With the mayor, comptroller, borough president and 13 of 16 Brooklyn City Council seats up for grabs in next year’s citywide elections due to term limits, yesterday’s financial disclosure reporting deadline for the 5th period on the city’s Campaign Finance Board’s (CFB) website revealed more on a number of the candidates thus far running for office.
The CFB disclosure reports are mandated for all the candidates who are opting into the city’s public financing of elections, in which candidates will receive an $8-to-$1 taxpayer match on some campaign contributions.
In the race for mayor, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and City Comptroller Scott Stringer continued to raise big bucks. Adams reported raising a total of 2,593,345, while Stringer reported raising $2,788,831. Other mayoral hopefuls who reported fundraising totals were City Council Speaker Scott Stringer ($859,394) and Shaun Donovan ($662,003), a former housing secretary and budget director under former President Barack Obama, and housing director under former Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
In the race for City Comptroller, Park Slope City Councilmember Brad Lander hauled in a hefty $650,142 to Harlem State Sen. Brian Benjamin’s raising $462,327 in what thus far is looking like a two-person race.
In the Brooklyn Borough President’s race to succeed Adams, Bed-Stuy City Councilmember Robert Cornegy Jr. raised $192,557 to Williamsburg City Councilmember Antonio Reynoso’s $104,742. Also lurking in this race is Brookdale Hospital executive Khari Edwards ($55,455) and Flatbush City Councilmember Mathieu Eugene ($10,400). NYC First Lady Chirlane McCray, who is also rumored to be looking at the borough presidency, has yet to file with the CFB.
In term-limited city council races, the big money race is for Lander’s 39th District Park Slope seat, which is the district Mayor Bill de Blasio held before Lander and has always been one flush with campaign contribution cash. In this race, United Federation of Teachers union honcho Briget Rein ($69,309) leads the pack followed by Entrprenuir Justin Krebs ($54,655), Lander’s community liaison Shahana Hanif ($53,371) and former New Kings Democrats President Brandon West ($29,430).
In Eugene’s 40th District Flatbush/Prospect Lefferts Garden seat, NYPD Officer and activist Edwin Raymond hauled in a sizable $43,939 followed by Brooklyn public school teacher and UFT member Rita Joseph ($41,060), Flatbush activist Brian Cunningham ($22,668, Democratic District Leader Josue Pierre ($20,445), Ditmas Park activist Blake Morris ($9,865) and Eugene’s brother, Maxi Eugene ($6,174).
CFB figures also indicate a very competitive race is shaping up in term-limited City Councilmember Alan Maisel‘s 46th district seat covering Canarsie, Bergen Beach, Flatlands, Georgetown, Gerritsen Beach, Marine Park, Mill Basin and Mill Island. Here all the candidates have some current or former connections to Carnarsie’s very powerful Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club.
Leading the field in raising funds is Gardy Brazela with $34,300 followed by Mercedes Narcisse ($31,19), Judy Newton ($23,180), Shirley Paul ($21,088) and Dimple Willabus ($20,596.
Another interesting race shaping up is for term-limited City Councilmember Inez Barron‘s 42nd District East New York seat. Here former female district leader/activist/journalist Nikki Lucas raised $23,475 to activist Wilfredo Florentino‘s $11,731.
The CFB is set to give its first matching funds payment in December.
