While pushing #CancelRent during COVID, NYC mayoral candidate Brad Lander was charging rent
Lander's disclosures, provided to the Daily News by the city Conflicts of Interest Board, say he pulled in between $5,000 and $50,000 in rental income per year in both 2020 and 2021, a period when he adamantly pushed the #CancelRent demand as COVID wreaked havoc on New York's economy and on the many who'd lost their jobs.
Lander's disclosures only offer ranges as opposed to exact dollar figures, but his campaign confirmed Monday the tenant at his Park Slope property paid him $1,625 per month in 2020, 2021 and 2022, tallying up to $19,500 per year. Lander and his wife live in the same building.
A spokeswoman for Lander, who was elected city comptroller in November 2021 and has sought to distance himself from some of his most progressive stances since becoming a mayoral candidate, said his tenant in 2020 and 2021 was an Afghan refugee employed by the city government who didn't lose his job during COVID.
The spokeswoman, Dora Pekec, also noted the amount Lander charged his tenant was below market rate, with a study from the MNS real estate agency finding the average rent in Park Slope in January 2021 was $2,759 for a one-bedroom and $3,698 for a two-bedroom.
'What Brad was advocating for in 2020 was that folks who lost their jobs should not be evicted and should receive rental assistance from the state, which is something Andrew Cuomo failed to do,' Pekec said, referencing how then-Gov. Cuomo didn't enact rent relief packages that were as extensive as some housing advocates had hoped.
'All this shows is that Brad Lander has the heart to rent out a unit to a political refugee in need,' she added.
Lander's push for pandemic rent relief at times went beyond calling for an eviction moratorium and rental assistance.
The News found 10 social media posts Lander made in 2020 and 2021 in which he specifically urged Albany lawmakers to #CancelRent, a term used during the pandemic to rally for a suspension of the requirement for tenants to pay rent. Lander also attended #CancelRent rallies at the time and issued letters to state urging them to enact a rent moratorium.
The #CancelRent movement was decentralized and composed of several factions pushing different proposals. Some supporters wanted rent cancelled only for New Yorkers who lost their jobs, with the understanding that the state would also compensate landlords via the so-called Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Others advocated for a more expansive plan that'd abolish rent for all tenants.
Lander urged his Twitter followers on May 1, 2020 to sign a petition that called on city tenants to go on 'rent strike' by refusing to pay their landlords if Cuomo and the state Legislature didn't enact a universal moratorium 'for the duration of the public health crisis.' Along with sharing the petition, Lander posted a photo of himself wearing a face mask with '#CancelRent' written across it in black Sharpie.
'You shouldn't be surprised there's a movement to #CancelRent,' Lander tweeted a few months later. 'You should be surprised there's not a revolution.'
Ultimately, state lawmakers and Cuomo — who resigned as governor in August 2021 amid sexual misconduct accusations and is now another leading 2025 mayoral candidate — never cancelled rent, a decision Lander panned in March 2021.
'Albany has continued to kick the can down the road,' Lander tweeted March 1, 2021 before thanking organizers of a 'Sunset Park march to #CancelRent & #InvestInOurNY.'
Though rent was never canceled, the state enacted a moratorium on evictions for much of the pandemic. The city also froze rent increases for all stabilized tenants in 2020.
Affordability, especially when it comes to housing, is a key issue in June's Democratic mayoral primary race, which features nearly a dozen candidates vying to unseat Eric Adams, whose reelection bid is in turmoil amid his federal corruption indictment and surrounding scandals.
The most left-leaning candidate in the race, Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, has vowed to if elected freeze rent for all stabilized tenants in the city for at least four years. Lander wouldn't make the same commitment as Mamdani at a mayoral candidate forum last month.
