Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso’s reelection campaign has accepted thousands of dollars in contributions from real estate industry players even though he ran for office on a promise to not take money from that sector, according to a Daily News review of city records.
The issue became a flashpoint during last week’s first debate in the Brooklyn borough president’s race, when Reynoso’s Democratic primary opponent, Khari Edwards, questioned why the BP had accepted donations from “luxury developers” even though he has maintained for years he doesn’t take campaign cash from the real estate industry.
Reynoso pushed back, calling Edwards’ question “nonsense.”
“You know I don’t take money from developers,” said the BP, who was elected in 2021 on a broader promise to refuse any donations “from the real estate industry,” which is often viewed as including brokers, landlords and property managers in addition to developers.
khari edwards
But a review by The News of Reynoso’s public disclosures found his 2025 reelection campaign has accepted nearly $25,000 in donations from more than a dozen individuals working in the real estate sector. With public matching funds factored in, those donations have become worth more than $43,000.
Reynoso’s real estate cash includes a $1,000 donation made on Sept. 27, 2024 by Mitchell Hochberg, president of the mega developer Lightstone Group. Reynoso accepted that donation even though Hochberg’s in the city government’s Doing Business database.
The database keeps tabs on private actors involved in business dealings with city entities, and those listed in it are restricted from giving more than $320 to borough president candidates. Reynoso’s campaign ultimately returned $680 of Hochberg’s donation — but not until several months after he made it, a delay that could subject the BP to a fine from the Campaign Finance Board, which generally requires any over-the-limit contributions to be refunded within 20 days.
A CFB spokesman declined to comment.
Other real estate players who gave to Reynoso’s reelection bid include Zev Friedman, who chipped in the max $1,600 allowed by law on May 19, records show. Friedman is the chief financial officer of Bonjour Capital, a real estate investment and development firm.
Reynoso campaign manager Ben Hoffman acknowledged that the donations from Hochman, Friedman and four other industry players, totaling $5,380, flew in the face of the BP’s 2021 commitment to not take cash from real estate developers.
Hoffman said Reynoso’s campaign has already refunded two of those donations, totaling $1,960. He did not say if they’d return the others.
Of the other donations identified by The News, Hoffman argued they aren’t part of Reynoso’s commitment. He said that’s because that money came from landlords, property managers and brokers, which he differentiated from real estate developers.
On the 2021 campaign trail, Reynoso on multiple occasions promised to not take cash from the real estate sector as a whole. More recently, he has spoken about the importance of not taking donations from developers specifically.
In a statement, Hoffman argued Reynoso “is not going to be distracted and will continue doing what he does best: serving the people of Brooklyn to make a safer, more affordable Brooklyn for all.”
Edwards, Reynoso’s opponent, said he’s being “dishonest.”
“It’s damage control that does nothing for the families fighting to stay in their homes,” said Edwards, who’s Reynoso’s only competitive challenger in the June 24 Democratic primary.
There has been no polling in the Brooklyn BP race. So far, Reynoso has dominated the fundraising battle, though, sitting on $811,891 as of the last filing compared to Edwards’ $239,148.
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