By: Jay Gatzberg

New York City Councilwoman Alexa Aviles — a proud Democratic Socialist of America member and key ally of mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani — has quietly joined what the New York Post first reported as Gotham’s “socialist millionaires club.”

Despite her public calls to “decommodify housing,” Aviles and her husband, Frankie Correa, reported between $1.1 million and $1.8 million in assets in her 2024 financial disclosure to the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board, the NY Post reported. Their portfolio includes a Brooklyn home worth roughly $590,000 and two properties in Florida.

According to the Post, Aviles and Correa bought their first Florida condo in 2012 for just $79,000 during a foreclosure sale at the height of the housing crash. Their second purchase came in 2021 — a three-bedroom home in a gated Orlando community with a pool and fitness center, bought just as Aviles launched her first run for City Council.

Although Aviles has said “housing should be decommodified,” the NY Post first reported that one of her Florida homes was listed for rent in 2021 for $2,200, then dropped to $1,900 shortly after. A local resident told the Post the move revealed “a clear profit motive,” calling it hypocritical for a politician who campaigns against real estate speculation.

Aviles’ office told the Post the homes were occupied by family members and that the rental listing appeared only after her niece moved out. “The Councilmember believes affordable housing is a human right, which is why she supports a rent freeze and holding predatory landlords accountable,” a spokesperson said.

Elected in 2021 to represent Red Hook, Sunset Park, and parts of South Brooklyn, Aviles was backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, campaigning on housing affordability and tenants’ rights. But the NY Post reported that she drew scrutiny in her first term for hosting a DSA meeting in her official City Council office, prompting questions about possible ethics violations.

Her husband is listed on campaign materials as a “union worker,” but the Post found that Correa left his job at Brooklyn Union Gas two years ago and previously held a real estate and investment broker license — something Aviles’ office said is “not a current source of income.”

Before entering politics, Aviles earned more than $215,000 a year as a program director for the Scherman Foundation, a progressive grantmaker that funds left-wing groups like Make the Road New York.

Aviles has since become one of Mamdani’s most visible surrogates, the NY Post reported, joining him at rallies attacking “Wall Street billionaires” and “corrupt” city leadership.

Her growing fortune places her among a number of left-wing politicians with substantial assets, including Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Ilhan Omar, who each disclosed multimillion-dollar portfolios. Meanwhile, Mamdani — her close political ally — reported just $2,000 in the bank while living in a rent-stabilized apartment.

As the New York Post first reported, Aviles’ wealth highlights an awkward contradiction within New York’s socialist movement: leaders preaching against capitalism while quietly benefiting from it.