a Lombard Street home where a tenant had discovered slaughtered chickens and dead fish in his bedroom.

In past years, he has helped immigrants living in squalid, illegal basement rooms stand up to their landlords.

Ramos has done housing code enforcement for the city for 15 years. He said the appeal is simple: “I like helping people.”

By The Books

He arrived at the post after an unusual path.

A plumber by trade, he came to New Haven 22 years ago as a construction cost estimator for a company that worked on the Chase financial building. His job was to estimate how much concrete they needed. When the last slab was poured, he got laid off.

So Ramos launched an experiment: He tried to make a living selling books on the street.

For two and a half years he ran an operation called Uptown Books. He set up a table at Church and Chapel Streets. The books had cultural lessons. One of his favorites was called “Alfro-bets,” a compendium of African-American heroes from A to Z. He supplemented the collection with clothes and bags.

The Bart Simpson T-shirts and fake Gucci bags went like hotcakes, but the books didn’t really sell.

“I winded up giving the books away” — about $6,000 worth, he said.

Ramos decided to go back into the housing field. He landed a job as a lead inspector in Bridgeport.

“It was awesome,” he said. A couple years later, he took a job in New Haven as a housing inspector. He has stuck with it ever since.

When he’s not rapping on landlords’ doors or lending out heaters, Ramos works on a few other projects. In 2000, he founded the Bregamos Community Theater Company.

The theater exposes young New Haveners to theater, often through hard-hitting performances about life on the streets. Their success has taken them all the way to Holland. Click here, here and here to read about a few of the theater’s shows.

In 2009 Ramos’ Bregamos helped stage readings of a play (by the Independent’s Allan Appel) about the Puritan-era “Excommunication of Mrs. Eaton.” He engaged young Fair Haveners like Melvin Matos in the project — giving them a taste of theater production while also connecting them to their city’s history.

Next up: Ramos plans to put on a show by, for and about people who live at the Church Street South housing project. With a grant from the Office of Cultural Affairs, he hired a NYC-based playwright to write a play based on interviews with residents. The plan is to hold a theater workshop at Church Street South, then have people who live there perform the play in the community room of their housing complex.

Ramos lights up when he talks about theater. He got into it back in New York, at a squat on the Lower East Side that was converted into a black box theater. If you catch him on the street, he’ll likely be quick to promote the latest Bregamos with gusto.

“Theater has everything,” Ramos gushed. “It’s educational, vocational, entertaining and therapeutic. … What better way to bring people together?”

A father to seven children, Ramos appears to have endless energy. Every summer, he and his wife, Siri Rishi, lead kids on a camping retreat called Big Turtle Village. Click here to read about their adventures this year at Devil’s Hopyard State Park. The camp takes place in July.

“That’s my year!” said Ramos, catching his breath. “It goes by fast.”

He picked up his thermometer and headed out to another call.

Share this story

Share |

Comments

Posted by: Paul Wessel | December 25, 2009 10:15 AM

Congratulations, Rafael and the New Haven Independent. A great man, and great man of the year.

Posted by: Nan | December 25, 2009 10:34 AM

Yeah for Raphael, one of New Haven's true heroes!

Posted by: Chrissy Bonanno | December 25, 2009 11:31 AM

Congratulations Raf!!!

Posted by: angeloreyes | December 25, 2009 2:52 PM

nice article,congrats to you ralph.

Posted by: A friend | December 25, 2009 3:14 PM

When my elderly parents lived across the street from him, on numerous occasions Rafael went out of his way to help them. Truly a selfless gentleman. Congrats Raf!

Posted by: Kevin Ewing | December 25, 2009 3:32 PM

Congrats Ralph. You are truly one of my heros and a gift to our fair city. Gonna have to grab my drum and head down to the city with you one of these weekends.

Posted by: streever | December 25, 2009 3:50 PM

congrats rafael, you deserve it!

Posted by: Will Clark | December 25, 2009 7:53 PM

A wonderful Christmas story. A deserving person of the year and an inspiration that we can all do something to help others in New Haven.

Congrats my friend, well deserved. Keep on doing what you do. You are New Haven!!

Posted by: Claudia Herrera | December 25, 2009 9:37 PM

Rafael congratulations.

You are smart man who understands the real needs of the community and the most important you know how to fix the problem.

Posted by: bri | December 25, 2009 9:43 PM

I never realized that rafael ramos from LCI was the Rafael Ramos for Bregamos COmmunity theater....congrats!!!!

Posted by: Ben Berkowitz | December 25, 2009 9:59 PM

Congrats Raf!

