Standing next to the president of the hotel union, Zohran Mamdani was asked about casinos.
The Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, which represents hotel and casino workers, is a big supporter of three new casinos opening in New York.
Mamdani? Not so much.
After an HTC-led rally on 76th Street on Wednesday, a reporter asked Mamdani if he would support casinos opening in New York City.
“I’ve been open about my personal skepticism, and yet I also know that this is the law,” Mamdani said, referring to the state-led process of awarding three casino licenses to applicants downstate. “The siting and the choices of which casinos will open that pertains to the state.”
During a June press conference, Mamdani indicated that he is “generally in opposition to” the expansion of casinos. He was absent for a vote on parkland alienation legislation that was needed for Steve Cohen’s proposal for a casino next to Citi Field, but told reporters that he would have voted against the measure.
The moment underscored the delicate dance candidates sometimes have to pull off in making their policy positions clear without alienating major supporters. HTC endorsed Mamdani after his win in the Democratic primary, having previously supported former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. They can’t be expected to agree on everything, but if Mamdani had come out stronger against casinos on Wednesday, it would have made headlines.
It also highlights the weird political space casinos occupy. Labor unions support the competition in New York because these casinos mean tens of thousands of construction, hotel and casino jobs. Progressive electeds, usually on the unions’ side, typically don’t want to be seen wholeheartedly supporting something as morally fraught as gambling, even as some of these proposals also throw in affordable housing as part of the package.
The rally on Wednesday had nothing to do with casinos, but rather was real estate-related. The event was part of the union’s broader campaign against Reuben Brothers’ Surrey Hotel. Former workers, who were laid off when the hotel shut its doors during the pandemic, sued the hotel in April, alleging that the owners violated city law when they failed to rehire them. Reuben Brothers bought the hotel for $150 million in 2020 and reopened it in October 2024.
Under the city’s Displaced Hotel Service Workers Act, when a hotel is sold, the new owners must offer employment to hotel service workers who have worked at the hotel in the year leading up to the change. The employees are to be retained for 90 days, and if their work is satisfactory, kept on after that.
What we’re thinking about: For those of you who indicated that you would support Mayor Eric Adams after Andrew Cuomo’s primary loss, are you still backing his reelection bid? Do reports of forthcoming indictments against former and current aides affect your decision? Send a note to kathryn@therealdeal.com.
A thing we’ve learned: ICYMI, John Catsimatidis appears in the film “Marty Supreme,” starring Timothee Chalamet. He joked to Politico New York that now he needs to buy a movie studio. Thank you to Holden Walter-Warner for passing this along!
Elsewhere in New York…
— There may be financial consequences for mayoral campaigns that drop out at the eleventh hour. Candidates to the right of Zohran Mamdani are increasingly being asked to drop out in order to unify the vote behind one anti-Mamdani candidate. But according to City & State, citing Campaign Finance Board rules, campaigns that stop campaigning “may be required to repay an amount equivalent to the amount of public funds paid to the candidate that were not spent on qualified expenditures.”
— Andrew Cuomo is counting on President Trump’s help to beat Mamdani, according to comments made at a Hamptons fundraiser, Politico reports. “Trump himself, as well as top Republicans, will say the goal is to stop Mamdani. And you’ll be wasting your vote on Sliwa. So I feel good about that,” Cuomo said in audio from the fundraiser obtained by Politico. While the candidate has publicly distanced himself from the president, he didn’t deny that he or his team has been in contact with the White House about the race.
— Mayor Eric Adams’ former chief advisor, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, is expected to face more corruption charges, according to the New York Post. She will reportedly be indicted on charges that she accepted handouts in exchange for favorable positions on redevelopment plans. The indictment is also expected to name Jesse Hamilton, Adams’ deputy commissioner of real estate services.
Closing Time
Residential: The top residential deal recorded Wednesday was $9.6 million for a 3,360-square-foot townhouse at 310 West 11th Street in the West Village. The Hudson Advisory Team at Compass had the listing.
Commercial: The top commercial deal recorded was $21.8 million for a 17,260-square-foot office building at 123 Lafayette Street in Chinatown.
New to the Market: The highest price for a residential property hitting the market was $7.8 million for a 7,095-square-foot townhouse at 112 1st Place in Carroll Gardens. Gail Donnarumma of Daniel Gale’s Sotheby’s Realty has the listing.
Breaking Ground: The largest new building project filed was for a proposed 105,463-square-foot, 99-unit, 12-story property at 331 Maple Street in Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Joseph Frankl of JFA Architects & Engineers filed the permit on behalf of Charles Wurzberger of Candor Capital.
— Matthew Elo
