Starting in 2007, cash from the deep-pocketed Related Companies began flowing into Rep. Jerry Nadler’s campaign war chest.
Since then, campaign finance records show that Nadler, who’s locked in a tight congressional race with Rep. Carolyn Maloney and Suraj Patel, has raked in more than $60,000 from the firm’s chairman Stephen Ross and donors connected to Ross and the firm.
Related is the primary developer behind Hudson Yards, a gleaming conglomeration of skyscrapers and upscale shops on the West Side. The company is now seeking to bring a casino to the high-end enclave.
Patel considers this to be a conflict of interest.
Ross is owner of the Miami Dolphins NFL franchise, and was recently fined $1.5 million and suspended for six games for violating multiple league policies. He also drew a lot of flak when he hosted a fundraiser for former president Donald Trump.
“The sheer amount of money Congressman Nadler has taken from this special interest—particularly as it seeks to open a casino on the West Side—is staggering. When our community needed him to be an independent voice, Nadler has instead chosen to cash in at our expense,” Patel said. “This conflict of interest is exactly why I’m the only candidate in the race who won’t accept contributions from the corporate PACs corrupting our democracy.”
When asked during a NY1 debate whether he’d support a casino in the Manhattan district, Nadler appeared open to the idea, saying that casinos “can generate huge revenue,” which is “very good,” but he then added that ultimately the decision would fall to the city and is one “that Congress has nothing to say about.”
Maloney and Patel needed to see the specifics of a plan before making an informed decision.
Maloney, who has also received less than $10,000 in donations from Related over the years, recently called Nadler’s relationship with the company into question as well.
“Campaign contributors have never affected how I fight for my constituents,” Maloney told The News. “Public service is a public trust. Voters deserve an explanation if there is a link between Jerry Nadler’s large campaign contributions from Related Companies’ leaders and his openness to a gambling casino on the West Side.”
“New Yorkers have returned me to the House time and again not just because of my principled, progressive accomplishments, but because they know that my integrity is unimpeachable. I have never once in my career made a decision predicated on anything but the best interests of my constituents,” he said.
He called their stand cheap and flimsy.
“With my campaign growing in momentum and recently earning the support of the New York Times and (Senate Majority) Leader Chuck Schumer, I understand why my opponents are growing increasingly dishonest.”
Nadler was named in 2018 to the “elected advisory board” of the West Side Community Fund, which was set up by Related and several other companies to bankroll local programs. Nadler no longer serves on the board.
A press release Related put out in 2018 said that the fund would receive administrative support from the Citizens Committee for New York City. Tax forms dated 2018 show that the Citizens Committee issued several grants to local organizations, but it’s not clear whether they were given in conjunction with their work with the West Side Community Fund, or independently of it.
A Related spokesman declined to comment about plans for a casino in Manhattan, but did note that the city and state governments will ultimately determine its fate.
Nadler has been endorsed by the Working Families Party, a progressive point of pride in a district that spans both the west and east sides of Manhattan. But while the WFP has put in its lot with the veteran West Sider, it’s also been critical of Ross publicly.
