Shocking Interview: Some NYC Mayoral Candidates are Totally “Out of Touch” on Bklyn Housing Prices

Edited by: TJVNews.com

Seems like a few New York City mayoral candidates are totally out of touch as it pertains to having some rudimentary knowledge of real estate prices in Brooklyn. During a series of recent interviews that the New York Times did to determine who they would like to endorse for mayor of the Big Apple, editorial board member Maya Gay asked the candidates what they thought the average price was for a home in Brooklyn.

On April 21^st, Gay asked Democratic contender Shaun Donovan, a former housing secretary under President Obama, what his best guess was. The Post reported that Donovan replied:   “In Brooklyn, huh? I don’t for sure. I would guess it is around $100,000. “It’s 900,000,” Gay told him.

Another candidate who has knowledge of the financial sector was also in another world as it pertains to Brooklyn housing prices. The Post reported that ex-Citigroup executive Ray McGuire said: “It’s got to be somewhere in the $80,000 to $90,000 range, if not higher,” he said.

The only one who was on the mark was Democratic contender Andrew Yang who is currently in the lead, according to the polls, for the job at City Hall.   The Post reported that Yang said: “I would just say that the median — it’s going to be something, like, much higher than it should be. So the number that popped into my mind is $900,000.” “That’s exactly right,” Gay responded.

“I know. I am the math guy. But this is, like, a median. This is, like, blowing my mind, this question. So median home — could be any size, right? So some of them would be very substantial. But you’re looking at the median, so you have to, like, whittle down,” Yang mused, according to the Post report.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who’s giving Yang a run for his money in recent polls and is a homeowner in the borough, said $550,000. Nonprofit executive Dianne Morales had a similar response with $500,000.

The Post reported that City Comptroller Scott Stringer, a Manhattan resident, was slightly over the target at $1,000,000. Maya Wiley, a civil rights attorney, went way over the median price with her $1,800,000, according to the Post.

The New York Times ultimately made the decision to give their imprimatur to former Sanitation Commission Kathryn Garcia, whose answer was off by just $100,000.

“Oh, I don’t know this. I haven’t purchased in a long time. I’m going to guess $800,000,” Garcia said during her interview. Garcia owns a home in Park Slope, Brooklyn, as was reported by the Post.

Both Donovan and McGuire were raked over the coals on social media for their abysmal lack of knowledge on the housing market in Brooklyn when the Times posted transcripts of the interviews on Tuesday.

“How can you fix the city’s housing crisis if you’re this oblivious?” asked political strategist Monica Klein.

“I mean, do u even watch House Hunters?” quipped Brooklyn Councilman Justin Brannan (D-Bay Ridge).

Donovan later told the Times that he misinterpreted the question and thought that the question referred to “assessed value of homes in Brooklyn.” The Post reported that he said, “I really don’t think you can buy a house in Brooklyn today for that little.”