I've gotten calls about SeeClickFix issues on Thanksgiving from Raf...this is one of the most dedicated city employees we have.

Keep up the good work.

Posted by: Ellis Copeland | December 25, 2009 11:19 PM

Thanks for bringing attention to an honest, hard-working and conscientious city employee. I hope Johhny Boy doesn't now target him.

Posted by: Rob Smuts | December 25, 2009 11:46 PM

Raph's dedication to public service and his community is an inspiration. The article did a good job capturing a little bit about his generosity of spirit - Bregamos, Big Turtle Village, on call 24-7-365 for ensuring decent living conditions, or just always helping out whenever a friend or even an acquaintance needs a hand. Congrats Raph, and rockin' car!

Posted by: a good friend | December 26, 2009 12:53 AM

Congratulations Rafael, you are always there for people in need, please keep up the good work.

Rafael Ramos
about whom the following statement might have been written: "Some men see things as they are and why? I dream things that never were, and say why Not? (George Bernard Shaw) from his friends the Land Lords

Posted by: Susie Voigt | December 26, 2009 8:31 AM

Congratulations Rafael!

Posted by: robn | December 26, 2009 10:13 AM

Its nice that we have officials to protect the innocent. But I guess my house needs to be condemned because I keep the heat between 60 and 64 in the winter for conservation purposes....and I wear a sweater and use blankets.

Posted by: Maurice Ramos | December 26, 2009 10:21 AM

Ralph also a great uncle. You definitely deserve this recognition uncle Ralph love you man!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: William Kurtz | December 26, 2009 12:06 PM

Great profile. Sounds like Mr. Ramos is a tremendous asset to the community.

Posted by: Henry Fernandez | December 26, 2009 12:06 PM

Truth be told, I have thought that Rafael is man of the year -- every year. He makes civil service work a moral calling, fighting for those often forgotten in an ever-changing city.

It is telling that throughout the holiday season, he fights for people to have shelter, heat, water, and the basic essentials of human dignity. He's willing to stand up to powerful people, and make city government a true force for good -- something for which we the taxpayers and residents of New Haven can be immensely proud.

His willingness to go the extra mile apparently inspires his whole team. The other inspectors who he supervises are a community gem. Hundreds of families live in safer, more humane conditions because they take their jobs seriously, many carrying around smoke detectors and space heaters in their trunks; often working well into the night to be sure that families are safe.

And then to have built both a summer camp and award winning theater program from scratch? Not to mention his hard work as a board member to make Junta a nationally recognized place of activism and service. Truly a renaissance man!

Thanks Rafael for all you do for New Haven. Congratulations on being named MAN OF THE YEAR!

Posted by: Morris Cove Mom | December 26, 2009 2:13 PM

God Bless Mr. Ramos. This is what Men of the Year look like, an he does this every day. We need more people like him.

Posted by: Two Sides to the Story | December 26, 2009 2:22 PM

Nice story but who do landlords call over to at city hall when their tenants fail to pay their rent? Is this a two-way street? Does the city send someone over to confront the tenants regarding THEIR obligation to pay their rent, so that the landlord has rental income necessary to do such such things as replace a fridge, replace a fire escape and get ice and snow cleared? Somehow, I suspect the answer is no. These pro-tenant government officials always act like money grows on trees owned by landlords and business owners just go pick the dollar bills off the branches to meet the mortgage, pay New Haven's exhorbitant property taxes and meet the myriad other costs of owning rental property.

Posted by: John | December 26, 2009 2:55 PM

Melissa, please correct the typo of the emergency number to contact. It should be, 203-946-6237.

Posted by: Charlie Pillsbury | December 26, 2009 3:54 PM

felicitaciones, hombre del ano, y feliz ano nuevo!

Posted by: Mary K. Snyder | December 26, 2009 5:40 PM

Nice story and a wonderful man - very worthy of this honor. Keep fighting the good fight, Ralph!

Posted by: Hood Rebel | December 26, 2009 6:27 PM

Great choice for man-of-the-year. Ramos is a dude, who uses the power of his government office to mostly help people who otherwise could easily be blamed for their troubles, called names, and ignored.

His dedication to changing lives and his consistent follow through to correct bad situations is what community improvement and public service is really all about.

Posted by: really | December 26, 2009 9:05 PM

Mr Ramos i hope you told the tenant to keep the fridge clean so it would stay white not black with dirt like she had it.or are you going to demand landlords also clean tenants apartments.

