Peter Reitz appointed SPOSFI's first Executive Director
By David Fix

April 5, 2007

I am very pleased to announce that the Board of Directors has hired Peter Reitz to be the first Executive Director of the Small Property Owners of San Francisco Institute. For several years, the Board has been considering hiring an Executive Director. The amount of work necessary to run this organization effectively has become too much to be handled by a volunteer.

I knew Peter was looking for a new challenge in his life. He has the experience and skills we need. I will continue as the President of SPOSF. Peter will be assuming more of the day-to-day operational duties of the organization. It is in our best long-term interest to have an Executive Director that will work with the President to keep the organization strong.

Peter grew up in Fresno and has had a distinguished career overseas and in New York and Washington, D.C. He has a B.S. from California State Polytechnic University and a M.A. from Boston University, and brings to the Institute a wealth of experience from leading three large nonprofit organizations: Secretary General of CARE International, Executive Director of Pan-American Development Foundation (affiliated with the Organization of American States), and Director of Salesian Missions. His wife, Hazel, is retired from the U.S. State Department, where she worked with the world’s refugees.

Directly relevant to SPOSFI’s mission is Peter’s experience as a property owner in New York City since 1980 and in San Francisco since 1991. He comments: “Most proponents of rent control laws suggest that keeping prices down allows for affordable housing in otherwise expensive neighborhoods, increasing the economic diversity of urban areas. In practice, rent control leads to the opposite, creating an incentive to stay in a rent-controlled apartment indefinitely and pass that apartment along to a family member or friend if one must leave. Hardest hit are people relocating to the area or those who would like to move into housing better suited to their family size and needs. Both the property owner and the renter lose when artificial prices control the rental market.”

We welcome Peter to the leadership of the organization. His enthusiasm and experience will be of great value to SPOSFI. Please introduce yourself to him at the member meetings. He can be reached at Peter@smallprop.org.