November 4, 2009: Vol. 32, No. 44

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November 4, 2009 / Brooklyn news / Politics / Election Coverage

In Bushwick: Reyna beats Davila — and Vito!

By Aaron Short

Community Newspaper Group

Enlarge this image

Incumbent Councilwoman Diana Reyna (left), seen here protesting a rezoning proposal backed by her former mentor Vito Lopez, easily beat a Lopez-backed rival in the general election on Tuesday.

Tools

Diana Reyna (D):

9,830 (60 percent)

Maritza Davila (WFP): 5,647 (35 percent)

Jacqueline Haro (R): 916 (6 percent)

Incumbent Diana Reyna won a third term in a race so bitter that the chairman of Brooklyn’s Democratic Party organization didn’t even endorse his party’s nominee.

Instead, Assemblyman Vito Lopez (D-Bushwick) backed Working Families Party candidate Maritza Davila, lost to Reyna by just 251 votes in the Democratic primary in September. Reyna, a former Lopez protege, broke with her former mentor and he has sought to defeat her ever since.

Jaguar of Great Neck

The race also featured a rare intrusion into local politics by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, the borough’s Catholic leader, who recorded a robocall thanking Lopez for his work in the state legislature regarding sex abuse legislation. Reyna allies claimed that the calls amounted to a tacit endorsement from the Catholic Church.

But Reyna and her supporters had the last laugh, partying outside their S. First Street headquarters and nearly shutting down Bedford Avenue.

“It’s a party in the street!” said Reyna volunteer Lincoln Restler.

— Aaron Short

BoroDeal

←Election: Who will win on Tuesday? These pols think they know

→Election: In Park Slope: Lander triumphs again

Reader Feedback

Katie from Park Slope says:

I went to the NYC Dept. of Finance web site, used their ACRIS search engine, typed in Diana Reyna, and found that her and her husband bought a condo in Glendale at 76-18 69th Place in 2005. The Mortgage Documents state that the condo is their primary residence. Aaaron, just look for yourself:

http://a836-acris.nyc.gov/Scripts/DocSearch.dll/PName

The website for the Glendale Condos where she lives shows that it is a good half a mile outside the district:

http://theglendalecondominiums.com/location.html#attractions

My question is, while I understand that a person can own multiple residences, and that the laws relating to one's primary residence can be tricky, why has no one looked into this when the mortgage documents found on the NYC Dept of Finance Website state that this is their primary residence?

Also, since Reyna's husband is an NYPD officer, Aaron, couldn't you FOIL where his police issued gun is registered to find out if they claim the Glendale address as their primary residence for that purpose?

Aside from that, the Village Voice ran a piece on Thompson last week that questioned how he received a low interest loan for his brownstone, so, who originated the loan for this condo? Did the developer have business with the city council? Is Reyna receiving special tax breaks or abatements that go only to one's primary residence for this condo?

Nov. 7, 2009, 6:46 am

poopindiapers says:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejbz4RVh0oU

Nov. 7, 2009, 12:27 pm

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