Driving the news: Brian Romero won 66% of the Democratic primary in Queens' 34th District in June. No Republican filed. Albany is a foregone conclusion.
He had to quit his $106,469-a-year legislative aide job in March. State ethics guidance required it once he was on the ballot. He says he saved for months. The savings ran out.
He lives in a $2,600-a-month Jackson Heights apartment. He put up a GoFundMe titled 'Help Brian Cover Rent After State Assembly Run.' It asked for $2,000. He raised $1,095 before taking it down Friday afternoon — after The Post started asking questions.
'I decided to take it down. It was kind of done pretty quickly,' he told the paper. He called it a 'mistake' and said he returned the money.
By the numbers: - $106,469 — his salary last year as a senior legislative aide - $142,000 — what he earns once sworn in - $203 — daily per diem when the Assembly is in session - $1,095 — raised on GoFundMe before the page came down
Between the lines: Romero also said he tried and failed to use unemployment insurance — a system he now calls 'broken' and wants to fix from Albany.
'I can't remember seeing something like this happen before,' said Jordan Libowitz of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
The bottom line: A politician who will vote on billions in taxpayer spending publicly pleaded poverty — then blamed the system. The irony is sharp. Romero preaches redistribution; he just tried to crowdsource his own rent. Albany's generous salary and per diem will solve his cash-flow problem soon enough. Taxpayers will foot that bill too.