Real Estate Industry Buys City Council Races

There was an article a while ago at Gotham Schools, I'm not remembering the day, but basically it was how charter school operators and backers aren't worried about the mayor's race because they plan to own the City Council.

Well, the NY Times explains today how that's going to happen:

A group aligned with the city’s real estate industry has unleashed a torrent of spending to support pro-business candidates for the City Council, upending the frequently sleepy local contests and angering other candidates. 

The infusion of money — totaling nearly $7 million so far — reflects the anxieties of New York business leaders, who are about to lose an important ally in City Hall as Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg departs at the end of the year. 

The money is coming from Jobs for New York, a political action committee financed by real estate developers, property owners and other interests eager to ensure that the pro-business, pro-jobs and pro-development policies of Mr. Bloomberg outlive his term. 

Election experts say that the amount of money the organization has invested — $275,000 per race, on average — has injected a new dynamic into City Council contests, which normally hinge on community connections and neighborhood issues. 

“I don’t think we’ve ever seen this kind of big-money, outside group try to hijack local races,” said Austin Shafran, a Democratic candidate in the 19th Council District in northeastern Queens. 

Mr. Shafran, once an aide to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and former Representative Gary L. Ackerman, is locked in a four-way Democratic primary battle that includes a candidate who has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in support from Jobs for New York. 

The group’s efforts are playing out in 17 races throughout the city at a time when the Council is facing extensive turnover, with 21 of its 51 members stepping down, mainly because of term limits.

They're hammering people with negative mailings, turning people off the races, hoping to hold down turnout and have their real estate/business/charter school shills elected to the City Council.

Just something to keep an eye on when Election Day comes and something to remember if you're getting excited about the possibility of a de Blasio administration - the City Council might be renamed the Kathryn Wylde Council of Business, Real Estate and Charter School Shills.