The problem grew to become a flashpoint throughout final week’s first debate within the Brooklyn borough president’s race, when Reynoso’s Democratic major opponent, Khari Edwards, questioned why the BP had accepted donations from “luxury developers” although he has maintained for years he doesn’t take marketing campaign money from the true property trade.
Reynoso pushed again, calling Edwards’ query “nonsense.”
“You know I don’t take money from developers,” mentioned the BP, who was elected in 2021 on a broader promise to refuse any donations “from the real estate industry,” which is commonly considered as together with brokers, landlords and property managers along with builders.
khari edwards
Khari Edwards
Reynoso’s actual property money features a $1,000 donation made on Sept. 27, 2024 by Mitchell Hochberg, president of the mega developer Lightstone Group. Reynoso accepted that donation although Hochberg’s within the metropolis authorities’s Doing Enterprise database.
The database retains tabs on personal actors concerned in enterprise dealings with metropolis entities, and people listed in it are restricted from giving greater than $320 to borough president candidates. Reynoso’s marketing campaign in the end returned $680 of Hochberg’s donation — however not till a number of months after he made it, a delay that might topic the BP to a high-quality from the Marketing campaign Finance Board, which usually requires any over-the-limit contributions to be refunded inside 20 days.
A CFB spokesman declined to remark.
Different actual property gamers who gave to Reynoso’s reelection bid embody Zev Friedman, who chipped within the max $1,600 allowed by legislation on Might 19, data present. Friedman is the chief monetary officer of Bonjour Capital, an actual property funding and growth agency.
Reynoso marketing campaign supervisor Ben Hoffman acknowledged that the donations from Hochman, Friedman and 4 different trade gamers, totaling $5,380, flew within the face of the BP’s 2021 dedication to not take money from actual property builders.
Hoffman mentioned Reynoso’s marketing campaign has already refunded two of these donations, totaling $1,960. He didn’t say in the event that they’d return the others.
On the 2021 marketing campaign path, Reynoso on a number of events promised to not take money from the true property sector as an entire. Extra not too long ago, he has spoken in regards to the significance of not taking donations from builders particularly.
In a press release, Hoffman argued Reynoso “is not going to be distracted and will continue doing what he does best: serving the people of Brooklyn to make a safer, more affordable Brooklyn for all.”
Edwards, Reynoso’s opponent, mentioned he’s being “dishonest.”
“It’s damage control that does nothing for the families fighting to stay in their homes,” mentioned Edwards, who’s Reynoso’s solely aggressive challenger within the June 24 Democratic major.
There was no polling within the Brooklyn BP race. Up to now, Reynoso has dominated the fundraising battle, although, sitting on $811,891 as of the final submitting in comparison with Edwards’ $239,148.
Initially Printed: June 13, 2025 at 3:46 PM EDT
