Group Funded by Wall Street Mogul Violates Regulations, Spends Big on South Bronx Council Candidate

A political action committee called Ending Homelessness and Building a Better NYC has spent to aid Wilfredo L pez s campaign for the District City Council race more than all other candidates have received in independent contributions combined Egg cartons topped with Wilfredo L pez campaign literature at a food giveaway at East Harlem s Corsi Houses in April Credit Ending Homelessness and Building a Better NYC Instagram A version of this story was originally published by the Mott Haven Herald a student-powered news outlet at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism covering the Bronx neighborhoods of Mott Haven Melrose and Port Morris Kaliris Salas a longtime East Harlem resident was scrolling through Instagram when she saw a post that stopped her cold Next she filed a complaint with New York City s Campaign Finance Board I m like wait hold up They re doing food distributions with palm cards Salas recalled thinking She was watching a video that evidenced people affiliated with Ending Homelessness and Building a Better NYC a Political Action Committee funded by Wall Street financial titan Mike Jenkins distributing Wilfredo L pez campaign literature on top of egg cartons at a food giveaway in East Harlem Salas noticed that none of this PAC spending had been broadcasted to New York City s Campaign Finance Board I was like you guys are not recording any of this The subsequent revelation that the PAC has spent to encouragement L pez s campaign over the last limited months has shaken up the District City Council race This amount spent on things like mailers open bar events food giveaways is more than all other candidates have received in independent contributions combined In a promotional video posted to its Instagram on April the PAC claimed it planned to give away million pounds of produce at events in NYCHA communities in East Harlem and the Bronx District neighborhoods of Mott Haven Melrose and Port Morris all of it distributed in Wil L pez tote-bags The CEO of the PAC Tomas Ramos also filed legal objections through the Board of Elections to five candidates in the race Nicholas Reyes Elsie Enacarnacion Clarisa M Alayeto Raymond Santana and Federico Colon RELATED READING Pro-Israel Donors Gave Thousands to South Bronx and East Harlem Candidates Of Salas complaint Ending Homelessness and Building a Better NYC PAC spokesman Michael Brady explained Ms Salas s matter has already been addressed with NYC CFB and EHBB s filings are a matter of constituents record It s disappointing to see old political forces trying to distract from the work that truly matters But we re not here for headlines we re here for the neighborhood In New York City power belongs to the people not kings queens or anyone clinging to the past Raymond Santana has made the PAC s spending a centerpiece of his campaign posting memes about the issue on Instagram and bringing it up repeatedly at a District candidate forum on April I take no money from special interest lobbies L pez responded when the forum moderator sought candidates how they are financing their campaigns Raymond Santana at the District Candidate Forum on April Photo by Marina Samuel That response earned an uproar as audience members shouted million referencing the total contributions that Ending Homelessness and Building a Better NYC has received from Jenkins since Santana incorrectly claimed that the PAC spent all that money supporting L pez through his -follower Instagram platform In fact it disclosed spending on L pez I don t have a super PAC behind me Santana declared standing up out of his seat L pez is going to sell out the South Bronx and East Harlem he added Building a Better NYC CEO Tomas Ramos also went on social media to jab back at Santana claiming he was a fraud and convicted felon in a now-deleted Instagram comment under Santana s post Of the PAC s spending L pez revealed via his campaign I am dedicated to running my race and serving the people of our area from the ground up by knocking on doors and meeting my neighbors where they are Nobody will ever be able to buy my vote I have consistently and will consistently fight for our working families and communities L pez also received encouragement from a Jenkins-funded PAC when he ran unsuccessfully for state Assembly in When the news sire New York Focus petitioned L pez how he felt when he ascertained out the PAC was going to promotion that run he commented I was like That s freaking awesome I appreciate the help ' Jenkins history in the Bronx It is unclear why Michael Jenkins is so interested in the politics of East Harlem and the South Bronx Jenkins is one of the founders of Jane Street a quantitative trading firm that generates billions in profit a year and regularly pays its brainy -year-old hires including at one point Sam Bankman-Fried base salaries In the firm traded as much stock in a year as the entire London Stock Exchange Jane Street did not respond to a request for comment But Jenkins is starting to accumulate history in the area In he supported Ramos unsuccessful run for congress via a PAC and bankrolled of the million Ramos donated to the Bronx Vitality Care System via the non-profit he runs which includes Betances Wellness Center during that campaign In a different PAC funded by Jenkins paid lawyer Aaron Foldenauer to challenge the signatures of Democratic Assembly candidate George Alvarez In this year s District race Foldenauer challenged the signatures of every candidate but L pez These challenges whatever their outcome force other candidates to spend time in court defending themselves rather than campaigning Alayeto was initially removed from the ballot due to legal challenges from the PAC on April but was reinstated on appeal this week The whistleblower Salas sees Jenkins intervention in the race as part of a larger pattern In the last couple of years these hedge funders have been coming into our neighborhoods claiming that they want to do good work But they re very conservative right-wing like follow my instructions people Additional reporting by Gabriela Flores and Kennedy Sessions To reach City Limits editor contact Jeanmarie citylimits org The post Group Funded by Wall Street Mogul Violates Regulations Spends Big on South Bronx Council Candidate appeared first on City Limits