'If the data supports it,' Lander said at the forum when asked if he'd as mayor freeze rent for stabilized tenants.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
7 minutes ago
- New York Post
Gavin Newsom and Zohran Mamdani can bring about the ruin of California and New York
It was in December 1777 that the great Scottish economist Adam Smith learned of General Burgoyne's defeat at Saratoga. Smith's correspondent said that he feared Smith's own nation of Great Britain, was ruined. The economist's reply was: 'There is a great deal of ruin in a nation.' Ever since that quote became famous, it has been both consoling and misleading. Consoling because it is true that while some people always claim the sky is falling down, more often than not, it stays up perfectly nicely. Adam Smith's own nation more than survived the defeat at Saratoga. Advertisement At the same time, the quote is misleading. Nations cannot cope with an infinite amount of ruin. Cities and states can tolerate even less. In our own country, there are many politicians who think that US cities in particular can put up with almost anything. Take Governor Gavin Newsom of California. In recent days, he has been trying to 'win' the internet. That's because, having failed at his job of governing an actual state, he seems to have decided to become chief troll online. Democrat pundits are 'LOLing' all over the place at Newsom's alleged brilliance in aping the internet manners of President Trump. Advertisement It would be a lot more fun if the situation in Gavin's own state were sunnier. As it is, while Newsom plays cute online, California is in a disastrous state. Just this year, it has suffered ruinous wildfires, causing billions of dollars worth of damage. And even if the areas of Los Angeles that burned to the ground are rebuilt, good luck to anyone trying to get home insurance. Then there are the riots — stoked along by Democrat politicians, who seem to think that it is the natural-born right of every illegal alien to riot against ICE and other law-enforcement officers and wave the flags of Mexico and other countries to demonstrate just how many rights they think they should get in America. Advertisement All this comes as the state of California still struggles to recover from the disastrous COVID-19 lockdown policies that Newsom tried to install in his state. For everyone but himself, naturally. Perhaps Newsom and the sycophants in his party think that some winsome online behavior will bring back the 2.1 million registered Democrats who seem to have been lost by the party in the years between 2020 and 2024. But the reality is that Newsom's policies — from taxation to homelessness and law and order — have seen a great exodus of the people the state needs most. In recent years, California has lost even more wealthy millennials than New York has. Some 10,000 millennial households bringing in more than $200,000 a year fled California in a single year. A figure almost twice the size of the exodus from New York of the same demographic in the same year. Of course, in part, that is because of the genius of the federal system in this country that makes moving between states so relatively easy. Advertisement A British person afflicted by high taxes and high crime cannot just up sticks and move to a different jurisdiction in their country. It's all going to be the same. Get opinions and commentary from our columnists Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters But if California or New York decides to tax the successful beyond their endurance and fails to give them a decent quality of life in return, then Florida or Texas will never look so appealing. That is a fact that Democrats in New York, as much as in California, should keep at the top of their minds. Even as New York is considering the possibility of electing a high-taxing, radical socialist mayor, there are people who say that it is an empty threat that people will actually leave this city. These are the same people who seemed to think that the Golden State would be endlessly attractive, even if there were syringes all over the sidewalks and the place was on fire. The same people seem to think that you can test and test New York as much as you like, and it doesn't matter because people will still want to live here. Tell that to the people who had to live through the city's downturn in the 1970s. In fact, tell that to the citizens of the numerous cities in this country that have managed to fall through the floor. Advertisement There was a time when Detroit seemed like the city of the future. There was a time when St. Louis seemed like a good bet. But these places should be reminders that what seems enduring can in fact be stress-tested to death in front of your eyes. I mentioned the country of Adam Smith, and it is still worth looking to it for a lesson in what could happen here. The left-wing Labour government in the UK came into power last year, promising to tax the rich to fill its fiscal deficits. Of course, it hasn't worked. But the threat has certainly chased money out of the country. The UK is expected to lose some 16,500 millionaires this year alone. An uptick of over 50% just in the year before. All driven away by the brilliant tax policies of a government that doesn't even say it is socialist. Advertisement What Zohran Mamdani and Co. would do to this city is orders of magnitude worse than anything Labour has achieved in the UK. But there is another lesson still to learn. Which is that, having chased the wealthy out of the UK, the Labour government is now suddenly hoping to woo them back. They are learning in real time the old conservative lesson that it is much easier to destroy than it is to build. Easier to chase people away than to give them the long-term confidence that would be needed to encourage them back. Which returns me to Adam Smith. There may be a great deal of ruin in a nation. But there isn't an endless amount of ruin in a state. Much less of a city. Come November, New Yorkers should remember that.