Posted by: streever | December 27, 2009 12:12 PM

Robn:

that's a personal choice you make, however, when the tenant is unable to change their heat, I'm glad that Rafael steps up and fights for them when the heat is at 54 degrees. While a healthy man like yourself can take that, I'm sure the elderly or a woman with young children really appreciates the law setting the temp at 64. There are people from all walks of lifes & all levels of competence, and I don't think you should judge them by yours.

Posted by: streever | December 27, 2009 12:12 PM

(and I keep my heat between 60 & 64 as well but am grateful that I don't have to)

Posted by: M. Aguilar | December 27, 2009 1:00 PM

Two Sides:

If you own property, then you should ALREADY be prepared to handle situations such as a broken fridge, busted heaters, etc. If the tenant doesn't pay their rent then you do what you are supposed to do. EVICT the family through the court system. A tenant not paying rent does not allow a landlord to let a family to live in unliveable conditions just because the landlord is pissed off. Tenants AND landlords all have obligations, but remember...it is the LANDLORD'S house and the LANDLORD'S responsibility to ensure that it is maintained within housing codes and quality standards.

Posted by: Two Sides... | December 27, 2009 1:27 PM

To M. Aguilar: Have you ever tried to evict a tenant? Well I have and it is a ridiculously long and costly process with the law and the courts stacked against the homeowner. Plus, the tenants inevitably enjoy (for free, as usual) legal aid lawyers funded by the taxpayers. They stretch out the eviction for months and months AND employ a well known tactic - claiming lawful withholding of rent because of allegedly poor manintenance conditions - the biggest tenant scam going. You have to be nuts to be a landlord in New Haven, which is why many bolted the city.

Posted by: streever | December 27, 2009 6:40 PM

Two Sides:
I have no doubt there is validity to your position, but as someone who has rented properties for years here I can tell you that out of the 10 properties I have lived in/spent considerable time in (Girlfriend's places) I have not found one where the landlord maintained the property. I have had holes in my wall in an 800/mo apartment, seen a nice place overrun by cockroaches with no landlord activity, broken heat, water heaters, stairs, windows, etc. I have literally not spent lengthy time in one apartment in the whole city that was properly maintained.

While it's true that tenant law in CT is stacked for tenants (as in most places) that's because tenants historically have needed protection from abusive landlords. Again, the examples are places without heat in the winter & landlords who want to stick people on matresses of the floors of abandoned apartments. Rafael is clearly the hero here.

Posted by: John Padilla | December 27, 2009 8:38 PM

Congratulations Raphael! You're a true public servant and a role model for people who care about their fellow human beings.

Posted by: robn | December 28, 2009 12:48 PM

STREEVER,

I'm not advocating cold torturing children and the elderly (the subject of this article is 25 years old by the way). I'm suggesting that tenants need to have some sort of stake in conservation. When heat is included in rent, people tend to think its free. In the age of digital programmable thermometers, tenants can be given the responsibility to set the temperature and cost as they like, with no risk to landlords of freezing pipes.

Posted by: Seth P. | December 28, 2009 2:24 PM

Just promote the man already!

Posted by: streever | December 28, 2009 2:49 PM

Robn,

that goes without saying, but as the article is about people who can't control their heat & it is set at 54, it comes off as a smug & irrelevant comment--not the way you meant it I'm sure, but it seemed a little out of place.

I agree with you--it's a good suggestion--but lacking context, it seemed like you were painting Mr Ramos as someone who is out of touch with reality. I'm sure that wasn't your intention: thanks for clarifying.

Posted by: robn | December 28, 2009 4:44 PM

STREEVER,

I think that Rafael is a great guy and goes over the top with compassionate public service. And Mr Makus is so obviously lying that the city should keep crawling up his keister until they see sunshine (he was the only one with a key to the boiler room and it mysteriously switched off on the same day that he received a tenant complaint???? c'mon!) I've been there without heat and seeing my breath for days...it wasn't fun.

That being said, the 65 degree law was mentioned in the article and in this day and age its germane to comment about it. I'm incredulous that a law justifiably intended to protect tenants, doesn't recognize the importance of regulating energy consumption and our own personal impacts on climate. A one-size-fits-all law requiring all tenant apartments to be kept over 65 degrees is like requiring everybody who leases a car to drive an SUV...excessive and unsophisticated. We can do better and protect everyones interests.

