Fundraising race is tight, but Epstein shows local clout in District 2 election campaign

BY LINCOLN ANDERSON | Three Democratic candidates vying for City Council District 2 all recently touted their fundraising prowess.

In what’s shaping up to be a competitive race — at least in terms of fundraising so far — Harvey Epstein, Andrea Gordillo and Sarah Batchu all reported securing around $200,000, most of it public matching funds.

However, a closer look at their contributor lists is telling, showing veteran politician Epstein with much more in-district support.

New York City’s Campaign Finance Board matches funds at a generous ratio of $8 for every $1 candidates raise. To qualify, City Council candidates must raise at least $5,000 from 75 in-district voters; the contributions must be at least $175 but not above $1,400.

District 2 stretches from the East Village to Murray Hill, and now also includes Washington Square Park and part of Greenwich Village over to Sixth Avenue. It’s currently represented by Carlina Rivera, who will be term-limited at the end of next year. The Democratic primary election to succeed her will be next June 25.

Assemblymember Epstein, who entered the race in May, the latest of the three candidates to announce, stressed that he had speedily “unlocked the maximum” public matching funds less than two months after throwing his hat in the ring.

Ahead of the July 11 filing deadline, he had netted more than 450 individual donations and was on track to have more than $220,000 available.

“Hitting this major milestone just seven weeks after launching our campaign is humbling,” Epstein said. “Public campaign financing rewards candidates who can show strong grassroots support from the communities they seek to represent, and I am proud to say we have done that here.”

Meanwhile, Batchu, a former Mayor de Blasio staffer and current vice chairperson of Community Board 3, trumpeted that she was leading the race with $230,000, as of the filing deadline.

In the race since December, Batchu also claimed the most individual donors, with 478.

“With a new, powerful female majority in the City Council,” she said, “it’s crucial that we continue to have a strong woman representing District 2 in the City Council. I am proud to represent the next generation of leaders, ready to confront our city’s toughest challenges. Without establishment endorsements or [my having held] prior office, this achievement is a testament to the power of grassroots organizing.”

The primary election is 10 months off but the race is already hot.

Meanwhile, Gordillo, chairperson of Community Board 3 and development director at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center, raised more than $195,000. In the race since February, Gordillo claimed 431 individual contributions.

Like Batchu, she’s also a first-time candidate.

Gordillo has pledged not to accept donations from real estate, fossil fuel or, as she put it, “law enforcement organizations or interests.”

“Our fundraising numbers and coalition clearly demonstrate power among our grassroots coalition, and who I am accountable to,” she said.

The sole Hispanic in the Democratic field, Gordillo also vowed to “keep the Council seat Latina.”

However, two of the district’s previous Latina councilmembers, Rosie Mendez and Margarita Lopez, both endorsed Epstein at his campaign launch. Rivera has not endorsed in the race yet.

A check of the candidates’ donor lists on the Campaign Finance Board site shows that Epstein has, by far, the most in-district donors. His pages are full of residents from in-district zip codes, like 10009, 10002, 10003, 10012, 10010 and 10016 — which shows strength since they can actually vote in the primary election. Meanwhile, Batchu and Gordillo have a lot of out-of-district — and even out of New York State — donations. A good number of Batchu’s contributors are from Brooklyn. A segment of Gordillo’s supporters are from Sarasota, Florida, and nearly a whole page is filled with contributions from her various out-of-state family members.

Epstein’s donor ledger is chock-full of longtime, well-known Downtown community activists. Among them are Andrew Berman, executive director of Village Preservation; Save CHARAS activist Susan Howard; Internet pioneer Paul Garrin; former Community Board 3 Chairpersons Lisa Kaplan and Herman Hewitt; past C.B. 2 Chairperson Jeannine Kieley; and environmentalists Wendy Brawer, JK Canepa and Christine Datz Romero; plus politicos Comptroller Brad Lander, former City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and District Leader Vittoria Fariello.

Batchu’s backers include her former boss de Blasio, who pitched in $100; Andrew Rasiej, a driving force behind construction of the contentious E. 14th Street “Tech Hub”; Ben Thypin, founder of the pro-development advocacy group Open New York (although his occupation is listed as “technology”); Michelle Kuppersmith, a member of C.B. 3 and also Open New York; East Village photographer Destiny Mata; and Jess Beck, co-founder of East Village Neighbors Who Care.

Among Gordillo’s contributors are “St. Marks Is Dead” author Ada Calhoun; former City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito; Edward Amador, Carlina Rivera’s legislative and communications director; Sara Lind, co-executive director of Open Plans, which advocates for street changes to benefit cyclists and pedestrians; District Leader Paul Newell; (despite her “no real estate donations” pledge) Ben Thypin of Open New York, which spearheaded the unpopular upzoning of the Soho and Noho landmark districts; gardens activist Aresh Javadi; artist George Hirose; and former C.B. 4 Chairperson Jeffrey LeFrancois.

Some contributors gave to two different candidates. Lyn Pentecost, former director of the Lower Eastside Girls Club, gave to all three.