A Democratic Socialist expected to coast to victory in a deep-blue Queens state Assembly district is facing questions after briefly asking supporters to help cover his rent and grocery bills while waiting to take office.
Brian Romero, the Democratic nominee for New York's 34th Assembly District, removed a fundraising campaign after being inquired about it by a local publication. The campaign, which sought $2,000 to help with living expenses, was taken down on Friday.
Romero said he left his job as a senior adviser to state Sen. Kristen Gonzalez earlier this year after receiving ethics guidance once he became a candidate for Assembly. He won the June Democratic primary and faces no Republican challenger in November, but claims to have exhausted his savings while searching for consulting work and unable to collect unemployment benefits.
Romero wrote on the since-deleted fundraising page that he had to leave his full-time job in the legislature when he got on the ballot for the Assembly race. He claimed to have depleted his savings as he navigated the transition to elected office and was close to closing down some consulting gigs.
The fundraiser drew criticism because Romero is expected to easily win the heavily Democratic district, where he would earn the state Assembly's $142,000 annual salary once sworn into office, in addition to legislative per diem payments while the Legislature is in session.
Jordan Libowitz, a spokesperson for a government ethics group, said that he could not recall another instance of a lawmaker-elect publicly asking for financial assistance while awaiting office.
Romero removed the fundraiser after discussing it with friends and described creating it as "a mistake." He said he did not keep any of the money that had been donated and instead had friends offer to help him financially while he looked for work.
Romero earned $106,469 last year as a legislative aide and lives with his partner in a Jackson Heights apartment that rents for about $2,600 a month.