Posted by: vinnies deli | December 28, 2009 7:18 PM

good job rafael now try help vinny get a city job seeya

Posted by: Andy's Gone | December 28, 2009 10:06 PM

Congratulations are surely in order for Person of the Year... but Henry F, Rob S, John D, Kelly M... why aren't we congratulating Rafael on being appointed Executive Director of LCI?

Posted by: Chip Croft | December 29, 2009 5:14 AM

It is great that Rafael's incredible work is being recognized. He truly deserves it. Congratulations Rafael!

Posted by: Jude | December 29, 2009 8:10 AM

Thank you, Raphael & Congratulations on receiving a well deserved reward. People like you help me to remain hopeful in our troubled world. Perhaps more articles about people like yourself would inspire other people to do what they can to make the world a better place.

Posted by: Elaine Braffman | December 29, 2009 8:38 AM

That is what I love about you Raf, you lead by example! You also think outside of the box which is something I learned quickly when I started with LCI and you have always done so. It's a pleasure working with you and it's fun working with someone else who is not afraid to get into those gray areas to get action and resolution.
Fondly,
Elaine

Posted by: M. Aguilar | December 29, 2009 8:49 AM

Two-Sides:

Unfortunately, being a landlord is more of a risk than it is a profit making venture. Unfortunately that is the reality these days. As far as the legal system, here are some tips.

KEEP RECORDS
HAVE A LEASE SIGNED EVERY YEAR
RECEIPTS OF RENT
ACCEPT NO CASH (MONEY ORDERS ONLY)

If landlords kept better records, then legal wouldn't have their say most of the time.

Posted by: Evan T. | December 29, 2009 2:22 PM

Congratulations Rafael!

You always give 100% +!!!!!!!

Happy New Year!

Posted by: Andy | December 29, 2009 3:59 PM

Rafael, I just read the Christmas day article and I want to congratulate you belatedly on a well deserved honor. During my tenure as Director of LCI, your dedication to your job and to the people of New Haven who need someone to stand up for them, was evident every day (weekends and holidays included). I am proud to have worked with you then, and now. Keep up the good work. I always say there is no one better out there than you.

Posted by: Scaredcrow | December 29, 2009 9:28 PM

I work day by day with Raff,(Ca see kae) which means chief and I know that he cares for the people like no other. Keep it up Raff! Walk in Peace. "OHNA"

Posted by: Daisy Couverthier | December 29, 2009 11:04 PM

Congradulations to you my friend and neighbor, the honor is well deserved. Congradulations.

Daisy Couverthier

Posted by: Gabriela | December 30, 2009 12:59 AM

VECINO - you rock. So happy to be able to call myself a Fair Havener alongside someone like you, who lives his ideals. Thanks for being.I dont know how you fit it all into 24 hrs...you're amazing.

Two Sides: Most landlords would avoid problems if they took the time to do background checks and credit checks. Treat people well, and most will want to keep a good relationship to maintain a good living situation...

Posted by: Satch | December 30, 2009 2:19 PM

Congradulations Pops you earned it!

Posted by: Teresa Ramos | December 30, 2009 2:24 PM

Thats my dad! Congrats Papi- you deserve this!!

Posted by: Justin Ramos | December 30, 2009 2:27 PM

Thats really great...Congrads..But What about our heat At Home Cheap Skate....Thats My dad!

Posted by: jaya allen | December 30, 2009 2:30 PM

Great =)

Posted by: Clyde James Ramos | December 30, 2009 3:00 PM

Its very nice to see my father getting recognized for all he does in New Haven. It is important to add that as great an inspector that he is, he's an even better father. I've known this guy for almost 22 years and I've always said that he was going places in life, well done big guy!!!

Posted by: CarlaWeil | December 30, 2009 5:04 PM

Just want to add my congratulations to Raphael. The Loan Fund honored him as one of our Good Eggs this year for all the reasons mentioned in this article. He is an inspiration and deserves recognition for his unselfish service!

Posted by: frank damore | December 31, 2009 1:28 PM

Hey Raf, you make us all very proud here at LCI. You truly deserve it. Happy New Year.

Frank

Posted by: fairhaven | January 4, 2010 10:04 AM

As always you are there for everyone. My hat off to you this is your friend believe it or not you know me.

Posted by: Amanda | January 8, 2010 5:41 PM

Congratulations and THANK YOU! Your heart, energy and commitment to help others is precious and very much appreciated. Cheers to you, Rafael!

Man Of The Year

Comments

Sections

Neighborhood News

Special Sections

Legal Notices

Some Favorite Sites

Government/ Community Links

Flyerboard

Sponsors

N.H.I. Site Design & Development

NHI Store

News Feed