Wealthy Upper East Side Residents Pouring Millions Into Bronx Elections—And It’s Not For Our Benefit.

As if we don’t have enough to deal with outside money pouring into our borough via developers bent on gentrifying The Bronx and creating their version of our home for wealthier prospective residents, now we have to deal with Upper East Side millionaires pouring monies into local elections to benefit their needs. 

As the Village Voice reports, these donors and millionaires do not represent our borough’s constituents. 

The Voice writes:

Roger Hertog, who donated $150,000 to the PAC, is chairman emeritus of AllianceBernstein, an asset management firm that holds a $4 million stake in private prison operator GEO Group as of its last filing with the SEC. GEO Group has made million off of its prison and immigrant detention center operations, despite allegations of inmate abuse and maltreatment.

Peter Grauer, who donated $75,000 to the PAC, is chairman of Bloomberg LP and currently serves on the board of the Blackstone Group, the world’s largest private equity real estate firm. Blackstone has attracted criticism for its actions after the foreclosure crisis, which disproportionately hurtblack and Latino communities. Last year, Grauer made news for being one of only three UNC trustees who voted to keep a university hall named after a notorious KKK leader.

Sean Fieler, who donated $75,000 to the PAC, is a hedge fund manager and one of Wall Street’s top political donors. Fieler has also funded scores ofanti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion-rights causes. Last year, Fieler gave $200,000, more than any other donor, to defeat California’s transgender-students’-rights law.

Walton donated $450,00 to the PAC. Walmart has been a strong opponent of the Fight for $15 and attempts to unionize the retail sector.

Clearly these are not in the best interests of the average Bronxite. 

It’s bad enough that these same groups control our housing and community assets, now they want to control our corrupt political structure too and that’s simply unacceptable. 

Get your hands off our campaigns and lives!