By: Jared Evan

The New York Post has exposed “a Brooklyn lawmaker recently turned her council office into an outpost for activists with the Democratic Socialists of America, a move critics say may have violated city law.

City Councilwoman Alexa Avilés met with DSA members from southern Brooklyn at her Sunset Park district office.” According to The New York Post, “

The DSA, whose leading voices include Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, endorsed Avilés’ successful bid for council last year. State Assemblywoman Marcela Mitaynes — who identifies as a democratic socialist, as does Avilés — tweeted Saturday about the meeting and included a photo with DSA members. Mitaynes attended the gathering in Aviles’ office.”

A City Hall source, exclusive to The New York Post, is quoted as saying, “The city Conflict of Interest Board law states, “City employees may not use any City time or City resources (including a City computer, email account or phone) for any political purpose.” The insider source claimed the meeting violated the law. “It would be like running your re-election campaign from your government office. You can’t do that,” the source said. “Ethics rules say you need to keep politics and government separate.”

In response to The New York Post’s blistering report, “Avilés issued a statement dismissing the assertion. She insisted that she and the group discussed policy issues, not campaigning. “I take the City’s conflicts rules very seriously and would never conduct electoral campaign activities from my district office. A meeting of local residents who are of like-mind or adherents to a political philosophy is not a violation of Chapter 68. Nor is it a violation if such meetings concern organizing around central issues, policies and services for the community.”

In endorsing Aviles and five other candidates for office, the Democratic Socialist Party released this statement, ““The six members of the NYC-DSA City Council slate are the leaders this city needs as we continue to face the devastating fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Chi Anunwa, NYC-DSA Co-Chair. “They all have deep ties to their communities and an absolute commitment to fighting alongside working New Yorkers for a democratic socialist agenda, including defunding the NYPD and funding the social infrastructure we actually need — education, healthcare and housing.”

Avilés Wikipedia bio states, Avilés was born in Puerto Rico, and raised in East New York. She was the youngest of seven children to a substance abuse counselor mother, and the first in her family to attend college. She graduated Columbia University in 1995 and received a master’s degree from CUNY’s Baruch College School of Public and International Affairs. She is a National Urban Fellow and an alumna of A Better Chance.”