An outside spending group backing New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams for mayor has disclosed its funding sources to the Campaign Finance Board after a report revealed that DoorDash contributed $150,000 towards advertising while simultaneously lobbying against regulations in the delivery app sector.
The situation has raised eyebrows regarding the collaboration between Competent New York, an organization created by the municipal union District Council 37, and DoorDash, especially as the city considers a bill focused on providing paid sick leave for delivery workers.
According to recently filed records from the Campaign Finance Board, Competent New York has received a total of $530,000 from three main contributors: Local Economies Forward (the spending group fully funded by DoorDash), the AFSCME Working Families Fund (linked to DC 37’s parent union), and the PSC PAC (the political expenditure group for the Professional Staff Congress, which represents CUNY faculty).
Neither of the unions involved has yet addressed inquiries about their partnership with DoorDash or how the tech platform fits into their broader organizational priorities.
Both unions, which represent over 100,000 city workers as well as faculty and staff at the City University, endorsed Adams atop their ranked-choice voting slate.
Recent records reveal that the AFSCME Working Families Fund contributed $365,000, whereas the PSC PAC provided $15,000, with both donations recorded on June 16, following the initiation of Competent’s radio and internet advertisements supporting Adams, which began airing on June 7 and reported $286,800 in advertising expenses to the Campaign Finance Board.
On June 7, consultant Red Horse Strategies also reported a loan of $286,000 to Competent New York, followed by the $150,000 donation from Local Economies Forward just four days later.
DoorDash’s head of North American public policy, John Horton, stated, “Local Economies Forward has clearly and transparently disclosed all spending in this cycle, and we’re proud to publicly support candidates and campaigns that have real plans to make New York City a better place to live.”
Initially, ads ran by Competent New York attributed funding solely to AFSCME, despite city laws mandating that political advertising disclose the top three donors supporting independent expenditure groups.
Competent New York has since modified the internet ads to include Local Economies Forward alongside AFSCME but has not referenced PSC PAC.
Doug Forand, a founding partner at Red Horse, did not respond to requests for information regarding the loan or the claims made in the ads that identified AFSCME as the sole supporter.
Campaign finance regulations allow independent spending groups to contribute to other such entities, yet the nature of DoorDash’s funding via a secondary organization has prompted criticism from watchdog groups.
Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York, a good government organization, remarked, “If DoorDash thought that having their name on the communications would be positive, they wouldn’t go to such lengths to try and hide it.”
AFSCME has also reported additional spending through another independent expenditure group called Labor Strong, which supports six City Council candidates.
The substantial financial involvement from DoorDash coincides with ongoing deliberations in the City Council regarding labor protections for delivery workers, particularly legislation aimed at expanding paid sick leave to include gig workers employed by apps like DoorDash.
As both Uber and DoorDash ramp up their spending as they look to influence next month’s Democratic primary elections, DoorDash’s contribution to Competent New York follows a $1 million donation made to Governor Cuomo’s Fix The City PAC earlier this year.
During a recent rally with delivery worker organization Los Deliveristas Unidos, which protested practices that lock out workers in response to newly implemented city minimum wage laws, city comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander criticized tech companies for attempting to “buy New York City government” to undermine the workers who essentially generate their profits.
Lander, who also sponsored the bill mandating independent expenditure groups disclose their three largest donors in ads, expressed concern over DoorDash’s indirect influence in the pro-Adams campaign.
“This just speaks to what it looks like when a corporation tries to buy democracy,” Lander concluded.
Candidates must not coordinate with independent spending organizations, which, following the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, can spend unlimited amounts of money on election-related activities.
While Adrienne Adams has refrained from commenting on Competent New York, there is currently no evidence to suggest that her campaign has any direct communication with the group supporting her candidacy.
Ligia Guallpa, executive director at the Worker’s Justice Project — the parent organization for Los Deliveristas Unidos — expressed concern over the potential influence of app-based companies on city lawmakers, particularly regarding workplace protections that have been established through prior City Council actions.
Guallpa stated, “We’re deeply concerned to see the City Council Speaker take money from multi-billion-dollar corporations that exploit workers and make app delivery one of the deadliest jobs in the city.”
image source from：thecity
