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Two top executives in arena company among the many contributing to Adams 2021

The New York City Campaign Finance Board yesterday announced that reports are now live for 2021 New York City candidates, including all financial activity from January 13 to July 12, 2018.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, unopposed in his 2017 re-election and aiming at the 2021 mayoralty, has a lot of money, some $915,339, with Comptroller Scott Stringer, also aiming at the mayoralty, the only one close, raising $818,654.

Notably, among Adams's many contributors, Brett Yormark, CEO of BSE Global, which owns the Brooklyn Nets and the Barclays Center operating company, contributed $5,100--the maximum--on 7/12/18.

Yormark previously contributed $2500 to Adams in 2015, and $2,475 to Public Advocate candidate Daniel Squadron (who unsuccessfully opposed arena foe Letitia James) in 2013. So this is more than twice as much.


Adams also received $5,100 on 7/2/18 from Maureen Hanlon, president of Onexim Sports and Entertainment Holding USA, Inc., the enterprise that owns BSE Global. She was formerly the firm's outside counsel. (Her predecessor, Irina Pavlova, didn't make any contributions.)

Adams has proven a loyal backer of the arena, even going so far as to support the departure of a local team--the New York Islanders--for the Nassau Coliseum, given that BSE Global, which operates both arenas, needs to fill the Long Island arena.

A few other contributions of note

The website suggests a $5,100 contribution to Adams from "Stephen Marbury," employed by the "Staebury Corporation," which seems likely Brooklyn-born basketballer Stephon Marbury of the Starbury Corporation--at least since his residence is listed as Purchase, NY and Marbury apparently has a house there.

Though Adams has gotten some attention for pro-tenant activism, he has a significant amount of money related to real-estate interests, some from smaller, less prominent firms.

A very quick scan of his max contributors include:
  • artist Jane Walentas, wife of David Walentas of DUMBO-based Two Trees Management (which also is developing the Domino Sugar project)
  • Nathan Berman of Metro Loft Management
  • Charles Borrok of broker Cushman & Wakefield
  • Alexis Demirjian of broker Douglas Elliman
  • Jonathan Holman of Lonestar Construction
  • Naim Hysenagolli of Grenlan Construction
  • Gerard Longo, listed as self-employed but presumably of Mettle Property Group
  • Gabriela Olave of Wiederkehr Real Estate
  • Carlos Perez San Martin of Weylin Seymour LLC (the Williamsburg event space)
  • Lawrence Rafalovich of Rise Development
  • Elton Sata of Franklin Construction
Many others in real estate gave large, but not maximum, contributions. Also among large contributors is J. Dozier Hasty, publisher of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle ($4,950).

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