A leftist council member in New York City, Alexa Avilés, has faced scrutiny after her chief of staff, Edward Cerna, received a significant penalty from the conflict of interest board for urging staff to contribute to her re-election campaign.
The conflict of interest board disclosed that in January, Cerna sent a text to seven staff members requesting they donate to Avilés’ campaign for re-election.
This communication violated contribution regulations, according to the board, which led to four of the recipients contributing $200 each to the council member’s campaign.
The COIB stated, “Cerna’s actions constitute a violation of the conflicts of interest law that prohibits public officials from soliciting campaign contributions from their subordinates.”
Serving as Avilés’ chief of staff since 2022, Cerna justified his text as an “out of office message”.
The text read, “As you may know, our principal is facing a legitimate challenger. Therefore, tonight marks a crucial financial filing deadline. If you can, and this is completely OPTIONAL, I encourage you to consider making a donation to the re-election campaign. Thank you all and enjoy your Saturday,” and it included a link to the donation page.
Avilés, an advocate for Zohran Mamdani in southern Brooklyn’s District 38, successfully navigated a primary challenge from Ling Ye, who received 28% of the vote.
Cerna conceded in his agreement with the COIB that he breached City Charter section 2604, which prohibits public servants from soliciting contributions from their subordinates for political campaigns.
Consequently, he will incur a $2,250 fee to the COIB while continuing his role as Avilés’s chief of staff.
Both Cerna and Avilés have yet to comment on the situation in response to inquiries from the Post.