New York Post
7 minutes ago
- New York Post
Black voters still skeptical of Mamdani, leaders blast: ‘You don't get to use African American when it's convenient for you'
An infantilizing charlatan and quack—who owes a huge apology for attempting to pass himself off as African American. That's what black leaders are calling Democrat mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani who, despite his airs of being 'the great, brown hope,' continues to flounder with demographics his entire campaign is supposed to help. Insiders say black voters are not warming up to the Democratic socialist since roundly rejecting him in June's primary. Advertisement 'He owes us an apology, for the community. How dare he?' Chantel Wright, a 59-year-old Harlem resident, bishop, and educator, told the Post in an impassioned interview. 11 New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, a socialist, is struggling to win support from the black community. AP 11 Black New Yorkers remain furious and offended by Mamdani claiming to be 'African American' on his application to attend Columbia University, where his father is a professor. Lev Radin/ZUMA Press Wire / Advertisement Wright was referring to news last month that Mamdani – who is of Indian ancestry, but born in Uganda – lied on his application to Columbia University to get favored admissions treatment by claiming to be 'African American.' She, like many black New Yorkers, hasn't forgotten. 'When people use the cover of being African American—that is the most egregious, unacceptable, fraudulent, disingenuous action against our community I can even fathom. 'You don't' get to use the title of African American when it's convenient for you. 'Whose seat did he take at that university? He took another black person's seat. That could have been a first generation or second generation that was able to go to college,' Wright, a staunch supporter of Mayor Eric Adams, wonders. Advertisement 'We don't trust him.' A Marist poll found that only eight percent of black New Yorkers support Mamdani–and it doesn't seem to be improving. 11 Bishop Chantel Wright of Harlem demanded Mamdani issue an apology to the black community, calling his co-opting of black identity 'the most egregious, unacceptable, fraudulent, disingenuous action.' William Farrington 11 'Riding the bus for free might be something that looks cute to the younger generation who was raised on TikTok,' Wright says, insisting the older folks aren't buying Mamdani's snake oil. Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images Advertisement In June's Democratic primary Mamdani's big boost came from white, gentrified Brooklyn and he also led by 20 points among New Yorkers earning over $100,000 — which hardly fits with his socialist agenda and image as a supporter of blue collar workers. As the numbers suggest, the people most inspired by Mamdani's big ideas are the ones who least need a leg up. The 33-year-old candidate's central message is 'affordability,' but many New Yorkers wonder if the socialist candidate — who has rarely held a job for longer than a few months and lived with his parents almost into his 30s — really understands the needs and worldview of low-income wage-earners. 11 Mayor Eric Adams is running for re-election as an independent in a four-way race against Cuomo, Mamdani, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. James Keivom 'I can tell you unequivocally that black voters are not socialist. Period,' Darius Jones, president of the National Black Empowerment Council, an Atlanta-based nonprofit, tells the Post. 'That notion of government being the savior of our people has proven, historically, to be antithetical to our drive for self-determination, our ability to create and pass down wealth generationally.' Wright is more direct when asked about Mamdani's Mamdani's promise to lower the cost of living—which includes his plan for government run grocery stores, a rent freeze (but only for rent stabilized New Yorkers like himself), and free city buses 'Lies from the pit of Hell,' Wright shot back. 'Don't pee-pee on our leg and tell us that it's raining. Advertisement 11 Mamdani's highly energized and motivated base is primarily youths making over six figures, who've settled in western Queens and gentrified Brooklyn. Getty Images 11 Mamdani supporters have turned off black voters by preaching government dependence and lawlessness. MediaPunch / BACKGRID 'Because we know the difference. One thing our parents teach us as soon as we are cognizant is that nothing is free. You're going to pay double for it in the back end. 'So, no, riding the bus for free might be something that looks cute to the younger generation who was raised on TikTok,' she says, 'but the older folks I'm talking to are not buying it. It's a smokescreen.' Advertisement There remains a sense in the black community that the Mamdani train has left the station without their input, as one NAACP chief pointed out recently, even as Mamdani launches a (belated and lackluster) effort to get them on board. His team has now hired a fulltime staffer—Afua Atta-Mensah, a nonprofit boss who identifies herself on social media bios as a 'she/her,' 'savant,' and 'Prosecco purist'—to expand his support in traditional black strongholds like Brownsville, East Flatbush, and Crown Heights. 