In Bayonne, NJ, residents at the East Side complex are complaining that they have been locked out of their community room, which is used for bingo and card games. The Tenants Council is responsible for the community room, and currently, the Tenants Council president is away on vacation, leaving no replacement. While the council treasurer, Jane Mastrangelo, has the key, residents were unable to convince her to open the room.

When tenants tried to address the issue with the Bayonne Housing Authority, they were turned back to their own Tenants Council. With the president of the council absent, residents feel they have nowhere to turn to. The president is reported to have cancelled bingo for the months of July and August.

The Bayonne Housing Authority said that the Council has the legal authority to determine when games are played, and may cancel bingo games as it sees fit. Resident Vincent Kildosher said that the social hall, designated as a community room for the entire complex, has become a private club, adding that by canceling bingo and opting to leave the room locked for the summer further proves that the Tenants Council, intended to help complex residents, has become an elite club.

It seems as though some type of agreement has been reached, though. There is currently a sign on the still-locked door of the social hall, announcing that bingo resumes August 4th at 6pm.