A New York City Council candidate who lives in lower income housing apparently deleted photos online that showed her husband sailing on his wealthy father’s yacht ahead of the primary election on Tuesday.
The now-deleted photos showed Community Board 3 Chairman James Rogers racing in local boating competitions with his father, William Rogers.
The younger Rogers is a former lawyer who is married to Lower East Side council hopeful Carlina Rivera, as the couple lives in Section 8 housing in the neighborhood.
Her father-in-law, William Rogers, is a retired corporate lawyer who oversaw acquisitions and deals involving amounts as high as $100billion, according to his company bio.
Carlina Rivera (left), a New York City Council candidate who lives in lower income housing, apparently deleted photos online that showed her husband, James Rogers (right), sailing on his wealthy father’s yacht ahead of the primary election on Tuesday
The now-deleted photos (above) showed Rogers, who is the Community Board 3 Chairman, racing in local boating competitions with his father, William Rogers
The online post showed the council hopeful’s husband photographed serving as a crew member on his father’s yacht named Big Boat in 2013, 2015 and as recent as May.
During her election, Rivera, who is a New York native, faced questions about her eligibility to live in Section 8 housing due to her salary as a council staffer and her husband’s numerous assets.
According to The New York Post, those assets include her husband’s ownership of an apartment in the Lower East Side.
Last year, as an aide to Council member Rosie Mendez, Rivera earned a $52,000 salary.
Her husband owns an apartment on Grand Street, which he rents out, has a small family trust and co-owns a coffee business.
During her election, Rivera (left) faced questions about her eligibility to live in Section 8 housing due to her salary as a council staffer and her husband’s numerous assets. James Rogers is pictured right with his parents
Rivera (above) has said in the past that they would leave the Section 8 housing unit if she wins the council seat, which is being vacated by her former boss Rosie Mendez. The salary for the Council seat is $148,500 yearly
Instead of living in the apartment he owns, the couple lives in the federally subsidized housing that she qualified for years ago.
The housing unit also does not kick tenants out whose incomes have surpassed the initial eligibility rate.
According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, the qualifying income is now at $61,050 for a two-person household.
Rivera, who would earn a salary of $148,500 salary if she wins the election, and her husband will continue to qualify for that housing until their combined income surpasses $110,000.
At that point they’d have to pay market rate of $2,774 with no taxpayer subsidies for as long as they choose to live in the housing unit.
She has said in the past that they would leave the Section 8 housing if she wins the council seat, which is being vacated by Mendez.
‘It’s sad to see last-minute Trump-style mudslinging attacking a qualified female candidate by going after her husband,’ Rivera campaign spokesman Matt Rey told the Post.