FHG Stand Up is a grassroots coalition of Forest Hills Gardens residents united in the belief that our neighborhood deserves transparency, accountability, and inclusive governance. We were formed in response to growing concerns over how the current Forest Hills Gardens Corporation (FHGC) Board has operated—particularly regarding its handling of the Forest Hills Stadium situation, which has been marked by secrecy, divisiveness, and a lack of community input. Our mission is to create a more open and representative future for our neighborhood by ensuring that every voice is heard and respected.

Our group came together because too many residents felt shut out of the decisions that impact our homes, our quality of life, and our neighborhood’s reputation. We watched as the FHGC Board made costly and polarizing decisions, spending resident funds on litigation without transparency, engaging in reckless litigation tactics which has resulted in the FHGC finding itself in a far worse position than when the litigation started, and disregarding broader community consensus. This is not what stewardship looks like. FHG Stand Up was created to restore trust, advocate for responsible governance, and give residents a true seat at the table.

We are your neighbors—homeowners, renters, families, seniors, and newcomers—who share a common goal: to ensure that Forest Hills Gardens is governed fairly, respectfully, and with full transparency. Our coalition is growing as more residents recognize the urgent need for change and step up to be part of a new, community-centered vision.

Stand Up began with a small group of WSTC members who also live in the Gardens, but it quickly expanded into a broad, community-wide effort across Forest Hills Gardens. The seven-candidates we have endorsed reflect that diversity: five of the seven are not WSTC members, and the two who are include a 26 year Gardens resident and long-standing volunteer on the FHGC legal committee and another respected community member — both experienced trial lawyers and deeply committed to the Gardens.

What started as frustration with the Board’s lack of transparency and accountability has grown into a large and inclusive movement of Gardens residents who want to restore integrity, good governance and common sense to FHGC. We are backed by hundreds of residents who believe the Board should return to its intended purpose: serving the community — not dividing it.

Our candidates include financial professionals, preservation experts, and longtime community advocates, four of whom have served honorably on prior FHGC boards or committees. We believe in a Board that listens to all members — not just a select few — and operates ethically, transparently, and with respect for everyone affected by the complex issues surrounding the stadium, concerts, and our neighborhood’s shared quality of life, both members of the WSTC who live in the Gardens, and residents who don’t.

No. We are entirely independent and were formed in direct response to the Board’s lack of transparency and responsiveness. While we remain committed to respectful dialogue, we are equally committed to standing up for what is right and holding those in power accountable when they fail to serve the community. description

The current FHGC Board has led our community into a costly and potentially existential crisis through its mishandling of concert negotiations. Instead of securing a deal that would have brought hundreds of thousands of new dollars into the Gardens, reduced the number of concerts, and addressed quality-of-life concerns, the Board chose aggressive litigation as its only strategy.  This has exposed FHGC to the risk of losing our property rights, leaving our existence as we know it up to the decisions of judges. Suing the City and the West Side Tennis Club has drawn unwanted media and other scrutiny at a time that we are transitioning to new leadership in the city.  Further, with the upcoming 2028 ratification of Declaration 3, the litigation against the WSTC, FHG’s largest single landowner, will still be ongoing as we vote on renewing this covenant.

Beyond the lawsuits, the Board’s overly aggressive, combative style has harmed everyday life in the Gardens—closing parks for long periods using unsightly plastic fencing, restricting outdoor dining on the square despite a long history allowing it, alienating local businesses, and neglecting critical safety measures like neighborhood security cameras and traffic improvements because of the diversion of so much of our money to legal fees.

In short, the Board’s actions reflect poor judgment, secrecy, and a lack of accountability, putting both the community’s finances and our long-term autonomy at risk.

We are calling for meaningful reform and a new direction. Our core goals include:

Transparency in all decision-making processes and financial expenditures

Accountability from leadership on how our dues are being used and how major decisions are reached

Inclusive representation that reflects the diversity of our community, not just a narrow group of voices

We believe in governance that listens, collaborates, and acts in the best interest of all residents.

100% yes.  The By-Laws of the Gardens permit candidates to be nominated by a nominating committee or by petition.  StandUp has acted fully within the requirements of the By-Laws, and the rules established by the Board for prior contested elections.  From the beginning, we have worked within the system, not against it — starting with an open Zoom call where we urged the current FHGC board to be transparent about their litigation intentions and its costs. Despite repeated good-faith efforts — including requests to restore NYPD presence on concert days — the board chose not to engage.  Instead, it has taken the position that anyone who is both a member of the WSTC and a resident of the Gardens has no say at all, and in speaking with the media, has made it seem as if the entire community is behind them.  That is not true.

Many of us  met with the Nominating Committee, which under the rules, is appointed by the sitting board.  The Nominating Committee then chose to re-nominate five members of the current board, effectively endorsing the board’s ongoing litigious approach.  We therefore exercised a right clearly permitted by the By-Laws by obtaining sufficient signatures by petition to run other more moderate candidates. Far from a coup, this is the democratic process at work. Without this, there would be no election at all, just a rubber stamp of Nominating Committee designees.  Our group is encouraging transparency, accountability, and meaningful dialogue about the future of our neighborhood — something the current board has unfortunately resisted.

The candidates we have endorsed and the proxies we are soliciting are proper and cannot be lawfully challenged.  Every decision we have made with respect to this election has been thoughtfully vetted with experienced lawyers and community members who have participated in dozens of FHGC elections, including those with contested elections.  

There are many ways to be part of FHG Stand Up:

• Join our mailing list to receive updates and calls to action

• Attend events and meetings to make your voice heard

• Volunteer your time or talents—whether it’s legal advice, design help, or community outreach

• Talk to your neighbors and encourage them to stay informed and engaged 

 Vote!

• Write to the FHGC board (info@fhgc.org) to share your concerns.