A month’s worth of political donations isn’t the definitive record of who the real estate industry is supporting in the mayoral race.
It is, however, a pulse check. Leading up to the primary, the big industry players were overwhelmingly donating to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. That changed after he lost, and then Mayor Eric Adams saw a sudden surge in industry donations. He brought in more than $489,000 from real estate donors after the primary, up through July 11.
Now we have the latest donations, received between July 12 through August 18:
Zohran Mamdani
Real estate donations: $19,720
Total contributions reported this period: $1 million
Eric Adams
Real estate donations: $60,545
Total contributions reported this period: $425,181
Andrew Cuomo
Real estate donations: $53,720
Total contributions reported this period: $472,537 (plus a $68,225 transfer from a state fund)
Curtis Sliwa
Real estate donations: $9,939
Total contributions reported this period: $406,392
Jim Walden
Real estate donations: $250
Total contributions reported this period: $8,222
The bottom line? The industry is still by and large supporting Adams and Cuomo. Donations to the mayor have slowed since the last filing period, but that seemed to be driven by an immediate (panicked) reaction to Cuomo’s primary loss.
The next filing deadline is Oct. 3, at which point we should have a better sense of whether the industry is deciding to pull back further on its spending ahead of the general election. Of course, if someone drops out, everything could change.
What we’re thinking about: Will anyone drop out of the mayoral race before the general election? Have you heard anything about the land use ballot questions lately? Send a note to kathryn@therealdeal.com.
A thing we’ve learned: The term synanthrope (undomesticated creatures that live in close proximity to humans, such as rats, pigeons or squirrels) comes from the Greek “syn,” meaning “together with” and anthropos, which is “man,” according to the book “The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to The Hidden World of Everyday Design.”
Elsewhere in New York…
— Mayor Eric Adams’ former chief advisor, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, was indicted last week on charges that she accepted kickbacks, including a brief cameo on the TV show “Godfather of Harlem”, in exchange for interfering with a controversial traffic redesign. But she isn’t the only member of the mayor’s inner circle to get a gig with the show. Gothamist reported that Adams’ son, Jordan Coleman, acted as personal assistant to actor Forest Whitaker during the show’s second season, in what was described by two production employees as a “political hire.”
— Gothamist profiled Drew Warshaw, who is emerging as a challenger to state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. Warshaw’s platform focused on the affordability crisis. As part of his campaign, he wants to invest $10 billion of the state pension fund into affordable housing projects.
— Zohran Mamdani’s campaign held a scavenger hunt over the weekend, Newsweek reported. The activity dovetailed with the mayoral candidate’s campaign promise of fast, free buses, as participants used public transit to cross the city to various stops, several of them transit-themed. — Quinn Waller
Closing Time
Residential: The top residential deal recorded Monday was for a condominium unit at 63 West 17th Street for $7.8 million. The unit at The Lyla Condominium is 4,100 square feet and listed by Compass’ The Davis Team.
Commercial: The top commercial deal recorded was $5.4 million for 856 Greene Avenue. The Bedford-Stuyvesant rental building is three stories, has six units and is 5,800 square feet.
New to the Market: The highest price for a residential property hitting the market was $7 million for a penthouse unit at 545 West 110th Street. The Morningside Heights condo is 3,100 square feet. Compass’ Deirdre De Risi and Marissa Galletti have the listing.
Breaking Ground: The largest new building project filed was for a proposed 222,596-square-foot, six-story school building at 153-10 Hillside Avenue in Queens. Carrie Moore of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill is the applicant of record.
— Joseph Jungermann