With less than three weeks until the Democratic primary, housing has emerged as a defining issue in New York City’s mayoral race. And as is New York City tradition, the home lives of the candidates themselves have surfaced as talking points, potential weak spots and everything in between as they push their brands to voters.
Those contending for the top job have a mix of living situations across four of the five boroughs — sorry Staten Island — from rent-stabilized apartments to Fifth Avenue co-ops, according to Curbed.
Manhattan
Several candidates have planted roots in Manhattan’s priciest neighborhoods. Whitney Tilson, a former hedge fund manager, owns a three-bedroom co-op at 1165 Fifth Avenue in Carnegie Hill, purchased for $2.1 million in 2002. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo rents a two-bedroom apartment at 420 East 54th Street in Sutton Place for about $8,000 monthly.
Former New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, who reportedly lived in the Upper West Side starting in 1982, instead rents a two-bedroom unit at 25 Broad Street in the Financial District for $6,400 monthly. Meanwhile, Curtis Sliwa, the lone Republican candidate, rents a one-bedroom at 272 West 73rd Street on the Upper West Side for $3,675 monthly.
Incumbent Eric Adams officially resides at Gracie Mansion on the Upper East Side, though many have questioned how much time he actually spends there; his residency became a notorious storyline during his last run for mayor.
Brooklyn
Independent Jim Walden owns a three-bedroom co-op at 200 Hicks Street in Brooklyn Heights, purchased for $1.1 million in 2009. City Comptroller Brad Lander owns a two-family brownstone at 256 13th Street in Park Slope, bought for $655,000 in 2002, and pays $3,300 monthly in mortgage fees.
State Sen. Zellnor Myrie rents a two-bedroom rent-stabilized apartment at 10 Maple Street in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens for $1,300 monthly, splitting time between his childhood home and his wife’s Crown Heights residence. Eric Adams also maintains ownership of a Bedford-Stuyvesant townhouse at 936 Lafayette Avenue, purchased in 2003 for $250,500.
Queens
Three candidates are based in the World’s Borough. City Council speaker Adrienne Adams owns a Dutch Colonial home at 144-20 109th Avenue in Jamaica, purchased by her husband for $85,000 in 1987. Democratic Socialist assemblymember Zohran Mamdani rents a one-bedroom rent-stabilized apartment at 32-15 35th Street in Astoria for $2,300 monthly, which he found on StreetEasy in 2018.
State Sen. Jessica Ramos rents a rent-stabilized two-and-a-half-bedroom at 37-15 79th Street in Jackson Heights for $2,480 a month.
Bronx
Michael Blake, a former state assemblymember and White House aide under President Barack Obama, is the lone one to represent the Bronx on the ballot. He owns a three-bedroom condo at 837 Washington Avenue in Melrose, purchased for $440,000 in 2021.
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