LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending Maria and Roger Markovics upon the
occasion of their designation as recipients of the Good Patroon Award by
the Albany Roundtable

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize those
extraordinary individuals who have made contributions to the cultural
enrichment of the State of New York, and to the success and progress of
society in the course of their life's work; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commend
Maria and Roger Markovics upon the occasion of their designation as
recipients of the Good Patroon Award by the Albany Roundtable, to be
celebrated on Wednesday, October 14, 2009; and
WHEREAS, The Albany Roundtable has selected community organizers Maria
and Roger Markovics to receive its prestigious Good Patroon Award for
their efforts to ensure that Albany residents have access to decent and
livable housing, regardless of their income; and
WHEREAS, This prestigious annual award was established in 1988 to
recognize outstanding contributions to the community by institutions and
individuals; and
WHEREAS, By working for equity and justice in housing, Maria and Roger
Markovics have in fact become staunch champions for a revitalized and
sustainable city; through more than a third of a century of upswings and
downturns, the continued success of United Tenants of Albany is the
tangible result of their unwavering leadership; and
WHEREAS, Maria and Roger Markovics moved to Albany in 1970 and began
working in a small storefront crisis intervention program called Provi-
dence House in Albany's South End; they brought together a group of
low-income tenants that eventually became the United Tenants of Albany
(UTA); and
WHEREAS, Maria and Roger Markovics's leadership at UTA encouraged
staff and volunteers to create several other community-based regional
organizations addressing the socio-economic roots of housing problems,
including the Capital District Community Loan Fund, the Albany Community
Land Trust, the Affordable Housing Partnership, and Albany Area Housing
Opportunities; as these organizations have grown, they have formed an
informal network connected with UTA to both develop and preserve afford-
able housing with an expanding grass roots leadership; and
WHEREAS, At UTA, Maria Markovics currently coordinates a Homeless
Intervention Program and manages administrative and fund raising
affairs; Roger Marcovics concentrates on reinvestment work with the
Capital District Community Loan Fund, the Albany Community Land Trust,
and the Affordable Housing Partnership, including related efforts with
an anti-predatory lending campaign (HomeSave), the Capital District
Regional Homeownership Collaborative, and the Capital District Labor
Religion Coalition; and
WHEREAS, The Good Patroon Award is the Albany Roundtable's primary
means of honoring those leaders who make their community a better place
to live; Maria and Roger Markovics's distinguished record merits the
recognition and respectful tribute of this Legislative Body; now, there-
fore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend Maria and Roger Markovics upon the occasion of their designation
as recipients of the Good Patroon Award by the Albany Roundtable; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Maria and Roger Markovics.