11 Darius Jones, president of the National Black Empowerment Council, sad Mamdani and his ilk 'infantilize' black people and jeopardize self-determination. Courtesy of Darius Jones 11 Jones believes dangerous ideas like defunding the police and legalizing prostitution are 'vanity projects' from out-of-touch elites. Courtesy of Darius Jones Advertisement Aside from Mamdani's resume chasms and college application blackface, leaders in the black community are speaking out against the socialist takeover of the Democrat party—which Democratic Socialists of America member Mamdani is now the central figurehead for. 'It's infantilizing to put out these notions that 'we want to take over the means of production,'' says Jones, of one of Mamdani's more outwardly Marxist talking points. 'People who are still espousing [government dependency] are showing how disconnected they are from black people—to think that those notions still carry favor in our community.' He points to Mamdani's advocacy to decriminalize all drugs and prostitution, as well as defunding the police, as 'particularly damaging and often punitive to black families.' Advertisement 11 Black leaders say defunding the police will increase crime, poverty, and human trafficking in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Matthew McDermott 11 Leaders say black families want safety and stability, not an 'experiment,' with some saying Eric Adams is their choice. Michael Nagle 'If you live in some of these fashionable areas of New York, notions like that might sound egalitarian, or novel. But if you're actually a grandmother living in a community with high crime, what's that going to do?' Bishop Wright concurs, telling the Post: 'New York doesn't need an experiment right now. We'd be out of our minds.' Jones believes such ideas are downright insulting. 'People underestimate the political sophistication of black people,' he says. 'Black people see this as a vanity project—idealism that comes out of faculty lounges at NYU or Columbia,' the latter of which being where Mamdani's father teaches; the family also lived close to campus in the college's subsidized housing. 'It's all great and fanciful for people who don't have real connections to black people.'
Chicago Tribune
37 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Tinley Park District 146 teachers union declares impasse over contract negotiations
The union for Tinley Park Elementary District 146 teachers says it is at an impasse with district officials over negotiating an updated contract. While most of the contract's provisions are settled, the Tinley Council Teachers 146 of Local 604 is fighting for higher wage increases and improved retirement benefits than the district is offering. Negotiations began in February, and the most recently approved contract expired July 31. The district's most recent offer includes wage increases of 6% for each of the next two school years and 5% for the 2027-2028 school year. Keegan Kociss, a spokesperson for the district, said District 146 teachers are among the highest paid in the surrounding area, saying the district's proposal is 'generous and it's fair and it keeps our taxpayers in mind.' The teachers union countered with wage increases of 7% each year for the next three school years, which they say is important to counter inflation and struggles teachers faced during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as to attract good teachers amid a nationwide shortage. 'As always, our number one priority is ensuring our students get the high-quality education they deserve. To us, that means a stable district that is fully staffed. It means ensuring that the district can retain great teachers through their career, making them a long term part of the school community,' union President Eileen VonBorstel said in a statement. Kociss said the district is unwilling to match the union's 7% proposal because wage increases beyond 6% expose the district to financial penalties through the Illinois Teachers Retirement System. Under the district's proposed salary increase, teachers' starting salaries would be $52,570. Teachers with master's degrees would start at $67,284. The union said it allowed the district to choose between two financial proposals in April, one that the district pay teachers' TRS contribution, which is 9% of every teacher's salary, while providing lower raises, or that they provide higher raises. The district chose the higher salary increase, the union said. In its public posting of their offer, the teachers union said the school board has impeded progress of negotiations and spread inaccurate information about the union's proposal. The district and the union met twice with a mediator since May but do not have any scheduled negotiation sessions. 'The union has been forced to bargain against itself repeatedly in order to find a path to progress, revising our proposals over and over again, to only be met with the same 'no,'' the union said. District 146 board President Julie Berry said in a district news release that the board values its teachers and their contributions to the district, which includes Fierke Education Center, Kruse Education Center, Fulton School, Memorial School and Central Middle School. 'We have been fortunate enough to maintain small class sizes and student-teacher ratios, exceptional educational programming, and minimal unfilled vacancies,' Berry said. Superintendent Jeff Stawick, district said 'we remain focused on reaching a fair, sustainable agreement that honors educators, meets student needs, and protects the district's financial stability.'
