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Toba Potosky Emerges From Latest Financial Filing with Most Cash on Hand in District 33 City Council Race

February 23, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle Staff
Toba Potosky
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New York City Council candidate Toba Potosky today announced having more cash on hand – over $166,000 – than any other candidate in the 10-way race to replace term-limited Councilmember Stephen Levin. Potosky said the financial information was released in the New York City Campaign Finance Board’s latest filing. District 33 encompasses most of the Brooklyn waterfront that faces Manhattan, including Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Dumbo, Downtown Brooklyn, Fulton Ferry, Greenpoint, Vinegar Hill, Williamsburg, and Bed-Stuy.

As of today, the campaign has received 641 donations, 489 of which – over 75 percent – were $100 or less.

Potosky participated in New York City’s matching funds program, which, paired with campaign spending and individual contribution limits, ensures that candidates compete on a level playing field. Donations by New York City residents, no matter how large or small, can be matched by as much as eight times so that real New Yorkers have just as much impact on political races as those who could potentially spend significantly more.

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“I’m so proud that we’ve run such a groundbreaking campaign powered by the people of our district,” said Potosky. “Let’s face it: there is a real disconnect between City Hall and the rest of us. We got into this race because neighbors from Greenpoint all the way to Downtown Brooklyn told me it was time for change. Together, we’re going to finally put people over politics and fix what’s broken with our city.”

Potosky recognizes that even before COVID-19 impacted our lives, this city suffered from an unresponsive City Hall burdened with government bureaucracy, red tape, and incompetent leadership.

His campaign is focused on solutions to real problems. These include addressing New York City’s affordable housing crisis; reforming the police so that they not only protect but also serve our communities; and investing in schools, parks, and protecting our environment, amongst many other priorities.

For more than two decades he has volunteered his time as a community activist, advocate, and organizer. Potosky has built a reputation for getting things done. His achievements include adjusting affordable housing income limits to include teachers, nurses, and working families. He successfully raised $12 million for local park repair projects. As a local organizer he helped in the fight to stop the DOT from ripping down the Promenade and replacing it with a 6-lane highway. He continues to be a loud voice on quality of life issues like replacing the Clark Street Subway Station elevators and calling for a ban on tourist helicopter traffic and the latest trend of loud mufflers.

Potosky grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Flushing, Queens. He lived in a two-bedroom apartment withhis parents and older brother. He attended P.S. 24. Throughout his childhood, he was surrounded by several generations of family, including first-generation and immigrant grandparents. His father was a salesman who eventually became a small-business owner. His mother worked in medical offices and hospitals and was a proud member of 1199 SEIU. As a result of his close family circle, he grew up understanding the needs of individuals with multiple sclerosis, depression, and Type 1 diabetes. 

Potosky has experienced life from a different perspective than most. From his very first job as a street vendor to a restaurant worker to documentarian and screenwriter, to sound engineer, community activist, advocate, and organizer, he understands that the money the city lawmakers spend comes from the weekly paychecks of taxpayers.

Toba met his wife Ronni on a blind date in 1990. They married in 1993 and have since made Brooklyn their forever home, along with their rescue dog Maddy.

Toba Potosky is running for the New York City Council in District 33, representing Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Dumbo, Downtown Brooklyn, Fulton Ferry, Greenpoint, Vinegar Hill, Williamsburg, and Bed-Stuy because he understands that our future is being created today.


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1 Comment

  1. Jojobaby4evr

    Just another phoney baloney slug wanting a lifetime job as a politician. Anyone believe any of this toba hogwash deserves what they’ll get. Nada ! He’s just another lieing socialist demoncrat. He seeks only to feather his nest. Yikes !! …another BS demonrat candidate.

    December 27, 2021 at 12:22 pm
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